Miami Police Shoot, Kill 10-Year-Old Boy Who Had Toy Grenade Launcher
Â Miami-Dade Police have shot and killed a 10-year-old hispanic boy who was playing with what is now being described as a toy grenade launcher.The shooting comes at a trying time for police, as there have been several deaths as the result of unnecessary and brutal police force throughout the country.Miami-Dade Police Department spokesperson Felipe Cruz told members of the Miami Associated Press that the officer involved in the shooting has been suspended with pay until the investigation is complete.âThe boy, 10-year-old Miguel Rodriguez, was playing with a toy grenade launcher in his bedroom, when a neighbor across the street spotted him through the window and immediately called 911,â said Cruz. âWhen officers arrived on the scene and peeked through the bedroom window, they spotted Rodriguez aiming the giant, foam toy at several stuffed animals lined up on his bed, and this caused officer Tyrone Davis to make the difficult decision to discharge his weapon, which killed Miguel.ââI canât believe that this could happen,â said Carmen Rodriguez, Miguelâs mother. âI can understand our neighbor calling the police, because sheâs a noisy bitch who likes to cause trouble, but when police arrived, they should have spoken to me first! I was just in the kitchen for crying out loud!âThe officer, whose name is not being released publicly due to fear of retaliation, commented on the situation through his Union representative. âIf I had to do it all again, I would do it the same way,â explained the officer. âThat boy was going to injure himself, or those stuffed animals, and I had to take charge of the situation. Itâs what any good cop would have done.âThe shooting is very similar to the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice of Cleveland, Ohio, but in that situation,Â he did not have a toy as indicated in earlier reports. Rice had been in possession of a pellet gun, which is legally notÂ considered a toy.Unfortunately, this incidentÂ is sure to cause mass-media exposure, as 2014 has been a very questionable year when it comes to the judgement of police officers across the nation.