Trevor Varinecz, 16-Year-Old Autistic Student, Killed by Officer After Stabbing Him With a Knife
Written by JJ on Oct-16-09 5:27pmTrevor Varinecz, 16, was shot and killed Friday after he attacked a high school police officer with a knife at Carolina Forest High School in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The 11th-grader had asked to speak with the officer, who he stabbed after the 2 had entered an office, Teal Britton, spokeswoman for Horry County Schools, said.
Despite the tragic events, students were not sent home and were not told what happened. After the confrontation, both Trevor Varinecz and the officer were taken to a hospital. Varinecz was pronounced dead at 9:34 AM and the officer was released in good condition at 12:30 PM.
Trevor Varinecz was an autistic student at the school. According to witness accounts recounted at wafb.com, teachers heard shouting in the office and when they entered, they saw Varinecz stabbing the officer with a large knife. He was shot moments later. Though the officer's identity has not yet been confirmed, the school's only school resource officer is Marcus Rhodes.
This isn't the first time the high school has been the site of a violent attack. In June, 2006, 18-year-old Natalia Holmes was stabbed to death in the school's parking lot. Her ex-boyfriend, Edwin Cornelius Brown, was convicted of the murder and is currently serving life in prison.
(Source: http://www.zimbio.com/Trevor+Varinecz/articles/qYdiLsPGDpo/Trevor+Varinecz+16+Year+Old+Autistic+Student)
---------------
After reading the story about this fully functioning teenager with autism, I doubt it if the police officer's wounds are enough to let him pull the trigger five times. The officer was able to leave the hospital on the same day that he was brought together with the teenager with autism who later died. The police officer's wounds are too shallow to warrant him to shoot the teenager five times. It is very suspicious. The boy may have brought the knife to school, which is bad/violation but to be shot five times vs the shallow wounds inflicted on the officer brings the case to a homicide. You can shoot the boy's legs and/or arms but not in areas where the victim eventually succumbed to death. There should be more facts or even videos to see that the police officer's actions are not self-defense.
1 comment:
I have a son diagnosed with autism, I also do a radio show about crime and law enforcement. There is no such thing as shooting to wound someone, you are trained to shoot to kill. Anytime an officer pulls a gun and fires he does so because he is fearing for his life. Ask anyone that has been involved in deadly combat and have them tell you how hard it is to kill someone, not everyone that is shot in the head, chest, or any other vital area drops dead in an instant. There is plenty of time for someone to slice an artery while bleeding to death.
I have deep sympathy for the family of this young man, my heart goes out to them.
Law enforcement is long over due for intensive training on how to deal with autism.
I have no idea what happened in that office but I do know if you shoot, you shoot to kill.
Post a Comment