Cliffs; 14yr boy walking home with friend, police stop them for suspicious behavior, 14 yr old runs while friend doesn't, police chase, kid pulls out gun (unknown if pointed at police or not). Police shoots him once, kid dies at hospital.
This was in my old neighborhood and believe me Westborough is the furthest thing from "the streets" It is a super quiet area with well off families (not like super rich but well off). This kid is walking around at 14yrs old with a gun and runs from police.
I think the parents are fully to be blamed. If you dont know your kid has a gun in your house you aren't a good parent.
Whats even more annoying are the comments by other idiot kids in the article. Whatever the situation, 14 yr old kids don't need guns nor do they need to be running from police. Especially in Westborough.
This was in my old neighborhood and believe me Westborough is the furthest thing from "the streets" It is a super quiet area with well off families (not like super rich but well off). This kid is walking around at 14yrs old with a gun and runs from police.
I think the parents are fully to be blamed. If you dont know your kid has a gun in your house you aren't a good parent.
Whats even more annoying are the comments by other idiot kids in the article. Whatever the situation, 14 yr old kids don't need guns nor do they need to be running from police. Especially in Westborough.
A South San Francisco police officer shot and killed a 15-year-old boy after the teenager pulled a gun while being chased, authorities said Wednesday.
The incident began when an officer tried to stop Derrick Gaines of San Bruno in the parking lot of an Arco gas station at 2300 Westborough Blvd. about 9 p.m. Tuesday, police said. The boy was walking with another teenager.
The officer stopped the youths because they were "engaging in suspicious behavior," police spokesman Capt. Mike Brosnan said at a news conference, without elaborating.
Derrick ran and led the officer on a short chase, police said. As the officer caught up to him, the youth pulled out a gun, prompting the officer to shoot him once, authorities said. Brosnan would not say whether Derrick had pointed the gun at the officer.
The teenager was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died.
Brosnan said Derrick was known to South San Francisco police but would not give details. The other teenager, who did not run when the officer stopped Derrick, was not detained.
Police recovered Derrick's gun, but Brosnan would not specify its type or say whether it was loaded.
Michael Red, Derrick's stepfather, said the other boy stopped by police had told him the officer had no reason to shoot. Derrick had been on his way home from a nearby McDonald's, Red said.
"He was 15 years old," Red said. "It's not a shoot first, ask later situation. This is something you can't take back."
Derrick carried a gun with him for protection "on the streets" but was too "street smart" to pull it on a police officer, said a friend, 16-year-old Lorne Burnham. He was at a small memorial Wednesday outside the gas station, which consisted of teddy bears, candles and the message, "Rest in peace, baby boy."
He said Derrick liked rapping and making music and had recently left South San Francisco High School to be home-schooled.
Others who visited the memorial throughout the day voiced skepticism at the police version of events.
"It's bull-- that the cop thought his life was in danger," said Jose Diaz, 23. "Come on, it's a 15-year-old kid with a handgun. He's a cop."
His friend Luis Gomez, 19, added, "Just because they got a badge on, they think they can do whatever they want."
Both speculated that Derrick had been trying to dispose of his gun when he was shot.
They acknowledged he had had run-ins with the law, but said he had never looked for trouble. They said they didn't know the details of his crimes.
South San Francisco has seen a rise in attention-getting incidents involving young people and guns. A 14-year-old boy was killed by gang gunfire in September, a victim of mistaken identity, and three young men died in December 2010 in a drive-by shooting.
Police established a neighborhood task force after the 2010 shooting to crack down on gangs, and joined forces with federal authorities to arrest 13 alleged gang members in May.
Derrick's friend Diaz, however, said the police campaign was "not about feeling safe, it's about harassment. I feel like they're marking down everything, everyone. Just because you dress a certain way doesn't make you a gang member."
He and Gomez said Derrick had not been in a gang.
The teen's death was the first fatal shooting by a South San Francisco police officer in at least 30 years, Brosnan said. The officer who shot the boy has not been identified.
The shooting is under investigation by police and the San Mateo County district attorney's office.
The incident began when an officer tried to stop Derrick Gaines of San Bruno in the parking lot of an Arco gas station at 2300 Westborough Blvd. about 9 p.m. Tuesday, police said. The boy was walking with another teenager.
The officer stopped the youths because they were "engaging in suspicious behavior," police spokesman Capt. Mike Brosnan said at a news conference, without elaborating.
Derrick ran and led the officer on a short chase, police said. As the officer caught up to him, the youth pulled out a gun, prompting the officer to shoot him once, authorities said. Brosnan would not say whether Derrick had pointed the gun at the officer.
The teenager was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died.
Brosnan said Derrick was known to South San Francisco police but would not give details. The other teenager, who did not run when the officer stopped Derrick, was not detained.
Police recovered Derrick's gun, but Brosnan would not specify its type or say whether it was loaded.
Michael Red, Derrick's stepfather, said the other boy stopped by police had told him the officer had no reason to shoot. Derrick had been on his way home from a nearby McDonald's, Red said.
"He was 15 years old," Red said. "It's not a shoot first, ask later situation. This is something you can't take back."
Derrick carried a gun with him for protection "on the streets" but was too "street smart" to pull it on a police officer, said a friend, 16-year-old Lorne Burnham. He was at a small memorial Wednesday outside the gas station, which consisted of teddy bears, candles and the message, "Rest in peace, baby boy."
He said Derrick liked rapping and making music and had recently left South San Francisco High School to be home-schooled.
Others who visited the memorial throughout the day voiced skepticism at the police version of events.
"It's bull-- that the cop thought his life was in danger," said Jose Diaz, 23. "Come on, it's a 15-year-old kid with a handgun. He's a cop."
His friend Luis Gomez, 19, added, "Just because they got a badge on, they think they can do whatever they want."
Both speculated that Derrick had been trying to dispose of his gun when he was shot.
They acknowledged he had had run-ins with the law, but said he had never looked for trouble. They said they didn't know the details of his crimes.
South San Francisco has seen a rise in attention-getting incidents involving young people and guns. A 14-year-old boy was killed by gang gunfire in September, a victim of mistaken identity, and three young men died in December 2010 in a drive-by shooting.
Police established a neighborhood task force after the 2010 shooting to crack down on gangs, and joined forces with federal authorities to arrest 13 alleged gang members in May.
Derrick's friend Diaz, however, said the police campaign was "not about feeling safe, it's about harassment. I feel like they're marking down everything, everyone. Just because you dress a certain way doesn't make you a gang member."
He and Gomez said Derrick had not been in a gang.
The teen's death was the first fatal shooting by a South San Francisco police officer in at least 30 years, Brosnan said. The officer who shot the boy has not been identified.
The shooting is under investigation by police and the San Mateo County district attorney's office.
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