12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police has died

[branford]

75. There's dumb, and there's suicidal, and a 12 year old should readily know the difference.

I, for one, certainly knew by 12 that if ordered by the police to put my hands up by police, particularly if carrying a replica gun, that I should do so immediately. That hardly would make me or anyone else a "perfect kid."

A person is just as dead or injured if shot by a 12, 22 or 82 year old. If you want to know what a 12 year old can do with a gun, just watch the news in Chicago

In this instance, the police were called to the playground because of a 911 report of someone waving a gun around. The situation is now already serious and potentially very deadly. The police identify a suspect with a weapon indistinguishable from a actual firearm. Apparently, someone had removed the orange marker that indicated the gun was not real. The officers properly instruct the boy to put his hands up to mitigate any danger. Rather than comply, the boy inexplicably reaches for the weapon. The police officer shoots to protect himself and other innocents, including children. The officer had to make a decision based only on the information he had available at the time, nothing more.

All this should be easy to confirm, including multiple witness statements, and likely one or more videos, including playground surveillance and possibly even officer cameras.

If the officers' account is accurate, will you concede this was a justified shooting, even if the results were tragic?