“No, it’s just fireworks!” Chicago cop opens fire on child with fireworks after ShotSpotter gunshot alert
“No, it’s just fireworks!” Chicago cop opens fire on child with fireworks after ShotSpotter gunshot alert
“No, it’s just fireworks!” Chicago cop opens fire on child with fireworks after ShotSpotter gunshot alert | Jinx Press
Body-worn camera footage of the January 25 incident in Gresham was released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability today.
A Chicago Police officer responding to a ShotSpotter alert fired shots at a child who was playing with fireworks—that’s the conclusion from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in a statement released today.
“COPA can confirm that a firearm was not used against the officers,” said COPA First Deputy Chief Administrator, Ephraim Eaddy.
CPD initially identified the child as a man, claiming he had opened fire first.
They also reported seeing “flashes of light.”
“When officers arrived in the area, they observed an individual, who has now been identified as a juvenile, standing near a residence. As one officer exited the vehicle, they heard a loud bang, which was later determined to be fireworks. The officer who exited the vehicle discharged their firearm in the direction of the juvenile, who was not struck by gunfire,” investigators state in the press release about the incident.
Body-worn camera footage from the three officers responding to the ShotSpotter alert appears to show one officer immediately fire his gun after hearing a loud bang.
He then yells, “Shots fired! Shots fired!” as another officer radios in a “10-1,” indicating officers are in need of urgent assistance.
Why are cops allowed to discharge firearms without at least a target? Dude fired 3 rounds wildly after the firework sound. Then they went around shouting "hands up" at some bushes.
These people are a fucking menace.
Doesn't help that being a cop unironically requires less training then the vast majority of other jobs. You would think giving someone a gun to point at people, who they're largely supposed to "protect" would require at least a few years of training.
Notably, a cosmetologist requires 2-3 times more training than police officers in the US. The only two countries with lower training requirements are Iraq and Afghanistan. Stories like this post, the acorn incident, and shooting into that ladies house, start to make a lot more sense with that context, eh?
To elaborate further, it requires less, as in police forces have won lawsuits to specifically hire under-qualified applicants. It's not just a quirk of a unstructured administration - it is their goal.
They're there to protect the system, not the people.
I had the idea (source: fictional TV) that ALL cops had to be trained at a police academy before becoming cops. That’s not the case?
Hell I’m just some dumbass trainer and I’ve had to go through continuing training myself for almost 4 years now and all I do is talk to people all day and teach them how to use tools like a ticketing system.
LiberalGunNut™ here! You do NOT fire a weapon, yes, say weapon with me kids, unless you have a clear target and are clearly in danger. Neither criteria was met here.
I've heard some funky shit in my kitchen and in the woods. LOL, threw down on the neighbor's wolf-hybrid who wandered in one night. That fucker is silent. 🐺 "BRO! You do NOT go into people's homes at 1AM! Go home! GIT!" First night at my camp I heard what I thought were coyotes, took a single-shot .410 and went to run them off. Nah. Barred owls trying to hook up. (Cut me some slack, their call and response is creepy.)
We can make up edge cases all night. If someone goes through the trouble of crawling in our dog door and trying to enter our locked bedroom at 3AM... Know what? Nah. I'd be scared shitless and have a .45 in the center of that door frame, but I'm probably not shooting blind. Depends on the kind of noises that mammal is making. Snuffling and such? Bear or wolf or dumb dog. Again. 🙄 Cussing or whispering? Yeah, that's a human who went to great lengths to invade our home. And it ain't going to be a friend or neighbor pranking me. They know better.
I'm not ex-military, but I understand that discharging your weapon is a big fucking deal and must be explained in excruciating detail, on paper, reviewed ad nauseum, with your ass on the line? Like court martial on-the-line? Too much to ask of civilian cops? If they don't want to call themselves civilians and want to play military, same rules?
tl;dr: We're not all nuts, but ACAB.
Yeah, cops really should be held to similar expectations as civilians. The main thing holding us back from getting rid of bad cops is qualified immunity.
They really should be putting cops through some realistic scenarios in the academy, like fireworks, nuts falling on cars, and backfiring cars. A good cop should be able to tell when there's an actual emergency vs a loud noise. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Good on you for being a responsible gun owner. We need more like that in our police force, and we need to prevent the trigger-happy nutjobs from getting anywhere near police work.
I agree with pretty much everything you said. I do feel the need to add that your owl story reminds me of Joe Pesci firing off rounds in My Cousin Vinny the first time he hears an owl. Thanks for that!
By owning guns you contribute to the supply of them. The more supply the more likely kids are going to be on the receiving end. It's that simple.