Louisiana 14-Year Old Shot Dead By Police After Altercation

I think the circumstances are very important here. The cops go in, and they have next to no information. Depending on the laws of the state, and what type of weapon was reportedly present, it could have been entirely legal. The only illegal act would have been entering an abandoned home. That illegal act in itself does not justify a shooting, and even if a gun was present that does not justify the shooting, again, depending on state laws. This was not a violent crime, and it is not like it is an armed robbery, where clearly it must be assumed that the gunman will kill somebody.

So to go into an abandoned house that had been entered illegally and to open fire immediately would not be justified. Again, a gun being present does not mean it was out, much less pointing at an officer. For instance, if I'm walking with a gun that I am legally allowed to carry, and I walk into an abandoned house, let's say in the middle of broad daylight, would the cops be justified in showing up and shooting me? No, unless they were in danger. Having a gun, especially if it is perfectly legal to have it, does not give the cop justification to shoot someone, period. And again, they didn't know enough about the situation to determine what the danger level was. Shooting first and asking questions later is not acceptable. Sure it can put the cop in more danger in some situations to not be on guard, but that comes with the territory. It still does not justify shooting someone.

It all depends on the exact circumstances however. There are many things to be considered. But one thing that cannot be argued is that either people are getting gunned-down by police with much more frequency, or certain media outlets are simply starting to publicize such acts to a greater degree.

a reply to: OptimusCrime

So if the story is true the person was armed and breaking into a house, the cop shows up and after an altercation the "kid" is shot. The officer did NOTHING wrong unless there is more facts in the case.

Facts, not what you believe happened or should have happened.

IF the kid was armed and the cop was in fear of his life then no.... I repeat NO, you don't "tase him" you kill him.

Let him go?!?!?! REALLY. That's your answer? Let him go.

An armed person committing a felony and we should just let him go. Good call.

I am sick of people wanting to slap these people on the wrist and go easy on them.....
I am sick of people who are soooo much more intelligent saying that the person should be tased or "just shot in the leg".

Obviously these people have never been in a life or death situation when you have to assess a situation and take some sort of action IMMEDIATELY...no time to think it over. Look and act in a couple seconds.

It's ok though, I know it's cool and the thing to do now to jump on EVERY officer involved shooting and claim police brutality. Got new for you....every one isn't. That's a fact.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
a reply to: Domo1

Too much to ask for you to read the first paragraph?

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A black teenager was shot dead during an altercation with a black police officer investigating reports of armed males entering an abandoned house in a small city near New Orleans, Louisiana state police said on Tuesday.

And?

Just because it's abandoned don't mean it doesn't belong to someone.

Let me make this simple for those who don't understand.

HE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THERE AND BROKE INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S PROPERTY WHETHER ANYONE WAS LIVING THERE OR NOT IS IRRELEVANT, HE WAS ARMED, HE GOT INTO AN ALTERCATION WITH A POLICE OFFICER, HE GOT SHOT, HE GOT KILLED.

Lesson to learn for all you slow people out there:

Stay outta other peoples property..
Don't steal from other people..
Don't attack other people..
Don't rape other people..

My god is that too much to ask?

a reply to: mwood

Like I have said to a previous poster. I'm merely asking question and getting responses from both sides. I'm not saying what the officer did is right or wrong.

Just an update: The gun was a bb gun. I'm not sure what model or if it was an air rifle or an air pistol. If a pistol and the kid turned toward the cop, I can see why he might shoot. And this would be just a tragic occurence. If a bb rifle, I think a cop should be able to tell the difference even in a quick situation and I doubt the kid would aim it at the cop, which would be much more apparent with a long gun.
I say this because the area involved is a rural one (even though the articles says New Orleans, it is actually a good bit outside of N.O.) where it is fairly normal for kids to go around with bb guns. Then again, the abandoned home was reportedly a hotbed of drug trafficking, so....
I was largely on the cop's side based on earlier info given, but now I'm not so sure. Still a lot more info to gather and digest before we can come to a final determination.

www.wwl.com...