Illinois police officer killed a preschooler 19 seconds after entering his home

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://prismreports.org/2025/09/16/illinois-police-shooting-terrell-miller/

Terrell was a sweet boy who was intelligent beyond his years, according to Miller. He loved Spider-Man because he was a hero who helped people. His short life came to an end on March 16, 2024, when MPD Lt. Nick Goc killed the 4-year-old alongside Miller’s abusive boyfriend, 57-year-old Anthony George.

Goc first joined the MPD in 2007, and investigations into the shooting exonerated him on the basis that his use of deadly force was “justified,” meaning that the officer’s response to a threat was found to be reasonable and necessary. What constitutes a “justifiable use of force” varies wildly and is interpreted differently across states and even cities, often resulting in no repercussions for officers involved in shootings and no justice for the victims of police violence, who are disproportionately Black.

According to the city of Macomb, Terrell Miller and Anthony George’s deaths were justified. While Goc was cleared of any wrongdoing in their deaths, Keianna Miller is pursuing a civil rights lawsuit that alleges excessive use of force.

(snip)

Since 2020, the number of police killings in the U.S. has increased every year. Police killed at least 1,226 people last year, the most people on record. According to data compiled by the Washington Post, between 2015 and 2024, police killed 191 children. Black children like Terrell are six times more likely to be killed by police than white children.

[malaise]

1. Horrific

Poor little child.

[TheProle]

2. Bodycam:

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/terrell-miller-macomb-fatal-police-shooting-4-year-old/

[Silent Type]

3. Apparently drunk old man the police shot had just raped/beaten child's mother and was threatening to kill child.

Outcome was horrible, though. I’m sure it could have been handled differently, especially if the drunk rapist had given up.

[Cirsium]

8. Say what?

So you would shoot the child in order to accomplish what? To save the child? The police were a far greater risk to the child tha the suspect.

You are sure it could have been handled differently? Duh, ya think?

If the drunk rapist had given up there wouldn't have been anything to "handle."

[Silent Type]

10. You need to watch video, police didn't try to shoot child, they fired one shot to stop the MFer from killing child.

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/terrell-miller-macomb-fatal-police-shooting-4-year-old/

That happens sometimes, I suspect they decided to shoot before the guy could spill the child's blood all over the apartment and stairwell outside like he did the mother's.

[NH Ethylene]

12. That's what it looks like.

The cop may have thought he had a clear but narrow shot at the man's head, which would have saved the child. Sadly, he was wrong. Maybe if the man was not moving around it would have worked.

I don't know what protocol is though. It may be not to take that risk but to try and talk the suspect down. I'm dubious that that would have worked; he was acting pretty psycho.

[Cirsium]

15. Nonsense

The cops did in fact kill the child.

[Silent Type]

16. That's nonsense too.

[Cirsium]

28. Oh really?

The cops didn't kill the child?

[red dog 1]

22. I agree.

I watched that video several times, and the cop could have just backed up and tried to reason with the psychopath .... perhaps suggesting that he put the child down or asking the asshole if he really wanted to kill his own 4-year-old son or something like that.

Instead, the cop gambled on the little boy's life, shot his gun and killed the innocent toddler.

[Cirsium]

29. Of course

Amazing that there is any controversy about this. Disturbing, actually.

[70sEraVet]

13. I agree with you. It was a tragic ending, but the cop can't be blamed.

My guess is, that cop will replay those couple of seconds in his head for the rest of his life. I know I would.

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Awful Story

You'd think cops working in a small city like that wouldn't face enough daily stress to be so hair-trigger.

[IzzaNuDay]

5. Add credence to cop qualifications

I perceive psychological education is not given effectively to cops— like deescalation of DV events, managing implicit bias, and gun control.

[Crunchy Frog]

6. Let me guess. There won't be any mass vigils for him,

no flags at half staff, and he's not going to be canonized.

The press will also not be publishing any long, detailed texts between the shooter and his transitioning lover.

This is just another day in America.

[Greg_In_SF]

7. He had just raped

her at knife point and stabbed her multiple times. He then had one knife to the child's throat and another to the abdomen.

Anthony George is the one responsible for the death of that child.

[Silent Type]

11. Oh No, we'll go to mat bashing a policeman for what well could have been best action with that killer clutching child

Wish it had ended differently. Maybe if they had luxury of a mental health professional, but I think it had gone beyond that with rape, beating, blood, etc.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. prettttty sure that shooting the toddler is not the best action

[Silent Type]

18. Except he didn't shoot at toddler, hoping to kill rapist/abuser before he spread toddler's blood all over the place like

mom's. I guess that's your preference.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. He did shoot at the toddler. That's how the toddler got hit.

[Silent Type]

21. Yeah, he took one shot and he aimed at child rather than rapist perp holding the kid with blood all over the place. BS.

Now, if you want to talk about police abuse in general, I'm probably with you. Just not in this case.

[Greg_In_SF]

24. No

He was trying to save the child's life and it went terribly wrong. Cops aren't perfect no matter how much training they get.

[Crunchy Frog]

17. It's a pity that cops in this country have damaged their reputations so badly.

It leads to people automatically assuming the worst.

[Silent Type]

19. But not in this case. Maybe people ought to look a little closer before dragging up BS from over a year ago.

[live love laugh]

9. The stats are lacking because the racial breakdown is the real story.

[red dog 1]

23. Why couldn't Goc have used a taser instead of his gun in this instance?

It seems to me that cops entering apartments with guns drawn very often ends badly.

The cop killed a little boy, period. .....I don't care how good his intentions were.

[Greg_In_SF]

30. Not really an option

Taser aren't as accurate as people think. Basically just two darts on wires flopping around in the air on the way to their target. If one darts misses, you've got nothing. If you watch the video, the guy is holding the kid right in front of his torso, which is exactly where the taser would need to go to be effective.

Technically, you are right. The officer did kill the child, but he was trying to save the child's life. The fact that some people here are saying he did this on purpose is absolutely sickening. Same goes for those who are saying this was racially motivated. This was simply a tragic accident brought on by no one other than the attempted murderer rapist.

[Figarosmom]

25. Cops are trained in gun use and target shooting

Couldn't the cop had aimed the fun somewhere less lethal to get the guy to release the kid and then go for the kill shot if needed?

[BidenRocks]

26. Tase the kid

Split second later, shoot the perp.

You have 3 seconds to decide.

Then we get forever to second guess the decision, right or wrong.

[OC375]

27. Life Isn't TV

Sometimes, when you must act, things end poorly anyway.

[CanonRay]

31. I graduated from WIU and have had my issues with Macomb PD

They apparently haven't changed much in 50 years. That said, I'm not sure this situation had a possible good outcome.