You can’t convince me that this is how the police are supposed to de-escalate a situation like this…
Earlier this month, a 13-year-old boy named Linden Cameron was having a breakdown, which his mother claims was brought on by his Asperger’s Syndrome. She called the police, saying that she needed assistance in managing the situation. When the cops arrived, they tried to control Linden by ordering him on the ground. When he didn’t obey at first, the officers somehow thought it was a good idea to open fire, shooting eleven shots at the boy.
The incident took place in Utah. Bodycam footage has been released, showing the teenager on a dark sidewalk, falling to the ground after being struck.
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His mother told the police that Linden was easily triggered by law enforcement and that he may have had a BB gun. She was told that they needed to treat his toy gun as though it were real.
Miraculously, Linden survived the shooting. It’s unclear how many times he was struck but he remains in the hospital with injuries to his shoulder, colon, bladder, ankles, and intestines.
In the video, you can hear him writhing in pain after being shot, telling the officer who shot him to deliver a message to his family: “Tell my mom I love her.”
We seriously need police reform.
