Dad calls cops to teach son a lesson; cops shoot son dead

James Comstock called Iowa cops when his son took off with his truck; the 19-year-old was shot dead in the vehicle

Published November 8, 2013 8:00PM (EST)

 Police car dashboard footage of the truck stolen by Iowa man's son
Police car dashboard footage of the truck stolen by Iowa man's son

Take this tragedy as a cautionary tale: Do not call the police on your kids, or anyone's kids, or anyone, ever, in order to teach them a lesson.

Cops in Ames, Iowa, shot dead 19-year-old Tyler Comstock after his father, James, reported his van stolen. The teen had driven off with the van following a family dispute.

As Raw Story reported:

Police chased Tyler Comstock onto the Iowa State University campus and set up a blockade that resulted in Comstock ramming Officer McPherson’s vehicle. McPherson ordered Comstock to shut off his truck, and when he refused to comply, McPherson shot at him six times.

The Iowa medical examiner’s office says he was killed by two gunshot wounds to the chest.

Comstock's father reacted in horror to the tragic turn of events; yet another addition to the pantheon of trigger-happy cop killings. "He took off with my truck. I call the police, and they kill him,” he said.

The footage below was recorded from the car dashboard of the officer who shot Tyler Comstock:


By Natasha Lennard

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.

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Car Chase Cops Iowa #nodads Police Police Brutality Police Shooting Theft Tyler Comstock Video