Man with toy gun shot, killed by police in Fla.

[DragonGunner]

Maybe the family that is so shocked should have kept a better eye on him. Sounds like the officer did exactly what he had been trained to do. I'd understand their concern if it was a brightly colored Nerf rifle, but that doesn't sound like the case.

I was thinking the same thing....however he was 57 wasn't he? An I don't know if he lived with anyone or if they even knew he had it. If someone did know it an saw him walking around with it then shame on them.

 

[steveh_131]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Who are you accusing of playing stupid games? And what was the stupid prize?

This is a tragic story for all involved. This cop doesn't appear to have done anything wrong but is going to have this on his conscience for the rest of his life.

 

[Kitty]

Coming from someone who has an autistic son:

I feel HORRIBLE for everyone involved in this one. It's a no-win situation and quite possibly one of those things were no one actually did anything wrong.

While I am certain his mannerisms and possibly his appearance make the disabilities rather obvious, in a 57 yr old the mannerisms could be mistaken as "a few too many" or "wacky tobaccy" and when one has a gun pointed at them I'm looking at the weapon not the person's face/posture.

Also, at 57, if he is severe he is either living independently with a nurse/caretaker checking in on him or he is in a group home. In the former case, the caretaker would only be with him a few hours two or three times a day at most. He "should" be able to look after himself the rest of the time. If he is in a group home, think like a nursing home for younger people. They cannot keep an eye on every resident 24/7. Also, he is not a prisoner. Even disabled with a guardian, he likely has time on his own. A store is not going to stop a 57 yr old man from buying a toy - no matter how he is acting. And autistic doesn't mean stupid, he quite possibly hid the toy from those who might "take it away".

In any event, the cops didn't know he was playing and the man couldn't foresee the consequences of his actions. This is a horrible tragedy and actually terrifies me because I understand both sides.

 

[Disposable Heart]

We really don't know what kind of toy it was, the story says not much about that. We don't know if the orange tip was painted over or concealed. I would imagine that with his disability, he did not know the potential consequences of him pointing anything at the police, simulated or not.

This is a tragedy, utterly sad. The police have a horrible death on their minds now and the family lost a member of their flock that will be missed. Pray for all involved.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

All offense intended, that is a HORRIBLE thing to say, period. You obviously didn't read the article... Why would you say some bumpersticker crap like that about such an event as this?!

 

[Westside]

Well said Kitty

 

[Rookie]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was offended by the remark.

Oh well, he wins his prize.