A recent incident involving L.A. County Sheriffs deputies shooting a boy who was playing with a toy gun is sure to fan the fires of controversy and illicit charged reactions on both sides of the issue.
The 15-year-old boy involved in the near-tragedy pointed what turned out to be a toy gun at police officers, and was subsequently shot after sheriffs deputies commanded him to drop the toy weapon.
The boy, named William, was shot on Sunday night in Palmdale, about 80km (50 miles) from Los Angeles. He is said to be in stable condition.
Officers were responding to reports that someone on a bicycle was brandishing a handgun, officers said. Police ordered him to drop the weapon, but instead he aimed it at them, Deputy Jeff Gordon told reporters.
One of the officers fired a shot, hitting the boy in the upper body.
"Later on, they determined it was a juvenile playing cops and robbers," Deputy Ed Hernandez, a sheriffs spokesman, said.
"We got frantic calls that an individual was brandishing a weapon. We responded. We gave pronounced, clear directions that were not complied with," says Steve Whitmore, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Spokesman. "Everything will be illuminated. Everything will be forthcoming in this investigation," he added.
The toy handgun looked like a black semi-automatic pistol and lacked the orange tip found on most toys to distinguish them from real weapons, Deputy Gordon told the Associated Press.
The boy, a special needs child, is in stable condition, and is expected to recover. Amazingly, he was even on his feet, out of the hospital and doing interviews for local TV news.
Adam Sacks, a member of the National Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, is representing the boy and his family in a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. The high-profile case should do much to feed the fires of debate on police response and use of lethal force.
"He was bleeding, and the officer told him to get up against the wall, he complied...then they shot him again. Apparently the second bullet missed," says Sacks. Sacks says the shooting was completely unjustified, and plans to file a damage claim in the next few weeks.
LAPD and Sheriffs Departments use of lethal force has been a long-debated issue, and one thats not soon to go away. This latest case is sure to spark odious thoughts in LA County citizens minds -- especially with the involvement of a teenager in what could have been a sure fatality; and in a town thats seen more than its share of police brutality.
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