Police kill 8th-grader with gun at Texas school

Associated Press ^ | Thursday, January 5, 2012 | Christopher Sherman

[VU4G10]

Brownsville, Texas -- Police shot and killed an eighth-grader in the hallway of his middle school Wednesday after the boy brandished what looked like a handgun and pointed it at officers. It turned out to be a pellet gun that closely resembled the real thing

"Jaime was not a bad kid," she said. "I'm not saying he was perfect or an angel, but he was a very giving person."

[DeaconRed]

"Well, guess he won’t be pointing any more guns at police officers anymore."

His biggest mistake wasn't the pointing of the weapon. It was not paying attention to the command to drop the weapon. The police did what they had to do. With all the school shootings lately.
A lot of children are not taught to obey the police. Right or wrong do what they say. If they tell you wrong there is a time to correct it later, after you obeyed their commands.
I honestly believe that when paddling was taken away from the schools, we lost control of the kids that needed discipline.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Suicide by cop.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

You will probably get flamed, but I think you are right on target. The picture of him with his girlfriend shows that Jaime Gonzalez (and his girlfriend) are little more than thugs.

[kickonly88]

Yes, and I feel for the cops who had to do what was necessary.

[ConservaTexan]

And the award for most ignorant post of all time goes to...

Yep, nother example of overzealous cops. Sure, the kid was wrong for having the pellet gun. He also brought this on himself without question.

The cops didn't have to blaze away at this kid. Perhaps a well placed shot to the hip or leg.

This would have dropped the kid immediately writhing in pain.

Did ya really have to shoot the kid several times? Did ya really have to cap the kid in the head?

- servantboy777, January 5, 2012

[servantboy777]

I read an article last evening that reported 3 shots one of which hit him in the head.

MSM....never know what’cha get.

[Mister Da]

“Two officers fired three shots, hitting Gonzalez at least twice, police said.”

I just don't think police should be the first to fire in a school or other public situation. What ever happened to the concern for bystanders. Any of those bullets could have killed someone else, maybe another child. That seems to sacrifice public safety for personal safety.

In this case, if the police had held fire until the boy fired first, they would have had a good laugh* as they carted the perp off to juvy. By firing first, the possibility of a peaceful resolution was completely rejected by police.

*I know, I know. You can lose an eye.

[Charles Martel]

So tasers, shotgun shells with bean bag rounds, CS gas, dogs, flash bang grenades could not have been deployed? Swat teams have advanced Kevlar body armor, shields and the latest non-lethal weaponry.

You're arguing that the cops went too far, while advocating more SWAT Team involvement? I don't think I've ever seen that combination before.

[The Sons of Liberty]

"Jaime was not a bad kid,"

They NEVER are - but there's a first time for everything.

[Above My Pay Grade]

Nonsense. You either shoot to kill (hoping it takes the man down but doesn’t actually kill) or don’t shoot at all.

It seems like the police did the right thing here, but the issue is not whether they should have shot to kill or fired a “well placed shot to the hip or leg”, but whehter they should have fired at all.

This is the real world, not a Hollywood movie. Trying to shoot the gun out of an assailant’s hand like the Waco Kid is a good way to get officers and bystanders killed.

[Above My Pay Grade]

In fairness, in the article I read the grandmother did seem to acknowledge that the boy was at fault for his own death and admitted he was no angel. In context, I took her comment to mean he wasn’t ALL bad. Compared to the relatives of most dead thugs I’ve read about, she seemed pretty reasonable.

Normally, the cop or citizen who shoots the thug in self defense is labeled as the evil doer and we hear about how the dead thug was a “good boy” and “was turning his life around” and considering, thinking about, looking into getting his GED (at the time he committed the armed robbery).

[servantboy777]

Wow, wonder how many of you would profess to be Christian.

If someone just happened up on this thread, they’re first impression would be, “what a bunch of blood thirsty people”.

Whatever, you guys can rail all ya want. This was a kid and with all the resources our police forces have at their disposal now days, there was no need to kill him.

[ZX12R]

Whatever, you guys can rail all ya want. This was a kid and with all the resources our police forces have at their disposal now days, there was no need to kill him.

Don't be so stupid. Are they suppose to shoot the gun out of his hand?

[cuban leaf]

I believe a lot of Nazi soldiers were “8th grade boys”.

My point: An 8th grader brandishing a weapon can be as dangerous as a 30 year old brandishing a weapon. And a belligerent attitude is not a good sign.

[cuban leaf]

I think they should have shot the gun out of his hand.

/s

[cuban leaf]

“...this possible future drug dealer/la Raza soldier/rapist/murderer was taken out EARLY in his career.”

I have to admit it is not lost on me that this may be exactly what this comes down to.

[flatfish]

Yep, just shoot to wound and that way the kids parents could sue the police for a ton of money and in that area you can bet that they would have gotten a bunch. /s
I suspect that there will be lawsuits filed anyway even though the police had every justification to shoot.

My dad always told me if you screw up you’d better be willing to suffer the consequences. Too bad the kid didn’t use better judgment. I read that he had problems at school before. I guess he won’t any more.

.

[cuban leaf]

—I just don’t think police should be the first to fire in a school or other public situation. —

You and I strongly disagree on that one.

—In this case, if the police had held fire until the boy fired first, they would have had a good laugh* as they carted the perp off to juvy. By firing first, the possibility of a peaceful resolution was completely rejected by police.—

OTOH, if it had been a real gun and the police had not taken him down, there would have been no “good laugh”. None at all. And since the police do not have crystal balls, they had no idea which it was, but it was probably the latter.

[Celtic Conservative]

Guys like you on these threads drive Me nuts. It's always the "monday morning quarterbacking" by people who don't know jack $h*t about law enforcement. And before you ask,Yes I am a cop. There is something We use called the "use of force continuum" . It dictates appropriate responses to a suspects actions. What this kid did was perceived as use of deadly force. And remember that word "perceived". All police use of force is judged by what is called an officers reasonable perception of danger to himself/herself. That means, based on the immediate situation and not all the information that tends to come out later. If you can articulate to the satisfaction of your agency and the local prosecutors your actions were appropriate to a persons reasonable perceptions of danger, you will be cleared.Pretend you are a cop. Quick! you come around the corner, and you spot a kid brandishing what appears to be a very real Glock model 22, and He's not following your extremely loud and persistent orders to drop his weapon. also imagine that on either side of the hall there literally hundreds of children on either side behind walls and doors.He could run into a classroom and take hostages, or he could fire through the walls. Bullets don't care about doors and walls.Even if he's not a threat to you, he's still an active threat to anybody nearby. Decide. Decide what you're gonna do. Decide in a split second.And the be prepared to have everybody and you uncle second guess it for the rest of your life. That's what these situations are like. Police oversight IS necessary, human nature being what it is. But what isn't necessary is this second guessing by people who don't understand thing one about wearing a badge and gun. and, BTW the comment about shooting to wound: they hire us as cops, NOT as targets

CC

[cuban leaf]

Mother of convicted murderer right after the verdict is read: But my Tyrone is a GOOOOOD boy!!

Parents can be a bit jaded.