8th-grader killed by Texas police had pellet gun

(CBS/AP) 

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Police say the weapon a Texas eighth-grader pointed at officers in a school hallway before they killed him was a pellet gun that looked like a real handgun.

Interim Brownsville Police Chief Orlando Rodriguez says 15-year-old Jaime Gonzalez had "plenty of opportunities" to lower the weapon but "didn't want to."

Rodriguez says two officers fired three shots and struck Gonzalez at least twice.

Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy.

Police kill armed 8th-grader in Texas school

Rodriguez says that before the confrontation with police, Gonzalez walked into a Cummings Middle School classroom and punched another boy in the nose. He says he doesn't know why Gonzalez brandished the weapon but that the initial call to police said a student had a gun.

Brownsville school district officials said administrators immediately called police after Gonzalez brandished a weapon about 8 a.m., shortly after classes started at Cummings Middle School. When police arrived, the student "engaged" the officers and was shot, district spokeswoman Drue Brown said in an emailed statement.

Cameron County Justice of the Peace Kip V. Johnson Hodge pronounced the student dead at a hospital and has ordered an autopsy, said court coordinator Israel Tapia.

The school, with an enrollment of about 750 students, was placed on lockdown when administrators called police and no one else was injured, Brown said.

A seventh grade student who said he was two classrooms from where the shooting took place said the school was already on lockdown when he heard three shots. Miguel Grimaldo, 12, said students later followed police out of the building and boarded buses that took them to a neighboring park, where his mother picked him up late Wednesday morning.

"For now they're not saying anything, just pick up your kids," said the boy's mother, Maria Grimaldo.

The street in front of Cummings was lined with police cars and blocked off. About two hours after the shooting, dozens of frustrated parents and relatives flooded out of the park pavilion without their children after school officials announced that all remaining children had been bused to a high school and could be picked up there.

Daniel Lozano, the father of a 14-year-old eighth-grader, told CBS affiliate KENS that he and his wife closed up their small grocery and rushed to the school to find information. He expressed alarm that someone had been able to get a gun into the middle school.

"This is really messed up," Lozano said. "I thought they had more security."

The lockdown was lifted about two hours after the shooting, but the students and employees were relocated while officers investigated at the school, Brown said.

Brownsville is 280 miles south of San Antonio on the southern tip of Texas.

Nancy Blanco and her husband Arturo Carreon comforted their two children, Ashley Carreon,12, and Josey Lynn Carreon,13, after being reunited with them at Dean Porter Park in Brownsville,Texas Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012.

(Credit: AP Photo/The Brownsville Herald, Brad Doherty)

[Drivelphobe001]

As sad as this kid's death is for the parents, family and perhaps friends, if he had any, he deserved what he got. Anyone brandishing a gun in a school filled with kids is at risk to be shot on the spot as he should be. If the gun had been real and had gone off and killed or injured others in an attempt by the police to subdue or disarm the kid as some posters suggest, the outrage would have been justifiably vigorous. A lethal threat has to be dealt with immediately and with sufficient force to eliminate it. Good job officers. Don't give it another thought. Good riddance to a disturbed and violent young man.

[alissong]

I live in the city where this happened and it's not fair to blame the cop that did this when the kid was given several chances to put the gun down and still refused. He put so many other kids in danger, he punched an 11 year old in the face for no reason at all, and pointed the gun at several other students. He knew what he was getting him self into by taking a gun to school, he's 15 and in 8th grade, your supposed to be a sophomore in high school by then, he wasn't an actual child. He knew what he was doing, this was no mistake. His Facebook picture is him and his girlfriend holding guns, how ironic? He didn't deserve to die, but the cop surely doesn't deserve to be blamed for this, he was doing his job. Protecting the other children at the school, they did not know it was a fake gun so you cant say "it was a fake gun, he didn't deserve to die for that". But you cant expect a kid who takes a gun to school, hits a small child & refuses to put his weapon down not to get hurt.

[nanknowsbest]

You mean to tell me these big strong brave officers good not disarm a 15 hear old child? You mean they could not shoot him in the leg..........or taser him into dropping that gun? How very brave!!!

[UForgotPoland]

You try "disarming" a person with a gun pointed at you. You probably would just run for cover or **** your pants.

[WTF3075]

Listen to the audio of the encounter. It was "we have a visual" to "take him out" in FIVE SECONDS. They did not use any restraint or attempt to use any number of non-lethal techniques at their disposal. This was not a beat cop with his sidearm - this was SWAT trained people. They had MANY other options and CHOSE not to use them.

[UForgotPoland]

Well after the last several school shootings this is standard procedure to respond with such force.

[UForgotPoland]

Also ***, actually take a look at the use of force chart police across the nation use. Firearms are considered a level 5 threat and if drawn deadly force is justified.

[Vince6360]

You people are morons. The kid is dead because he is stupid. How is someone going to shoot someone in the leg? Turn off your television, this is the real world. And in the real world, when you point a gun at a police officer, he is going to shoot you. Duh. Here's an experiment for all you white people screaming racism: Go to your local Walmart, buy yourself a BB gun, and point it at the first cop you see. See what happens. Maybe you will get lucky and he'll aim for your leg.

[WTF3075]

No, in the real world police (and again this was not a street cop with a sidearm, this was a SWAT team) are trained to use any number of techniques to disarm the situation. They CHOSE to kill this kid. Heck, as someone said below, the MILITARY can't even go around killing people just because they feel "threatened". These SWAT members are highly trained in alternative (non-lethal) methods and are protected to the hilt with bullet-proof gear. I can't believe you can't see this as anything other than a black and white issue.

[UForgotPoland]

You are a moron ***. SWAT teams are trained to shoot suspects who take aim a them, not "disarm" them (notice how they go in with M4's raised not taser?). This was also likely considered an attempted school shooting, so the force is going to be even higher than usual in order to prevent the act from happening. You also make it sound like body armor is a sure 100% to stop bullets...

[Fatesrider]

Until America rejects the "right" to own guns, things like this will happen all the time, and tens of thousands of Americans will continue to die by firearms each year at the hands of Americans.

I'm not against gun ownership. I'm against gun "rights". And unless you're in law enforcement, security or some other related field, no one should have the "right" to own, let alone carry, let alone USE, a handgun.

If you think terrorists are the biggest threat to your immediate safety, you have no concept of reality. Statistically, the biggest threat to your personal safety is any other American with a firearm. Even including the Civil War (when it was Americans killing other Americans already), more Americans have died at the hands of Americans NOT at war than were killed by all causes in all wars (including the Civil War), terrorist actions and "police actions" in our nation's history.

The number is in the millions. All because of an amendment that was proven to be unwise within 25 years and utterly obsolete over a century ago.

[mctrog007]

you don't like the right we have here, thewre are planes leaving on the hour from many airports. hop on one and go to where they don't allow guns, except to their criminal element that is.

your a moron by the way, re-read wha you entered.


***I'm not against gun ownership. I'm against gun "rights". And unless you're in law enforcement, security or some other related field, no one should have the "right" to own, let alone carry, let alone USE, a handgun***

Gun ownership in this country by the way is one of the reasons we were not invaded by the Japanese in WW2..(not the exact wording but close) It would be foolish to invade america, there would be a gun behind every blade of grass. (reportedly said by Yamamoto)

[AaronRodgers]

Fatesrider is the type of person criminals LOVE.

[docstat61]

hey Brownsville police, don't ever call me about donating to your Police Beneficense Fund. I don't contribute to cowards or those that defend them

[Vince6360]

And don't ever call the Brownsville police, especially if someone is threatening your kid.

[em_2011]

Texas cops aren't "trigger happy", "gun loving", "hillbillys" with and IQ of 90....GET REAL PEOPLE. The boy is mexican so what? That had nothing to do with why he got shot, I bet one of the officers who shot at him was hispanic also. Race and Location had nothing to do with this shooting. It's sad and prayers and thoughts should go to family and friends, instead of wasting time making snide remarks.

[docstat61]

yes he "engaged" the cops with his head turned and got blasted in the back of the head. MORON!! no wonder cops always get away with crap, they have idiots who believe every word and defend them no matter what

[Sapper1977]

Overall, what happened was a very sad situation. As a father, I feel for the parents for losing their son. I also feel for the officer that had to kill a teenager, in what was a perceived life-threatening situation. As a Soldier, I have been in this situation once.

My son is almost 12 now. When he was 9, I bought him his first BB rifle and began teaching him the rules of gun safety. When he was ten we bought him his first .22 rifle. And I have continued to work with him on his gun safety skills. He never shoots it without me being there with him and the gun stays locked away in a vault when it's not in use. If this had been my son that had taken a gun to school, I know first off it would have been my fault for obviously not doing my job to keep it secure (all of our guns are locked away, even BB and pellet guns). And second, I would question whether or not I had been clear enough with him on the dangers of guns. My son also knows that law enforcement, as well as others like firefighters and EMTs are "friendly" and we do not aim weapons at friendlies. He also LOVES to play Halo and Modern Warfare, but he does understand that video games and reality are two very different things and does not act violently.

And one more thing I need to add again...The kid in this story WAS FIFTEEN YEARS OLD, NOT EIGHT!! He was an Eighth grader.

[HolvikArms]

If someone showed me that picture and asked me what it was I would say it is a service model Glock...I am a pistol instructor. The LEO's did what they needed to do. I challenge anyone to determine bore size in a real world situation. With that being said, pellet guns and the like are real guns, not "toys". Parents need to know that when they buy these things for their children they also have the responsibility of teaching and instilling strong safety practices, the same practices one would use regarding any firearm. That also includes safe storage.If a parent doesn't have the skills, knowledge, and attitude necessary for teaching gun safety they have a responsibility and duty to seek out some one who does or remove the gun from the equation altogether. Any one who says a pellet gun can't kill should now stand corrected. This is a loss all around.

[WTF3075]

All of this assumes an adult standing there conscious of gun safety practices. This was a KID. They had other options...period