I’m angrier than an Albany cop without a gun over this next one. Now, it’s not often that you’ll see me defending a cop, but this story is a rare exception. A cop who was merely doing his job is under fire, no pun intended, after shooting a boy who was armed with a toy gun that looked real.
Indeed Akron, Ohio cop Ryan Westlake, 33, shot Tavion Koonce-Williams, 15, when Westlake was investigating a claim that someone was going around pointing a gun at houses. As the boy cried out like a coward, Westlake did his job and shot Williams almost immediately after arriving on the scene.
Of course, Westlake is now on administrative leave while the whole matter is being investigated. He has in the past been accused of doing minor things wrong and in one case, he found himself without a job. Westlake was rehired by the police department.
Williams kept crying out in protest that the gun was a toy, but Westlake had no way of knowing if his claims were true, given how realistic it looked. Judging from the body camera footage, the fun in question certainly looks real to me. I would have shot him too!
I am certain that when all the facts are known, this fine police officer will be exonerated.