Child killed by police shooting at snake.

[MEH]

http://newsok.com/article/3098884

NOBLE — The first shot was so loud it made the hair stand straight up on Jack Tracy's arm. The bullet hit the water just a few feet in front of the boat dock where he was standing.



Instinctively, he pulled his 5-year-old grandson, Austin Haley, close to his left side and began yelling that there were people down by the pond.

Then came the second shot, and the unforgettable thump of a 9 mm bullet penetrating a young boy's skull.

"It went right through the back of his head and came out the front,” Tracy said. "He was just bleeding severely and I knew, right then, he was most likely dead, right there.”

Unfortunately terrible things like this happen when you don't remember to "be aware of your target and what is beyond" this should be a reminder to us all… Prayers for the family of the child, and for the two police officers, this is a tragic mistake that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

 

[MaterDei]

Prayers for the family of the child, and for the two police officers, this is a tragic mistake that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

I totally agree.

 

[MEH]

Can you post the whole article?? I'm lazy and don't feel like registering.

Register? you don't have to register, at least I didn't have to...

 

[poortrader]

Talk about breaking Rule #4:

"Be absolutely sure of your target, and what is behind it."

Too young to die.

 

[.cheese.]

safety rule violation.... whole thing could have been avoided had the officer remembered safety rules, and/or used snakeshot (although they don't say how far away the boy was from the officer - or do they? - even snakeshot will travel for a distance)

 

[CTPistol]

shooting 9mm at a snake in a residential neighborhood?

far from a simple "accident"

pure reckless stupidity and deserves a whole lot of jail time.

unbelieveable.

 

[scubie02]

you have to feel terrible for everyone in this situation.

 

[.cheese.]

This incident may very well result in charges against the officer in my opinion.

I don't see any real justification for shooting the snake. Especially not without checking for safety. Wasn't a deadly situation.

Or was it? Was the officer being attacked by the snake? I think I read that it was poisonous.

 

[DnPRK]

I hope the state of Oklahoma brings negligent homicide charges and refuses to plea bargain.

The city of Noble, Oklahoma will soon be bankrupt due to loss of a huge lawsuit.

 

[jerkface11]

Wow what a shock no mention at ALL of the cop being arrested for it.

 

[kingpin008]

And we're not safe enough to own guns, right?

Those officers deserve jail. Not trying to bash cops, but that's inexcusable. No way in H#ll I'd want them "ensuring public safety."

 

[Hardtarget]

Kill a snake faster with a switch than with a pole.

No need to kill the snake...just walk away. They can't eat you, so leave them alone. Never been bitten by one that I wasn't trying to catch.

Mark.

 

[Average Guy]

That is messed-up beyond belief. The very definition of "negligent."

 

[brerrabbit]

Uh, the snake in question was said to be a diamondback . They do not climb trees, especially to the point of getting into a birdhouse.

There are a few non poisonous snakes that look like copperheads out here, none that look like a diamondback.

Considering the size of a slug and the width of a snake, a handgun is the wrong weapon to use. but then again a stick works every time in my experience.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Truly unfortunate. Prayers for all involved.

This thread can only end badly, therefore...

Closed.

 

[carpenter]

Cops shoot at snake in ceiling, kill a kid.

Noble, Oklahoma - A five-year-old boy is dead after a tragic mistake in which a stray bullet, meant to kill a snake, struck the boy.


It happened Friday night in Noble, about 100 miles southwest of Tulsa in Cleveland County. Officers had responded to a rural area after a family called about a snake.

Noble City Manager Bob Wade says the snake was apparently in the rafters of a home and that officers decided to shoot the snake. But, when they did so, they later heard the boy screaming.

The boy, who was apparently fishing at a nearby pond, had been struck by the gunfire. The boy was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead. He was identified Saturday evening as Austin Haley.

Noble City Manager Bob Wade says he is 'devastated' by the tragedy. Meanwhile, the officer who fired the shots has been placed on routine administrative leave while the investigation continues.

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0807/444912.html

 

[carpenter]

That poor boy. What were the police officers thinking?

So from the story, the police shot up into the rafters. The bullet went through the roof, reached its apex and then began its descent. And by the time it reached the child, it had enough velocity/energy to kill the child.

That's just so bizarre.

 

[Lester Flatts]

Very, very sad. How about a snake-shot load, or a shotgun.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Sad to the max.

Hopefully the shooter has his gun taken away and he spends some time in rehab, never to be allowed back into Law Enforcement.

Why would you call them for that???

The citizens are as incompetent as the LEO in that location

 

[MP5]

Be sure of your target and everything beyond it.

Or--duh--just call an animal removal service.

 

[Cannonball888]

In the USA only 12 people have died in 20 years from domestic snakebite. How many people have been accidentally shot in the same time span? Lesson to be learned: Don't shoot at snakes.

 

[Geno]

This thread topic was just recently closed. If we are going to keep this thread open, we have to make it legit.

How could the matter have ended differently? Perhaps LEOs should have to carry 1 box of shot shells for their pistols, or 1 box of #8 shot for their shotguns.

Using buckshot on such a shot would have been equally or more dangerous. The problem is how many more pounds can a LEO's car carry before we finally have to go to all trucks.

Doc2005

 

[General Geoff]

Using buckshot on such a shot would have been equally or more dangerous.

Not at all. Buckshot does not have nearly the same ballistics properties as a bullet from a rifled barrel. Buckshot may or may not have penetrated through the roof; and even if it did, after apexing its trajectory, it would not have gained much additional velocity as the pellets are just round balls of lead, not spinning, aerodynamic bullets. Worst that would have happened is someone gets a couple of lumps on their head from a few pieces of shot.

 

[ilbob]

People do stupid sometimes. When you are handling a firearm, stupid can result in death. The three rules are important even if you carry a badge, maybe even more important.

One should not be shooting at a ceiling to kill a snake in the first place. That is just plain dumb. If you can see the snake, you can get him with a rake or a hoe.

 

[Black Adder LXX]

That is truly sad.