Fortunately, this child will live, and I do think the replica gun this kid had was just a little too close to the real thing for comfort. But from what witnesses say, the kid was running away from police telling him the gun was a toy.
When the officers identified themselves as police to the boy, he started to run, never dropping the firearm. After a brief chase on foot, one of the officers shot the 13-year-old. He is expected to survive his injuries.
The boy's mother told police she knew he left home with what she described as a BB gun.
The shooting comes days after it was announced that the city of Cleveland will pay $6 million to settle the lawsuit filed by the family of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot and killed by an officer in that city in 2014. Rice was playing with a pellet gun at the time.
Wednesday also marks one year since Freddie Gray's funeral was held in Baltimore and riots erupted in the city.
Can we all agree on a few things here? Like maybe kids should not be brandishing guns that look like the real deal on the streets? That there is a right and wrong way to react to them? That maybe if we ever get real about guns and the harm they do, we could actually make progress?
In the meantime, I'm glad this boy is going to survive.
