5 Year Old killed by Police

[Shuffler]

Killed by a stray bullet from a Police officer trying to kill a snake in a tree.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/08/06/bullet.kills.5.year.old.koco

NOBLE, Okla. (AP) - Officials in Noble say a 5-year-old boy was shot and killed by an apparent stray bullet fired by a police officer attempting to kill a snake.

Jack Tracy says he was fishing with his 5-year-old grandson -- Austin Haley -- yesterday evening when he saw the first shot hit the water near where they were standing. As he pulled his grandson to his side, he says a second shot hit the boy in the head.

Noble City Manager Bob Wade says police received a complaint last night from residents in a subdivision about a snake.

When officers responded, they decided to shoot the snake. A few minutes later, Wade says there was a commotion in a wooded area behind them where the boy apparently was hit by the stray bullet.

Austin was transported to an Oklahoma City hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Wade refused to identify the officer suspected of firing the shots but says the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

[Airscrew]

Yea I read that this morning.  according to what I read, the snake was in a tree and the property owner wanted the snake out of the tree, so the officer figured it was a good idea to shoot up into the tree to kill the snake.    Stupid people shouldnt carry firearms, ever,... an accident that just shouldnt have happened

[Yknurd]

Why call the police to get a snake out of a tree on private property?

At the most they should have called animal control.

[Tango]

Cop should lose his job for that one. Simple thing to do was use a stick or get a local kids pellet gun.

[SoulTakr]

Wonder what happened to OC spray, throwing a stick in the tree, many different options availible other than shooting.  what a malaka......

[DREDIOCK]

Terrible accidental tragedy.


Polar opposite of something I experienced.

Im working on a Church and the next yard over there is a playground with about 20 kids playing on it. Out of the corner of my eye I see somethign moving very strangely over by the property line.
so me being the nosy bastage I am go over to see what it is. I come across an obviously sick ground hog acting very strangely.
Didnt seem to be hurt but was obviously sick.

So I figure Ill do the right thing to protect the kids and call the police. who in turn connect me to Animal control.

I tell animal control abot the animal, and the close proximity of the kids.

They ask me if I have caught it.
I tell them "no. thats why Im calling you"

They tell me they wont do anything about it  or come and get it unless I have it caught in a cage or trap.


So I explain to them about the kids again and tell them Im just wokring on the building and am concerned that if the kids come across it someone might get hurt.

Again they tell me that if I want them to do anything aobut it "I" have to catch it first.

So I respond by telling them they are about as useful to their township as teets on a bull and "What if I had a bear here? Am I supposed to catch that first too"

They told me to catch it first and then call them back and then they hung up on me.

[Angus]

stupid person + high powered firearm = problem.
Look at the snake thread. Why not use a shotgun anyway?

[AWMac]

I'm an Okie.

We learn never to shoot into water, rounds skip.  Unless it's the Red River.

This Cop was way outta bounds. Hind and Quarter the SOB.

How do you replace a 5 Year Old Boy fishin with his Grandpa?

You CAN'T!!!  

This was a Dream that some handsomehunks Cop turned into a Nightmare thru stupidity.

My Heart goes out to the Family.

Mac

[GtoRA2]

I hope they charge him with something.

You should always check you backstop. He has NO excuse, the snake was not shooting back.

[Chairboy]

I'm increasingly of the opinion that we as a people seem to be almost falling over ourselves trying to abrogate the basic tasks of the individual away to the government.

If there's a snake on your property that you don't want, take care of it yourself.

If there's a possibly rabid animal that could threaten children, you should be able to grab a shovel or whatnot and fix it yourself.

We're being trained that we as individuals are less competent than the "they" in the phrase "they should do something about that".

[Maverick]

This is proof that what seemed like a good idea at the time can have tragic consequences. You have to think about what you are doing and is it worth it.

[ChickenHawk]

When I took hunter safety class as a kid, rule number one was make sure you can see where the bullet will end up if you miss.  If the buck is at the top of a hill and you can't see over the rise, don't take the shot.

The cop should have known better.

[Flatbar]

Negligent homicide or manslaughter2, it will be interesting to learn how the department and DA handles this.

[TalonX]

Rule 7 - know your backstop.

You don't just shoot without knowing where the bullet is going....

Obviously, even a cop can screw up.

[Mr No Name]

Sad... I feel for the parents no matter what the cop is charged with... I am sure he is horrified over this himself.