Posted on 08/25/2007 9:12:19 AM PDT by Reeses
The family of a 16-year-old boy shot and killed in his Sebastopol home by Sonoma County sheriff's deputies has filed a wrongful-death claim against the county.
The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, says Jeremiah Chass was shot eight times by deputies who responded to a call from his home on the 1400 block of High School Road about 8:40 a.m. March 12.
Jeremiah, a junior at Analy High School, did not pose a threat to Deputies John Misita and Jim Ryan but instead was "in acute mental distress," said the claim filed Wednesday by Walnut Creek attorney Andrew Schwartz on behalf of the boy's parents, Mark and Yvette Chass, and 6-year-old brother, Isaiah.
"The parents called the Fire Department for help, and instead of getting help, the son was shot eight times," Schwartz said Friday.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Avoid dialing 911 for family problems.
This is why some departments are issuing Tasers - because *this* is the alternative.
Especially in SF - you don’t want to be in a position where the resisting person can get their body fluids on you.
“Santa Rosa police, who investigated the shooting, have said the deputies were forced to shoot Jeremiah after they tried to grab a knife and that the youth continued to wave the weapon after being pepper-sprayed”
Just a mentally-ill “yute” that needed a hug.
“Avoid dialing 911 for family problems.”
A-MEN! I am personally sick of wasting valuable public resources on domestic squabbles.
PC speak for an Adult Temper Tantrum.
This was not an adult. The slain person was 16 — legally a child.
An excellent point. The Mother and Father should have handled a knife wielding psychotic threatening their son by themselves.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
The problem here is that they can’t get competent cops in northern California because of the way they mistreat them.
Well, if the San Francisco Chronicle said it, it must be true. /sar
That was when they got out of bed that morning .
The only way two trained adult deputies could be scared of a 16 yo with a letherman is if they are cowards.
Anyway, she calls 911 every time she gets into it with one of her two sons. They both now have serious juvenile records as a result. My son is a deputy sheriff and a couple of times she had been pissed at him for some imagained insult and has called his superiors, once accusing him of drawing his weapon on her. It was simply not so, he worked too long and too hard to get where he is in the department to do a foolish thing like that. After about the 50th call 911 has flagged the address and phone number and advises the responders to be very careful dealing with her, that she would like nothing more than to cause a scene.
Calling 911 to handle family problems is a serious mistake.
Tell you what, tough guy, next time you come up against a knife-wielding 16-year-old having a psychotic break and not responding to even pepper spray, you let us know how your bravery goes. I’m sure you’ll just duck out of the way if he takes a poke or swing with the blade at you and then karate chop the weapon from his hand. Just like on TV!
If the boy had a knife and was threatening police with it, lunging at them, trying to stab them, and if their pepper spray had no effect and he kept coming at them...then shooting in self defence is justified IMHO.
Horrible, tragic thing...but a 16 year wielding a knife can kill. I have raised five kids through their teens and know both of the love and anguish these people feel for their child, and also know of their capabilities at that age in terms of physical strength.
Wow, sorry about your situation there but that is just the kind of scenario I’m talking about. Even kids are doing it now. Get pissed at the parents and call 911 with some wild stories.
I had a yobo exactly like that a long time ago.....but I only paid the monthly rate....once and only once.....and was lucky to get out of it with no SOFA charge, LOL.
Also with the average house running $800,000 it's cheaper for a competent cop to live elsewhere. When the next big earthquake hits San Francisco and knocks out the bridges the city will be looted and burnt to the ground because there are few police or firemen that can afford to live there.
From what I’ve read the kid was at least 5’10, taller than the average male adult. “Slightly built” doesn’t matter a wit when someone is armed (with a gun, a knife, or any decent weapon), much less when they’re broken with reality whether due to drugs or a psychological illness.
Prayers up for Jeremiah, his family and all those involved in this tragedy.
A 16 year old with a knife can kill you. If they tried non-violent means and the kid kept coming, they shot in self defense and I canot blame them. Now, we don't really know all of the fact and whether that is in fact what happened. I'll wait for all the fact ( and probably a trial) before making a final judgement...but if the parents felt threatened enough to call 911, and if the kid threatened police with a knife and was not deterred by pepper spray or their command and cameat them any way, then they shot in self defense.
We had a similar case here in Boise last year when a 16 or 17 year old boy went off the deep end and was threatening his parents with an old WWII rifle with a bayonette fixed to it. The police came, the kid went berserk and tried to poke a policeman. He got shot and killed.
Same thing, the paretns then, afterwards wanted to go after the police. it was found toi be justified because the boy would not put the weapon down and lunged at the officers.
It is tragic for a young life to end so needlessly and so horrifically...but it is not the police fault in such cases IMHO.
the story fails to answer why the boy was shot or how the officers ended up in that situation. and to include a 2nd completely unrelated story, which occurred in another county entirely, just shows the 'piling on' the press is trying to accomplish.
quality reporting... first rate /sarc
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