Interesting quote from Chief Johnson, who has apparently decided to throw the officer under the bus rather than wait for a jury to decide his guilt or innocence. I'm not saying he's innocent or guilty; I just don't think the chief of police should say so either.

This is a sad, sad case for everyone involved. However, it should serve as a teachable moment for parents and youngsters everywhere. The lesson for everyone here is that if you decide to pull a prank on ANYONE, especially someone who you do not know intimately, then you can expect ANY reaction from that person. Their reaction may be to simply say, "Oh my goodness. I wish that these rascals would stop bothering me." Or the reaction could be one similar to the one we have in this case. I'm not saying that the officer is guilty or innocent. That will come out as this case makes its way through the legal system. But the fact is that the incident was started by somone who decided that it would be a good idea to disrespect another person's privacy and comfort zone. From everything I have read and heard about this case, the young man who died was only marginally involved (i.e. he was at the wrong place at the wrong time while associating with the wrong people.) Personally, I think that all of the other youngsters who participated in this incident should be charged with the same crime as the officer. The case should be handled like a capital murder case where 2 people decide to hold up a bank and an armed bank guard kills one of the perps. The other is charged with murder. We need to do the same thing here.

Okay Chief and States Attorney go lockup the other guys that were with the kid that was killled and charge them with 2 counts of manslaughter also as their actions started the whole situation. If you are with someone that commits a crime or a party to a crime as in this boys death they must be charge also as stated in md. law. I will wait to see how this plays out fellows and that pertains to Mr. KK also as he is a so called lawyer now county executive GOD help us.

this is called murder where is the life sentence a life is gone and can not be given back where is justice

the time is here and the time to stop police abuse and corruption is state wide and they are the new drug and gang and bullies of our future calling nothing but death and mayhem and we pay taxes for this stop kiling our future who will take care of the 50,s and 60,s babies the police killing our future young adults die more of the hands by police than any other death. lets do something like call the O,MALLY AND MAKE HIM MAKE IT STOP

Murder is murder. A prank is a Prank. If the other kids are guilty then they should be punished. Hour with no xbox or a good finger shaking at. But if the officer is found guilty, 25yrs to life.

Marcella, you just don't get it and that is the trouble with America today. There are too many apologists like you who try to deflect responsibility away from the guilty parties. You sound as though you are related to one of the other individuals who were involved in this sorry incident. I never said that the officer involved should be allowed to commit a crime and "get off" as you put it. However, you sound as though you believe that the other individuals SHOULD "get off" without paying a price for what they did.

I also never did say that anyone should have lost their life over this incident. I did say that the guilty should have to pay for their responsibility in this incident.

Later you call for the governor to take action to "MAKE HIM MAKE IT STOP." If you will check the statistics on deaths of black males in the state of Maryland you will discover that the vast majority of the victims have criminal records, they were engaged in criminal activities at the time of their deaths, and in nearly every case it is black criminals killing other black criminals that account for the majority of these deaths. Unfortunate incidents such as the one we are discussing are, fortunately, extremely rare.

Everyone says that these kids were simply involved in a "PRANK." But, HOW would this Officer KNOW it was simply a prank??? For all we know, this police officer could have thought that someone was attempting to break into his home (by hearing a LOUD BANG at his door). If I heard that sound, I would think someone was attempting to kick my door in. And, yes--God help anyone who WOULD attempt to do that when I'm at home. I would defend my property and have called the police. But, since this man WAS a Police Officer, I think his reaction was normal in the fact that he immediately responded to chase down this kid. Did he go too far? I don't know. But, nobody knows (except for the teenager that died, the Police Officer and GOD) what REALLY happened. Did this teen FIGHT back? Did the Police Officer feel the need to "restrain" him? We don't know. But, no matter the outcome--the TRUE JUDGE in the end of all of this will be God. Don't be too quick to judge anyone unless you actually were there at the time and KNOW, without a doubt, what happened. Personally, I feel sorry for BOTH sides in this case.

Sorry to inform you, Buck--but, God DOES indeed Judge. If you are an Atheist, it does not matter. God will still be judging you (one day). And, while here on this Earth, man may judge others (right or wrong), God is the ULTIMATE judge of EVERYONE.

The cop was trained to deal with situations under pressure....he chased the kid down and killed him...if he chased the kid down, this could not have been self defense...
Perhaps the cop was not trained properly by the police force...maybe the entire police department should be held accountable as well...

It's definitely a teaching moment for anybody. You never know what the other person is thinking during an altercation. It's like playing Russian Roulette. A seamingly docile person could be triggered to bash your skull in if they see you as a threat to their person, or property. Life really is like a box of chocolates. I'm one of those that believe in KARMA and God's judgement, but I still have my times where I lose it. It's a chance not always worth taking. I pray for all those involved in this tragedy.

I live in Randallstown and have for nearly 30 years. My son is a year older and went to school with Chris. From all accounts he was a very good kid who always seemed to have good intentions. Everyone always gave him high marks for the good kid he was. Peers and adults alike. The probably is no matter how good your intentions are most of the time, one act of stupidity or "prank" can cost you. Hear me out....I don't agree with the deadly force used by Mr. Laboard and nor do I feel like Chris deserved what he got. I grieve for him and his family. The problem is that one time you put yourself in a compromising act you truly can't determine what the other person's reaction will be when you make him a "victim". Mr. Laboard was the victim of a so called prank and did react harshly. I'm sure he had no intention that night while him the pravacy of his home that by night's end he would kill someone. I'm sure he now regret's the act. From all accounts, he too is a good person. Now, one life is gone another may be ruined and the families and friends of them both will suffer. I say we have to teach our youth to place themselves in better situations and know when to walk away. Don't give someone to overract due to what most would call "a prank". Don't be a perpetrator who treads on someone else that will extract the worst reaction possible.....the taking of your life. I pray for both "victims" and their families and friends.

Buck--I'm sorry you feel that way about religion. But, there IS a God--ONLY ONE at that. And, no--contrary to what many others believe, the Bible was not created by man's words. The Bible IS the word of God! And, while God DOES know all, He also gives us the freedom of choice (whether or not to choose to do good or evil). That is left up to us. I'm not saying the cop was right; but, I do know that teens nowadays are out of control. I've even seen small children out in the streets at 11:00 p.m. One boy was outside skateboarding across a busy road (and could not have been more than 6 or 7 years old). I seriously wonder where the PARENTS are. Don't they care anymore??? Parents SHOULD be actively involved in their children's lives (know where they are, who they hang out with, and what they're doing--most, if not ALL, of the time). And, for this teen (being 17 years old) to be hanging out with other teens (still playing immature PRANKS by banging on doors of people they don't know) makes me wonder if his mother KNEW what he was doing, where he was, or who his friends were. Wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people? Absolutely! But, I agree with the one comment earlier--it's sad that the punishment for those other teens will be likely to lose privileges to their Xbox for an hour or something like that for what they've done, while the cop may get a prison sentence for his part of 25 plus years. It's so sad. I, like Ginger, pray for all involved.

Good message, Darnell. I agree with you. While Chris may have been a "good kid," I question the "good intentions" aspect. Is it a "good intention" to play a PRANK on a total stranger? And, not that I'm blaming the parents in this (because I'm not); but, I wonder why the parents did not know who Chris was hanging out with (if they were not "good" kids). Actually, I should not say, "kid," as he was 17 years old. At that age, they should be working (at least, part-time) and be more responsible and also be taught not to play pranks (which is immature). The police should question the other boys involved here. I'd be curious to know which one of them made the decision to bang on the door of a police officer. I also wonder if any of them KNEW it was the home of a police officer. Either way, parents need to know more about their children and what they're up to when they're out with their friends. And, yeah--I'm sure Officer Laboard is regretting his actions. More likely than not, he simply responded by thinking someone was attempting to break into his home and decided to chase the perpetrator(s) down. If anything, I believe this officer only meant to "scare" these teens and nothing more (so they'd never do anything like that again). It is so sad; a horrible tragedy for all. I feel badly for BOTH sides. True--one life gone (victim's family destroyed); another life hangs in the balance (and it sounds like the officer's 7-year old will be fatherless, if found guilty). :(

Imagine yourself chasing down someone putting your hands around his neck and choking the life out of him. I can see myself doing this in a fit of rage if my wife, kids or mom were attacked but not if someone was throwing rocks at my house. I would have call 911 and hoped the Police would catch them and arrest them. Even pulling a gun and shooting someone is less personal than physically choking someone to dead. This act of violence from a sworn Police Officer is very scary. We tolerate Police speeding and breaking lesser laws but we cannot allow them to kill people in a fit of rage. If this was a white officer can you imagine the outcry for his head

MARCELA -----right off the bat you are showing a bad attitude to a bad situation and you have already made up your mind that the cop is guilty of murder not the lesser offenses he is charged with. The cop is already ruined as he will lose his job, be found guilty of one of the charges, lose his child if he goes to prison, lose his home, car, lets see what else he can lose because the victims family wants his butt in a basket as they now want the fed's to investigate the offense. To all the other com-mentors here you are right on with your feelings so congratulations for being opened minded to a bitter person Mercella.

To Debra Harris: You said, ""How many teachable moment do we as parents and our youngsters need to stop our innocent children from being killed? Do you know what it feels like to tell your son he is not safe to walk alone after dark or walk anywhere or anytime of the day with more than one other African American friend. Believe me, we do a lot more to ensure his safety and those of his friends but to live in community that tolerates the death of any youngsters by the hands of an adults is inexcusable."

So, you want to stop "INNOCENT" children from being killed? Well, so do I!!! But, remember--this 17-year-old was NOT INNOCENT. In fact, he was out late at night wreaking havoc in the neighborhood with a group of hooilgans. It was noted that Christopher Brown was FIGHTING WITH THE OFFICER "BEFORE" this incident happened. I am certain the officer did not intend to kill him. I believe he was attempting to restrain him. But, we (AS PARENTS) should also know where our kids are, who they are hanging out with, and what they are doing. Why would you, or any other parent for that matter, ALLOW their "kids" out late at night just to ROAM through the neighborhood? By the way, if you check the statistics--MORE ADULTS ARE KILLED EACH DAY AT THE HANDS OF "YOUNGSTERS" (SO-CALLED INNOCENT KIDS--SUCH AS GANGSTERS) THAN ANY "KIDS" ARE KILLED BY ADULTS. I think the news should go back and say, "It is now 11:00 p.m. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE?"

This message was from someone named "STAR CARTER--"I believe he did do tht shit on purpose it dosnt matter tht boy was a child an now his mother wont see him graduate or have kids or playball get married nuffin so the fuck what he was out having fun he was a child an tht grown ass man should not have done tht he got kids im sure what if.a cop does tht to his child take a life thts not up to him restrain him fuck know he wanted tht boy to die i pray for his family to stay stong through this i hope his ass get alot of time and lose his job!"

First of all, STAR, that "boy" was NOT a child. He was SEVENTEEN--A FEW MONTHS SHORT OF BEING CONSIDERED AN ADULT!!! And, you say he was "out having fun"??? Yeah--sure, it's "FUN" to destroy other people's property. And, he will not graduate or have children? People who are HOOLIGANS should NOT have children--because they are thugs themselves. And, Star--please note: This cop has already LOST HIS JOB. Apparently, you haven't been following this case. He's ALREADY been indicted. If you don't know what that means, look it up in the dictionary. For the record, the cop that you claimed killed this "ADULT KID ON PURPOSE" was ALSO black! So, you want to go after him??? Visit him in jail. As for the mother, I wouldn't feel too sorry for her. After all, she did not shed ONE freaking TEAR when she was interviewed by the media. So, what kind of "normal" mother is that? Doesn't cry for her son; wants media attention, and money!

And, while we're on the subject, STAR--these GROWN-A$$ kids out having "fun" as you so kindly put it--that is WHY so many neighborhoods have been destroyed. You know WHY there's no bowling alley in Randallstown anymore (except for Marriottsvile)? Because blacks teens destroyed it. You know WHY Liberty and Randallstown Theaters closed down? Because black teens CUT UP THE SEATS WITH POCKET KNIVES--having fun, I suppose. You know WHY Woodlawn no longer has an amusement park (GWYNN OAK AMUSEMENT PARK)? No--It was not because of Hurricane Agnes--because, after the storm, the park was RE-BUILT. The blacks jumped in, they were losing money, and, again--seats on the rides were tore up and cut! Why??? You know WHY Owings Mills Mall had to CLOSE most of their stores? Black teens shoplifting, and NO PROFITS. Don't believe me??? Look at TOWSON MALL (mostly white); the businesses there are thriving and doing well. Same with all of the movie theaters in that area. Why?? Because white people do not DESTROY things--especially in their own neighborhoods. And, AFTER the blacks destroy their own neighborhoods, they are the FIRST to "COMPLAIN" how everything is RUN DOWN! Parents need to teach their "KIDS" to respect other people AND their PROPERTY! But, all is well. God is dealing with this so-called "nice boy" right now. If he WAS "good," then he is in the Lord's hands and being taken care of in Heaven. And, if he was a "thug," God is dealing with THAT situation as well.

Why doesn't GOD stop all the maddness? Things that make you go hmmmm.

Well, Remington lower--I hate to talk about race (I really do); because I am definitely NOT a racist. Just want to make that point perfectly clear. I'm simply stating FACTS. And, the fact IS that when Randallstown was a predominantly white, Jewish neighborhood, there was no crime; there were no police officers stationed outside of all of the schools; kids could go outside at night (and not fear that something bad might happen to them); and properties were not run down. So, yes--what I said is absolutely true. And, even today--I highly doubt you will ever see a caucasion 5 or 6-year-old outside crossing Liberty Road at 11:00 p.m. unattended by any adults. But, I personally witnessed this happening and it was a very small black child running across Liberty Road at 11:00 p.m. NO ADULTS were anywhere around this child. Just saying. So, sorry if I speak the truth. As to the "Atheists" in here that keep asking, "Why isn't God (it is capitalized, btw) stopping this? FIFA--He doesn't stop people from doing anything. He gave each person (including you) free choice to do whatever he/she wants to do. Then, come Judgement Day, He will deal with the decisions that people he created have made. So, please do NOT say that God "can't" stop the madness or saying it is a "poor choice" for Him to choose NOT to stop the madness. God can do ANYTHING He wants to do. As for you, I certainly DO pray for your soul. Hell is a very real place, and I doubt you'd want to go there.

Sorry--I meant to say, "Remington Lover." BTW--is it the hairdryers that you love, or the shavers? :D

Oh--and as for the "destruction" portion I mentioned that occurred at Liberty Theaters, I personally witnessed two black boys (with knives) being taken out of there by the Baltimore County Police. A friend of mine who knew the owner showed me the damage (cut up seats) that was done by these "boys" (both of whom were black). And, if you go into the inner city, just take a look around at the neighborhoods and the graffiti (which is destruction of property). These ARE done by gang members (most of whom ARE black). I'm not saying that all white kids are perfect. On the contrary, they also are pushed by their peers to getting into trouble with the law. So, yes--I mainly have to blame it on the parenting of any kids who wreak havoc (whether they are black, white, green or purple). It makes no difference. But, the parents SHOULD do something about it. It's just sad that most of them do not. It's THOSE people who should never have become parents in the first place. But, like I said before. God will JUDGE everyone of us. He is the ONLY Judge, in my opinion--at least, the only Judge that I care about.