17 year old kid shot dead by Neighborhood Watch "Captain"

[XDdreams]

This is just poor judgement. Makes the rest of us who use weapons responsibly look bad.

 

[ATOMonkey]

This is why neighborhood watch is idiotic. Just another group of busy-bodies wanting to control other people. The guy is probably president of the HOA as well.

 

[CarmelHP]

Since we're "thinking" aloud here, I'll join in. The self appointed neighborhood watch captain/mall ninja is a 26 year old college student, he must have got tired of flipping burgers and enrolled in a couple classes at the local community college. His battery on a police officer charges were probably dropped because his dad plays cards with the Chief of Police. He was white and the kid was black so he must have a white sheet and hood in his closet at home. He knew he screwed up so he proceeded to beat himself up and made up the cover story to prove self defense. Since he won't respond to the media, he's definitely covering something.

These posts are definitely exposing our personal biases and they seem to be affecting how we judge this particular scenario. None of us know for sure what really happened here. The kid could have instigated it, the guy could have. What we do know is that the kid is dead.

I'll readily admit I'm biased against self appointed busy bodies who have nothing better to do with their time than worry about what I'm doing. Chalk this guy up to reason # 9,834,612 why I don't live in a HOA/gated community.

Since we're making all these assumptions, how about if I assume the kid was a gangbanger out to mug someone? So, he sees this white guy sitting in his car just putting down his cell phone, and decides it's as good a target as any so he saunters over and tries to bash in his skull. The NWC captain is dazed and barely grabs his firearm and fires off a shot as the second and most likely deadly blow is about to fall. See, assumptions, anyone can make them however they want. That's what testimony and evidence is for, to sort out the facts from the assumptions and bull.

 

[Baditude]

Or perhaps during the altercation the kid went for the watch captain's gun? Without the facts its all just speculation

 

[rambone]

Since Trayvon, a high school junior who wanted to be a pilot, was black and Zimmerman is white, Crump said race is "the 600 pound elephant in the room."

Aww, a baby elephant.

 

[Que]

The bad thing about many of these assumptions is they become facts in the eyes of some.

 

[hornadylnl]

Since we're making all these assumptions, how about if I assume the kid was a gangbanger out to mug someone? So, he sees this white guy sitting in his car just putting down his cell phone, and decides it's as good a target as any so he saunters over and tries to bash in his skull. The NWC captain is dazed and barely grabs his firearm and fires off a shot as the second and most likely deadly blow is about to fall. See, assumptions, anyone can make them however they want. That's what testimony and evidence is for, to sort out the facts from the assumptions and bull.

Or perhaps during the altercation the kid went for the watch captain's gun? Without the facts its all just speculation

The bad thing about many of these assumptions is they become facts in the eyes of some.

The whole point of my assumptions post was to be ridiculous. The only thing we know about the kid is that he was 17, was visiting at his fathers house, and he had a can of tea and a bad of skittles.

We know the guy had been charged with battery on a cop in the past and according to another article, appointed himself to be the neighborhood watch captain.

Yet somehow, that tiny amount of information is enough to prove that the kid deserved it and the shoot was justifiable. I personally don't think there will be enough evidence to charge the guy unless a witness comes forward.

ETA: In case there is any confusion here, I'm in agreement with Que. I just thought his last post followed along with my point.

 

[hornadylnl]

Aww, a baby elephant.

To me, the only factor that race really plays in this incident is how it affected the shooter's cause for suspicion? If the shooter thinks that all black people are up to no good, it led to his supsicion which ultimately led to kid's death.

Would the shooter's supsicions been piqued had it been a 17 year old white kid, 40 year old white woman, etc? Barring the kid initiating the entire incident, IE: sees some random stranger in a truck and decides to hassle him, the shooter's suspicions are what initiated this incident.

I'm white. I'd say the closest (still a million miles apart from the institutional racism that blacks have suffered in this country) I've ever come to feeling discriminated against is simply being a teenager or younger than everyone else around me. I remember the disrespect from adults that I've never met. I remember the looks, the attitudes I got. For no other reason than being young.

If this kid did nothing to deserve the shooter's suspicions, why did he deserve to die?

 

[Kutnupe14]

Replace "neighborhood watch captain" with "police officer," and many of these responses would be quite different.

...and you know that's no lie

 

[hornadylnl]

Replace "neighborhood watch captain" with "police officer," and many of these responses would be quite different.

...and you know that's no lie

True, but I think the general feelings towards neighborhood watch captain/mall cop are worse than police officers.

 

[cobber]

I'm white. I'd say the closest (still a million miles apart from the institutional racism that blacks have suffered in this country) I've ever come to feeling discriminated against is simply being a teenager or younger than everyone else around me. I remember the disrespect from adults that I've never met. I remember the looks, the attitudes I got. For no other reason than being young.

I lived in rural northern New Mexico one summer, the only Anglo for miles around. I never felt threatened, but I sure did not feel at home. Every day I stepped out the door I knew I was different from my neighbors, even though we were all Americans...

 

[CarmelHP]

Replace "neighborhood watch captain" with "police officer," and many of these responses would be quite different.

...and you know that's no lie

Including yours?

 

[strahd71]

well we can debate all the things we dont know, but this sucks! doesnt matter what color he was, he was 17. a shame............

jake

 

[Mackey]

Seems like there are other 911 calls on this situation reporting the fight (reportedly on one you can hear the gunshot). There may be more witnesses.

Trayvon Martin shooting: Police could wrap up investigation into Trayvon Martin shooting - OrlandoSentinel.com

I just don't get the concept that just because the shooter's story can't be disputed, that there cannot be some sort of action taken against this killer.

 

[Roadie]

Seems like there are other 911 calls on this situation reporting the fight (reportedly on one you can hear the gunshot). There may be more witnesses.

Trayvon Martin shooting: Police could wrap up investigation into Trayvon Martin shooting - OrlandoSentinel.com

I just don't get the concept that just because the shooter's story can't be disputed, that there cannot be some sort of action taken against this killer.

So we still don't know what happened exactly, but you are still willing to brand him a "killer"?

 

[Bunnykid68]

So we still don't know what happened exactly, but you are still willing to brand him a "killer"?

He is definitely a killer. The question is, is he a murderer?

 

[Roadie]

He is definitely a killer. The question is, is he a murderer?

Agreed. However, the post I responded to seemed to imply "murderer"..

 

[Benny]

Yeah, this kid looks really scarey to me....

LOL, not many kids look too threatening when they are 3 (or posing for their Jr. high school football picture). I'm sure I could dig up a picture of Tookie Williams before he was a heartless gang banger that would kill you for looking at him wrong.

With that being said, it definitely looks like a case of Paul Blart vs. walking at night while being brown.

"What do the police find in his pocket? Skittles," Crump said. "A can of Arizona ice tea in his jacket pocket and Skittles in his front pocket for his brother Chad."

Sounds like a cold-blooded criminal to me.

 

[Mackey]

So we still don't know what happened exactly, but you are still willing to brand him a "killer"?

yup. I'd be willing to retract that if I hear something otherwise. I am not a court of law so I'm not held to the innocent until proven guilty. Why should I give the benefit of the doubt to the killer, instead of the dead kid?

 

[Roadie]

yup. I'd be willing to retract that if I hear something otherwise. I am not a court of law so I'm not held to the innocent until proven guilty. Why should I give the benefit of the doubt to the killer, instead of the dead kid?

Why should we give the benefit of the doubt to the Kroger shooter?
Why should we give the benefit of the doubt to any gun owner involved in a shooting?

Just because the "victim" was a "kid"? It was a "kid" that shot that Village Pantry worker in the head during a robbery, for example, so I am not that swayed by age alone..

Until we know all the facts, I personally am taking a more neutral stance.