Sad story

[CrazyinVA]

For some reason this story hit home. My heart goes out to the mother of the (difficult child) victim. I think of the times I had to call the police when my difficult children were raging. There but for the grace of God ...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21768650/

 

[Fran]

What a heartbreak. Our kids can be so out of touch that, as you say, "there by the grace of God go I".

We literally did role play with difficult child if the police stopped him while driving. It would just be like my difficult child to explode into "it's not my fault" tantrum and end up looking threatening.

My heart goes out to the mother who suffered through this and the policemen who have to carry this in their hearts.

 

[Sheila]

I read about this on CNN this morning. :crying: :crying:

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

It is SO very sad.

Immediate prayers for that poor mom.

 

[susiestar]

I am saddened for all involved. This will be heartbreaking for the family and for the officers involved. Their jobs are so scary.

I wish there were some better solution.

Susie

 

[jamrobmic]

It's not just when our kids are raging that something like this could happen. A couple of years ago, I got a call early one evening from a police officer in a neighboring town. They had gotten a call that someone was pointing a gun out the window of a car. It seems that difficult child (17 at the time-old enough to have more sense) and a friend were driving through difficult child's girlfriend's neighborhood pointing a realistic-looking BB gun at people out the window of the car (not shooting it, just pointing it out the window).

Fortunately, when the police investigated, people who knew it was difficult child and his friend told the police that it was a BB gun and not a real gun. Also fortunately, the officer called us and asked us to take care of it so he wouldn't have to. He told me if he had seen someone pointing a gun from a car, he wouldn't have time to decide if it was real or not. And if someone wasn't going to get to go home that night, he was going to make sure it was the other guy, not him.

I still can't believe difficult child did something so reckless and so stupid, but since they weren't actually shooting BB's, he didn't see what the big deal was.

 

[ShakespeareMamaX]

:frown: My heart goes out to both of those families.

It's so unfortunate that it takes 20-50 bullets to bring one little boy down when all they probably needed was a little history research done and an onhand psychiatric.

And whatever happened to tasers? Negotiation? A spotlight, to see it was a brush???

 

[TerryJ2]

Wow, Jamrobic, you were lucky!!!!
Fran, role playing is an excellent idea. Bravo.
I don't think the police had much choice in this case. Even if people were yelling to them to stop, it was such chaos they probably couldn't hear, and had to protect themselves, as well as the mother. We've all heard too many stories about people calling 911 too late, and being killed b4 the police even arrive. There is no way in such situations to know every angle.
Very sad.

 

[susiestar]

Having relatives who are cops and a nephew studying to be a cop, the officers deal with SO MUCH. If someone says I have a gun and am going to shoot, they have to act accordingly. Especially if it is dark, or in a dangerous area.

This is a very difficult issue. I have seen it from both sides.

by the way, a BB gun is still a gun. My cousin Eddie has a glass eye because some other kid had parents who thought they were not "real" guns.

I do think the role playing is a good idea.

Susie