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-Land of the Free
Parents call police for help, cops show up and kill their 18-year-old son
2014-01-07
[DAILYCALLER] Two North Carolina parents are in shock after local police shot and killed their 18-year-old son in their own home, while they watched helplessly.

The family called police because they were worried about their son, Keith Vidal, who is schizophrenic and suffers from depression, according to local news. Vidal, armed with a small screwdriver, was apparently having a psychotic episode. Mark Wilsey, Vidal's father, called the authorities to help deal with the situation.

Vidal was pinned on the ground by two of the officers when a third said, "we don't have time for this," and shot Vidal, killing him
An officer from the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office and another from the Boiling Spring Lakes police department showed up to the house soon after. Eventually, a third officer from the Southport police department entered the home as well, and ordered the use of tasers to subdue Vidal. According to Wilsey, Vidal was pinned on the ground by two of the officers when a third said, "we don't have time for this," and shot Vidal, killing him.

Vidal had just turned 18, and weighed a mere 90 pounds. He couldn't have hurt anyone with the screwdriver, and had no history of violence according to family and friends.

"There was no reason to shoot this kid," said Wilsey in a statement. "They killed my son in cold blood. We called for help and they killed my son."
Posted by:Fred

#14  Exactly, Frank. What is this "We don't have time for this" stuff? Was he in a hurry to get to the donut shop or something?

I understand that a 90 pound person can do some damage, but to kill someone because you are in a hurry seems to be criminal. Again, it is possible that there is more to the story than has been reported, but it doesn't look good for the shooter.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2014-01-07 21:26  

#13  maybe so, but the "we don't have time for this" testimony apparently came from one of the other (honest and good) cops. YMMV
Posted by: Frank G   2014-01-07 21:00  

#12  Vidal had just turned 18, and weighed a mere 90 pounds. He couldn't have hurt anyone with the screwdriverÂ…

My cousin, an ex-cop, has battled debilitating neck pain for over a decade after an encounter with the butt end of a billiard cue wielded by a 100 pound woman in her 70’s. Docs told him he’s lucky he isn’t in a wheel chair – or worse.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2014-01-07 20:31  

#11  Here is another local link: http://www.wect.com/story/24367610/new-details-911-report-shows-officer-shot-teen-seconds-after-arriving
The short version is that police had been on scene for almost 15 minutes and had apparently de-escalated the situation when the Southport officer arrived, according to the 911 calls timeline, the boy was shot 70 seconds later. I'm usually pretty pro-police, but if this story is remotely accurate, the Southport officer should be charged with 2nd degree murder.
Posted by: Chantry   2014-01-07 18:14  

#10  The way the article paints the picture this is nothing less than straight execution.
My Two questions would be; does this twat think he's Judge Dread and does the state sanction this.
Posted by: Filet-o-fish   2014-01-07 18:13  

#9  Schizophrenic, psychotic episode, and a screwdriver? This could also have been like dealing with someone on PCP or 'bath salts', rather than an overreaction to a kid flailing around, which would make sense if the parents were unable to control such a slight young man as described in the article.

I'd want a good deal more information before I'd feel comfortable drawing any conclusions.
Posted by: trailing wife   2014-01-07 17:29  

#8  That Cop badly needs Jail, there's no reason to "Barney Fife" On the kid.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2014-01-07 16:39  

#7  From now on, I'll take care of these things myself.
Posted by: gorb   2014-01-07 16:05  

#6  The way I understand it the police have an escallation protocol. If the cop felt threatened it doesn't really matter the size or weapon.

Hate to blame the parents but what did they want the police to do? They should have called teh kids psychiatrist or something.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2014-01-07 14:40  

#5  He weighed 90 pounds and had a screwdriver.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2014-01-07 12:13  

#4  It's going to kill the case if he weighed 200 pounds and had a knife. I don't think anyone is dumb enough to make these claims if they aren't reasonable.

Something very bad happened.
Posted by: gorb   2014-01-07 11:20  

#3  ...maybe, but our local police have their fair share of Barney Fifes, who should only have one bullet in their shirt pocket. You get what you can afford in the constabulary. As you allude to with the lawyers, sometimes saving pennies costs the taxpayers big dollars.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2014-01-07 08:43  

#2  Story smells. Smells ambulance chasing.
Posted by: JFM   2014-01-07 06:51  

#1  I believe this story has shades of "Old Yeller" weaving through it.

Posted by: Black Charlie    2014-01-07 01:07  

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