Stray bullet kills 5-year-old boy

My heart goes out to the family. Has this been someone other than a police office they would have been arrested and their picture all over the news.

im so sorry for your loss its a horrible thing the police officer that did this to your son and family should have to pay the price just like a criminal there was no reason for a gun to be used in this sitiuation a snake thats in a tree is not the same place as your son was how does he explain this... now for you you have to forgive him god says forgive your transgressor as he forgives your trangression it may be hard to loose a son but remember god lost a son to he knows how you feel.. i to know how you feel ive lost a child before,again im so sorry for your loss i will keep you in my prayers and thoughts shannon

Someone, please tell me, what idiot calls the police because they have a snake in their tree?

My prayers are with the family of Austin Haley.

I am a Tulsa Police Officer and I have been called on snakes, possums, etc that were loose in people's houses. I certainly didn't pull my Glock out to take care of them. I called animal control!! I would think a garden hoe would take care of a snake if I felt like it needed to be killed!! Unless it was a snake like in the movie Anaconda I don't have a clue why he would start shooting at it!

Is the cop going to claim self defense since a snake was in a tree? Give me a break. There was no reason to shoot the thing and if you do shoot it a responsible person would have insured there was no one in the path of the bullet. The cop needs to have a new job as a license plate maker in our corrections system.

Anyone but a cop would now be in jail, and his identity would be known to the public. A cop gets a vacation and the thin blue line of silence. This is part of how we are living in a police state. One set of rules for the serfs, another for the gang with a monopoly on the initiation of force.

After visiting the family and viewing the area first hand I see no way to justify this shooting. The lady that had called the police had asked for an animal control officer which was probably the proper thing to do. Noble officials had no animal control so they sent two police officers to the scene a senior officer and another officer. Either the lady that had called the police or the home owner had placed a hoe, a rake, a set of long handled hedge shears out to use to kill or remove the snake before the officers arrived. The bird house was a small 4×6 inch birdhouse placed on the corner of a patio under an eve about 7 feet above the ground. The snake was a harmless king snake that had been seen in the garden several times by the childs parents, it had apparently swallowed some bird eggs or small birds and could not get back out of the birdhouse now that it was swollen and was hanging about 3 feet out. With the tools already available for use, how can you justify using a pistol in a residential neighborhood. I will grant the fact that on line-of-sight the child was probably not visible behind weeds and light brush and it appears to be a wooded area. But there was also the sound of the boys mother on a riding mower near by, the boys father in his shop working on a car, not to mention there could easily be livestock, it should have been obvious there were people behind the brush. All of these were in the immediate area in the general direction of the direction he chose to shoot.There are several other homes accross and around the pond. Just because you may not be able to see them does not mean there is nothing there. For a senior officer to reccommend shooting the snake with high power bullets was sheer negligence. The boys grandfather a well known attorney in the area thought he was the one under attack and sought to cover the grandchildren, but was to late as a bullet killed the child. How senseless. I thought an officer was only allowed to pull his weapon is if he felt his life was in immenent danger. It would not have been difficult to pin the snake with the rake and remove it or cut his head off with a set of shears. Point being: There were other more viable options than trying to be Wyatt Earp. The fact that two officers could come to the same conclusion to use deadly force is astounding and then say it was the home owners idea must make it ok. I was under the impression they also have rocks and sticks in Oklahoma. Perhaps they should issue BB guns to cops, obviously it would make Noble a safer town.

These officers have murdered my nephew. They have no idea the heart ache they have caused. The struggle this boys family has gone thru with several miscarriages and medical problems to conceive a child to start with. The likely hood that she can produce no more children even if she desires to. The devestation to my brother having to be witness to his grandson having his face blown away and the helplessness of being able to do nothing. The fact that they can try to forgive this officer is impressive. However you can forgive the tresspasser but not necessarily the tresspass. There should be consequences to actions regardless of intent.

My heart goes out to the officer and his family as well. His action will affect himself and his family for the rest of his life as well. He will have to live with himself which in itself will probably be devestating, but it does not excuse the actions of negligence. The senior officer that approved the idea, I hope she can live with herself as well as being part. I am sure we will see lots of finger pointing in the near future at everyone else. I do believe the truth will come out and I sincerly hope that this boy’s faimily gets resolution.

Do the crime, do the time.

I am praying for this family who is suffering this terrible loss, with heavy broken hearts.

If those officers had more respect and compassion for people and wildlife, this tragedy would not have happened. The poor snake was in distress, the birdhouse should have been carefully taken down and with some carefully help, the snake could have been set free. If I was there, I would have done it myself. Why are so many people so full of fear and want to KILL? WHY? Most people in this 21st. century have lost touch with nature. Snakes are a part of God's creation, He don't want us to kill and destroy His wildlife. He put them here for a reason, and He gives all creatures life. Snakes get hungry and have to eat, it's called the food chain. It was just doing what a snake does.

Should we kill all animals because they get hungry and want to eat?

Little Austin, and his family was enjoying nature in a peaceful area.

The 2 innocent victims; Austin, and the snake,both had just as much right to live in this world and to be were they were, as anyone else. Were those "trigger happy" officers both mentally unstable or what?

They should be fired and never allowed to ever own a gun.

A cop with a gun and no respect for innocent life is a TOTAL FAILURE!!