When the officers approached my nephew from behind that morning, they shouted, "HANDS UP!" with no introduction or explanation whatsoever. And he was walking down the street with a book bag.
I've been puzzling over that all day and a few questions occurred to me, but primarily this:
Where they trying to get him to run? Or fight?
Did they suspect that he might be up to know good of some kind and, instead on engaging him and questioning him, they decided to spook him and get him to A) Take off running or B) Fight them out of surprise/self defense?
Why else would three adult come up on a child in the early morning and shout HANDS UP out of nowhere? What other reaction would you expect but for him to freak out? There's nothing constructive at all about that approach.
He had no indication that they were police officers at all because they gave him none. Just "HANDS UP" from behind. If someone came up behind me and shouted HANDS UP, my first thought would be that I was being robbed. And I'd either turn to face my attacker, prepared to fight, or I'd take off running.
Both reactions would get me into series trouble if the person shouting "HANDS UP" was a police officer.
It kind of a miracle that my nephew didn't take off running. Still, I can't help but wonder what might have happened if he had reacted in the most natural and reasonable way and took off running?
I don't know. And won't say.
But I can't help but think... *shudder*
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