Oklahoma Police Kill 5-Year Old Boy While Shooting at Snake

[The Dude]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292168,00.html

Sunday, August 05, 2007
Associated Press

NOBLE, Okla. — A stray bullet fired by a police officer trying to shoot a snake hit and killed a 5-year-old boy fishing at a nearby pond, officials said.

Austin Haley was fishing with his grandfather, Jack Tracy, Friday evening when Tracy said he heard a shot and saw a bullet hit the water just a few feet in front of the boat dock where he was standing. [more]

I hope this idiot is FIRED FROM THE POLICE FORCE!!!!!!!

"The snake was still hissing" after attempts to *drag* it from the tree....ya' THINK? Morons. :angry:

[debasisdas]

May his soul rest in peace.

[MidiMagic]

Was the policeman not looking at what was beyond the snake, or did the bullet ricochet?

[The Dude]

He shouldnt have used a gun FAIR AND SQUARE!

[tygerberg]

What a shame:(

[joshSCH]

haha.. he was trying to shoot a snake? When there were bystanders around? Was he drunk or just a dumbass?

[lasher511]

There could have just been nobody around that he could see so he thought that it was all clear. The chances that the bullet would actually hit someone are extremely low but it seems this boy was just unlucky.

[joshSCH]

Even so, why would a police officer need to kill a snake if no one else was around? He could have used something else.. like his taser :p

[MidiMagic]

If it was a coral snake in a populated area, or if it was on his car, he had good reason. There is no antidote to the poison.

[Ezzaral]

If it was a coral snake in a populated area, or if it was on his car, he had good reason. There is no antidote to the poison.

Coral snakes are not found in Oklahoma and it was not on his car. In all likelihood it was a perfectly harmless black rat snake.

This is an example of reckless stupidity and he deserves to be removed from the force and probably charged with negligent homicide.

[lasher511]

If you actually read through the news report properly you will see that there are several things that you have miss out. First, it is actually 2 police officers and not one it could have been either one of them. Second, it was actually the owner who suggested shooting the snake after other attemps to get it out of the tree had failed. Third from what i gathered from the story the police officers were a decent distance away from the boy and his grandfather and could not see them. This would mean that the chances of two of the bullets landing in that close a proximity to each other are extremely low not to mention how low the chances of hitting someone is.

Yes, it was a stupid thing to be shooting at the snake in the first place without checking who was over in that direction but it still remains an accident. Im sure that both police officers are extremely upset about it but i do not think that this is really grounds for dismissal unless its against that police departments policy for fire arms use which to be honest i doubt that it would.