TheeBadOne
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Boy pointed rifle at officer, who 'showed amazing restraint'
A south Huntsville teenager is lucky to be alive today after pointing a pellet rifle at police officer Alex McCarver Monday night, said a police supervisor.
The 16-year-old boy was charged with menacing, a misdemeanor, and taken to the Robert Neaves juvenile detention center.
"Officer McCarver showed amazing restraint," said Sgt. Jeff Huskey of the south precinct. Under state law and departmental policy, any time someone points a firearm at an officer or anyone else, an officer is justified in using deadly force.
"Luckily, McCarver was alert enough to figure out it was not a real gun," said Huskey. "McCarver did an excellent job, and the kid is very lucky."
"I've already thanked the Lord for me and for him," said McCarver a couple of hours after the incident at a home off Hobbs Road. "It's by the grace of God that he's alive because God wouldn't let me shoot him."
His training and routine talks with his brother, Dewayne McCarver, also a Huntsville officer, stay fresh in his mind while he's working, he said.
"We're trained to stay calm and handle the situation," he said. "But you've got to keep thinking because if you stop thinking, you're dead."
McCarver's badge was draped with a black piece of tape in memory of Athens police Sgt. Larry Russell, 42, and officer Tony Mims, 40. They were gunned down Friday at a home in the 300 block of Horton Street, a few blocks northwest of the Limestone County Courthouse.
Farron Barksdale, 29, was charged with two counts of capital murder. He is being held in the Limestone County Jail without bond. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
McCarver said the teen mentioned the taped badge while he was being booked into the detention center. "He knew what it was for," said McCarver. "He knows he's lucky to be alive."
McCarver was patrolling around Hobbs Road on Monday to investigate numerous complaints from motorists about someone firing pellet or BB guns at their vehicles, he said.
About 6:30 p.m., McCarver ended up at a Riverchase Drive home off Chaney Thompson Road. Neighbors had said they had seen teens with what looked like BB guns running into the house. McCarver went to the house, planning to ask residents if they knew anything about the Hobbs Road incidents.
After getting no response from ringing the doorbell, McCarver knocked on the door.
"That's when the door opened and the barrel of a gun was pointed at me," said McCarver.
He darted from the line of fire and ran for cover, yelling over and over for the person to drop the gun. He also drew his pistol.
Within a few minutes, McCarver said, he saw the person holding the gun turn around and start running in the house. McCarver followed, kicking his way through a glass storm door. He found the teen in a bedroom with five other teens.
With his pistol drawn, McCarver demanded they all put their hands in the air and called for backup and an ambulance. While awaiting the arrival of other officers, McCarver had the teens walk into the living room, where he patted them down one by one and then had them sit down and wait.
After help arrived, McCarver was checked out by HEMSI paramedics. He was not hurt, but his uniform was covered with shards of glass.
Later, the 16-year-old told McCarver he pointed the gun out the door because he thought the officer was a friend who was coming over.
"I'm just glad we're all alive," said McCarver.
The investigation into the complaints from Hobbs Road motorists is continuing.
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A south Huntsville teenager is lucky to be alive today after pointing a pellet rifle at police officer Alex McCarver Monday night, said a police supervisor.
The 16-year-old boy was charged with menacing, a misdemeanor, and taken to the Robert Neaves juvenile detention center.
"Officer McCarver showed amazing restraint," said Sgt. Jeff Huskey of the south precinct. Under state law and departmental policy, any time someone points a firearm at an officer or anyone else, an officer is justified in using deadly force.
"Luckily, McCarver was alert enough to figure out it was not a real gun," said Huskey. "McCarver did an excellent job, and the kid is very lucky."
"I've already thanked the Lord for me and for him," said McCarver a couple of hours after the incident at a home off Hobbs Road. "It's by the grace of God that he's alive because God wouldn't let me shoot him."
His training and routine talks with his brother, Dewayne McCarver, also a Huntsville officer, stay fresh in his mind while he's working, he said.
"We're trained to stay calm and handle the situation," he said. "But you've got to keep thinking because if you stop thinking, you're dead."
McCarver's badge was draped with a black piece of tape in memory of Athens police Sgt. Larry Russell, 42, and officer Tony Mims, 40. They were gunned down Friday at a home in the 300 block of Horton Street, a few blocks northwest of the Limestone County Courthouse.
Farron Barksdale, 29, was charged with two counts of capital murder. He is being held in the Limestone County Jail without bond. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
McCarver said the teen mentioned the taped badge while he was being booked into the detention center. "He knew what it was for," said McCarver. "He knows he's lucky to be alive."
McCarver was patrolling around Hobbs Road on Monday to investigate numerous complaints from motorists about someone firing pellet or BB guns at their vehicles, he said.
About 6:30 p.m., McCarver ended up at a Riverchase Drive home off Chaney Thompson Road. Neighbors had said they had seen teens with what looked like BB guns running into the house. McCarver went to the house, planning to ask residents if they knew anything about the Hobbs Road incidents.
After getting no response from ringing the doorbell, McCarver knocked on the door.
"That's when the door opened and the barrel of a gun was pointed at me," said McCarver.
He darted from the line of fire and ran for cover, yelling over and over for the person to drop the gun. He also drew his pistol.
Within a few minutes, McCarver said, he saw the person holding the gun turn around and start running in the house. McCarver followed, kicking his way through a glass storm door. He found the teen in a bedroom with five other teens.
With his pistol drawn, McCarver demanded they all put their hands in the air and called for backup and an ambulance. While awaiting the arrival of other officers, McCarver had the teens walk into the living room, where he patted them down one by one and then had them sit down and wait.
After help arrived, McCarver was checked out by HEMSI paramedics. He was not hurt, but his uniform was covered with shards of glass.
Later, the 16-year-old told McCarver he pointed the gun out the door because he thought the officer was a friend who was coming over.
"I'm just glad we're all alive," said McCarver.
The investigation into the complaints from Hobbs Road motorists is continuing.
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