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

  • Ebby@lemmy.ssba.com
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    5 months 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.

    • octopus_ink
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      5 months 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.

      • Fecundpossum@lemmy.world
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        5 months 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.

          • Fecundpossum@lemmy.world
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            5 months 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.

    • frickineh@lemmy.world
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      5 months 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 @leminal.space
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      5 months 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.

      • Zaktor@sopuli.xyz
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        5 months 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.

        • hibsen@lemmy.world
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          5 months 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@kbin.run
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      5 months 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.

    • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
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      5 months 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@lemmy.ssba.com
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        5 months 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@fedia.io
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          5 months 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@lemmy.ssba.com
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            5 months 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@fedia.io
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              5 months 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.

                • Hegar@fedia.io
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                  5 months ago

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

                  • Ebby@lemmy.ssba.com
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                    5 months ago

                    That’s why toys have red tips. If there is no red tip, as in a replica, it looks and assumed to be real.