A 13-year-old boy was seriously injured after being shot by a police officer in Salt Lake City on Friday night, according to his mother.
For a mother, his child is her world. To get things for him, a worried mother who called police to help her calm down her autistic son from an episode has been left horrified after officers shot him several times. Golda Barton, from the small town of Glendale in the US state of Utah, was told on the phone that the police would be sending a crisis intervention team to de-escalate the situation using the most minimal force possible.
She further stated to local news, she just wanted her 13-year-old son, Linden, transported to the hospital for treatment. It was the first day after almost a year that Barton went for a work because her son has bad separation anxiety. When she got back from work she realised something went wrong with Linden. He then began to have a breakdown. She informed local news station KUTV that she talked officers through the best way to approach her son.
“I said, he’s unarmed, he doesn’t have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming,” she said. “He’s a kid, he’s trying to get attention, he doesn’t know how to regulate.” However, the situation is different after the arrival of police. It was in less than 10 minutes, she heard “get down on the ground” and then several gunshots.
Most Read: It Would Be An Insult If Kamala Harris Becomes US President: Donald Trump At North Carolina Rally
Initially Barton thought her son was dead. He survived, but he is in hospital in a serious condition. According to a funding page set up to raise money for Linden’s treatment, the shooting has left him in the hospital with injuries to his shoulder, both ankles, intestines and bladder.
“The long-term effects of his injuries are still unknown, but it is likely that his recovery will be long and require multiple kinds of treatment,”. No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy, and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently for the sake of everyone involved.” said Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall in her statement.
Neurodiverse UT, which promotes autism acceptance, issued a statement condemning the shooting. “Police were called because help was needed, but they met the situation with force – even after they had been informed by the boy’s mother of the situation,” a spokesman said.
“There are safer, nonviolent methods that first responders can use to help an individual in this situation.” The incident is starting to attract attention on social media, where people have called the police tactics “ridiculous” and “awful”.
Most Read: Norwegian Lawmaker Nominates Donald Trump For Nobel Peace Prize For Israel–UAE Deal
