OK, why is this even news?? A teenager pulls a chrome gun out of his pocket when the police say, " Hands Up. " Police shoot teenager.

Neighborhood protesting.

Tell me you wouldn't do the same thing if you were that cop.

Here's the article....

CHICAGO -- Chicago police officers shot and critically wounded a teenage boy who pointed a gun at them near the Cabrini-Green housing complex on the Near North Side Monday night, a police spokesman said.
Doctors at Children's Memorial Hospital said Ellis Woodland, 14, remains in critical but stable condition Tuesday.
Near North District officers shot Woodland multiple times after he pulled a chrome gun from his pocket and began raising it at the officers at the Cabrini-Green housing projects, police news affairs Deputy Director Pat Camden said. The boy and another 14-year-old teen who was taken into custody were suspected in an armed robbery.
A Near North District sergeant was flagged down around 330 W. Division St. about 5:10 p.m. by an alleged victim who pointed out the offenders, saying they tried to rob the alleged victim at gunpoint, Camden said. Police said the suspected offenders saw the alleged victim talking to the sergeant and they bolted. The sergeant provided a description of the suspects over police radio.
A squad car containing uniformed officers spotted a boy matching the description of a suspect at Clybourn and Division. The boy had his hands in his pockets when the officers got out of their vehicle, Camden said. They announced they were police officers and ordered the boy to put his hands up, Camden added.
Woodland pulled his hands out of his pocket and in one hand had a chrome handgun that he raised toward the officers, Camden said. The officers fired several times at the boy, hitting him.
The boys were carrying replica handguns that use CO2 cartridges, police reported.
On Tuesday afternoon -- shortly after the community marched to the 18th District police station -- police officials held a news conference to explain their point of view.
Superintendent Phil Kline and Area 3 Commander Tom Byrne spoke to the media.
"The officer wanted the individual to raise his hands," reiterated Kline. "The officer has seconds to make a decision. He wants to go home at the end of the night to his family."
The uninjured boy told police he was having a dispute with Woodland. When Woodland pulled the gun from his waistband or pocket, one of the responding officers fired four shots -- hitting Woodland in the abdomen, leg, and arm, and striking the trunk of a vehicle nearby.
"(The uninjured boy) was interviewed and there has been no charges placed against him at this time," Kline said. "He said the injured boy knows who committed the robbery."
After a roundtable meeting with three witnesses, detectives, and the officers and their superiors, it was decided that the officer was justified in shooting Woodland, as he "feared for his life."
"These replica guns resemble real firearms," Kline said. "We interviewed three witnesses who all who proived similar accounts, consistent with police accounts."
Police spokesman Pat Camden tried to explain their point of view earlier in the day Tuesday.
"Armed robbery is somebody putting a gun in your face saying, 'Give me your money,'" said Camden. "A police officer defending himself when he tells you to put (your) hands up, and you come out with a gun -- it is what it is."
The community of Cabrini Green is up in arms. A press release by some of its members said, "This is unacceptable to the community ... for its children to be shot by the police."
The community and its friends marched to the 18th District police station Tuesday afternoon to "demand justice for this boy and his family." One protester held a sign that said "Police torture continues."
"My son stayed in school -- he is a 'B' student and doesn't mess with nobody," said Woodlands' mother, Lillian Strong. "They didn't have to shoot him like that. I don't think this was right." NBC5's Kim Vatis reported Tuesday morning that some witnesses said that it looked like the teen was leaning over to put the gun down when the shots were fired.
That discrepency is part of what sparked the intial protest Monday night, in which dozens of area residents and family members gathered at Children's Memorial Hospital and later at the scene of the shooting.
NBC5's Amy Jacobson reported that extra police were called to Children's Memorial Hospital for security purposes as dozens of the boy's family members and friends tried to get into the hospital. Police said the boy's father is a high-ranking gang member and they did not want anyone to retaliate. Only the parents were allowed to see Woodland, the community press release said.
"Another black man has been shot down by the police," said Fred Hampton Jr. "Excessive force is putting it mildly. Our babies aren't even immune to this."
"My nephew was going to put the gun down, and that's when they started to fire shots," said the boy's uncle. "They should have taken more precautions. They need to take more caution with these young teens and realize that everyone young isn't a threat to them."


Playing the race card, the "our children" card, the " evil policemen" card. Nice.
Why is this even news??