I like "cop killed teen," Yeah, techically correct, but makes it sound like it was some 14 year old kid.

i haven't read or heard that "he was a good kid". am i missing something here?

1. Why did the copy try to stop them? What were they doing that was illegal?

2. Since the cops were plainclothes officers, did they yell that they were indeed officers? Are they sure the kid heard them?

3. He was shot 11 times. None of those shots were from the front. 3 times in the back. How is it possible to get shot 3 times in the back and still point a gun in the direction of the officers.

Sorry...I'm not buying this story. Something's off.

Here's another angle you all didn't consider:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h4AN9-8TUF3frhw_GC88GHo63_2AD9C50O0O0

"Vasconcellos, who was also carrying a boxcutter, did not fire his gun. He was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital."

Also, according to the article, he had wounds on either side and and is back, NOT his front.

If I had to guess, it was a messed up shooting by the cops and they planted the gun on him when they realized they had killed a kid with a boxcutter. Wouldn't be the first time THAT happened.

(Download this article before it's scrubbed. The AP version on the Forbes website had already had the bits about the boxcutter and the wound locations removed.)

Doesnt Vasconcellos translate to 'go with heaven'?

"Dashawn Vasconcellos". Only in New York.

He was a good kid...

I'm pretty sure you meant "fine lad" or "upstanding fellow".

Honors Student (as per the high standards of NYC public schools) no doubt.

Maybe even an aspiring rap artist!!

I'm pretty sure you meant "future Rhodes Scholar", or "future Nobel Laureate", and "aspiring Internet Mogul".

Clearly, he was on self-directed assignment, his MO? Keeping NY's finest on their toes in the aim department. I say "mission accomplished" and "job well done" to this "well brought-up young man".

Hmm, not a bad way to wrap up the weekend...

Law enforcement, when threatened by lethal arms, are not taught to shoot an arm or leg. They're taught, like any person who has used a firearm (target practice: oh, I'm aiming for the outer edge of the shoulder) to shoot the largest mass of the body, the torso.

If you aim a gun or anything that resembles a gun at a cop, you will probably be shot dead, it's called natural selection.

NYC cops, contrary to the belief of some of the children on this posting board, are not bad marksmen, in fact they're some of the best not only in the United States, but globally.

Wow. Sarcasm 2, EdEx 0.

Natural selection at work.

well, most street thugs use scare tactics/intimidation, but it's a really bad idea to try to intimidate cops...

really. a really $hitty idea.

this is excessive force at its finest! they should have shot the gun out of his hand and then calmly ticketed the nice young man. Now another grandmother ain't got no baby boy and Al Sharpton will see to it that people are fired for this! The kid didn't even shoot!

Agreed. They should have let him shoot at least 2 cops before shooting the gun out of his hand. Because shooting the first cop could have been an accidental discharge. You just never really know.

if the kid really refused to put his gun down, the cops should have shot his arm, legs and non-vital parts first.

nyc cops are known to be the worst marksmen in the entire nation. and it looks like they probably got scared too. so it was probably an accident that they killed him.

When someone is an a life threatening situation it becomes kill or be killed. Any hesitation could be fatal. This incedent really sounds like "suicide by cop".

How did the cop know the perp was going to shoot? The police shouldn't be so quick to use deadly force. They should only shoot when shot at so there would be no accidents or misunderstandings. I mean they wear bullet proof vests right?