I do disagree that 5 and 13 year olds are the same (at least legally speaking). 13 year olds are generally swearable, for example. 5 year olds are not. And most 13 year olds do know that pointing a gun at a cop is generally a bad idea. The law has long acknowledged an increasing scale of responsibility for children.…

The traditional dorms, Hedrick, Dystra, Rieber, and whatever else (it’s been a long time since I’ve lived in a UCLA dorm) have always looked a bit like prison cells.

Sorry but a 13 year-old absolutely can be to blame for stuff. I understand that we judge children differently than adults and for good reason, but being 13 doesn’t mean you’re never to blame for your shitty decisions.

Yeah pretty much. Thought he was tougher than he really was. Can’t say I have much sympathy for him. He knew the consequences of his actions.

True. But that doesn’t mean a police officer should defer to a person pointing what sure looks like a very real gun at them. A child can pull a trigger and end your life same as an adult. This child made a very, very stupid decision that, as far as I can tell, left the officer with little choice. One can both mourn…

So we have a situation in which a fake gun looked real, a kid ran even if he was innocent because everyone, especially people of color, is/are afraid of the cops, and because guns are so prevalent in this country, the cop may have been legit afraid for his life (assuming he’s neither racist nor power-mad). Sums it up…

It means that people can legally walk around with fucking guns.

Or you could stop robbing people. But yes, it’s racist cops profiling black people. Also it doesn’t matter what his age was. He made the cops believe their lives were in danger because of his own actions.

...boy playing with a toy gun.

Or, y’know, don’t rob people and run from the cops and then try to pull a gun with laser fucking sights on them. But yeah, trigger happy cops are th problem.

A child trying to play grown up games

Right? Stop fucking making toys that in any way resemble guns! That way, neither police or civilians will have any reason to panic over whether a gun is or isn’t real. I’m fucking serious. No, it won’t solve police violence and militarization, but it’s one small thing we could change to help.

And he was tough enough to try and pull it out on the cops. Doesn’t matter if you’re 8 or 80 don’t pull anything that looks like a fucking gun on police and not expect the consequences.

If the cops’ story turns out to be true, he wasn’t just playing, he ran from the police and pulled a replica gun that looks just like a real gun from his waist, so yeah, what was the policeman supposed to do, wait for the kid to shoot him so he could be sure if those were real bullets or not?

Kid was a robbery suspect

This needs more stars.

This is how stupid the orange tip thing is.

Look, I am not going to dispute that cops became trigger happy goons, but speaking as a long time ex-cop and just general common sense person, if someone pulled that on me I would think it was real.

Yeah, this is a damn shame but, come on. THAT looks like a gun. And with the young man and the police running, and the young man then having it in his hand, not throwing it away, what else could the police think but that it was real?

Seems legit. Though it is very unfortunate. Do not carry BB guns around, people. They are dangerous and useless.