...chaotic struggle leading to fatal shooting in minivan

[Sequoia]

The sheriff's deputies who killed a Sebastopol teenager tried to disarm him with pepper spray and a baton before opening fire, investigators said Tuesday.
A narrative released by investigators depicts a chaotic encounter that lasted roughly two minutes and said the deputies feared for their safety when they shot 16-year-old Jeremiah Chass while trying to subdue him in a minivan outside his home.

As Chass kicked the deputies in the face and chest, resisting their attempts to take a 2½-inch knife from him, the narrative says, one deputy "began bleeding from the face and feared he would be rendered unconscious."

He fired, hitting Chass, who continued to kick and yell. The second deputy fired, also hitting Chass, who "stopped fighting," according to the account by Santa Rosa police, who are investigating the Monday shooting.

Chass' family has questioned whether police needed to resort to lethal force to subdue the Analy High School junior."The deputies arrived, two minutes later they shoot him over a 2½-inch blade," said attorney Eric Safire, who was retained by the family. "That's pathetic."

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070314/NEWS/703140304/1033/NEWS01

Shooting a black student in a van!? What's wrong with these cops!!! They did not have to kill him!! No taser even, this is just horrid! (I might add that the black population in this area is practically nil.)

[hobbit709]

1. Doesn't take much of a blade

to slash your throat. The shooting may not be justified but a 2½-inch blade can kill you.

[shadowknows69]

2. So you back out of the minivan. Surround it with guns draw and wait him out

He gets out and comes at you then you open fire. I'm not a fan of tasers but this is an example of where it would have been a better way.

[Sequoia]

3. Or a net thrown over him. They did not have to shoot him.

[karlrschneider]

8. He was threatening to kill his little brother.

Sounds like he was nuts enough to do it.

[acmavm]

4. We have a horiffic breed of police in this country today. Shoot

first, give some lame-ass excuse later.

Don't these buffoons have to qualify on a shooting range? Don't they have to be able to hit something smaller than a chest or head? Why can't they ever disable anyone with their guns? I mean, if that's what they're gonna do is use a gun, why can they NEVER try for an arm or leg or somewhere that isn't instant death?

[shadowknows69]

5. "We have a horiffic breed of police in this country today. Shoot"

Give you three guesses where we're getting most of the new ones.

War
War and
War. Apparently nobody is telling them that we aren't the enemy.

[scrinmaster]

6. Or the kid should have dropped the knife when the cops showed up.

It isn't like in a movie, where they can shoot guns and knives out of peoples hands.

[acmavm]

10. That's just it, this ain't the movies. Dirty Harry is a fictional character.

More cops need to learn that.

[jayfish]

9. No, Incapacitation Is Not Taught...

during firearms training. You are taught to aim center-mass and for many logical reasons. One being that if you miss that smallish target you are aiming for you would be endangering bystanders. I hate to say it, but a taser may have been a better solution in this instance.

Jay

[cwydro]

7. Some of these shootings are difficult to judge

but this seems ridiculous. Total abuse of power.