KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Sheriff’s deputies in Kalamazoo County say they had to give two children a stern warning after they were spotted playing with a pellet gun that closely-resembled the real thing.
They were dispatched at 10 a.m. Tuesday to Shirley Street and Proctor Avenue in Comstock Township after 911 dispatchers fielded calls from concerned neighbors about the youngsters playing with what appeared to be a hand gun.
A sheriff’s deputy quickly determined it was an airsoft gun, and warned the children about the dangers of flashing the toy in public.
Now, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office is telling all parents to do the same.
The guns are hard to tell from the real thing, which makes them attractive to prospective owners but dangerous if first-responding officers can’t tell if the person wielding the weapon is packing pellets instead of bullets. They say the toys have led to deadly misunderstandings, like the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland.
Just this week, the officers involved in Rice’s death were cleared of any wrongdoing by a grand jury.
– John McNeill
