They say all it takes is a few seconds to make a decision in a high-intensity situation. In the recent stop of Officer Peter Casuccio, he had to make the right choice very quickly.
Casuccio, an Ohio police officer, responded to a 911 call on Saturday after someone said they saw “two young black males,” waving a gun.
When Casuccio arrived on the scene, he could see the two young boys, carrying what appeared to be a gun, but was actually a realistic looking BB gun. Luckily, the officer was able to identify the handgun before firing any shots at the boys, but not without warning the young kids, “I could have killed you.”
The Columbus Police Department released bodycam footage Tuesday of the frightening exchange Casuccio shared with the children, after realizing that he had mistaken the BB gun to a real firearm.
Upon arriving, Casuccio says one of the boys “freaked out and started pulling the gun out of his waistband.” He says he only realized the gun wasn’t real when it hit the ground.
Footage shows Casuccio with his gun pointed at the boys, as they knelt on the ground with their hands in the air. The officer asks the boys their age, one says he’s 11, and one says he’s 13.
“This is getting kids killed all over the country,” the officer says sternly.
The two boys are heard in the video apologizing repeatedly to the officer. “You should be sorry and you should be scared,” Casuccio warns. He goes on to explain to the boys why carrying a real gun is so dangerous.
“Do you think I want to shoot an 11-year-old? Do you think I want to shoot a 13-year-old?” Casuccio asks. The boys respond, “No, sir.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“Do I honestly look like the type of dude that wants to shoot anybody?” he asks, and boys reply, “No, sir.”
“But do I look like the type of dude that would shoot somebody?” he asks, and the boys say, “Yes, sir.”
After escorting the boys home, Casuccio spoke with one of the boys’ mother to inform her of the exchange. He admits to her that he drew his gun on the children.
“He could’ve shot you for that, you know that?” the mother asks her son in alliance with the officer.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“The last thing I ever want to do is shoot an 11-year-old man. Because your life hasn’t even gotten started yet. And it could’ve ended. Because I wouldn’t have missed,” Casuccio reminds the boy.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This situation closely resembles that of a 12-year-old Ohio child, Tamir Rice, who was tragically shot after a BB gun he was carrying was mistaken for a real gun. Rice, who was black, was shot and killed by Timothy Loehmann who is white. Loehmann was not charged with any crimes, but was fired after being labeled “unfit for duty.”
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