vzdude

This story brought tears to my eyes, just thinking of when I take my kids fishing. Some people don't ever think of the consequences. I will hug all 3 of my kids a little extra tight tonight. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292168,00.html

TonyB

People do not THINK!

Absolutely senseless!

Hoss

I'm not one to speak badly of police officers, but that was just plain stupid. One of the main rules of gun safety that EVERYONE who shoots a gun should know is to KNOW what is behind your target. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

Box5

man, thats some bad karma. RIP to the kid.

cmac

thats absoloutly unacceptable... how much you wanna bet that officer will get off with a way lesser charge than if it were you or i that was that stupid???

Box5

Well I think if it was just a citizen, u'd be in jail for just shooting a gun at a snake not on ur property. I'm pretty sure thats illegal in itself for people that carry concealed weapons. It would be a manslaughter charge to wouldn't it?

SjLingenfelter

Its diffenetly a manslaughter charge but like said above i bet he (the officer) will get a lesser charge. I hated just because he is a man of the law he gets treated different. that really PMO

Nate-03 D

It never once crossed anyone's mind to call animal control? Or are they only good for stray cat's & dogs...

What an unfortunate outcome. That must wreck havoc on a family.

Sidewinder

Granted we don't have any snakes worth mentioning where I live but why would somebody want to shoot a snake in a tree?

Why shoot a snake anyway? Doesn't help the problem at hand but might help me understand how and why such a tragidy could happen.

BIGHEAD

I shot a rattlesnake an hour ago under my storage house. My storage house is about 2.5 ft to 3 ft off the ground. It is my dogs only refuge from the sweltering heat & sun. I live in the country & don't have anything but fields around me. Unlike this time last year when the field beside me was all but bare due to the drought, now it has 3 ft high Bahia grass in it. The cows can't keep up.
Anyway, why shoot a snake? to keep it from killing one of my AKC registered hounds or Labs, that is why. I am sorry this kid lost his life. I am sorry for the cop too. How many of you would like to be in his shoes right now, living with his nightmare? The cop should have used a shotgun instead of a pistol. I used a single shot 20 guage, which I keep loaded just for snakes & such. I could have grabbed my ruger 357, but for what, a lucky shot. I ain't that good. It is like working with the right tool. the right tool does the job a whole lot easier than the wrong one.
Do not crucify this cop. he was trying to help someone. As bad as his actions are, it is just one of those freak accidents that happen. The man should not be charged with anything. If he saved one of y'all's sons or daughters from harm, and lost his life, how would you feel? How would you feel for his family & his kids? Sure go to the funeral & then what, nothing. That is what would happen. Do not JUDGE LEST YE BE JUDGED ALSO.
Cops have a hard enough job without being scrutinized to death for every mistake they make. sometimes it is as bad as this case, sometimes not.
This man should not be charged with anything, IMO, & I HATE Cops. That's right. I can't stand the drug running & high speed riding SOB's where I live, while they stop me for running 75 in a 55 blowing a little black smoke. Cops should be held accountable for their actions JUST like the rest of us. They can run a 100 mph for no reason at all, why can't I, or you? Oh we don't have the special training. Horse crap. Anyway, this was truly an accident, & I believe most people will see it for what it is, a trajedy.

hillbillymudrun

I think he should be charged but i know he wont. Last year in beaverton A cop blew through a stop sign speeding and t-boned a van and killed the driver. he was not going to a call or anything just cruising around the DA declined to press charges even though he was completley at fault. Cops get special treatment for anything they do and that is just not right. If it were an ordinary citizen who was just trying to HELP someone out he would be sitting in jail awaiting a MURDER trial but since he is a cop he wont be

Floorman

well i carried a handgun for years in ct and still do . if you pull it you better be prepared to use it. you are also responsible for your actions. yes this is unfourtunate but being an officer he should have more common sense and got his shot gun. they are trained for this? yes they get scrutinized for everything but this was just plain dumb and he should be charged. if it were my son he shot i would hang him myself

Nate-03 D

Come on, are you serious?

I don't mean to bust your chops or anything but you totally just crossed your own words in your post.

You say this cop shouldn't be judged or prosecuted for what he did? Then you say "Cops should be help accountable for their actions JUST like the rest of us"?

That makes no sense to me, and im sure it dosen't make any sense to anyone else. That LEO knew very well what he was doing, what he did was not the best way to handle the situation, plain and simple. He made a huge mistake that ended a little boys life, you better beleive he should be judged for that. That's my opinion, you have yours and that's fine.

I hope you don't take any offense to my post.

vzdude

Hind site is always 20/20, but I would have to think the amount of time elapsed from when to woman saw the sanale, called the cops, cops arrive, discision to shoot snake, and the snake hasn't gone anywhere!? I could have found a machete, something other than shoot a pistol at it. LEO's are trained to think on their toes. They and no one else was in immediate danger because of this snake. They had time to think it through and didn't ! THAT is the reason they should be held accountable in my opinion.

BIGHEAD

Nate, cops should be held accountable just like the rest of us. This was an accident, plain & simple. I would not think anyone of us would be charged or sitting in jail. Now I may be naive to how things are done in other parts of the country, but I know how it is around here. None of us would have been charged, with anything. People shoot all the time in & out of the city limits. I shoot my 30.06 & pistols at my sight in targets, any time I choose to. I do choose not to do it when they are having Church across the road frommy business though. If my bullets were to hit someone, I would be held accountable, but am I really breaking any LAW? What would you charge this man with? It is a tragedy, plain & simple. That cop did not anymore mean to shoot that kid, than you or me. I want to stop one every time I see them speeding, but who you going to call? I have already did this several times with one State Trooper, with a darker Tan than mine. He was plain out harrassing me, but they did nothing to him because of his skin color & mine. There is a different set of rules for cops, another one for rich folks, & another one for the rest of us. JUSTICE is determined by how much you can PAY for.