The video shows Officer Ryan Westlake speaking to Tavion Koonce-Williams through his car window and seconds later firing his weapon toward the teen, whose arms were raised.
I’m not defending the cop. He could have parked down the street and got in the megaphone asking for the guy to empty his pockets and get on his knees. Dude totally fucked up by rolling up to him. Obviously if they thought he had a gun, getting close is a bad idea.
Clearly the cop needs a little more training. But come on, walking down the street brandishing a “gun” in 2024? Not a super smart move.
Kids don’t have the same risk evaluation skills as adults. You’re blaming the victim of a shooting because they don’t have the life experience that you do.
It’s like saying “walking downtown in a skirt that short? Not a super smart move.” It’s not explicitly blaming a sexual assault victim for their attack, but you’re implying that they’re at least a little responsible.
Especially considering that police frequently treat black kids as being older than they are? Should he have looked 8 just to make sure that he didn’t get shot?
I’m not defending the cop. He could have parked down the street and got in the megaphone asking for the guy to empty his pockets and get on his knees. Dude totally fucked up by rolling up to him. Obviously if they thought he had a gun, getting close is a bad idea.
Clearly the cop needs a little more training. But come on, walking down the street brandishing a “gun” in 2024? Not a super smart move.
Kids don’t have the same risk evaluation skills as adults. You’re blaming the victim of a shooting because they don’t have the life experience that you do.
It’s like saying “walking downtown in a skirt that short? Not a super smart move.” It’s not explicitly blaming a sexual assault victim for their attack, but you’re implying that they’re at least a little responsible.
If he was 10, and looked like a kid, I’d agree with you.
However, if the cop didn’t have a gun, he’d have to solve the problem without violence…
I feel the comparison to rape is not appropriate. No one “freaks out and rapes” because they’re afraid for their life.
Change this to “if he was white,” and you can see how ridiculous this argument is. I wasn’t making any point about his appearance; that’s irrelevant.
The rest of your post is just as irrelevant to the points that I made, so I see no use in responding to them.
If he was a green alien 👽 sounds ridiculous too. We can change the words to make anything sound ridiculous.
So how is his appearance relevant then?
Especially considering that police frequently treat black kids as being older than they are? Should he have looked 8 just to make sure that he didn’t get shot?
He shouldn’t have been shot