Feel Bad Story of the Day

[crt360]

Police officer shooting at snake apparently kills boy fishing with granddad in Oklahoma

(AP) - NOBLE, Oklahoma-A police officer shooting at a snake apparently killed a 5-year-old boy who was fishing at a nearby pond, officials said.

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

Moments later, a second shot hit Austin in the head.

A Noble police officer who had responded to a report of a snake in a tree apparently fired the deadly shot while trying to kill the snake on Friday, City Manager Bob Wade said.

"I was told that they tried several ways to get the snake down, but it was still hissing at them and firmly lodged," Wade said. "What I was told is that the owner of the home either suggested or agreed that they should go ahead and shoot the snake, and then everything happened from there."

Tracy thought someone must be trying to kill him and his grandson, so he put the child on the back his vehicle and drove to his daughter's house about 200 yards (182 meters) away.

"Then two officers came out of the brush over there," he told The Oklahoman. "They didn't tell us they were the ones who had been shooting or that they had shot him. They didn't admit a doggone thing."

The boy was pronounced dead at an Oklahoma City hospital, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Noble.

Wade refused to identify the officer but said the person had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

"This is so bizarre it has to be fully investigated," he said. "We're pretty sure circumstantially that it is the bullet from the police officer's gun, but it might be a bullet from someone else."

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said a state investigation was under way, though it appeared the fatal shot had been fired by the officer.

Tracy has little doubt. "I'm not saying the cop shot him on purpose," he said. "But let me tell you - if I had a kid and put him in this car and didn't put him in a car seat and he got killed on the way to town, they'd charge me with murder ... and what this cop did is a lot worse than that."

http://news.lp.findlaw.com/ap/o/51/08-06-2007/3bd5000cb805f52e.html

[HankB]

A snake in a tree?

Sounds like someone ought to be criminally charged with something along the lines of negligent homicide . . .

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Well that's just sad.
The four rules come to mind..."Know what is beyond your target..."

[xavier fremboe]

According to DFW news reports, the snake had gotten into a birdhouse, eaten a couple of birds, and got stuck on the way back out of the birdhouse hole.  A la Winnie the Pooh.  It wasn't going anywhere.

Makes you want to puke.

[Perd Hapley]

Time to make orange vests and hats mandatory for all citizens who venture outside.  Identification WILL be kept in the breast pocket, thank you very much.   

[Sergeant Bob]

Looks like negligent homicide to me.

[Declaration Day]

I think a shotgun would have been a much safer choice for shooting an animal out of a tree.

[DJJ]

You civilians obviously don't understand. The real victim in this case, the officer, will have to live with this for the rest of his life. Plus, is he not human? Is he not allowed to make a mistake?

[Azrael256]

Sickening.

The four rules shouldn't enter into it.  Snakes pop up in inconvenient places.  Kill non-poisonus pest reptiles with a garden tool.  Kill rattlesnakes with a good solid hoe if you can get the drop on them.  Shooting anything should be a last resort when protecting humans and livestock.  It sounds to me like this officer had all day to secure a better weapon, and ample time to check out his surroundings if a firearm was the only viable option.

I'd wager this officer wanted to look cool shooting a snake with his service pistol.  I agree with negligent homicide.  Anybody who goes through CLEET knows better.

[roo_ster]

If shooting the snake was the answer, I'm thinking a .410 shotgun would be ideal.

What a tragedy.

[wmenorr67]

I shook my head when I first read about this.  Still cannot wrap around why shooting at a snake in a tree was even considered.  Much better ways to get the snake down and/or dead.

[Sergeant Bob]

Unless I am mistaken, there are no tree climbing poisonous snakes indigenous to Oklahoma so, what danger was this snake to humans?

If it was someone's pet constrictor on a rampage, I don't think he could have been too dangerous if he was small enough to get into a birdhouse and get stuck.

That begs the question, "Why did the officer feel the overwhelming need to dispatch the reptile in the first place?"

[Perd Hapley]

Cop-bashers!   

[Thor]

Unless I am mistaken, there are no tree climbing poisonous snakes indigenous to Oklahoma so, what danger was this snake to humans?

If it was someone's pet constrictor on a rampage, I don't think he could have been too dangerous if he was small enough to get into a birdhouse and get stuck.

That begs the question, "Why did the officer feel the overwhelming need to dispatch the reptile in the first place?"

Water Moccasins are indigenous to Oklahoma and can scale a tree in no time flat. While the article doesn't say what kind of snake it was, it very well could have been a water moccasin or maybe a copperhead. I was fishing with some friends at a stock pond near Colbert, Ok (right close to the Red River and Lake Texoma) and water moccasins were plentiful that year. Must have been an easy dozen, maybe more, that slithered up into the nearby trees when we came tramping through. Fortunately, these weren't aggressive. Another time, a buddy of mine were boating down a river between Memphis and Millington, TN. There were a couple of water moccasins that tried to drop off a tree into our boat. NOT a fun experience!!! (we had no firearms, just a couple of oars.)

[LadySmith]

That begs the question, "Why did the officer feel the overwhelming need to dispatch the reptile in the first place?"

I'd think Animal Control or some sort of wildlife rescue would be called for something like this.
Water moccasin story...I'd asked my mom why she was so scared of snakes. She said when she & her favorite cousin were kids they used to go down to a local swimming hole every summer. One summer they raced some other kids to the hole and he was the first to dive in. She said he stayed under for a long time, and they thought he was playing a joke. Just when they were starting to worry, he popped up and yelled at them to stay out. And then he went under again. Some of the kids ran to get grownups. When they brought up his body, he had 21 moccasins attached to him. They'd sunk their fangs in so deep that they drowned.
One of these days I'll have to share a story that doesn't involve death/destruction.

[vernal45]

Looks like negligent homicide to me.

  Yep, and the Cop who discharged the round, plus any who okayed it should be charged.  But, I wont hold my breath.

[jeepmor]

"This is so bizarre it has to be fully investigated," he said. "We're pretty sure circumstantially that it is the bullet from the police officer's gun, but it might be a bullet from someone else."

Could be another bullet from someone else, hmm, wonder if the tables were reversed how this would be reported.  This is quite indicative of the "boys club" mentality of bureaucrats hold for each other.

okay, I got your sarcasm, wasn't sure.  Some of the attempts at humor and/or sarcasm are a bit tough to process once in a while

[DJJ]

Does anybody else besides jeepmor need a refresher course in facetious?

I mean honestly - how could you not recognize sarcasm when you've got Peter Griffin as your avatar? You don't think "Family Guy" is real, do you?

[Perd Hapley]

"This is so bizarre it has to be fully investigated," he said. "We're pretty sure circumstantially that it is the bullet from the police officer's gun, but it might be a bullet from someone else."

Could be another bullet from someone else, hmm, wonder if the tables were reversed how this would be reported.  This is quite indicative of the "boys club" mentality of bureaucrats hold for each other.

No, it is quite indicative of the fact that he doesn't want to jump to conclusions, get charged with slander, or be sued.  Read the statement again.  He comes pretty close to saying, "Our officer REALLY screwed up," but he's leaving room for the unknown. 

I thought DJJ's comment was a pretty obvious joke, but your mileage may vary.  It was pretty deadpan. 

[MechAg94]

I have seen copperheads climb yopaun bushes.  Usually the small ones (only ones I've seen do it). 

My Dad was raising some Guniea birds once.  Chicken snakes would come up at night sometimes to get eggs or chicks.  They would fit through the chicken wire on the way in but get stuck on the way out.  We killed at least a few that way. 

There are lots of ways to kill a snake.  A gun should really be the last choice. 

I hate to try to pin murder on the officer, but it was a bonehead thing to do and he should be punished.

[jeepmor]

I mean honestly - how could you not recognize sarcasm when you've got Peter Griffin as your avatar? You don't think "Family Guy" is real, do you?

Did I step on nerve?  Don't leave them on the ground then.

[Perd Hapley]

Wow.  Wow.   

[DJJ]

Did I step on nerve?  Don't leave them on the ground then.

  No, I like "Family Guy".