Man shot holding toy gun in Walmart

[meshaliuknits]

Have we talked about this? My Twitter was blowing up over it.


newsone.com/3042992/john-crawford-ohio-police-walmart/


Sent from my EVO

[stephm0188]

This was my local Wal-Mart. It's all anyone has been talking about here.

[NewOrleans]

omfg. First, why is a BB gun considered a toy? Second, I bet the guy was thinking the BB gun was so harmless that the police couldn't possibly be ordering him to drop it. My guess is that he didn't make the connection that they were even talking to him.

So the gunnies will say that this is evidence that guns are stigmatized and that if we had open carry for all, this wouldn't happen because guns would be normal.

The gun control advocates will say that this is evidence that even toy guns have brought misery to us all, that if guns weren't so rampant no one would perceive someone with a "toy" gun as a threat, and that "good guys with guns" are still a myth because they gun down the wrong people.

And the wretched circle will continue.

How terrifying.

[ttt]

Too bad the gun industry has fought against laws that would require toy guns to be marked clearly and visibly as such so things like this don't happen.

www.publicintegrity.org/2012/01/13/7870/fatal-texas-shooting-highlights-struggle-regulate-replica-guns

This is not the first time this has happened.

Incidentally, I've been in the gun aisle at Wal Mart and it was shocking to me how incredibly realistic the toy and BB guns looked. They look almost identical to the real things. I don't blame the police one bit. 

[forreals]

Aug 10, 2014 11:42:32 GMT -5 stephm0188 said:

This was my local Wal-Mart. It's all anyone has been talking about here.

What are people saying? The story is so tragic, right down to the mother of his children being on the phone with him during it:(

[meshaliuknits]

Twitter had something about an 18 yo man shot by the police as well, but I can't find a story link.

Sent from my EVO

[stephm0188]

I feel like there are articles that have been written in an inflammatory manner, including this one. He was not gunned down for holding a toy rifle. Multiple witnesses stated that he was asked several times to drop the gun and he would not. Multiple witnesses stated that he was walking around pointing it at children. Another shopper in the store panicked and went into cardiac arrest. It wasn't just "He was gunned down for holding a toy gun!"

This was the weapon he unboxed and pointed at people: www.walmart.com/ip/Crosman-MK-177-Tactical-Air-Rifle-Black/27254978

Crosman has this warning label on the box: NOT A TOY. ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED. MISUSE OR CARELESS USE MAY CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. BE CAREFUL, SHOOT SAFELY.

It's an unfortunate situation all around.

[ttt]

By the way, this is what he was holding



www.amazon.com/Crosman-MK-177-Tactical-Air-Rifle/dp/B00BP3TQHY 

[stephm0188]

www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/beavercreek-walmart-shooting-case-it-happened/ngxw7/

"One 911 call released by Beavercreek police was from Ronald Ritchie of Riverside, who was inside Walmart. He told dispatchers at 8:21 p.m. Tuesday that he saw a man “walking around with a gun in the store.”

Ritchie, an ex-Marine, said the man was pointing a black rifle at people near the pet section and that “he’s loading it right now.” Later, he said, “He looked like he was trying to load it, I don’t know.” He then added, “He just pointed it at two children.”

Later, a person on the call can be heard yelling that he’d been shot.

Ritchie’s wife, April, told this newspaper on Wednesday that Crawford was on his cell phone and that people looked at him with disbelief as he held the rifle. The Ritchies said that some scurried in different directions and that three people went into a stock room.

April Ritchie said Crawford held his phone between his left ear and shoulder while moving the rifle around. “He just kept messing with it and I heard it clicking,” she said

Crawford was in the pets department when the police arrived, Ronald Ritchie said.

“We moved up to get a closer view, which is not a good idea, but it happened,” he said. “We were hiding behind an aisle.

After police arrived, April Ritchie said she heard officers warn Crawford. “I heard, put it down, put it down,” she said. “I heard two shots after I saw him turn. He still had the weapon in his hand.”

The Ritchies said the man with the rifle fell backwards when he was struck by the gunshots. But, he got back up and went towards the officer who shot him. That officer then tackled the man with the rifle to the ground.

“He looked like he was going to go violently,” Ronald Ritchie said. “If he would have dropped the weapon, he could have came out with his life. But, unfortunately, he didn’t.”"

[Cicero]

Aug 10, 2014 11:47:13 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Twitter had something about an 18 yo man shot by the police as well, but I can't find a story link.

Sent from my EVO

This one? newsone.com/3042999/missouri-crowd-after-shooting-kill-the-police/

[ttt]

Aug 10, 2014 14:24:01 GMT -5 Cicero said:

Aug 10, 2014 11:47:13 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Twitter had something about an 18 yo man shot by the police as well, but I can't find a story link.

Sent from my EVO

This one? newsone.com/3042999/missouri-crowd-after-shooting-kill-the-police/

This one has more info about what led up to the shooting:


www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/10/st-louis-teen-police-shooting/13856377/ 

ETA: neither account makes a lot of sense. One makes it sound like this kid just randomly attacked a police officer, while the other makes it sound like the police just randomly shot this kid to death for no reason.  

[meshaliuknits]

Aug 10, 2014 14:24:01 GMT -5 Cicero said:

Aug 10, 2014 11:47:13 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Twitter had something about an 18 yo man shot by the police as well, but I can't find a story link.

Sent from my EVO

This one? newsone.com/3042999/missouri-crowd-after-shooting-kill-the-police/

That's it. Thank you!

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[wambam]

This event occurred 2 miles from my apartment. This area is SO quiet. Nothing like this ever happens here.

[stephm0188]

Aug 10, 2014 16:21:06 GMT -5 wambam said:

This event occurred 2 miles from my apartment. This area is SO quiet. Nothing like this ever happens here.

Right? I was shocked when I saw it as breaking news and thought there had to have been a mistake.

[wambam]

Aug 10, 2014 16:24:48 GMT -5 stephm0188 said:

Aug 10, 2014 16:21:06 GMT -5 wambam said:

This event occurred 2 miles from my apartment. This area is SO quiet. Nothing like this ever happens here.

Right? I was shocked when I saw it as breaking news and thought there had to have been a mistake.

Apparently the only person who died during the incident had a heart attack in the middle of the event. 

[NewOrleans]

Aug 10, 2014 16:26:02 GMT -5 wambam said:

Aug 10, 2014 16:24:48 GMT -5 stephm0188 said:

Right? I was shocked when I saw it as breaking news and thought there had to have been a mistake.

Apparently the only person who died during the incident had a heart attack in the middle of the event. 

Didn't the person who had the BB gun die? 

[wambam]

Aug 10, 2014 17:57:46 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Aug 10, 2014 16:26:02 GMT -5 wambam said:

Apparently the only person who died during the incident had a heart attack in the middle of the event. 

Didn't the person who had the BB gun die? 

Yes. Sorry, that should've read "other than the so-called gunman"

[gpw]

Man, cops sure do suck.

[ttt]

Aug 10, 2014 19:11:08 GMT -5 gpw said:

Man, cops sure do suck.