WELL, SHOOT... JUST SHOOT

[HairOfTheDog]

UPDATE:
Been waiting for word from the DA in Santa Rosa regarding the shooting death of Andy Lopez for months.

I'm disappointed that they've decided not to charge Officer Gelhaus with anything and hope it doesn't ignite even more discourse in Santa Rosa.

Snip:
Prosecutors said Monday they will not file criminal charges against a Northern California sheriff's deputy who shot and killed a 13-year-old boy carrying a pellet gun he mistook for an assault rifle.

The parents of Andy Lopez decried the decision, saying "it is impossible" to accept and they felt as though their son "had been killed again."

Full story: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/no-charges-a...ellet-gun/

ORIGINAL RECAP:

Just finished reading the latest on the killing of 13 year-old Andy Lopez (pictured above); he was shot to death late last month by an on-duty deputy and gun trainer who mistook the boy's toy rifle for a real AK47.

Sad story - like the police-killing of unarmed accident victim Jonathan Ferrell, covered in the OP.

In Ferrell's case, the patrol car had a dash cam which has aided in the investigation and helped the PD ascertain swiftly that manslaughter charges should be filed against the officer/shooter who killed Ferrell.

In Lopez's case, the investigation is being based on multiple 3^rd party witness accounts (thank god there were witnesses around), the account of the deputy/shooter (Gelhaus), and the account of the rookie who was being trained by Gelhaus that day,

ANDY LOPEZ CASE - What we know now:
- Police approached Lopez from behind because they mistakenly viewed his toy rifle as a real one.
-The toy was one shared by the neighborhood boys; there was no orange tip identifying it as a replica (ether because the replica-type didn't require it or it had been removed). Lopez also had a toy handgun with him - orange tip was in tact on it.
-Lopez began to turn around without dropping the toy.
-Gelhaus claims he doesn't remember if he identified himself as "police" when he told the boy to drop the weapon and before he shot at him 8 times - in fear for his life. (This bothers me - it should be standard procedure to identify themselves as PD; Gelhaus was not facing an immediate threat when he approached the boy from behind and he was training a rookie, FFS.)
-7 of the bullets hit Lopez; witnesses say Gelhaus continued to shoot after the boy was already on the ground.