Especially black people.

Again, you forget that if the police felt he was an immediate threat to unarmed civilians , whatever his color he was he was going to get blasted. Because they told him drop his weapon over and over. They didn't know it was fake, and the cat didn't tell them during one of the many opportunities he was given to surrender, had he dropped his weapon and put his hands in the air he'd be alive and serving his sentance for whatever they hell they would have charged him with. We give law enforcement that power. The power to use leathal force if nessacary. I'm sorry that he died, but Im not going to jump on the racial bandwagon with you guys on this incident, because if I were shopping in a store and some dick with a gun was brandishing it and terrorizing civilians I want my law enforcement to blast the dick. Either wound him or kill if the situation calls for it plain and simple.

There are various accounts of what happened. You and I can't say for sure and it is really suspicious that the store doesn't want to release video footage to even the family.

There is the the story you posted then there is one that he told them it was fake and wasn't given any time to put it down before he was fired on.

But I guess to you he deserved it.

In his silly head he doesn't know that Open Carry is only for white people. Toy guns are worth killing someone over.

You're suggestion that he should be wounded is spot on - how many lives would have been saved in the past couple years alone had the officer downed the suspect with a shot to the leg rather than firing to kill?

The shoot now, ask questions later only works if they aren't murdered.

cops never shoot to wound. their logic is basically that if it escalates to the point of using a gun then the situation calls for lethal force. if they just wanted to subdue you they could tase you or something. if they shoot a guy in the leg and he has a real gun he just might get the idea to shoot back.

Why shooting to wound doesn't make sense scientifically, legally or tactically...

Shooting to wound - Police Firearms Officers Association

Dude, if I saw some guy walking around with what looked like a gun in a store, I'd be nervous too. Who walks around with a gun in a Wal-Mart? People are crazy, so it's not safe to assume anything. All I'd know is there's a dude with a gun in a place where people don't normally carry guns. That is very legitimate cause for concern. If he'd shot the store up Columbine-style then people would be asking why nobody did anything about something that was so obviously an apparent threat, and somebody's head would roll over it, cause everybody would be asking "Why wouldn't anyone do anything about a guy with a gun in a Wal-Mart." Yet because he didn't then people aren't treating it the same simply because they have the luxury of hindsight. And it's not like it looked like a toy gun. It looked like a military grade assault rifle. **** nervous. I'd have been terrified.



It might not be black and look like it's made out of what I'd consider "gun material", but I've seen guns that looked like they were made out of some weird material with some weird colors, so I'd have to be an idiot not to worry about it.

And even if he did tell the cops it was fake, they'd be negligent to just say, "Oh, well, he said it was fake, so everything's okay now. Carry on, citizen." No. There's a guy holding a gun and you can't take chances just on his word. He had a gun out in a store for no apparent reason. That doesn't scream reliable. If I was a cop and this guy was holding what may very well have been a dangerous weapon, and he didn't put it down when ordered to, I'd have shot him too.

is that an airsoft rifle or just a kid's toy gun? i can't imagine why they would make a toy gun look that real. put an orange tip on it or something at least.

Someone who is going to buy it? From what I've read, he was carrying around an air rifle that they sell there.

Edit: Yep. Here it is on Walmart's website.

usually they come in a package though.