An officer in upstate New York shot and killed a teen fleeing while pointing a replica gun, police said Saturday.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    125
    edit-2
    5 days ago

    Hey I’ll give them some credit with that headline.

    Not “13-year-old killed in police shooting” or “a 13-year old died during a police interaction” etc. Nope, they fully went with “Police in New York shoot and kill 13-year-old.” Thank you, PBS.

    Also -

    The shooting happened Friday night after officers in Utica stopped two youths at around 10:18 p.m.

    One of them fled and pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the officers, according to a statement by the Utica Police Department.

    I’ll be interested to see when that footage is released and what it contains.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      705 days ago

      The department said it is also aware of a video circulating on social media of the incident but warned that it does not portray the incident in its entirety.

      I have a feeling the officially released footage might also not portray the incident in its entirety…

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        104 days ago

        If it shows a kid running and pointing what appeared to be a handgun, then that’ll be a pretty big part of the incident…

  • SeaJ
    link
    fedilink
    41
    edit-2
    4 days ago

    One of them fled and pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the officers, according to a statement by the Utica Police Department.

    If the footage confirms this, it makes sense that the officer shot him. Don’t point guns or gun replicas at people.

    But they were fleeing and pointed a gun at him? Either the reporting is shitty or it did not happen like the police say it happened.

      • Flying Squid
        link
        fedilink
        84 days ago

        And unless you’re some sort of trick shot marksman, you won’t be any danger to the cops.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          124 days ago

          I mean shooting randomly is always dangerous to someone. People get hit by stray bullets literally every day in america.

        • FuglyDuck
          link
          fedilink
          English
          5
          edit-2
          4 days ago

          This isn’t entirely accurate.

          First, just because they’re only slightly less accurate than most cops… doesn’t mean they’re not able to get lucky.

          Secondly, I’m reminded of an incident I saw security recordings of, from a guy running across a light rail platform (warehouse district in Minneapolis,) dude was spraying behind him. While running.

          Missed all of the people he was aiming at, killed 4 people all the same.

          ACAB, so I’m not saying the cops didn’t fuck up. (Or even plant the damn pellet gun…) but yeah. There’s a reason that’s the narrative.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          54 days ago

          Dumb luck happens, plus could hit an innocent bystander. It’s honestly a shit situation all around.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    23
    edit-2
    4 days ago

    The bystander video is shown here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1188314849017274

    Video shows three cops chasing a suspect. The first cop tackles the kid and proceeds to punch him. The second cop run up with gun drawn and shots the kid in less than a second while the first cop is still busy wrestling.

    IMHO, the 2nd cop’s shooting was incredibly unsafe since he was shooting a suspect wrestling another cop from less than 1 foot away. As far as I can tell, the cop basically ran up to the kid, put his gun to his head, and pulled the trigger. You can not tell from THIS video if there was a gun in the kids hand, but I can’t believe the first cop would not have tackled him if there was! There is no way this is a good shooting.

  • Ebby
    link
    fedilink
    345 days ago

    Outcome is unfortunate but pointing a gun, replica or not, at an officer has always been a very bad idea. Nothing is different now vs 30 years ago.

    Do we as a society really need reminding don’t point weapons at police? Don’t do it folks.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      705 days ago

      Your flaw is that you’re taking the police at their word. Why the fuck would a 13 year old point a pellet gun at the cops?

      If I see footage that corroborates their story I’ll believe it. Until then, I’m assuming the murderer is also a liar. ACAB

      • Ebby
        link
        fedilink
        155 days ago

        I haven’t heard a statement from the other side of the story, but it seems you have. So please, inform us all. Otherwise, your speculation based in distrust and hate is moot.

        We only have one source of facts at the moment, with a promise for a more detailed followup so, yeah, it carries weight.

        I don’t know why a 13yo would do such a thing, or why they even had a replica gun. I’m not them. I feel sorry for them, but according to the facts I know right now, it was a bad choice. I am especially interested if the red tip were removed designating a toy. As the article references a replica, not a toy, I wonder if that had some influence in the outcome.

        I am fully prepared to change my view if new evidence persuades me.

        • Hegar
          link
          fedilink
          285 days ago

          If you’d read the article, the police admitted that they are lying about it:

          The department said it is also aware of a video circulating on social media of the incident but warned that it does not portray the incident in its entirety.

          When the police say ‘believe us not the evidence’, that means they’re lying.

          • Ebby
            link
            fedilink
            95 days ago

            WOW do you like your own narrative.

            That’s not an admission to lying whatsoever.

            That is literally what it says it is: that the video circulating online does not portray the entire incident.

            Any armchair editor knows how to add start/stop points to a clip. It could be to emphasize a point, exclude content, or simply meet time constraints.

            People these days… so easily radicalized. Take a breather and wait for more info.

            • Hegar
              link
              fedilink
              195 days ago

              When the police kill an unarmed child and then try to justify their actions, they’re going to have to lie because there’s no justifiable reason to kill an unarmed child. Hence claiming that the dead child both fled and menanced them and pre-discrediting the evidence against them.

              There’s an ocean of examples of police lying to cover up their killings. They lie so often that they got the courts to confirm they have no duty to tell the truth.

              Your radical denial of where all the evidence points is not as moderate as you seem to believe.

              • Ebby
                link
                fedilink
                45 days ago

                Unarmed?

                Literally armed with a pellet gun. It’s in the title!

                • @[email protected]
                  link
                  fedilink
                  134 days ago

                  I’m just curious, does it ever get tiring? I imagine doing anything 24/7 must be, but licking that many boots just sounds exhausting.

                  Do you realize there’s a reason you’re being consistently downvoted? Do you care to understand why your opinions are so frowned upon? Or do you simply conclude, in your tiny obedient mind, that the “radicals” dislike the police because we’re all thugs?

                  This is a trend decades (if not centuries or millennia) in the making, of people in power abusing said power and lying about it. You defending them is a pathetic waste of your time.

                • Hegar
                  link
                  fedilink
                  74 days ago

                  Yes, unarmed. As in not bearing a weapon. A toy is not a weapon and poses no threat at all.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          33 days ago

          The other side is dead. And there’s a video in this thread that shows one cop already in control of the kid and another just shooting him, this isn’t cool no matter what happened before that.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          114 days ago

          Nobody will hear a statement from the other side of the story because the other side is a dead 13 year old.

          • Ebby
            link
            fedilink
            34 days ago

            According to the article there were 2 youths.

            There is another side.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              74 days ago

              There also should be body-cam video that should portray a reasonable unbiased view of the situation.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      24
      edit-2
      5 days ago

      Do we as a society really need reminding don’t point weapons at police? Don’t do it folks.

      Do we need a reminder that kids aren’t mini-adults, and they do stupid things sometimes? In any case, I’ll believe he pointed it at them when I see a video of it.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        115 days ago

        Certain stupid activities have immediately fatal consequences, that’s life bro. The gun was a replica of a Glock 17, made specifically to look like the genuine article. If someone pointed one at me they’d be well on their way to room temp, and I likely wouldn’t even be charged, because yeah, I would have had every reason to assume I was in imminent danger.

        Teach your kids to not be this stupid. A 13 year old in the city shouldn’t have unrestricted access to pellet gun, or any other weapon.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            54 days ago

            I have no interest in harming anyone, ever. But I certainly won’t allow myself to be harmed. So whatever, stomp me with downvotes. I’m as ACAB as the next lefty, but when you grow up in a violent place you recognize certain realities that other people might not.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      205 days ago

      Yeah I can see that. I guess where I have an issue is that the old white guy who shot up a Planned Parenthood a few years back was taken alive (and he’s far from the only example) and it’s like, why is it that they can negotiate and talk guys like that down but don’t bother to even attempt to de-escalate with brown kids? Or brown adults, really.

    • Kalkaline
      link
      fedilink
      195 days ago

      Police are allowed to point weapons at you and not expect return fire. It’s not considered self defense if you return fire even if the police burst into your home in the middle of the night and don’t announce themselves. 2nd amendment rights are simply an advertisement for the gun industry to sell more weapons and ammunition and has nothing to do with self defense especially from the state.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        24 days ago

        Actually Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend was acquitted for firing at them as self-defense. In very specific situations and with suitably embarrassing incidents for the police you might be able to avoid having the entire weight of the justice system come down on you. Assuming you survive the encounter in the first place.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          44 days ago

          He was not acquitted.

          The charges were dropped once the massive pile of police incompetence met the shitstorm of public scrutiny.

          First the charges were dismissed without prejudice so the prosecutor could dig and see if he could find some way to make it Walker’s fault that cops killed his girlfriend. Then, when he couldn’t (because of the aforementioned appalling incompetence), and public scrutiny didn’t decrease to a point where he could quietly pressure Walker into a cell anyway, they were dismissed with prejudice.

          It is important to not make shit up about this. If the public scrutiny hadn’t been as intense, it is entirely possible that they would have dragged him to trial and pressured him into a plea bargain. He was lucky that the public managed to continue giving a shit for more than their usual 30-second attention span.

    • sunzu
      link
      fedilink
      95 days ago

      I think most people would agree and understand but can’t we expect a bit of common sense from the police.

      This death was unnecessary but legal under our laws.

  • Ebby
    link
    fedilink
    1
    edit-2
    4 days ago

    [response to comment posted incorrectly]

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      14 days ago

      Why does your comment assume people are going to downvote you? You don’t even state an opinion. I downvoted it because it doesn’t contribute anything to the conversation.

      • Ebby
        link
        fedilink
        3
        edit-2
        4 days ago

        Yeah, woops, something got pooched. I replied to a comment in my messages and it wound up here.