BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore’s Police commissioner says a 13-year-old who was holding a BB gun when he was shot by an officer will not be charged with a crime.
Authorities said the boy was shot in the shoulder and leg by a plainclothes officer Wednesday after turning toward officers while holding a BB gun that closely resembles a handgun. He is expected to survive.
The Baltimore Sun reports (http://bsun.md/1TctXoJ) that Commissioner Kevin Davis said during a panel discussion Saturday that the teen will “absolutely not” face charges.
Davis said the boy is expected to heal physically, but he’s concerned about him “emotionally and mentally.” He says he wants to remain in the boy’s life.
An attorney who’s representing the boy’s family declined to comment to the newspaper on Saturday.
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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com
In further news, the Commissioner announced that the boy would not be required to reimburse the Baltimore Police Department for the cost of the bullets.
They shot him twice while he was breaking no law, so–generously–they will not charge him with being an unreliable target and running for his life.
Those Baltimore Police certainly have a heart, don’t they?
WTF? Did the officer even attempt to get the boy to lower and drop the BB gun? I’m not going to fault the officer for assuming the kid has an actual handgun, but I want to know more. Was the officer called to the area? Was the kid being a threat to others? Even if the plain clothed officer happened on the kid on his own, didn’t it even occur to the officer to talk with the kid to determine facts? My god, are police officers really trained to shoot first and ask questions sometime later – after the victim is maimed or dead? Also, will the officer receive any type of disciplinary action? Scary as hell to be a poor kid today, even more so for minority kids.
Edit to add: I suppose we should thank our lucky stars the boy (Dedric Colvin) is alive and expected to physically recover. Also, I’m encouraged the Police Commissioner, Kevin Davis, will attempt to have an active positive role in Colvin’s future (whatever that means in reality). After reading the Baltimore Sun article, I see that the President of the Baltimore Chapter of the NAACP, Tessa Hill-Aston, does recognize that PC Davis is making a good-faith effort to better the Police Department there with regards to how the officers deal with, react and respond to the African-American community – but she also states that there are racist officers who are “beyond Davis’ control.” I am very glad to hear from a leader there in Baltimore saying there is effort at improving the situation. That said, I still want to know why this officer will not receive disciplinary actions. The article only mentions that Colvin ran from the police, but doesn’t give anymore details.
He’s not going to be charged? BUT HE WAS WALKING IN PUBLIC WHILE BLACK!!!
Somebody’s getting soft on crime.
If the public at large, being wary of the cops as we are, were to shoot first and create excuses second, as the police do, then generously not sue the shit out of them for pushing us to these extremes, would that fly all the same?
Of course not, the cops have a get out of jail free card, in fact, stacks of them and they use them with regularity.
If a cop can’t be held accountable for their wrongful actions legally, then they should lose their job on the first strike, no second chances and no transfers.
Use the weapon wisely and judiciously or risk their jobs and careers. Zero tolerance and absolute penalties, it may be the only way.