- Tyler Cassidy's mum Sharni speaks out about his death
- AAP
- 13/12/2008 Make a Comment (1)
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
THE mother of a 15-year-old boy shot dead by police has told of her grief for a cherished "fragile, loving and loyal" son.
Speaking to media at her Melbourne home, Sharni Cassidy said son Tyler was "not a violent person''.
And she pleaded with the public and media "to show restraint'' in commenting on the events leading up to his death.
Tyler Cassidy was shot and killed by three officers in a Melbourne skate park after allegedly threatening to kill them with two knives.
"I cherish my son,'' Ms Cassidy said.
"He was a fragile boy, loving, loyal, spirited, adventurous, he was a boy with needs and wants and needed protection.''
"I was supposed to provide that and I failed to provide that two nights ago,'' she said, sobbing while reading from a prepared statement.
Blake, 19, Tyler's older brother, stood by her side, his arm around his mum.
"Tyler loved his brother Blake ... he had a great relationship with his brother and looked up to his brother for advice and guidance.''
Ms Cassidy spoke of how she called the police 30 minutes before the shooting and gave a description of her son's appearance, age and the direction he was heading in.
She told police he was clearly distressed and asked to be phoned when he was found safely.
That call never came, she said.
"As a mother (who has) given birth to this child, my baby, this has destroyed me.
"My darling son, I will give my best to find the truth and bring it to your grave, I don't want any mother to go through what I've gone through in the last 48 hours.
"Tyler was a great kid, very much loved, as Blake and I have come to terms with what happened we ask the media and public to now show some restraint on speculating on the events that led up to my son's death.'' she concluded.
Tyler was believed to have been upset over the anniversary of his father's death from cancer two years ago.
An outpouring of grief and messages of love have been placed on Tyler's pages on social networking websites.
Friends have spoken at length of their distress.
The shooting is being investigated by both the Victoria Police and the police union.
Comment:
Where are the photos and video footage of the incident? To have none is a farce when this technology is used by the police in almost every other facet of police work - so why not a shooting. Surely, it wasn't that spontaneous a few happy snaps couldn't be taken. But hey, maybe they don't get taught that in training, just how to kill 15yo kids with obviously some pain & grief issues.
It's hard to believe that reckless teenagers, with possibly some psychotic behaviour, is an odd occurrence to the Victorian Police force, requiring the use of excessive force.
Perhaps police were just a bit tired of someone pissing on their patch. ie. the skate park in the All Nations Park behind the police station in Dennis Street Thornbury.
And having the Victoria Police and the police union investigate the shooting is both unsatisfactoy and absurd, unless a cover-up is yet again on the cards. Some honest transparency would make a pleasant change backed up by some proper social reform.
Speaking to media at her Melbourne home, Sharni Cassidy said son Tyler was "not a violent person''.
And she pleaded with the public and media "to show restraint'' in commenting on the events leading up to his death.
Tyler Cassidy was shot and killed by three officers in a Melbourne skate park after allegedly threatening to kill them with two knives.
"I cherish my son,'' Ms Cassidy said.
"He was a fragile boy, loving, loyal, spirited, adventurous, he was a boy with needs and wants and needed protection.''
"I was supposed to provide that and I failed to provide that two nights ago,'' she said, sobbing while reading from a prepared statement.
Blake, 19, Tyler's older brother, stood by her side, his arm around his mum.
"Tyler loved his brother Blake ... he had a great relationship with his brother and looked up to his brother for advice and guidance.''
Ms Cassidy spoke of how she called the police 30 minutes before the shooting and gave a description of her son's appearance, age and the direction he was heading in.
She told police he was clearly distressed and asked to be phoned when he was found safely.
That call never came, she said.
"As a mother (who has) given birth to this child, my baby, this has destroyed me.
"My darling son, I will give my best to find the truth and bring it to your grave, I don't want any mother to go through what I've gone through in the last 48 hours.
"Tyler was a great kid, very much loved, as Blake and I have come to terms with what happened we ask the media and public to now show some restraint on speculating on the events that led up to my son's death.'' she concluded.
Tyler was believed to have been upset over the anniversary of his father's death from cancer two years ago.
An outpouring of grief and messages of love have been placed on Tyler's pages on social networking websites.
Friends have spoken at length of their distress.
The shooting is being investigated by both the Victoria Police and the police union.
Comment:
Where are the photos and video footage of the incident? To have none is a farce when this technology is used by the police in almost every other facet of police work - so why not a shooting. Surely, it wasn't that spontaneous a few happy snaps couldn't be taken. But hey, maybe they don't get taught that in training, just how to kill 15yo kids with obviously some pain & grief issues.
It's hard to believe that reckless teenagers, with possibly some psychotic behaviour, is an odd occurrence to the Victorian Police force, requiring the use of excessive force.
Perhaps police were just a bit tired of someone pissing on their patch. ie. the skate park in the All Nations Park behind the police station in Dennis Street Thornbury.
And having the Victoria Police and the police union investigate the shooting is both unsatisfactoy and absurd, unless a cover-up is yet again on the cards. Some honest transparency would make a pleasant change backed up by some proper social reform.
Source: https://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24796029-1243,00.html
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