Dad Calls Cops on Son to Teach Him a Lesson, Cops Shoot Son Dead

[Bennyboy]

A father's attempt to teach his son a lesson for taking his truck without permission ended in tragedy Monday after a local police officer shot the teenager dead.

James Comstock told the Des Moines Register he called the police on his son Tyler after the latter took the former's truck in retaliation for refusing to buy him cigarettes.

Ames Police Officer Adam McPherson reportedly spotted the lawn care company vehicle and pursued it onto the Iowa State University campus, where a brief standoff ensued after Tyler allegedly refused orders to turn off the engine.

McPherson eventually fired six shots into the truck, two of which struck Tyler who was later pronounced dead.

The official report claims the action was necessary in order "to stop the ongoing threat to the public and the officers."

Tyler's dad says he was unarmed at the time.

READ MORE: http://gawker.com/dad-calls-cops-on-son-to-teach-him-a-lesson-cops-shoot-1460159897

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This is exactly how my Father behaved right here. Call the cops for everything, send me to juvie. If he were alive right now he would be throwing the story in my face telling me the kid was at fault here for not listening to his dad and deserved to die.

[Dawson Leery]

1. Don't call cops!

[Initech]

68. Call Saul instead!

[Blue_Tires]

2. That's a pretty fucked-up family dynamic

Last edited Thu Nov 7, 2013, 05:56 PM - Edit history (1)

After seeing the video this whole thing was about something a little bigger than a pack of cigs

[Egnever]

3. ugh

This story sucks in so many different ways.

That father will never forgive himself. The cops career is likely ruined and the kid is dead. Three loves ruined because cops apparently now shoot you to get you out of your car.

[FreakinDJ]

14. WRONG - the shooting will be pronounced Justified

They will Whitewash the report and the cop will be alowed to keep his job and shoot unarmed citizens again

[abelenkpe]

15. Exactly

[Cali_Democrat]

20. Yep:

Like so: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023991809

[Sheldon Cooper]

21. I'm pretty sure the cop's career won't be ruined.

They usually get away with this sort of thing.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

53. There were those involved with the Rodney King beating who even got promotions.

[CanonRay]

51. They used to teach police how to get people out of cars

and how to disable the vehicle. Apparently no longer.

[dembotoz]

4. yep taught him a lesson

my sister in law did similar

kid got carted away

my brother in law spent bunches of bucks keeping this treated informally

is was nice he had the bunches of bucks to spend..... think it was the final straw that lead to a divorce.

The daughter turned out pretty normal......

[otohara]

5. I Would Never Call The COPS

not now - not ever, they are thugs with guns.

[gollygee]

6. Somebody who trusted the police

They shot him because he refused to turn the truck off? How sad this all is. Once upon a time, this is what parents did to teach kids a serious lesson, but those days are way past. I would never every for any reason use the police to teach my kids a lesson.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

58. Maybe he refused to turn the truck off. They couldn't credibly claim that he lunged at them.

We only have their word that he refused to turn the vehicle off.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. My mom's lawyer sent me a nasty letter wanting her car back.

And saying that they would pursue "remedies" which of course could be civil, or criminal charges of UUMV which is a lesser included offense of auto theft. Or possibly felony auto theft. So I had to return the car.

I think her lawyer just fueled her anger and wanted to charge an old lady money for writing a nasty letter. If he'd been ethical, he would have patted her hand and told her it was all right for me to drive her car, since she had transportation from a woman who drove her around.

Context: She was 81 years old, was legally blind due to macular degeneration. She DID NOT DRIVE. She paid a woman to take her to the doctor in the other woman's car. I was living in Houston and needed a car. She had Alzheimer's and informed me that "I could ride the bus in Houston". The bus service in Houston is horrible and you could die from heatstroke in the summer waiting for the bus. I told her that the bus didn't go anyplace where I was looking for a job. I also asked her why she was too good to ride in the other woman's car, instead of her own.

This was not a case of the child taking away the parent's car keys because they were too senile to drive. She was already not driving and aware that she was not driving anymore.

She was a crazy control freak. And some people wonder why our elderly parents drive us completely nuts.

When she died I had massive anger and massive relief that I would not have to deal with her hatred of me anymore. I never did anything to deserve that hatred either.

[TeeYiYi]

12. I missed the part where your mom gave you the keys to her car. ..nt

TYY

[Bennyboy]

13. I know this all too well..

he sent my kid to prison for something my father created. He was an evil evil person and the one thing I can say is that I did not inherit that gene. he held grudges against people for 70 years and screwed with them the day he died.

My dad once read a story in readers digest about a Father who killed his son because he was "High on drugs". the one and only thing I ever remember him reading. the article painted the father as a Hero. After my Dad read it he came into my room, tossed to Digest on my bed and told me "read this, this will happen to you" and walked out.

My father pulled guns on me so many times that I have not one clear recollection of them. They are all garbled. I had to take his legally purchased firearms away from him a month before he passed on after threatening me and my Mom with them (Letting me know that he had more because it was a common occurrence to have to remove his guns)....

[wercal]

16. Ummmm...did you take her car

If so, her wanting it back isn't exactly the hallmark of being a 'crazy control freak'.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

36. She gave me permission to take it and drive it. I had permission.

However, she decided there was a time limit on it later.

Find something else to bitch about.

[wercal]

45. Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night....

but do you understand that its the owner's prerogative to ask for the car back, right?

And if you didn't give it back, the lawyer letter was actually a fairly light-handed approach.

[Yo_Mama]

56. Well, if you were taking it and driving it all the time

There was probably a registration problem and an insurance problem.

If you were going to take the car as your own, you would have had to change titles, register and insure it so you could drive it. So yes, there should be a time limit on it.

It's not just the issue of wanting back a car she could not drive. She had legal liability for that car. That is an issue a decent lawyer would want straightened out.

[Lancero]

23. Other then...

Stealing her car.

She wasn't using the car, but she never gave you permission to take it.

You deserve whatever Karma decides to inflict upon you.

Why mention Alzheimer's? Unless you were hoping that it would make her forget that she, in fact, owned a car?

[malaise]

24. Are you people serious?

[Lancero]

25. What?

You think stealing from people is right?

[noiretextatique]

55. theft is not a captial crime

yet.

[socialist_n_TN]

62. Objectively no. Subjectively, apparently so...

nm

[white_wolf]

65. Don't give them any more ideas.

It used to be law in every state that lethal force could never used solely to defend property, but I think that may have changed over the years. It is certainly more grey than it is now.

[exboyfil]

81. Texas you can shoot a fleeing

subject who has "robbed" you even in a contract dispute over contracting for an illegal act (not getting the sex you paid for).

[wercal]

46. I would be devastated

If my children though so little of me, that they decided to take or use my property without my permission.

Some people treat their family much worse than they would treat a total stranger, and this is a perfect example of it.

[Decaffeinated]

27. Not your car...

[Kelvin Mace]

29. Maybe I am missing something here,

but if you took the care against her wishes, then she was within her rights to raise hell about it, up to and including, calling the police.

I am sorry she didn't let you use the car when you needed it, but unless she was declared incompetent by a court and you were appointed her guardian, you were in violation of the law.

[hughee99]

33. Now I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure an ethical lawyer wouldn't have told her

that although she didn't give someone else her car, they should let them keep it because they need it and she does not.

Perhaps the BEST you could have hoped for from an ethical lawyer was one that suggested she SELL you the car for some nominal fee (so at least she's no longer liable for it or the insurance anymore).

I see you're not getting a whole lot of sympathy on this, and I completely understand why.

[RedCappedBandit]

34. Uh, sounds like you were in the wrong.

[Nine]

37. When I am an old lady...

...I don't want anyone patting my hand and telling me not to worry about the fact that someone stole my property. If I hire a lawyer to help me recover stolen property, I want him to do his job, not treat me like an idiot. And if I do get Alzheimer's, I want my loved ones to take care of me and my affairs with compassion and respect for my dignity, not try to take advantage of me. Did you have power of attorney?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

38. She gave me verbal permission to drive it. With no time limit.

No, I didn't have a power of attorney. Every time I tried to help her (like trying to get her in a good nursing home which she refused to do) she accused me of meddling and wanting her money. There were no other children or relatives to help her out.

So I'm the evil bitch for driving it.

So why didn't I just kill myself for needing a car to look for a job when she was telling me it was all my fault that I did not have a job. It would have at least STOPPED the pain I was feeling and according to DU, rid the world of a horrible person!!! Huh? Would that make you pack of rabid dogs happy if I had offed myself? Would it??????

[Nine]

39. You neglected to mention the verbal permission part originally.

Don't you think that's a key piece of information to leave out?

No one here suggested you should kill yourself. Don't be absurd.

[wercal]

43. You mistakenly believe that your need of a car has anything to do with this.

[Bennyboy]

44. I knew where you were coming from.....

Not everyone has dealt with this person before. Hang in there, things will clear all the way up and you will be a much better person because and in spite of what you went through.


I have and that is exactly my dad's thing. Borrow the car, then have them get pissed off and put out a stolen car report on you (more than once)......

[qanda]

49. Don't let people get to you.

I got what you were saying.

[Captain Stern]

60. Pretty sure nobody is saying you should kill yourself.

What people are saying is that you were in the wrong keeping your mom's car after she told you to give it back.

It doesn't matter how old, blind, or senile she was, and it doesn't matter how much you needed a car.

It was her car. Not yours.

[unblock]

54. an *ethical* lawyer would have tried to change your mom's position to suit your driving needs??

son drives mom's car. perhaps with permission but later revoked, in any event.
mom goes to lawyer and says my son won't give me my car back.

you're saying an *unethical* lawyer tries to get it back for her and
an *ethical* lawyer tries to talk her out of it?

no, a good lawyer would have found a way to make you pay for use of their client's car one way or another.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

72. My lawyer thought her lawyer was unethical, if that counts for anything.

"One way or another" Had I been employed I would have had cash to make payments on a car.

[NaturalHigh]

73. Wanting her car back...

Yes, it must be terrible for her to want her property back. You realize that she was doing you a favor by letting you use it, right?

BTW...what does this have to do with OP?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

75. Because my mom was ready to file criminal charges against me.

So that I would have a rap sheet.

You people of the mob mentality never had to deal with my mother.

Let's just say, and I'm being really polite here, that I have to reach pretty far back in my childhood to find good memories of her. Or getting her approval. Or her not being emotionally dysfunctional. My father, who worked his butt off to support us by working two jobs for fifteen years, attorney and pipefitter, once called her a "millstone" to me after she complained that he didn't work hard enough and that she should have a big house.

Just go away.

[NaturalHigh]

77. Well then, she definitely owed you a car.

Yes, that was sarcasm.

I assume that you don't have a rap sheet because you returned her car. That's all you had to do in the first place. What is so hard to understand?

[wercal]

78. Mob mentality?

I know lots of mean people....

But I don't take their car.

[H2O Man]

8. That's so terrible.

Beyond words.

[Brickbat]

9. Heartbreaking all the way around.

[giftedgirl77]

10. What ever happened to escalation of force?

This goes for everyone, we have turned into a society that shoots first & "thinks" later. Unless the kid was driving the truck straight at the cop there was no reason to fire a damn round.

[wercal]

17. I don't know the specifics of this case

But the police do a good job of shielding themselves of responsibility by:

1) Setting up national accrediting organizations
2) Using these national organizations to set the parameters of what is considered an acceptable policy
3) Writing local department policy to align with the national 'accepted standards'

This takes the burden of responsibility of actually thinking and making a decision off of the officer....which is very dangerous.

I'm sure this case will go along the lines of - a vehicle can be used as a weapon, he was ordered to turn it off, he violated this order, and was now threatening the cop, the public, whatever, with this weapon.

I think city councils, county commissions, whoever is the governing body, should rein in their police departments, and let them know that the local council, which represents the local people, is in charge - not some nebulous accrediting authority.

[giftedgirl77]

22. LEO & civilians are no longer required to use

the rules of escalation of force prior to using lethal force. Previously the person had to have a "reasonable" fear of a threat of life threatening harm prior to using deadly force. Over the last 5 years that expectation has changed drastically. Hell in the last week there have been multiple cases just involving officers. No just thinking someone has a weapon is NOT an excuse to fire & 10 years ago that wasn't a viable defense. There are commands that must be given to deesclate the situation before someone can fire on someone, those steps can be taken in a matter of seconds but still need to be taken. Shooting is NOT #1.

[truedelphi]

47. What's LEO mean? n/t

[Brigid]

50. Law Enforcement Officer.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

59. It's an abbreviation

for asshole.

[exboyfil]

41. Hitting police cars multiple times was

not driving at the cops??? You could not see the end on the dash cam but the police car bounced one more time about the time of the shot. I think he was still capable of moving the truck (thus putting officers and the public at additional risk).

[giftedgirl77]

66. That was the question? If he came at them

and was using the truck as a weapon & the cops had no other options then all bets are off. However, we have seen several cases where this hasn't been the case.

[DevonRex]

64. The full video is posted down below. It's bad.

[Th1onein]

11. We really need to defund and shut down the police forces in this country.

Rebuild them from scratch. Enough is enough.

[Cali_Democrat]

18. Jesus Fucking Christ.

The kid was unarmed!

[Iggo]

19. Yay, Cops!

They're the best!

[JVS]

26. The article gawker links to is a cavalcade of stupid decisions.

[SDjack]

28. A lawyer gave a friend some advice: Never involve the cops and courts in your family problems.

They really hate that kind of business, and you can't control what they will do.

[hooptie]

30. Police dash cam video has been released

http://www.kcci.com/news/central-iowa/dashcam-video-shows-ames-chase-shooting/-/9357080/22852990/-/3dg51cz/-/index.html

[RedCappedBandit]

35. That kid is an idiot.

Still think the police overreacted.

[Shrike47]

48. Unfortunately, it does not show the shooting.

It does show the kid ramming the police car more than once with the purloined truck. Not a good way to obtain cooperation from the police. And no, I don't think the police should have shot him.

[jmowreader]

76. Look at the very end of the video, you can see the shooting

[HereSince1628]

31. The official police record is always written by the police.

[RedCappedBandit]

32. Cops are not here to help us. I feel sorry for this family. nt

[exboyfil]

40. He was still ramming cars when he was shot

I think the shooting was justified. He put lives in danger by his actions. My daughter is going to be on this campus next year.

The police were not pursuing a stolen truck. They were pursuing a stolen truck which had assaulted a police officer. Maybe they should have broken off pursuit, but what would we be saying if he had hit someone anyway or tried to snatch another vehicle (remember the police may not have had the whole back story - they only knew it was a reported stolen car). He drove at high speed in the center of campus going the wrong way. Pedestrians normally do not look that direction especially students on campus. He drove through a grass field at high speed with students everywhere. He had to be stopped.

The approach of breaking off pursuit when an suspected felon (grand larceny) is being pursued should be examined. I think a free get of jail card could have serious long term societal implications.

[LordGlenconner]

63. I tend to agree

Though neither of us were there. What we do know is he was driving across a quad that could have been filled with students, or just one unlucky student. He was clearly putting the lives of other people in danger at that point.

Of course some here would argue the police action was completely unjustified even if he was mowing down dozens of poor freshmen and sophomores with that gigantic truck he was driving.

In general, ramming police cars over and over again (as this poor chap did) is a good way to get yourself shot to death by a cop.

[SoCalMusicLover]

42. It Was An Accident

That's what the cop will say.

He'll probably get a promotion.

[Rex]

52. When life is worth less than cigarettes.

Lesson for everyone to learn here...this is NOT the 1980s! COP WILL KILL ON SIGHT. They do NOT protect and serve anymore. That was before this quasi-police state (9/11 changed everything donchaknow).

[CFLDem]

57. Run from the cops- possibly get shot.

Don't run from the cops, don't get shot.

I think it's a fairly simple concept. I'm not sure where the confusion is...

[Warren DeMontague]

61. There seems to be an awful lot of "shoot first-ask questions later" thinking going on in copland.

[4 t 4]

67. The police are way out of control

and getting worse. That is the worst thing I've read today

[Agony]

69. Cops like this are not Professional, they are Hot-Doggers and should not be allowed to carry guns.

period

[Initech]

70. Sadly these kinds of stories happen more often than not lately.

[LisaL]

79. If you are sitting behind a wheel of a massive truck, you are not exactly unarmed, are you?

I am pretty sure that car crushes kill more people than guns.

[Captain Stern]

74. I think the cops did the right thing in this case.

At first, I thought they just pulled the kid over and shot him because he wouldn't turn off the engine of the vehicle.

But after watching the video, It's clear to me the 'kid' or man or whatever didn't give a shit about who he might hurt or kill.

There are tons of cases where the police do really wrong stuff. This isn't one of those cases.

[exboyfil]

80. Agree completely

Could the cop immediately perceive that the truck was not going any further? The driver is a threat to the general public and the police and no way should they let him continue to drive that vehicle. As long as it is running it is a threat. It probably has enough horsepower to push the cop car out of the way if necessary to continue on.

[beemer27]

83. Another Agree

The father is going to blame himself, but it is not his fault. This kid was going to kill some one in one way or another. It is good that the cops stopped him. The only option that they had was to use force.

[KittyWampus]

84. The OP is so misleading. The kid went down wrong way streets, drove on a quad and people had to

jump out of the way. He rammed a police car.

HE HAD A HITCHED TRAILER ORIGINALLY.

An accident involving a truck with a trailer happened here some years ago… the trailer went up over an oncoming car and decapitated the driver of the car was decapitated.

The kid was out of control in a fairly large vehicle.

If he'd continued and killed someone driving, I suppose DU'ers would blame police for not stopping him.

And considering his behavior, the police had reason to believe he'd gun the truck and keep going.

The problem here is the OP which fails utterly to post relevant information.