‘He’s a small child’: Utah police shot a 13-year-old autistic boy after his mother called 911 for he

[JacksinPA]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...um=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most

‘He’s a small child’: Utah police shot a 13-year-old autistic boy after his mother called 911 for help

When Golda Barton dialed 911 on Friday, she hoped emergency responders could help hospitalize her 13-year-old son, who has Asperger syndrome and was having a mental crisis.

Instead, a Salt Lake City police officer repeatedly shot Linden Cameron after he ran away, leaving the boy in serious condition with injuries to his intestines, bladder, shoulder and ankles. Barton says he was unarmed, and police said they didn’t find a weapon at the scene.

“He’s a small child. Why didn’t you just tackle him?” Barton said in a tearful interview with KUTV on Sunday. “He’s a baby. He has mental issues.”

Barton said she’s gotten few answers from police. Salt Lake City’s mayor pledged on Sunday that an investigation into the incident would be quick.

“No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy, and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently for the sake of everyone involved,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall (D) said in a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune.
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I don't know what's wrong with the cops but this seems to be part of a developing nationwide pattern.

 

[Tettsuo]

I'm sure conservatives will go digging to a 13 year old boy's past with the hopes of justifying the actions of the police.

 

[JacksinPA]

I'm sure conservatives will go digging to a 13 year old boy's past with the hopes of justifying the actions of the police.

I'm actually surprised that the cops didn't leave a used drug pipe near him.

 

[OrphanSlug]

Great, another example of the shoot first ask questions never mentality we see all too often.

13 year old who has Asperger syndrome... unarmed and shot "several times" by the police.

Can't wait to hear the spin on this one.

 

[JacksinPA]

And Utah is an extremely conservative state. Hard to buy booze or get a drink there.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Asperger's is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

They shot a 13 year old with Asperger's? Geezus.

 

[bluesmoke]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...um=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most

‘He’s a small child’: Utah police shot a 13-year-old autistic boy after his mother called 911 for help

When Golda Barton dialed 911 on Friday, she hoped emergency responders could help hospitalize her 13-year-old son, who has Asperger syndrome and was having a mental crisis.

Instead, a Salt Lake City police officer repeatedly shot Linden Cameron after he ran away, leaving the boy in serious condition with injuries to his intestines, bladder, shoulder and ankles. Barton says he was unarmed, and police said they didn’t find a weapon at the scene.

“He’s a small child. Why didn’t you just tackle him?” Barton said in a tearful interview with KUTV on Sunday. “He’s a baby. He has mental issues.”

Barton said she’s gotten few answers from police. Salt Lake City’s mayor pledged on Sunday that an investigation into the incident would be quick.

“No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy, and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently for the sake of everyone involved,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall (D) said in a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune.
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I don't know what's wrong with the cops but this seems to be part of a developing nationwide pattern.

Another reason why mental health issues should be handled by mental health pros, not armed LEO. LEO should concentrate on core responsibilities and not be funded for such as mental health "enforcement" that is best handled/managed by those so best educated and trained. I'm sure LEO will agree, they don't like having to do so. I see local police more often dealing with street people (mental health) than any other single issue, including traffic law. And when I see such, there several officers and cruisers involved. But no apparent social service personnel, though they have such who accompany LEO is certain circumstance.

 

[Mr Person]

The police are not your friends.

If someone breaks into my house, I'm sinking or swimming on my own. No way do I trust a bunch of trigger-happy easily-scared people brimming with immunity from suit to burst into my house and be able to tell the difference between me, defending myself, and a robber I'm struggling with.

 

[Lutherf]

Look, this kid appears to be white. Since there is no racial reason to flip out about it can we at least wait until the investigation is done before we start flinging more poo at all cops?

 

[Napoleon]

Great, another example of the shoot first ask questions never mentality we see all too often.

13 year old who has Asperger syndrome... unarmed and shot "several times" by the police.

Can't wait to hear the spin on this one.

The police said they were called to the scene on reports of an armed individual with mental issues threatening people with a weapon.

 

[Tettsuo]

Look, this kid appears to be white. Since there is no racial reason to flip out about it can we at least wait until the investigation is done before we start flinging more poo at all cops?

Not all cops, just the cops that thought it prudent to shoot a 13 year old.

 

[Tettsuo]

The police said they were called to the scene on reports of an armed individual with mental issues threatening people with a weapon.

And when they arrived and saw a 13 year old without a weapon, they decided to shoot anyway.

 

[lwf]

Look, this kid appears to be white. Since there is no racial reason to flip out about it can we at least wait until the investigation is done before we start flinging more poo at all cops?

One of the primary uses of the internet is to fling poo.

 

[OrphanSlug]

The police said they were called to the scene on reports of an armed individual with mental issues threatening people with a weapon.

The mom... you know, the one that called the police... has an entirely different story and it is very unlikely she picked up the phone, dialed 911, and said my special needs son is "an armed individual with mental issues threatening people with a weapon."

 

[Napoleon]

Another reason why mental health issues should be handled by mental health pros, not armed LEO. LEO should concentrate on core responsibilities and not be funded for such as mental health "enforcement" that is best handled/managed by those so best educated and trained. I'm sure LEO will agree, they don't like having to do so. I see local police more often dealing with street people (mental health) than any other single issue, including traffic law. And when I see such, there several officers and cruisers involved. But no apparent social service personnel, though they have such who accompany LEO is certain circumstance.

Another reason to question why we as a society should make allowances for free range mental defects who are a danger to themselves and others. If a person cannot function in society then they should be institutionalized or at least require 24/7 supervision of a guardian.

 

[Schism]

I see the rush to judgment crowd is awake this morning.

 

[Napoleon]

The mom... you know, the one that called the police... has an entirely different story and it is very unlikely she picked up the phone, dialed 911, and said my special needs son is "an armed individual with mental issues threatening people with a weapon."

No, she just left a mental defect alone knowing that it was likely to cause a violent episode and wants to blame others for the consequences of her own negligence.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Asperger's is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

They shot a 13 year old with Asperger's? Geezus.

I'm an Aspie.
Yeah, I didn't get an official diagnosis until age 47, I had a significant social breakthrough back in the early Seventies. (think "The Sixties", okay?) :lamo
But yeah, I am on the spectrum.
It was actually a big weight taken off my shoulders to get a diagnosis so late in life because it just made a lot of "switches" go click and things began to fall into place in my mind with respect to always wondering why I am a little weird.
Once I understood the mechanisms at work, I guess my mind just went about the tasks of housekeeping to make adjustments.
Actor Dan Aykroyd is another late dx-ed Aspie.
A lot of Aspies look at Prince and nod their heads...yep, an undiagnosed Aspie.

But Aspies come in all shapes and sizes.
I say that because even back when I was an extremely weird little kid, running away from the cops just never even figured into any scenario in my imagination. Don't ask me why...maybe I just figured that running from the cops was something you did "if you're a bad guy", like a crook or a robber.

 

[upsideguy]

Look, this kid appears to be white. Since there is no racial reason to flip out about it can we at least wait until the investigation is done before we start flinging more poo at all cops?

No, its not simply a black / white issue. It goes to the nature of policing in general and the attitudes too many bring to the job. If you are black, you are three times more likely to be killed by the police than if you are white. If you have mental health issues, you are 10X more likely to die at the hands of the police.

The police are not well trained in many situations we ask them to intervene in. This is one of them. There are responsibilities that must be removed from the police charter (this is the 'defund the police aspect'), because they are not qualified to handle and too quick to aggravate the situation by turning quickly to a violent resolution.

Perhaps some of this can be done with training, but its probably better to simply re-engineer policing and remove things from their charter that they just are not good at. I also do not believe we have tough enough on police. They seem way to prone to move to a violent solution. Perhaps when a police revolver is discharged it should come with an automatic 1 month suspension without pay pending an investigation.

 

[roguenuke]

We need more info but this does hit home a little since I have an 11 year old on the spectrum who takes medication for seizures (some can cause mood swings) and has hit others when he got really mad before. He doesn't always understand what is going on. We dont currently leave him home alone more for fear for him rather than of him. He hasnt been violent in a while (really since we switched from the first medication) but that doesnt mean a stressful situation or change in his norm couldnt set him off.

But puberty can cause changes too, changes that children on the spectrum can't necessarily deal with well. That child did not look that big. Unless he had a gun or chainsaw, it seems there were likely more appropriate measures to be taken by police. Did they not have any other subduing technology? Were they not trained to potentially take down children?

This is why I may not see these things as fully an officers fault or may say we need more info, but also want to see some extensive reform to police training and procedures. It is one of the main reasons I support Biden rather than just voting against Trump. Biden has said he recognizes the need for police reform and it may take more spending.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

 

[Mr Person]

Look, this kid appears to be white. Since there is no racial reason to flip out about it can we at least wait until the investigation is done before we start flinging more poo at all cops?

And there's Lutherf with the knee-jerk defense mixed with the usual ugly hyperpartisanship.





“I said, ‘He’s unarmed. He doesn’t have anything. He just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming,’” she said. “He’s a kid. He’s trying to get attention. He doesn’t know how to regulate.” Police told her to stay outside while they entered her house, she said. Barely five minutes later, she said she heard them ordering her son to the ground and then, a volley of gunfire.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...ce=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most#comments-wrapper

 

[OrphanSlug]

No, she just left a mental defect alone knowing that it was likely to cause a violent episode and wants to blame others for the consequences of her own negligence.

About that spin I was talking about... :roll:

 

[Mr Person]

No, its not simply a black / white issue. It goes to the nature of policing in general and the attitudes too many bring to the job. If you are black, you are three times more likely to be killed by the police than if you are white. If you have mental health issues, you are 10X more likely to die at the hands of the police.

The police are not well trained in many situations we ask them to intervene in. This is one of them. There are responsibilities that must be removed from the police charter (this is the 'defund the police aspect'), because they are not qualified to handle and too quick to aggravate the situation by turning quickly to a violent resolution.

Perhaps some of this can be done with training, but its probably better to simply re-engineer policing and remove things from their charter that they just are not good at. I also do not believe we have tough enough on police. They seem way to prone to move to a violent solution. Perhaps when a police revolver is discharged it should come with an automatic 1 month suspension without pay pending an investigation.

Perhaps, but you're talking to Lutherf. There's nothing he won't stoop to use to advance his pro-Trump/anti-all-things-left agenda. This is a perfect opportunity for him to implicitly slime BLM (hence his remark about the kid being white), so he takes it.

 

[Stealers Wheel]

Look, this kid appears to be white. Since there is no racial reason to flip out about it can we at least wait until the investigation is done before we start flinging more poo at all cops?

Look, the kid ran from the police. That right there is reason enough to gun him down like a dog in the street.

We're gonna have some ****ing law and order in this country if we have shoot every one of you mother ****ers dead! You got that?

 

[JacksinPA]

The police are not your friends.

If someone breaks into my house, I'm sinking or swimming on my own. No way do I trust a bunch of trigger-happy easily-scared people brimming with immunity from suit to burst into my house and be able to tell the difference between me, defending myself, and a robber I'm struggling with.

In my state the Castle Doctrine applies: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOC...1&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=0040. As far as I know, if you shoot & kill an intruder his heels have to be inside the point of entrance to be completely clear on killing or severely wounding them. And they can't sue you after the fact.