News: Father calls cops on son, cops end up shooting son to death

[Xern0n]

“He took off with my truck. I call the police, and they kill him,” James Comstock told The Des Moines Register

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Full StoryJames Comstock refused to buy a pack of cigarettes for his 19-year-old son, Tyler, and now he’s planning his son’s funeral.

“He took off with my truck. I call the police, and they kill him,” James Comstock told The Des Moines Register on Tuesday. “It was over a damn pack of cigarettes. I wouldn’t buy him none. And I lose my son for that.”

Comstock said he’s outraged police shot and killed his son Monday morning on Iowa State University’s campus.

Police began pursuing Tyler Comstock of Boone after his father reported the truck stolen. The truck belonged to a lawn care company.

Ames Police Officer Adam McPherson pursued Comstock into the heart of ISU’s campus. During the chase, Comstock rammed McPherson’s car. The truck eventually stopped, but Comstock revved the engine and refused orders to turn it off.

McPherson fired six shots into the truck. Comstock died from two gunshot wounds, according to the Iowa state medical examiner’s office.

James Comstock said his son was not carrying a weapon.

During the chase, an unidentified Ames police staffer twice suggested that police back off their pursuit, according to dispatch audio obtained by the Register through a third-party service. Audio: Listen to dispatchers and officers during the pursuit

Tyler Comstock’s step-grandfather, Gary Shepley, 65, of Cambridge, said “hard, tough questions” need to be asked about the police’s actions.

Shepley said he keeps asking himself why police pursued an easily identifiable green-and-white lawn care truck into a busy part of campus. The family said police could have backed off and found the truck later.

“They’re professionals,” Shepley said. “They’re trained to handle these situations. And if they panic before they even know what’s going on, then ask yourself: What if it was your child?”

And why, Shepley asked, did an officer fire six rounds on a campus with innocent bystanders around, simply because Tyler Comstock refused orders to turn off the engine?

“So he didn’t shut the damn truck off, so let’s fire six rounds at him? We’re confused, and we don’t understand,” Shepley said.

His wife, Judy Shepley, 62, said the family is thankful no one else was injured on a campus with more than 33,000 students.

“We pray about that all the time,” she said.

Tyler Comstock’s family said Tyler had made mistakes, but he was taking steps to get his life back on track.

Comstock had recently broken up with his girlfriend and was bouncing from house to house in Boone. He had spent several days in jail because of a disorderly conduct charge, the family said.

But for two weeks, his family said, Comstock had been attending a daily Bible study in Boone. He was seeing his father daily.

“He called me every night, trying to straighten his life out,” James Comstock said.

Tyler Comstock was taking classes at Des Moines Area Community College to earn his General Educational Development certificate, his family said.

He had attended high school in Ogden but didn’t graduate. When he applied himself, though, Tyler earned good grades and had been on the honor roll, his father said.

“He was a smart kid. He made his own computers. He was interested in IT,” James Comstock said.

Tyler Comstock’s cousin, Blake Jensen of Altoona, said it has been a struggle to process what happened, as bits and pieces of information have flowed in.

“If we get answers, I guess we’ll go from there,” he said.

Jensen, 23, and Comstock were close as children, and Jensen said he viewed Comstock as intelligent and handy. “He knew everything that had to do with computers, and if you had a problem with your TV, he would fix it,” Jensen said.

Jensen said he doesn’t understand why Comstock stole his father’s truck, nor why the situation ended in Comstock’s death.

“I mean, he wasn’t armed. He didn’t have a weapon or anything,” Jensen said.

Until they know more, the tight-knit family is banding together to grieve for Comstock, Jensen said.

Shari Comstock, Tyler’s mother, was left with more questions after hearing the dispatcher audio that included suggestions that police stop the chase.

“I just heard the audio of the dispatch. They told (police) to back off,” she said. “Why? Why did they kill him?”

Link to article here.

A young man took his father's vehicle in order to obtain cigarettes that the father refused to get him. When the father called the police on him, it turned into a chase that ended with the cops shooting the young man for not complying with their requests to "exit the vehicle", and him dying from the wounds he received. The grieving family is now demanding answers to their questions such as "What else could have been done?" and "Why did it have to end in death?".

What do you think could have been done differently by the cops? Perhaps other methods? Or did they do the right thing?

Do you think he was a dangerous criminal like some commenters seem to think? Or was he someone who just needed some help to get in the right direction, and could have avoided this tragic fate?

[gcjm]

Although it probably couldn't have been predicted that the cops would slaughter his son, the father will have to live with his choice.
There is almost always a simpler solution. Most times it helps to calm the fuck down before calling the cops. Then don't call them. What moron invites pigs into their life except in dire emergency?
It's not the first time and it won't be the last.
And so below, for your entertainment, two examples of what can happen if you call an ambulance in New York.

Mohamed Bah, a 28-year-old college student from the African nation of Guinea. He was shot dead by New York City police officers on September 25, 2012. Police arrived at Mohamed Bah’s apartment after his mother, Hawa Bah, called 911 because she thought he was depressed, and wanted an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

http://www.democracynow.org/2013/10/22/d...ls_african

May 26, Elsa Cruz called 911 because she was worried her husband, Samuel Cruz, had stopped taking his medication for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Police from New Rochelle, New York, soon arrived. By the time they had left, Cruz had been shot dead.

http://www.democracynow.org/2013/10/22/d...t_2_police

Collateral damage of an armed, uneducated and paranoid police force?

What have we learnt?
In America, when a family member is going a bit loopy, only call the emergency services if you can afford a funeral.

[wanderer]

Like father like son if you ask me. Why the hell didn't that kid stop at the beginning . And as gcjm said it was a bad call from the father calling the police in the first place. If i was the cop and had a 12 round pistol, i would shoot them all in the thought that my life was in danger. Having a dumb kid trying to kill me. Hell no.

[PITBULL]

The family deserves some kind of settlement for their loss and the law inforcement dept should not only make a public statement for their mistake but also the individuals that did not pass the proper information deserve retrobution for their lack of attention to the situation. The police dept has failed again to communicate the proper "call status" to the cops on the field. If you notice on any show when ever there is a call dispatched they describe the nature of the call whether its a public disturbance or couple dispute or a stranger exposing him self in public. This information is crucial for the cops on the field so they know what kind of situation they are going to encounter. Yes, sometimes there isnt enough information if its a distress call but in this situation the father told them his son took his car and that should of been passed down to the cops responding to the call and those cops should of passed the information to the others joining the pursuit.

[Vintage television]

When you deal with the police you're taking chances with your life. It's a question of too many steroids, too much power and a society in the early stages of collapse. All those movies like Mad Max, Robo Cop, Johnny Mnemonic, Blade Runner, etc are coming true.

The best bet for everyone is just keep your eyes open and when the shit starts to hit the fan. BUG OUT!!
Get yourself a couple of deep cycle batteries, 2 small solar panels, a musical instrument and some books on what plants you can eat in the forest. If you got a couple of friends you can trust, then start an off grid commune.

[ViperScale]

A: Who knows what really happened (we never will) because the news will butcher anything to make it sound alot worst then it really is.

B: Cops tend to be just legal crooks with guns for the most part (some are ok but most are not, i know many a cop who make money selling pot they steal)

C: People get pissed all the time, best thing you can do if a life threatening thing isn't going on is to back off and chill down.

[Bozobub]

Anyone posting in this thread about the police "slaughtering" the son, or that they should compensate the father for his loss, simply hasn't watched the officer's dashcam video.

Some notes, for those who are too lazy to watch the video:
- The police were never made aware that the "thief" was, in fact, the owner's son, or that this was supposed to be some sort of "lesson".
- Within 10 seconds of the officer turning on his lights and siren, the kid stops, and then backs up and rams the police car with the attached trailer hard enough to spin the cruiser 90° counterclockwise. This is also known as "assaulting a police office with a deadly weapon". Yes, a 2-ton SUV IS a deadly weapon, when used as one, and both the law and common sense support this.
- After ramming the cop, the kid takes off at high speed, shedding the trailer in a ballistic arc (amazingly, injuring no one), and nearly T-bones 2 cars in a nearby intersection.
- The kid then enters a college campus, narrowly missing at least one bystander, and ends up driving onto a field. As the filming cop exits his vehicle (they had him temporarily semi-boxed in), the idiot teen rams his vehicle again.
- The kid then refuses to turn off his vehicle, and attempts to gain headway again. His unfortunate new collection of lead-filled holes dissuades him.

This was a completely justified shooting by the police. Normally, I am VERY skeptical of this type of event, since militarization of and violence by US police has been on an increasing spiral. But that also does NOT mean that every time a cop shoots a civilian, that it is not justified! If you are a felon (grand theft auto) in the middle of committing your crime, initiating deadly force vs. the police has always been a valid reason for the police to use deadly force to stop you, and this idiot wasn't only endangering cops.

And THIS

There is almost always a simpler solution. Most times it helps to calm the fuck down before calling the cops. Then don't call them. What moron invites pigs into their life except in dire emergency?

says it perfectly. Don't expect the police to manage your dysfunctional family! And for heaven's sake, if you MUST do so, at least tell them exactly what's going on!

Railing against the police for doing what actually IS their job, merely weakens the fight vs. the myriad times when they overstep their bounds. Critical thought is a must, people.

[Vintage television]

There is almost always a simpler solution. Most times it helps to calm the fuck down before calling the cops. Then don't call them. What moron invites pigs into their life except in dire emergency?

says it perfectly. Don't expect the police to manage your dysfunctional family! And for heaven's sake, if you MUST do so, at least tell them exactly what's going on!

I neither come from a so-called dysfunctional family nor am I in any way "dysfunctional." In fact I'm so blooming milk toast that paint drying on a wall would get bored watching me.

To make it clear,

• I don't drink, do drugs or smoke.
  I've never been unemployed or fired from a job.
  I've never been late with my taxes.
  I've never had a single speeding ticket in my life or anything similar.
  And to make it worst, I like women but I'm not a big fan of sex outside of a stable relationship.

But I will not lie, I probably wouldn't piss on a police officer even if they were on fire. I don't see the police as noble, brave or necessary. In fact my opinion is that they're no different than mafia enforcers, a type of hired legal thug for the government. They're just criminals with a badge

If they we're really about enforcing the law, they would arrest the politicians that steal and cheat, break international law by declaring unjustified wars and go after the scum that operate companies like Mansanto. But instead a quiet man that minds his own business, like myself, is more likely to be harrassed and perhaps imprisoned than any thieving Wall Street Banker.

So no I doubt very much that I would ever call the police for help. Any emergency that required immediate assistance would most likely be a fire or medical and in both situations what could a cop do?

[Bozobub]

Fine. Then use your obviously copious hate against the police on cases where it has a remote chance of making a difference.

If you think police are always wrong, or always inappropriately violent, you're exactly as blinkered and limited as any prejudiced bigot, bemoaning how "all" of anybody displeases you. That's simply rhetorical cowardice and laziness.

Furthermore, I challenge you to live in ANY large city, in ANY country, with not one cop in its employ. Enjoy that. I'll pass, thenkyew; I've had reason to make use of police services and be glad of them, and I'm not alone in that.

No, this doesn't excuse the cases where the police kill innocents, or otherwise violate their side of their obligations to society, and I specifically mentioned that in my previous post. But pretending that's ONLY what happens is just plain dishonest and lazy. It's also an excellent way to get anyone who realizes this to completely ignore your argument, whether or not it actually has any merit.

Edit --> I had a go at finding Rocketship 7, and had no more luck than you did. No hits on eD2K, even o.O' ...

[Vintage television]

Well you're entitled to your opinions and to act on them as you see fit.
But just the same thanks for taking a go at finding Rocketship 7. It's a real needle in the haystack!