An all-around tragedy

A 26-year-old black rookie officer of the Buffalo Police Department fired five shots from his service weapon at a mentally disturbed 15-year-old black youth who was trying to rob him with a replica-style BB gun in the early hours of Friday morning on the East Side of Buffalo.

The boy, Kelvin Rodolph, was shot in the face and died at the scene. He suffered from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had recently been released from a facility for troubled young people.

At a time like this, people attempt to cast blame on one person or group in order to dampen the grim reality of the event. The sad truth, though, is that all parties are to blame in this case.

Officer Lamar McCulley panicked. A man put a gun to his head. It's tough to put blame on this young officer for this tragedy.

But when the officer found himself able to clear his weapon without being shot, wasn't his responsibility as a man who is required to carry a deadly weapon as part of his job to assess the situation and respond accordingly?

Instead, McCulley fired five shots in his attacker's general direction. The idea that a cop would let off five rounds in a residential area in that short a time is terrifying. In truth, this calls attention to the importance of proper training for law enforcement officers. It's all well and good to be a good shot in a range, but are these people being adequately prepared for real-life situations?

Rodolph, on the other hand, was a thrice-diagnosed mentally ill teenager. He should not have been able to be on the street at that time of night with a pellet gun. The family has to accept some of this blame too, no matter the situation. The child should not have been able to get out of the house. His conditions carry with them a lowered ability to make rational decisions and a heightened excitability. Based on the reports, one cannot begin to speculate as to his mental state at the time of the incident.

Which brings us to the government. This child was released from a facility that promised follow-up care, which was to include counseling and possibly medication. Rodolph probably would have benefited immensely from these services, had he ever received them.

This kid got shortchanged. McCulley could have aimed low instead of shooting him in the face. Rodolph's parents should have been more vigilant. The government should have made good on its promises. And Rodolph should not have been out at 2 a.m. trying to rob people with a BB gun.

Now he's dead.