... I'm tired of ridiculous internal affairs investigations whose sole purpose is always "nothing to see here move along".

C'mon man!

What can be so threatening so much that it prevents you from using your common sense
to make a sound judgement?

Before shooting and killing him? Do they not warn people or ask them to put down their perceived weapon before shooting anymore? Am I alone in thinking this whole tragic story would have turned out differently if the police had used their voice before their bullets?

Please tell me the offier who shot this kid has been fired.

10 seconds and it was all over

There is a dispute was the siren ever sounded

Were shots fired before the kid ever had a chance to turn around

and of course the Eye Witness statement the officer walked over and pumped 6 more bullets in the 13 yr olds body while he was on the ground

ALL that in 10 seconds

Those who try to justify such a thing are doing so at the cost of some of their humanity.

you should read all my posts on this subject, all I did was answer a question from a poster and provide a link.
Nothing more, nothing less.

I might have a difference of opinion, but this case, not all the particulars have come out yet, that's why I'm withholding judgement until I see all the evidence.
I guess I'm kind of weird that way, you know, this whole thing about being innocent until proven guilty.

Too many questionable immigration status friends and relatives.

But in THIS case they are speaking up and being very vocal but so far the majority of the media has been towing the line regurgitating the Sheriff Dept. talking points.

Only KTVU broke ranks and aired the opposing eye witness statements. Only 1 local Radio station aired statements from other kids who play with airsoft guns in that field all the time. Other Eye Witnesses in fear for their own life don't want to be known to the Sheriffs Dept.

AND Who ordered the Video be taken down from the Web

Sonoma County Attorneys and the ACLU have filed complaints concerning the Sheriff's handling and secrecy of the details of this investigation and other investigation concerning Officer Involved shootings with Unarmed Citizens and THIS Cop in particular

Yes - Lets see what comes out

But the Sonoma County Sheriffs Dept. is going to delay the release of information for years if at all in hopes these folk will go away

an injustice has been done, as they are doing now, I applaud them for that, they're exercising their 1A right.

Sonoma County SO can attempt to delay the report all they want, but there are 2 other agencies besides the FBI investigating and I doubt they can delay their findings, especially the FBI's official report.

I have said from the beginning that I'm waiting for the official report to be rendered before I judge whether or not this was a justified use of force, yet, I've been accused of justifying, supporting or otherwise approving of these officers actions, which is wholly untrue, at this point in the investigation, there's not enough out there, for me, to make that judgement.

but I'm not going to be quiet on the fact this case is highly disputed among the locals - some of who witnessed the events

I've seen post from some faulting the child because he was held back in school

or a 13 yr old should have the presence of mind to know how exactly to react to cops shouting at him

or because he had a very popular toy

In honesty - Cops are extensively trained how to react. Specifically how to recognize "When To Shoot and When Not to". Given all the circumstances at hand the Rookie did not fire - not 1 shot should be speaking volumes to everyone concerned

Given the Body size alone of the 13 yr old - the officer should have known full well he was dealing with a child

When you combine that with the Eye Witness Testimony and Autopsy results - this looks Really Really Bad on the officer who fired all those bullets into a 13yr old boy

you live or used to live in the area, you have the pulse of the area, and I never tell people to be quiet, that would go against everything I believe in as far as our rights.

My only problem with you, not as a person, but your immediate branding me as justifying these officers is what elicited my response to you.

Here's my idea, let's step back and introduce ourselves.
Hi, I'm Ranchemp. and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance.

I'll bet we have a lot in common politically and it would be a shame to let this particular subject create bad feelings.

I've raised 3 boys, 1 of which I just took to the airport for his work in Germany. My youngest is playing basketball in the street 3 doors down

I over reacted to the sheriff's regurgitation of statements designed to clear the officer involved of all wrong doing. Much of the news media followed suit. The first radio reports I heard aired witness statements that conflicted with the official statements and I've been on a tear ever since - forgive me

My father - A proud Irish Catholic WWII vet was the same way and even served a tenure as president of the Santa Rosa Chapter of the Optimist Club - if you don't know what they're all about you'll have to look that 1 up.

But needless to say he instilled this "Kids Deserve a Break" or Helping Kids Mentality in me from the time I was this kids age. I'm not some kind of political/community activist or even consider myself part of the Hispanic Community

But this 1 got me

I imagine that if the same thing happened in my neighborhood, I would likely act the same way.

I do know about the Optimist Club, my late father was also a member of a chapter.

Glad we could talk and I look forward to talking in the future.

Have a great Saturday, it's beautiful here.

They have become trigger happy and arrogant since the patriot act gave them unlimited powers.

They didn't even wait long enough to see if the kid heard the command or if he knew they were cops.

What if there was someone who didn't understand English and turned to see what the commotion was. What was despicable that the cops blamed the kid's parents !!

People are in the streets for the third day, shouting, cursing and waving signs.

Do you think statements like that might tend to contribute to tensions? I do. I called you neighbor a few days ago when I found out you live just down the road from Santa Rosa. I'm not calling you neighbor anymore. I don't make common cause with those who like to hypothetically fantasize about murdering kids.

We have ongoing problems with growers on our properties, some leading to armed confrontations. Those fucks have stolen my horses and eaten my goats. If I find an armed person on my land I am not going to ask if the firearm is real or not.

Maybe I have a different perspective. I was not putting myself in those cops' situation, just speaking for myself from my own experience.

Just to be clear, I did not say I would "blow the child's brains out". I am a combat veteran and I know that headshots on a moving target are not too efficient. Torso hits are better bets.

I hope the involvement of FBI damps this thing down a bit. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Dept has become somewhat militarized and things could get nasty.

you thought it wouldn't

Especially after shooting and Killing a 13 yr old Boy with Witness Statements exclaiming it was more like an Execution Style slaying.

Used to listen to a police scanner at a friends house on Friday nights. The cops used to sit down the street and pull over every car with Mexicans in it looking for some thing they could arrest them with.

Used to live on Juniper Ave. a couple of blocks away from where this happened and I know 1st hand a lot about this neighborhood. A shooting like this or even the EXTRA SCRUTINY / High Police Profile would have NEVER have happened in Rincon Valley, Bennett Valley, Montecito Heights or any of the predominantly White Neighborhoods in Santa Rosa

that's part of our 1st Amendment right, as long as they keep it peaceful, ie: no violent acts, then I support that right.

We need to country up.

It's the way cops are trained these days. If they don't change their ways pretty soon, the public may decide to employ the same response as a matter of self-defense when encountering Rambo cops.

the kid was carrying an assault rifle. When did it become illegal to walk down the street with an assault rifle?

To me, this case highlights the problem with open carry. You can't tell the "bad guy with a gun" from the "good guy with a gun" (if you even accept the NRA's simplistic view). Or in this case the good guy with a toy gun. I don't want idiots walking down the street with assault rifles. And I don't want kids endangering themselves by walking down the street with a toy assault rifle that looks real. I also don't want to see a kid with an assault weapon myself and have to worry about whether it's real or not.

of some facts. Whether or not it's a good idea, open carry is legal. Just ask the teabaggers who suit up and parade around like Rambo in front of lots of cops just to make the point. None of them have ever been shot for it. In this case the cops gunned down an innocent kids who wouldn't have been breaking the law if his toy gun had been real. The boy was murdered by a trigger happy cop. The tactic of unloading lots of rounds on a target is something they learn from the paramilitary patrolling that now passes for policing in this country. Even a mistake is hard to rectify when you shoot somebody eight times.

is correct, the open carry ban does not apply to long guns. The boy who was killed was carrying a toy long gun. Ergo, the shooting was illegal.

The salient point remains: the kid wasn't carrying a gun. The cop was. The kid's dead. The cop has a lot of explaining to do. The fact he acted under color of law does not change that.