Police are supposed to serve and protect, but anytime guns and children are in the same vicinity, bad things happen, and this principle applies to police every bit as much as it does private citizens. Here are some examples of police shooting kids, whether by accident, carelessness, or a callous and aggressive mentality when it comes to police work and the use of deadly force.
Stories of Police Shooting Kids:
Police shoot & kill unarmed boy
Former Philadelphia police officer Edsaul Mendoza shot 12-year-old T.J. Siderio in the back, killing him, even though he knew the boy was unarmed. He and 3 other plain-clothes officers rolled up on T.J. in an unmarked car, scaring him. Police claim T.J. then shot at them. In any event, it is undisputed that if T.J. had a weapon, police say he dropped it and ran. After a brief chase, the boy was shot in the back. (The Week, 5-13-2022, p. 7)
Authorities issue Amber Alert for girl, then police shoot her
In San Bernardino, California, police shot and killed a 15-year-old girl, Savannah Graziano, who was the subject of an Amber Alert after being abducted by her father. One day earlier, the father had fatally shot the girl’s mother and fired at two others. Police pulled over the car she was riding in, and body cam footage shows Savannah following instructions, walking slowly toward police. A deputy can be heard telling her, “Come here! Come to me! Come, come come…walk, walk, walk.” Then shots ring out, and the same deputy can be heard saying, “Stop shooting her!” (The Week, 9-12-2024, p. 7) The police found the girl…and then proceeded to kill her themselves. I’m pretty sure that’s not how Amber Alerts are supposed to work.
Shooting a 12-year-old in the back
In Philadelphia, four plain-clothes officers rolled up on a 12-year-old boy in an unmarked car. The child, T.J. Siderio, was likely startled, thinking he was about to be rolled up by thugs, and may or may not have shot at the car. (Police claim he had a weapon and fired at them, but police often falsely claim this after shooting people without provocation.) In either case, what isn’t in dispute is that T.J. dropped any weapon he may have had and ran, and that the officers knew he was unarmed. Nonetheless, former Philadelphia police officer Edsaul Mendoza chased the boy down and shot him in the back, killing him. (The Week, 5-13-2022, p. 7)
Police Shooting Kids by Accident:
When police discharge a weapon, an average of fewer than 5% of their bullets hit their intended mark. The other 95% end up as stray bullets endangering whomever else may be in the vicinity, including innocent children. Here are some examples of police shooting children by mistake:
Girl trying on dress killed by police gunfire
Fourteen-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta was trying on Christmas dresses in the dressing room of a store. Without warning a bullet pierced the dressing room and struck her, Killing the teen. The bullet had been fired by a police officer outside the store who was shooting at a man with bike lock. In a classic example of how possessing a gun escalates otherwise non-deadly situations, the officer drew his weapon and fired on sight without issuing any commands, against a man who wielded a rather clumsy and non-threatening weapon (a bike lock). The officer had been told to ‘slow down and gain his composure more than a dozen times by other officers before firing the shots that would wind up killing this girl. (Hayes, C. [2021, Dec. 29)] “Mother of teen prayed as daughter died,’ USA Today, p. 3A)
Police officers shoot & kill 8-year-old girl
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 3 police officers were charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment after they fired their weapon recklessly in the direction of a crowd that was exiting a high school football game. It wasn’t initially clear exactly what they were shooting at, but the only ones hit were innocent bystanders: An 8-year-old girl was killed and 3 others in the crowd were wounded. (USA Today, 1-19-2028, p. 3B)
Officer shoots girl while shooting at a dog
In Topeka, Kansas, a police officer shot and wounded a 9-year-old girl while firing shots at a charging dog. (USA Today, 8-1-2022, p. 3B)