Community Chat

[Noel7]

A Bakersfield neighbor called police to report a man was walking around brandishing a gun at women.  Police responded, told the man to stop walking and shot him dead as he walked toward them.

The man was 73 year old Francisco Serna, a retiree with Alzheimer's.

He had no gun at all, he was carrying a crucifix in his hand.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/california-grandpa-fatally-shot-crucifix-not-gun-article-1....

What have we become?

[happycat]

Oh my goodness, how heartbreaking. I don't know what we have become, but I have been wondering the same thing.

[jaxs mom]

I don't even know what to say. are  these witnesses stupid or blind that reported a gun where there was a crucifix? And what the heck were the police thinking? Where is the training for situations with the mentally challenged? 

[Noel7]

[Nightowlz]

Surely they could see that was not a gun.

We had a guy walking down the street that runs out from our neighborhood with a rifle a few weeks ago. The police were called & he was picked up before anything happened. He had a backpack with several rounds of ammo, 3 knives & I cannot remember what else. He told police he felt it was his right to walk down the street with his rifle? They had no idea what he had in mind to do. He said he was just going for a walk. I'm sure he was up to something or why all the ammo in the backpack? Why even carry a rifle on a walk? He was not far from a school when he was picked up.

[Puzzle Piece]

He may have held it to where it appeared like a gun.  I am not at all annoyed with Law Enforcement.  Where were the guardians or care takers of the old man??

[Noel7]

Mr. Cerna was shot nine times.

Heartbreaking.

[cherry]

I wonder how much training the police officer had.? It's sad alright ,but so is this. I think we have become an armed camp, and the police  want to live  too...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4033688/Shocking-footage-shows-suspect-shooting-two-police-o...

[esmeraldagooch]

How could he be out doing all this without a guardian.  In other news 6 officers have been shot this week in Georgia.

[WenGirl42]

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@jaxs mom wrote:

I don't even know what to say. are  these witnesses stupid or blind that reported a gun where there was a crucifix? And what the heck were the police thinking? Where is the training for situations with the mentally challenged? 

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I can't fault the witnesses here...it is an unfortunately reasonable assumption to make if someone seems to be acting oddly with something in their hand, and you don't want to get too close.  But there is no excuse for trained LE just taking witnesses' word and not verifying that he had a gun, which should have been easy for them to distinguish.  So sad.