Nov 08, 2013, 22:55 pm
“He took off with my truck. I call the police, and they kill him,” James Comstock told The Des Moines Register
Link to article here.
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?
Full Story
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?”
“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.
Summary Wrote: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?