Cop Teaches Man's Son a Lesson by Shooting Him Dead

[Bonobo]

http://www.classwarfareexists.com/cop-teaches-mans-son-a-lesson-by-shooting-him-dead/




When a father refused to buy a pack of cigarettes for his teenage son, the boy took the man’s car to get them himself. The man called the police, hoping it would serve as a lesson to his son for not listening to him. Instead, it ended in tragedy as a police officer opened fire on the kid, killing him. Now a community wants for answers.

James Comstock and his son, Tyler, were working for a lawn care company when the boy asked his father to go buy him some cigarettes. The father refused. A verbal fight led to Tyler getting into the company truck and driving off. It was then that the older Comstock called police to report his company truck stolen and, as he says, “teach his son a lesson.” He never could have expected what happened next. A chase ending in a shooting. The boy dying at the hands of police.

James Comstock, the boy’s father, is distraught over the excessive police force over a car taken without permission.

“He took off with my truck. I call the police, and they kill him,” James Comstock told The Des Moines Register on Tuesday. “It was over a damn pack of cigarettes. I wouldn’t buy him none.

“And I lose my son for that.”

UPDATE: While writing this story, the Story County Attorney Stephen Holmes has released a statement clearing the McPherson of any wrong doing. No charges will be filed. In the statement, Holmes said that after reviewing video of the chase and conducting interviews he believes the officer “acted reasonably under very difficult circumstances.”

[frylock]

1. don't ever call the cops to teach your son a lesson..

don't ever call the cops if a mentally ill family member is causing issues. don't ever call the cops, period.

[enough]

2. I've come to the same conclusion. Don't EVER call the cops.

Last edited Thu Nov 7, 2013, 11:38 PM - Edit history (1)

Apparently, what you will get is armed people with hair-trigger judgment and the tendency to use firearms as the first resort, while bringing a hyped-up and often paranoid mental atmosphere to the situation.

[renie408]

58. Amen. We are raised to think 'Officer Friendly' when what you get is 'Judge Dredd'.

They skip the arrest and go straight for the mandatory death penalty.

[Captain Stern]

3. More on this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3996506

[Historic NY]

4. "We know the suspect we can probably back it off".

[KentuckyWoman]

10. twice.

[1000words]

5. I feel sorry for the father

Dick move to call the police, but living with the repercussions of that decision is going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

[Scootaloo]

15. To be fair...

The man is likely from an era before the police treated citizens as though we were all armed mass-murderers, and simply didn't understand that calling hte police is essentially the same as ordering a hit.

[1000words]

18. Agree

[jsr]

45. Yep. If you want a family member dead, it's best to call 911.

Your family member will be dispatched with extreme prejudice in a highly efficient and legal manner, no questions asked.

[pa28]

6. Well he won't be taking the car without permission anytime soon will he?

Yeah, I think the lesson here is you avoid cops until they are absolutely necessary.

An even better direction as a society would be to disarm or lightly arm them, dress them like metermaids and make them drive around in light blue economy cars.

That's basically what they do in europe and as far as I know they have not turned into lawless barbarians yet.

[Art_from_Ark]

9. Japanese police cars are often like how you describe

I see a lot of small economy police cars here in Japan, and they'll turn on their flashing lights just to let everyone know they're there. The first time I saw that kind of scene, I pulled over to let them pass, but was surprised that no one else did. I found out that having flashing lights on with no siren just means that they're on patrol, not that they're chasing anyone.

[pa28]

13. From my own experience with Japan I would agree.

In a well balanced society the law should stand by itself with minimal enforcement.

[woo me with science]

7. I don't recognize my country anymore.

No adequate words for this. And ,no, it's not an isolated incident. This country's police have been deliberately militarized into something that should not exist in the United States of America.

I don't recognize my country anymore.

[rollin74]

8. here is dashcam video of incident

[Katashi_itto]

25. Looking at the video, the kid got exactly where he deserved. Sheer stupidity from the kid.

It was just dumb luck no one besides the Kid was killed.

[rollin74]

33. I tend to agree

the young man was clearly attempting to use the vehicle as a weapon. That is considered assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.

ADW on a cop= expect to get shot at

[dionysus]

48. he didn't deserve to die but the reaction to his actions was appropriate. sad story.

[IADEMO2004]

28. 3:00 " We know the suspect. We can probably back it off"

[jmowreader]

42. 3:02, the suspect performed his second ramming of a cop car

[IADEMO2004]

43. Wrong. Truck spins out on grass and is stopped when police car hits truck.

Police on grass too. Contact may not have been intended by police.

[jmowreader]

44. And after this contact, the kid roared off across the field

[Baitball Blogger]

31. I saw at least one pedestrian running for his life.

It looked like the police had just cause. I wonder what they'll find in the kid's blood stream. Or what he had in the car that he was afraid what they would find.

[Mojo Electro]

55. Crazy.

When he blows through the traffic light at 1:39 into the video, he could have easily ended somebody's life.

I absolutely despise the frequent abuses and murders committed by the police, but this kid shoulders most of the blame for his demise.

As has been said several times on this thread: DO NOT CALL THE COPS unless there is absolutely no other option. It's a sure-fire way to make a bad situation much, much worse.

There are a lot of poor decisions on display here.

[JaneyVee]

11. Here's an idea: stop chasing him.

[LisaL]

14. Here's an idea: if cops want you to stop, stop instead of driving like a maniac.

[jmowreader]

63. He did stop!

And when the cop pulled behind him, he backed into the cop so hard the cop car got turned ninety degrees.

[gcomeau]

53. Here's an idea...

...broadcast to all criminals that if you want to get away with it just run in the manner that poses the greatest threat to the safety of bystanders and the cops will let you go!


Oh, wait... maybe this requires a little more thought.

[JaneyVee]

57. Do I you realize how many innocent bystanders are harmed by high speed

Police chases? Here's an idea: follow him via helicopter until he stops, thinking he got away then send in the police.

[Orrex]

60. In what world does that seem realistic?

I can't imagine the scenario in which the suspect jumps out of his car and assumes he's in the clear while a police helicopter is hovering nearby.

[JaneyVee]

61. Pursue him on foot better than at high speed.

[Orrex]

62. What?

You suggest that he'll stop of his own initiative while a helicopter hovers overhead?

The suspect is fleeing in a car, and you want cops to chase him on foot?

None of that makes any sense at all.

[rollin74]

64. does Ames P.D. even have a helicopter??

I don't think that is even an option for that jurisdiction

most law enforcement agencies don't have helicopters in the air or ready to go on short notice at all times

[LisaL]

12. Car could be a deadly weapon.

Considering that it looks like he rammed police cars several times during the chase, I am not surprised he got shot and killed.

[Scootaloo]

16. That's what criminal charges are for

I remember back when DU'ers didn't grant police broad authority to conduct executions.

[LisaL]

17. You have to be able to arrest someone before charging them.

[LAGC]

27. They knew who he was.

They could have picked him once he went back home.

There was no need to escalate and aggravate the situation like that.

It takes two to tango.

[AAO]

35. bingo

[KittyWampus]

38. you mean after he killed someone driving like a maniac. But then you'd trash talk the cops

for not doing anything.

[Bonobo]

41. Yup, clearly he deserved to die. nt

[gcomeau]

56. He was recklessly endangering the lives of others.

At that point better him than anyone else. To be blunt.

[WinkyDink]

47. Stealing a car isn't a capital offense.

[rollin74]

52. he wasn't killed because he stole a car

he was shot because he was using a vehicle as a weapon in an attempt to injure or kill police officers...multiple times

[gcomeau]

54. He wasn't executed for grand theft auto.

He was killed while assaulting police officers with said stolen vehicle.

Got what was coming to him. Plain and simple.

[H. Cromwell]

19. Justifiable

Taken from the news article that I read and what the police video showed.

The Cops knew they had a STOLEN vehicle that REFUSED to stop. Did you hear "he just rammed my vehicle he rammed my vehicle"...so he has already shown a complete and total disregard for the Life and Safety of the Officers and ALL other vehicles/people in the area. So when he REFUSED to Exit the Vehicle and then REVVED the Engine it was a perceived THREAT they had EVERY Right to use the Force Necessary to INCLUDE Deadly Force to STOP the Threat.

Anyone using a vehicle as a weapon gets exactly what they deserve.
Dad reported a stolen vehicle, Police stop the stolen vehicle, driver refuses to comply with the police orders to exit the vehicle. Driver rams a police car and gets shot. Genius has its limits, Stupidity does not.

[Incitatus]

46. Yes

I don't hesitate to attack abusive cops. But in this case, the son acted very stupidly and the father should not have called the cops. I don't think there are many if any cases where trying to ram through a police barricade has ended well for the suspect.

[davidpdx]

20. A high speed chase of a teen is completely idiotic

It puts the person, the police, and the public in general at risk. Follow him until he runs out of gas, then arrest him. Did they ever stop to think to ask the dad how much gas he had in the truck? No. If it was below 1/4 tank he wouldn't have gotten far (truck probably had crappy gas mileage too).

The father learned his lesson. Don't be a dick and call the cops on your son.

[LisaL]

21. Did you even watch the tape?

It looks to me that he drove backwards to rum his vehicle into the police car. I find it very hard to feel sorry for him.

[RedCappedBandit]

26. I watched the tape. There was zero need to pursue the kid in a chase.

Yeah, he was an idiot. Teenagers often are.

They knew who he was. Not like he was getting away. They should have backed off. Instead, we have all these machismo hotheads running around wanting to act bad ass and this is the result.

[davidpdx]

37. I didn't

If he did ram a police vehicle I can see how that would be seen as an act of aggression. I'm not defending the guy. He stole his father's car which is a dumbshit thing to do. There is no doubt in my mind if he had been caught he deserved some sort of punishment. I just question whether the cops could have handled it better.

[gulliver]

22. Really bad idea calling the cops.

Especially when the kid is pissed off from an argument. At a minimum, the father was risking giving his kid a felony record and jail time. He got worse. Dumb move, and I am sure he wishes he could take it back.

[sakabatou]

23. From the video which was posted

Tyler deliberately rammed the officer's vehicle (vehicular assault). Shooting him may be justified in this case.

[DrDan]

24. no sympathy here - how many lives did this idiot put at risk

[Eleanors38]

29. Very unwise to call the cops over a non-threatening

family dispute. "Teaching lessons" is not the provenance of police.

The kid's actions were violent, life-threatening, and intensely persistently, and I'm sure he knew the outcomes of his kinds of actions as they have become the bread & butter of millions of dash cam downloads seen every night on the Innertube.

The police acted appropriately.

[Nine]

30. more info

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Ames-Police-Cleared-in-ISU-Chase-Shooting-231011361.html

Comstock's behavior was completely irrational. I won't go so far as to say the shooting was justified because I don't know enough about police procedures to know if there was something different they could have done. But the "innocent kid just sitting in his truck" spin that is being put on this is preposterous.

[Evoman]

32. When will people learn? The police are not your friends. They are not there to teach

Your kids a fucking lesson. The police exist so we don't take stuff from rich people. Occasionally, they may be called upon to solve a crime.

Only reason I would ever call the cops is when you have to to get insurance money for a theft.

Maybe finally white people are learning the lessons the rest of us have known for centuries.

[AAO]

36. Remember any time you call 911 in a medical emergency

the police will show up before the paramedics.

[KittyWampus]

39. right, so if a kid is driving a large truck through a quad, wrong way down streets and potentially

killing pedestrians… do not call the police.

[NCTraveler]

34. So many mistakes.

1) The whole dad son thing is awful. Won't buy him smokes so the kid takes the truck. Dad uses police for disciplinary reasons.
2) Chasing a kid who took a truck to get a pack of smokes. If this was know by the police, a chase should have never happened. I can understand chasing someone in the rare instance they are a serious threat to society.
3) The kid running and then slamming the police car. The outcome was a given at that point.

Under the current system, I don't see how the cop can be charged with anything. That does not mean I agree with it. The system needs to be changed. If that kid, or an officer, hit and killed someone during the chase; the county would change its police chase policy. Unfortunately, it won't change until something like that happens. They won't see this instance as a reason to change policy.

[dionysus]

50. unfortunately he sped off the wrong way on a one way street, where they supposed to

let him go at that point?

[NCTraveler]

67. Letting him drive away does not mean letting him go.

I do not think they should have chased him. They knew who he was and where he lived. They were not after him due to reasons of violence. There should have been no chase.

[KittyWampus]

40. Wrong thread title. Cops shot kid using truck as weapon is more accurate.

[Gravitycollapse]

49. In the age of the police state, everything is a weapon.

Even your words. Even your silence.

[dionysus]

51. true but ramming cop cars with a vehicle is damn near suicidal.

[Orrex]

59. The cops should have waited until he ran out of gas

Or maybe waited for the truck to stall because of all the flattened corpses built up in the wheel well.

[NaturalHigh]

65. Very sorry this kid died...

but he endangered numerous lives with his dumbass stunts. I won't criticize the police, since I wasn't there. I doubt that they were too thrilled to have to shoot a teenager.

[Tanuki]

66. Sad and complicated story

Many unanswered questions. I'm wondering why this 19-year-old, with many relatives, was living in a homeless shelter. Was that another "lesson" he was being taught?
http://www.heavy.com/news/2013/11/tyler-comstock-cop-shoots-teen-ames-iowa/