Post by dirtdiver on Mar 21, 2013 18:55:43 GMT -5
On the way to work this afternoon I was listening to KMBZ - here's a story that happened this AM:
A person living in Merriam KS called the cops to report what they saw in their neighborhood this AM: 3 people dressed in camo with guns hopped out of a van and ran into a house.
The officers (2 or 3 IIRC) show up and start to search the area. One officer hears a sound behind him, turns around and sees a person with a rifle - about 60 yards away from the officer. Person with rifle points the rifle in the direction of the officer. Officer has his finger on the trigger, starts to pull the trigger - and then sees the little orange tip of the rifle - yells at the person to "drop weapon". Thankfully, the person drops the rifle.
Flash forward to the end of the story.....once person is on ground and in cuffs, the officers see it's a teenage boy (15 years old). Turns out, one of the kids parents dropped them off at someone's house (IDK who) so they could practice their airsoft tactics for an airsoft battle with their buddies this afternoon. The 15 year old kid who almost got shot by the officer said he saw the cops but from that distance, initially thought it was "the other team".
KMBZ had the officer on their show today, so the above story is based on what I recall from the story....see link at bottom of page for reference.
My random thoughts about the whole thing....
That kid is sooo lucky that the officer saw the small orange tip on the rifle, otherwise this story could have ended tragically - the kid, his family, the officers......all those lives would have never been the same. And also thankfully for the officer, it was a kid with an airsoft and not a real criminal, otherwise that officer may not have made it home to his family tonite. As a side note, the officer's 14 year old son was at the radio station during the interview today too.
I was surprised that they let the officer talk about the incident on the radio so quickly after it happened. I can't say enough good things about that officer's actions.
The other things this story makes me think about: 1. airsoft guns - they're fun, have a definite place for training and for fun, but it is amazing how realistic they look - makes it extra hard for cops out there these days. 2. On the flip side - so many real guns look like toys - with the cerokote (sp?) etc. that people use to make the guns look 'cooler' or make a standard gun look different than everybody elses' guns. We have pepto-bismol pink guns, zombie guns, everything under the sun.
I can't imagine how hard it is for police officers these days to tell what is in someone's hands, not to mention then trying to figure out whether it's a real gun or a fake gun.
Here's the link: Merriam - Airsoft
