Are You Kidding Me?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Are You Kidding Me? (Page 1 of 3)

Posted: 1/4/2012 4:26:00 PM EDT

http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9S2DQI81%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=931

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — An armed eighth-grader gunned down by police officers in the hallway of his Texas middle school Wednesday was brandishing a pellet gun that looked like a firearm, and he refused repeated orders to lower the weapon before the officers opened fire, police said.

The carbon-dioxide powered pellet gun 15-year-old Jaime Gonzalez was holding looked like a handgun, and the initial report to police that sent officers rushing to Cummings Middle School Wednesday morning was for a student seen holding a gun, Orlando Rodriguez, Brownsville's interim police chief, said at a news conference.

This has me

and

AB

CC 10. -G

Posted: 1/4/2012 4:28:16 PM EDT

[#1]

I heard about this afternoon, all the news said was: the kid might not have shot at police or even had a gun? Then they said an autopsy was to be performed.

ETA: I have a Crossman CO2 pellet gun that looks exactly like a Colt 45 for fucking with our squirrels, it does have an orange tip though....

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:02:34 PM EDT

[#2]

in another newspaper they showed a pic of a pic of the pistol - it did NOT appear to have an orange tip and it looked a LOT like a glock..

trying to locate the article

b

found article..

yahoo news link

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:12:26 PM EDT

[#3]

This may get messy.
My first guess is that the kid was probably getting bullied he brought the gun to scare the bully and it escalated from there...
But now days who knows..
Its sad

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:22:24 PM EDT

[#4]

15 year old Jamie Gonzalez could have been a 6 foot tall, 175lb banger looking kid flashing what looked exactly like a semi auto pistol at people with real guns who were yelling at him to drop it.

Play stupid games and all that.

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:29:33 PM EDT

[#5]

Suicide by cop. Unfortunate. I went to school with a guy that was more than crazy enough to pull something like that off at that age.

ETA: a 15 year old 8th grader?

There's more to this story..

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:37:46 PM EDT

[#6]

From the link...gun looks pretty real to me...

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:38:32 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Suicide by cop. Unfortunate. I went to school with a guy that was more than crazy enough to pull something like that off at that age.

ETA: a 15 year old 8th grader?

There's more to this story..

yeah that just clicked with me and theres got to be more to the story.
what a sad day for everyone involved

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:41:56 PM EDT

[#8]

This will be messy.

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:42:09 PM EDT

[#9]

A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:43:14 PM EDT

[#10]

Apparently he had ample opportunity to put the gun down but refused per other students. Oh well play stupid games.

Quoted:
A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

Thank God I wasn't the only one who caught onto that.

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:47:17 PM EDT

[#11]

I heard on the news today that this wasn't the first time that this kid had tried to bring weapons to school.

I cannot verify that info.

Posted: 1/4/2012 5:56:44 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

I was 15 for the last month of 8th grade. It's not all that uncommon.

Birthday in May, so I could have been relatively old in one grade or relatively young in another.

There were a few people older than me by about 6 months that were all held back a grade at some point.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:09:01 PM EDT

[#13]

I"m sorry, it is a horrible loss at the loss of any life, that being said...

You bring what looks exactly like the real thing, with no identifying marks as to otherwise, then wave it at police, what do you think will happen.

Unfortunate that someone died in the process, but the cops did what they had to.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:11:24 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:

Quoted:
A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

I was 15 for the last month of 8th grade. It's not all that uncommon.

Birthday in May, so I could have been relatively old in one grade or relatively young in another.

There were a few people older than me by about 6 months that were all held back a grade at some point.

and now you sit on the senate budget committee don't you?

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:17:41 PM EDT

[#15]

I would shoot a mofo aiming this at me. This is the pellet gun.

Disregard, pic won't hotlink.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:22:57 PM EDT

[#16]

I wish the kid had put it down when asked/told.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:25:23 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Quoted:
A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

I was 15 for the last month of 8th grade. It's not all that uncommon.

Birthday in May, so I could have been relatively old in one grade or relatively young in another.

There were a few people older than me by about 6 months that were all held back a grade at some point.

and now you sit on the senate budget committee don't you?

Pretty common to be 15 in 8th , especially for parents who don't use the school system for a free year of babysitting , and start their kids in K at 6years instead of barely 5.

For those who don't think about when it's the best age to start kids in school , it's advantageous to start them later , rather than early

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:25:45 PM EDT

[#18]

Sad, but I'd have shot too if someone was pointing this at me.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:27:05 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

I was 15 for the last month of 8th grade. It's not all that uncommon.

Birthday in May, so I could have been relatively old in one grade or relatively young in another.

There were a few people older than me by about 6 months that were all held back a grade at some point.

and now you sit on the senate budget committee don't you?

Insulting me really won't get you very far. My skin is thicker than that weak attempt.

As previously stated, I was merely trying to point out that a 15 year old 8th grader is not uncommon.

I was surprised by all of the people that commented on it.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:27:44 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

Quoted:
A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

I was 15 for the last month of 8th grade. It's not all that uncommon.

Birthday in May, so I could have been relatively old in one grade or relatively young in another.

There were a few people older than me by about 6 months that were all held back a grade at some point.

and now you sit on the senate budget committee don't you?

Pretty common to be 15 in 8th , especially for parents who don't use the school system for a free year of babysitting , and start their kids in K at 6years instead of barely 5.

For those who don't think about when it's the best age to start kids in school , it's advantageous to start them later , rather than early

Eh, I started early at did just fine. Gifted classes, IB, that kind of thing.

On-topic - While I wouldn't call it a good shoot just because of the tragedy involved, it's an understandable one.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:30:19 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
in another newspaper they showed a pic of a pic of the pistol - it did NOT appear to have an orange tip and it looked a LOT like a glock..

trying to locate the article

b

found article..

yahoo news link

Looks real to me.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:31:28 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:

Quoted:
A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

I was 15 for the last month of 8th grade. It's not all that uncommon.

Birthday in May, so I could have been relatively old in one grade or relatively young in another.

There were a few people older than me by about 6 months that were all held back a grade at some point.

and now you sit on the senate budget committee don't you?

Insulting me really won't get you very far. My skin is thicker than that weak attempt.

As previously stated, I was merely trying to point out that a 15 year old 8th grader is not uncommon.

I was surprised by all of the people that commented on it.

Sorry it was my attempt at humor. I went to school in the Chicagoland area..... the only 15 year olds we had in 8th grade were those who ended up not making it through highschool. This was over 25 years ago, but if your 15 years old in 8th grade, there's other issues at hand especially with the way public schools are.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:31:44 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Sad, but I'd have shot too if someone was pointing this at me.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff260/Aiden80013/fd5f36a16c105f00030f6a706700681e.jpg

Geez.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:33:21 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:

Quoted:
in another newspaper they showed a pic of a pic of the pistol - it did NOT appear to have an orange tip and it looked a LOT like a glock..

trying to locate the article

b

found article..

yahoo news link

Looks real to me.

Very closely Resembles a glock, but there is a lot to it that's 'off.'

Slide serrations, trigger guard, magazine baseplate, sights, etc.

I've never seen a Glock that looks like that, but maybe I haven't seen enough Glocks.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:36:53 PM EDT

[#25]

Imagine being those cops. Being the only people between him and an active shooter in a school. Not wanting to be the next columbine. Tough choice to shoot but it is the right choice. They gave the kid chances to put it down. I am certain these guys don't go to work everyday dreaming of killing kids (I can only guess some cop basher will try to prove me wrong)

Imagine the mental stress after they found out it was a BB gun.

Believe me these cops are facing some demons right now. I sure wouldn't want to be them right now.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:37:02 PM EDT

[#26]

Tragic, but completely understandable.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:37:10 PM EDT

[#27]

Why are folks here pissed someone shot a 15 yo with what appears to be a quite real gun?

Does his age somehow make him less likely to use a gun?

Aren't our juvie halls filled with little gangsters that actually use guns?

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:37:34 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:

Quoted:
in another newspaper they showed a pic of a pic of the pistol - it did NOT appear to have an orange tip and it looked a LOT like a glock..

trying to locate the article

b

found article..

yahoo news link

Looks real to me.

Very closely Resembles a glock, but there is a lot to it that's 'off.'

Slide serrations, trigger guard, magazine baseplate, sights, etc.

I've never seen a Glock that looks like that, but maybe I haven't seen enough Glocks.

If you are a cop trying to get this guy to put his gun down, you aren't looking at serrations, trigger guards, etc.

It looks like a real gun and that got this moron shot.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:40:22 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:

Quoted:
in another newspaper they showed a pic of a pic of the pistol - it did NOT appear to have an orange tip and it looked a LOT like a glock..

trying to locate the article

b

found article..

yahoo news link

Looks real to me.

Very closely Resembles a glock, but there is a lot to it that's 'off.'

Slide serrations, trigger guard, magazine baseplate, sights, etc.

I've never seen a Glock that looks like that, but maybe I haven't seen enough Glocks.

But would you notice all those things when it could be pointed at you and potentially shot at you? I would imagine it would be difficult to notice all those things with adrenaline, plus how far away were they from him?

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:41:41 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

Quoted:
in another newspaper they showed a pic of a pic of the pistol - it did NOT appear to have an orange tip and it looked a LOT like a glock..

trying to locate the article

b

found article..

yahoo news link

Looks real to me.

Very closely Resembles a glock, but there is a lot to it that's 'off.'

Slide serrations, trigger guard, magazine baseplate, sights, etc.

I've never seen a Glock that looks like that, but maybe I haven't seen enough Glocks.

Doubt the officers took the time to notice the little nuances of the gun being pointed at them in a school locked down for the same.

ETA: Obviously I'm the slowest typist here.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:45:52 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:

Quoted:
A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

I was 15 for the last month of 8th grade. It's not all that uncommon.

Birthday in May, so I could have been relatively old in one grade or relatively young in another.

There were a few people older than me by about 6 months that were all held back a grade at some point.

and now you sit on the senate budget committee don't you?

Insulting me really won't get you very far. My skin is thicker than that weak attempt.

As previously stated, I was merely trying to point out that a 15 year old 8th grader is not uncommon.

I was surprised by all of the people that commented on it.

Sorry it was my attempt at humor. I went to school in the Chicagoland area..... the only 15 year olds we had in 8th grade were those who ended up not making it through highschool. This was over 25 years ago, but if your 15 years old in 8th grade, there's other issues at hand especially with the way public schools are.

I see what your saying. I went to a smaller school that did not have a very high failure rate, so I didn't have a lot of experience with those types of kids.

Back to the main topic. It sucks for the cops involved, but from the available information, I don't think they had any good alternatives.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:50:07 PM EDT

[#32]

read this article this morning. told my friend he probably had an airsoft gun he brought to school to show off since it said he was seen with it and police were called and that when they entered they found him in the hallway with it and opened fire.

i also said just wait if it is a airsoft gun, the gov is gonna put the hammer down on realistic looking 'toy' guns

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:50:53 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
Sad, but I'd have shot too if someone was pointing this at me.
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff260/Aiden80013/fd5f36a16c105f00030f6a706700681e.jpg

Absolutely and without question.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:52:31 PM EDT

[#34]

Sad, and stupid.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:58:37 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
I wish the kid had put it down when asked/told.

Me too. It doesn't matter if this kid was going to make the next great leap in quantum physics or not, he was a kid and somebody's son and for all we know his worst crime was just panicking when cops pointed their weapons and shouted at him. I'm not blaming the cops, but it's a shame how things went down.

Posted: 1/4/2012 6:58:45 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:
http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9S2DQI81%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=931

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — An armed eighth-grader gunned down by police officers in the hallway of his Texas middle school Wednesday was brandishing a pellet gun that looked like a firearm, and he refused repeated orders to lower the weapon before the officers opened fire, police said.

The carbon-dioxide powered pellet gun 15-year-old Jaime Gonzalez was holding looked like a handgun, and the initial report to police that sent officers rushing to Cummings Middle School Wednesday morning was for a student seen holding a gun, Orlando Rodriguez, Brownsville's interim police chief, said at a news conference.

Robert Valle, a 13-year-old who was among the school's 750 students locked down in their classrooms during the confrontation, said he heard police run down the hallway and yell "put the gun down," before several shots were fired.

"He had plenty of opportunities to lower the weapon ... and he didn't want to," Rodriguez said. Two officers fired three shots, striking Gonzalez at least twice, he said. The autopsy results are pending.

Rodriguez said that before the confrontation with police, Gonzalez walked into a Cummings Middle School classroom and punched another boy in the nose. He said he doesn't know why Gonzalez was brandishing the weapon.

Earlier Wednesday, before police said the weapon was actually a pellet gun, Jaime's godmother Norma Leticia Navarro told The Associated Press she couldn't imagine what led to the fatal confrontation.

"Jaime was not a bad kid, and I wish I could ask him why he did that, why did you put yourself in that position?"

Still, she said she understood that police were doing their job, but she expressed frustration that a child was killed and wondered if something else could have been done.

"I'm not saying he was perfect or an angel, but he was a very giving person."

She said both of his parents work, and that his stepmother raised him from infancy and was very strict with him.

As word of the shooting spread quickly through the city on Texas' southern tip, where violence frequently spills over from Mexico's drug war, frantic parents rushed to reach their children.

Those who got their early on were able to retrieve their frightened children, but some who arrived later found the street outside the school lined with squad cars and blocked off. About two hours after the shooting, dozens of frustrated parents and relatives flooded out of the park pavilion without their children after school officials announced that all remaining children had been bused to a high school and could be picked up there.

Julie Tomalenas waited for an hour to pick up her 13-year-old sister before being told of the relocation.

"It was very stressful not knowing if she was OK, where she was, when we could see her again," Tomalenas said.

The lockdown was lifted about two hours after the shooting, but the students and employees were relocated while officers investigated at the school, Brown said.

This has me

and

AB

Somebody stop the world, I want to get the fuck off.

Seriously, how far is our society going to deteriorate before it implodes?

Posted: 1/4/2012 7:03:03 PM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I wish the kid had put it down when asked/told.

Me too. It doesn't matter if this kid was going to make the next great leap in quantum physics or not, he was a kid and somebody's son and for all we know his worst crime was just panicking when cops pointed their weapons and shouted at him. I'm not blaming the cops, but it's a shame how things went down.

Agreed, it's very sad this happened the way it did. Can you imagine the outrage if it was a real gun, and the kid hurt other kids because of the inaction of the cops? It was a no win situation for them.

Posted: 1/4/2012 7:06:44 PM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:

Pretty common to be 15 in 8th , especially for parents who don't use the school system for a free year of babysitting , and start their kids in K at 6years instead of barely 5.

For those who don't think about when it's the best age to start kids in school , it's advantageous to start them later , rather than early

Babysitting? LOL.

You are SUPPOSED to start kindergarten at 5 years old. All kids*, at least in my state, do - unless their parents have somehow decided to hold them back. You have to be 5 by Sept. 1st to start K. Since school starts in early August here, all kids who start kindergarten are 5 years old, *except those born in mid-August to the 1st of September, they start at 4. My daughter was born Sept. 9th, and she technically started K a year early, but she had to test for it. I'm glad she did. She's currently in 4th grade, and is in several advanced classes and currently tests as if she's a 7th grader. She has a hard time being in classes where they teach under her. Imagine if she started a year later?

Posted: 1/4/2012 7:07:24 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:

Suicide by cop. Unfortunate. I went to school with a guy that was more than crazy enough to pull something like that off at that age.
ETA: a 15 year old 8th grader?

There's more to this story..

+1

15 year old 8th Grader?

WTF?

No Dogs harmed either.

Posted: 1/4/2012 7:47:40 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Sad, but I'd have shot too if someone was pointing this at me.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff260/Aiden80013/fd5f36a16c105f00030f6a706700681e.jpg

Geez.

You wouldn't have?

Posted: 1/4/2012 8:12:57 PM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:

Quoted:
in another newspaper they showed a pic of a pic of the pistol - it did NOT appear to have an orange tip and it looked a LOT like a glock..

trying to locate the article

b

found article..

yahoo news link

Looks real to me.

Very closely Resembles a glock, but there is a lot to it that's 'off.'

Slide serrations, trigger guard, magazine baseplate, sights, etc.

I've never seen a Glock that looks like that, but maybe I haven't seen enough Glocks.

If you are a cop trying to get this guy to put his gun down, you aren't looking at serrations, trigger guards, etc.

It looks like a real gun and that got this moron shot.

I was commenting only on the gun, not the events that got the kid killed.

Posted: 1/4/2012 8:37:23 PM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:

Quoted:
in another newspaper they showed a pic of a pic of the pistol - it did NOT appear to have an orange tip and it looked a LOT like a glock..

trying to locate the article

b

found article..

yahoo news link

Looks real to me.

Very closely Resembles a glock, but there is a lot to it that's 'off.'

Slide serrations, trigger guard, magazine baseplate, sights, etc.

I've never seen a Glock that looks like that, but maybe I haven't seen enough Glocks.

If you are a cop trying to get this guy to put his gun down, you aren't looking at serrations, trigger guards, etc.

It looks like a real gun and that got this moron shot.

Posted: 1/4/2012 8:50:23 PM EDT

[#43]

Looks real enough to me.

***I was 12 when I started the 8th, 13 in 9th and so forth. Graduated HS @ 17.

Posted: 1/4/2012 8:52:28 PM EDT

[#44]

Stupid hurts.

Posted: 1/4/2012 8:53:52 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:

Quoted:

A 15 year old 8th grader?

I don't think the space program is going to suffer any significant setbacks due to the loss of this fine young man.

I was 15 for the last month of 8th grade. It's not all that uncommon.

Birthday in May, so I could have been relatively old in one grade or relatively young in another.

There were a few people older than me by about 6 months that were all held back a grade at some point.

and now you sit on the senate budget committee don't you?

Insulting me really won't get you very far. My skin is thicker than that weak attempt.

As previously stated, I was merely trying to point out that a 15 year old 8th grader is not uncommon.

I was surprised by all of the people that commented on it.

Sorry it was my attempt at humor. I went to school in the Chicagoland area..... the only 15 year olds we had in 8th grade were those who ended up not making it through highschool. This was over 25 years ago, but if your 15 years old in 8th grade, there's other issues at hand especially with the way public schools are.

I see what your saying. I went to a smaller school that did not have a very high failure rate, so I didn't have a lot of experience with those types of kids.

Back to the main topic. It sucks for the cops involved, but from the available information, I don't think they had any good alternatives.

Taser?

AB

Posted: 1/4/2012 8:54:25 PM EDT

[#46]

This is why I could never be a cop.

I'm not suggesting that it was a bad shoot, I just could never live with myself if it was my shoot.

Posted: 1/4/2012 8:55:43 PM EDT

[#47]

Quoted:

Quoted:

http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9S2DQI81%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=931