Boy, 14, killed by L.A. police may have fired on officers: police

[Gerald]

Witnesses saw a 14-year-old boy, suspected of spraying gang graffiti, fire at officers before he was shot to death, a Los Angeles Police Department official said on Wednesday.

Deputy Chief Robert Arcos told reporters a loaded handgun was recovered from the scene where Jesse James Romero, 14, was gunned down by an LAPD officer during a foot pursuit at about 6 p.m. on Tuesday (0100 GMT Wednesday). Arcos displayed a photo of the gun.

"The tragedy of this event cannot be overstated," Arcos told a press conference, adding it underscored the need for youth programs. Coroner's officials said an autopsy has been scheduled for Romero, who would have turned 15 on Aug. 24.

Police departments nationwide are under increased scrutiny over fatal shootings, especially of young men, which have re-ignited a debate over the use of lethal force by officers and the role of racial bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-po...idUSKCN10L1VJ#

This is hard, wondering what went wrong.




note: Wed Aug 10, 2016 2:45pm EDT

[Catfish]

Kid, "interested" in guns, finds one which a moron of carrier didn't stow away properly?
Or how does a boy of that age gets a gun? Or do they sell guns to everyone?

[Oberon]

You get a gun and you get a gun and you get a gun!

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Kid, "interested" in guns, finds one which a moron of carrier didn't stow away properly?
Or how does a boy of that age gets a gun? Or do they sell guns to everyone?

Where did you get that from? It's not part of the article and gangs do get guns illegally.

[em2nought]

For the record, it is my fervent wish that anyone who steals one of my firearms gets "gunned down".

I already have several locks on my doors, and steel mesh on my windows, I'm not going to lock my firearms down to a degree that I can't actually get to them in a timely fashion.

[NeonSamurai]

Anyone spot the irony in the kid's name... Jesse James?

[vienna]

This is big news here in Los Angeles; from the Los Angeles Times, with more detail:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html

The officers were wearing body cameras, he said. Investigators are still reviewing videos, which will be compared with other evidence, including witness and officer statements.

Police had initially identified the suspect as a man in his 20s. On Wednesday, Mario Sainz, an investigator with the coroner’s office, identified him as a 14-year-old.

A woman who said she witnessed the shooting and who would only identify herself by her first name, Norma, said she was in a car stopped at a traffic light at Cesar Chavez and Breed Street when she saw someone running from Chicago Street. He was pulling up his basketball shorts, which appeared to be falling down, she said.


As the runner turned onto Breed Street, he pulled a handgun from his waistband and threw it toward a fence, the witness said. The gun hit the fence and fell onto the ground, and she heard the weapon fire, she said.
At that moment, she said the runner turned around and appeared startled. She heard two more gunshots and the runner fell to the ground, she said. Moments later, officers placed handcuffs on him, she said.


“He didn’t shoot,” the woman said of the runner.

As mourners prepared to hold a vigil for the youth Wednesday evening, LAPD officials met with reporters and presented an official account of events leading up to the shooting, as well as a photograph of a decades-old revolver recovered from the scene.

BTW, the shooting occurred around 5:35 PM; due to the long summer days, the conditions were clear with bright sunlight...



<O>

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by NeonSamurai

Anyone spot the irony in the kid's name... Jesse James?

Well no. I don't see any irony. But I do see a coincidence.

[em2nought]

Decades old handguns are just as deadly as a gun produced last month. Have all journalists really become the turds they seem to be?

[vienna]

They're just trying to give all the details. The reference to the age of the gun came from an LAPD briefing to the press; I somewhat get the impression the LAPD is indicating the weapon was from a source other than the usual street sources. This is going to be big news for some time to come here in Los Angeles...




<O>

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

Where did you get that from? It's not part of the article and gangs do get guns illegally.

Where is being said the 14-year-old boy belonged to a "gang"? He was spraying a wall when the police saw that and tried to get him. "Gang graffiti vandalism" alright. In Germany you are not automatically belonging to a gang, if you illegally spray something on a wall. Nor are you shot.
Then he ran and threw away a handgun. Seems when hitting the wall or ground, the weapon fired.
He heard it, probably thought the police had fired a warning shot, so stopped and turned around. Then he was shot.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by vienna

This is big news here in Los Angeles; from the Los Angeles Times, with more detail:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html

Thanks for that

[vienna]

<O>

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Vendor

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-po...idUSKCN10L1VJ#

This is hard, wondering what went wrong.




note: Wed Aug 10, 2016 2:45pm EDT

Perhaps that question should be asked of the kids parents.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Where is being said the 14-year-old boy belonged to a "gang"? He was spraying a wall when the police saw that and tried to get him. "Gang graffiti vandalism" alright. In Germany you are not automatically belonging to a gang, if you illegally spray something on a wall. Nor are you shot.
Then he ran and threw away a handgun. Seems when hitting the wall or ground, the weapon fired.
He heard it, probably thought the police had fired a warning shot, so stopped and turned around. Then he was shot.

Well you assume some 14 year old can just go to a store and buy a gun and I assume he was a gang member because he had a gun. Your assumption is extremely unlikely while mine is very plausible. No gun broker would sell that gun to a minor but a "friend" might, or it may have been stolen by the kid. Either way it's usually gang related.