Mom: Cops shot son in the back

The last moments of Raphael Christian's life were spent running from Marietta police.

[Distractions]

If he was standing on his head would it make a difference?

No

Armed suspect running through an apartment complex.

Didn't make Honor Roll either

[Walter]

People of Douglas County. Do you see Douglas County quickly becoming a twin to Dekalb County?
We must start calling the police and sheriff departments and encouraging them to crack down on suspicious behavior and as citizens of this county must be on the ready to go to the courthouse steps and protect or police from harassment from outsiders

[Shannon]

Excuse me..to the both of you...
I saw everything out of my bedroom window...
and you 2 are both wrong...
they used excessive force...
he was running from the police and his hand was no where near the trigger...he wasn't even holding the handle...
i went to school with him...
and he was a good guy...
he walked out of homeroom sooo excited...
we had jst got our report cards...
he was walking and telling all his friends around him... "You see this guys!! I'm doing good... I'm gunna make something of my life...I still have a chance to make it..."...
Now you tell me....
is that a bad kid...
and as for them shooting him... If they really felt like thier lives were in danger...
they could have either shot the arm that had the gun in it..or his leg...don't aim for his back...
he is a foot shorter then them...
so..UNLESS you were there when it happened..
or personally know Ray...
Don't put your two cents in...

[John In North Carolina]

Shannon wrote:

Excuse me..to the both of you...
I saw everything out of my bedroom window...
and you 2 are both wrong...
they used excessive force...
he was running from the police and his hand was no where near the trigger...he wasn't even holding the handle...
i went to school with him...
and he was a good guy...
he walked out of homeroom sooo excited...
we had jst got our report cards...
he was walking and telling all his friends around him... "You see this guys!! I'm doing good... I'm gunna make something of my life...I still have a chance to make it..."...
Now you tell me....
is that a bad kid...
and as for them shooting him... If they really felt like thier lives were in danger...
they could have either shot the arm that had the gun in it..or his leg...don't aim for his back...
he is a foot shorter then them...
so..UNLESS you were there when it happened..
or personally know Ray...
Don't put your two cents in...

Let's see. You say he DID have a weapon. He was RUNNING from law enforcement officers. You think they should have shot him in the "arm". Good grief. Here are some facts using your facts. One he was armed and running from law enforcement. In that situation he is a clear and immediate threat to everyone in the area around him. It would have only taken a few seconds for him to raise the gun and fire the weapon. So in view of those facts shooting him was totally justified IMHO as long as the shot could have been made without placing the public in any more danger than this person had already placed them in. As far as shoot him in the arm, leg, etc. give me a break. When a law enforcement officer makes the decision to use their weapon they shoot to "stop the aggression". In this case an armed person running wildly through the neighborhood. This is not a video game where you can hit reset if you miss his arm or leg.

[november17]

And if his mom knew he had it why the heck didn't she take it away? She pleads ignorance.

"I dunno why he bought it."

Well duh obviously so he could carry it around and flash it out in public like its real.

[John In North Carolina]

Let me clarify my previous post. He was running around with a "fake weapon". The officers did not know if it was real or not so take my previous post from that point.

[Crabby]

Look to everyone who wants to Speak bad on this CHILD... i know this handsome boys grandmother. It was a water gun the boys had... YES WATER GUN! police shoot a student who was good in school never been in trouble never had any history of being a "hood rat" or a "thug" he ran probably based on the fact he got scared. You cant honestly say that when you get scared you do act differently than you expect... Its not just that, POLICE cant not shoot a child in the back for running with a WATER GUN! Come on people! and this is coming from a WHITE PERSON, this world is getting crazy, think if that was your child. People wanna label this child for no reason! he was a good Person, who got shot for running with a water gun!

[123ABC]

Crabby wrote:

Look to everyone who wants to Speak bad on this CHILD... i know this handsome boys grandmother. It was a water gun the boys had... YES WATER GUN! police shoot a student who was good in school never been in trouble never had any history of being a "hood rat" or a "thug" he ran probably based on the fact he got scared. You cant honestly say that when you get scared you do act differently than you expect... Its not just that, POLICE cant not shoot a child in the back for running with a WATER GUN! Come on people! and this is coming from a WHITE PERSON, this world is getting crazy, think if that was your child. People wanna label this child for no reason! he was a good Person, who got shot for running with a water gun!

My Son would never run from the Police with any kind of gun in his possession. Not even a WATER GUN>>>>>>

[Crabby]

123ABC wrote:

<quoted text>
My Son would never run from the Police with any kind of gun in his possession. Not even a WATER GUN>>>>>>

Ok Ms. Perfect! You people are ridiculous this is a CHILD. Have some Remorse for this family! He was a good person, never got in trouble, he made a mistake by being outside with a WATER GUN? n ran from police (which have been known to beat Africa Americans) really? So he gets Killed?!?! You really have to open up your eyes sweetie!

[123ABC]

Crabby wrote:

<quoted text>
Ok Ms. Perfect! You people are ridiculous this is a CHILD. Have some Remorse for this family! He was a good person, never got in trouble, he made a mistake by being outside with a WATER GUN? n ran from police (which have been known to beat Africa Americans) really? So he gets Killed?!?! You really have to open up your eyes sweetie!

It's always a trajedy when someone dies. But I can not get past the part of this guy having a water pistol that was a replica of a real gun. It was not the orange or yellow plastic water pistols that I had has a kid this was a water pistol designed to look like a real run. Besides the deceased is being portraid by you as A CHILD. Yes he was a juvenile, but he was 16 not 6 as some are trying to make it sound. Some posts are trying to give the impression that he and his little friends were playing with a little squirt gun. Hardly the case I'm sure. I assume he bought this gun because it looked real and he wanted to look like a bad ass to his new friends. I would like to know if he took the orange safety tip off the barrell or someone else did. You lost what little credit you may of had with me by introducing the all to often race card into this forum. Are you familiar enough with this case to know that the officer involved was "white" or was he another race. My guess is that you are assuming he is white and that he murdered this person simply because he was black and had a toy water pistol. You are the person that needs to open their eyes and be open minded enough to think...just for a second...that this boy is dead because of some extremely poor decisions he made. Let me make this simple for you....if you point a gun at a cop, chances are the cop is going to shoot you. How do you think the officer felt when he learned after the shooting that the gun was a fake......Here is another thought, how do you think the officers family would feel if the officer did not protect himself when he had reasonable grounds to believe he was being threatened with a gun, but did not defend himself and he is now the one dead. It may be difficult for to to think this way because it's always the cops fault, especially if it's a white cop. Why no mention about the cops trying to save his life after the shooting? I think I know why.....people like you think that the police sit in their cars outside a Quick Trip all evening talking to one another about how they can't wait until they come across a black guy with a water pistol so they can kill him, maybe even taking bets with one another on who ever gets the first kill gets a free flat screen tv and additional bonuses if is a black guy. You make me sick to my stomach.

[Crabby]

123ABC wrote:

<quoted text> It's always a trajedy when someone dies. But I can not get past the part of this guy having a water pistol that was a replica of a real gun. It was not the orange or yellow plastic water pistols that I had has a kid this was a water pistol designed to look like a real run. Besides the deceased is being portraid by you as A CHILD. Yes he was a juvenile, but he was 16 not 6 as some are trying to make it sound. Some posts are trying to give the impression that he and his little friends were playing with a little squirt gun. Hardly the case I'm sure. I assume he bought this gun because it looked real and he wanted to look like a bad ass to his new friends. I would like to know if he took the orange safety tip off the barrell or someone else did. You lost what little credit you may of had with me by introducing the all to often race card into this forum. Are you familiar enough with this case to know that the officer involved was "white" or was he another race. My guess is that you are assuming he is white and that he murdered this person simply because he was black and had a toy water pistol. You are the person that needs to open their eyes and be open minded enough to think...just for a second...that this boy is dead because of some extremely poor decisions he made. Let me make this simple for you....if you point a gun at a cop, chances are the cop is going to shoot you. How do you think the officer felt when he learned after the shooting that the gun was a fake......Here is another thought, how do you think the officers family would feel if the officer did not protect himself when he had reasonable grounds to believe he was being threatened with a gun, but did not defend himself and he is now the one dead. It may be difficult for to to think this way because it's always the cops fault, especially if it's a white cop. Why no mention about the cops trying to save his life after the shooting? I think I know why.....people like you think that the police sit in their cars outside a Quick Trip all evening talking to one another about how they can't wait until they come across a black guy with a water pistol so they can kill him, maybe even taking bets with one another on who ever gets the first kill gets a free flat screen tv and additional bonuses if is a black guy. You make me sick to my stomach.

1st of All... He Wasn't pointing the gun at the officer, then i spoke to his grandmother, she told me POLICE MURDERED my grandson! why would the officer feel threaten by this 16 child running from him? was he pointing it at him... NO!!!!! he got shot in the BACK! gets your facts straight, yeah i hope that officer felt bad, he took a his life over a water gun!!!!! and the boy wasn't even pointing it at him! sad HUH?!?!?! so next time honey open your eyes to reality! what it really is... i see how it is in Douglas county, very raciest. i heard and seen plenty of horrible things, but yeah cops dont have a bad side?!?!? not saying all cops are bad.. but you do have your crocked police, as for a example right here.... i was visiting a friend and its a black apartment complex, im taken her trash out with her, the trash falls off the back i keep going because i was gonna turn around and get it, but here come d.c po-po! lights n all... yeah a lil skinny white girl gets out n u know what he does?!?!??!! WAVES!!!!!!!!!! so confused! oh wait no im not it confused, its RACE! lol come on... please think about what your saying before you even think to write! U MAKE ME SICK!!!!!!!!!
You really make me sick! YOur stuck in your lil white world, i've seen it from alot of different race, white black Mexican, im a very friendly person, and i meet alot of people, my eyes HAVE been open enough!!!!!!

[John]

He had a gun, not a water gun. The caller said he had a gun and the officer saw a gun. So you have to look at this as if it was a real gun if you want to try to judge it.