High school kid shot 5 times by SC police had autism: report

By Daniel Tencer
Sunday, October 18th, 2009 -- 1:23 pm
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trevorvarinecz High school kid shot 5 times by SC police had autism: reportA 16-year-old high school student who was shot five times and killed by a South Carolina school officer had a form of autism, news reports say.

Trevor Varinecz, who died within hours of being shot by school resource officer Marcus Rhodes, had pulled a knife and stabbed the officer, according to NewsChannel 5 in South Carolina. His mother told the TV station that Varinecz had suffered from Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning version of autism.

Horry County prosecutors say Officer Rhodes was justified in the shooting.

The incident took place on Friday morning at Carolina Forest High School in Conway, South Carolina, when Varinecz is said to have pulled a knife on Officer Rhodes and stabbed him several times. The officer responded by shooting Varinecz five times. Rhodes was hospitalized for his wounds, and released from hospital several hours after the incident. Varinecz died shortly after altercation.

According to an Associated Press report, the county coroner said one of the bullets struck Varinecz in the chest and killed him.

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Asperger's Syndrome is a condition marked by inappropriate social interactions, "awkward movements" or "odd mannerisms," and a "lack of common sense."

Though in this case both the officer and the deceased minor are white, the NAACP released a statement Saturday condemning a "deeply troubling trend of excessive use of force by school resource officers."

"There are serious questions that must be aggressively investigated," the NAACP said in its statement. "Was the officer trained in the techniques to work with individuals with autism, or mental illness? Did the officer use all available means to contain the situation without using deadly force? Should school resource officers be allowed to carry guns in schools?"

Deputy Solicitor Fran Humphries of the Horry County Solicitor's Office told NewsChannel 5 that Rhodes was "justified in his deadly force," and that a final determination on the case would be issued soon.

According to a profile of him in the Myrtle Beach Herald, Marcus Rhodes has been a school resources officer since 2000, and has been at Carolina Forest High since 2002.

“I have always been interested in helping children learn how to make good choices in life,” he said in that profile. “Teaching the dangers of drugs and alcohol to them was an ideal position for me. ... We do a lot of mentoring students and help keeping them on the track to graduation. We are also on-site to make sure they have a safe school environment in which to learn.”

"There are many dedicated law enforcement officials who serve selflessly every day but may need better training on how to handle confrontations safely," the NAACP stated. "The unfortunate incident in South Carolina underscores the urgency of implementing national standards on the use of force, training and monitoring practices so that law enforcement officers do not cause the unnecessary loss of life."

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Story comments are below...

  • Anais
    Police had better be better trained in dealing with people with autism, as its incidence is estimated to be about one in 100+ births. That means 1 percent of every person police deal with could be autistic. I commend the NAACP for showing its concern for the victim, though he is white, thereby enlarging its areas of concern to include all Americans, while retaining its original mission.
  • vegas409
    Ok this is 1 time where maybe a taser would have worked a. Can cops ever just get it right?
  • mro0149
    Did you bother to read this report the police officer was stabbed with a knife several time. if you were the one being stabbed would you like the responding officer to use the most effective option or one that depending on its application may or may notstop the subjects actions.
  • delyn
    Curious as to what medications they had this kid on. Having an Aspie son, there is more in the history here. My son would never have a knife on him, much less pull it on anyone.
  • ig0at
    If someone stabs me "several times", and I happen to have a loaded gun, I am going to shoot them, with their life being the least of my worries... Cop? Aspergers? None of this matters. One hass the right to defend oneself. Period.
    BTW I have aspergers. It's challenging, but it's NOT an excuse for unacceptible behavior.
  • missskeptic
    I'm on your side. My son also has Asperger's. He is polite, makes good grades in college, and doesn't carry knives or guns around. If he stabbed someone (I don't care who it is) I would expect that person to defend themselves to stop him. And I wouldn't use the Aspergers as an excuse.
  • JamIam9
    I don't care what the kid had, he stabbed a person with a knife he brought to school. You stab someone who has a gun, you are going to get shot. no ifs, ands, or buts about it. stop making excuses for the little punk. he committed and act of violence, and got what was coming to him.
  • tacticalgrace
    Just one more indication of how terribly screwed up our society has become. Instead of ranting about the right or wrong of these symptoms why are we not finding out the cause of the disease and administering a cure.
  • the large kahoona
    The cop could have backed off, left the scene and summoned further help. How do you stand by and get stabbed 7 times? Very fishy.
    When you are armed with a gun it is very convenient to take the easy way out. This cop did not have the proper training this is for sure.
    The trend of nationwide police violence is disturbing. armed cops do not belong in schools, it is an invitation to disaster. If America promoted the family structure instead of the perversion it supports, if parents truly gave a damn then we would not have gotten to this point.
    It is over here in America, it is truly over.
  • tootiredoftheright
    You can get stabbed very quickly. Murders involving kitchen knives often times the victim is stabbed dozens of times and it happens in a very short period of time often less then a minute.

    Yeah you can stabbed seven times in less then ten seconds. Also if you have been stabbed and the guy is going to do it again or may run away would you want the police officer to endanger other people while calling for backup?
  • moe64
    Why can't these pussy cops handle a 16 year old kid? They are little bitches and there first instinct is to grab the gun or tazer, when they SHOULD be physically capable and trained to restrain them. Better get in that gym piggies and grow some balls, because people are getting fed up and are gonna be coming to get some bacon of that belly. Cowards.
  • annonymous23
    I'm guessing your one of those punks on the street that goes around starting trouble. Unless your a police officer and are out there putting your life on the line, you should keep your mouth shut. He was stabbed several times. I find it hard to believe you would be able to friggin' tackle someone after being seriously wounded. He had no other means of defense and I am sure that if he did, he would have used the less lethal weapon first. So go eff yourself!!!
  • annonymous23
    to add to this, the kid had more than one knife. The first knife pulled was taken by Rhodes, however the kid had another one on his person that he stabbed the officer with.
  • Frank Rizzo
    That is a stupid comment by the naacp. The kid stabbed the cop, he was right in shooting him.
  • kevintheoriginaltinfoilhat
    "High school kid shot 5 times by SC police had autism: report"

    Why didn't the headline read;

    "High school kid stabbed police officer before being shot dead"

    " Irresponsible parents of Aspergers teen cause police stabbing"

    "High school kid with Aspergers excuse was never taught right and wrong by parents, stabs cop"

    "High school resource officer saves own life and potentially more by shooting knife weilding teen"

    "High school resource cop saves lives in shooting of knife attacker"

    It's a horrible situation for sure. But why is it instantly a case of "Gun Crazed Cop".

    Raw Story is falling victim to the same "GRAB A HEADLINE EVEN IF IT's NOT TRUE" mentality that many people come to this blog hoping to avoid from the MSM.

    Congratulations Rawstory. YOU are turning YOU, into FOX. Be proud....I guess.

    #1. The kid had a disorder that makes the normal rules of society difficult for him to follow.
    #2. His parents obviously spent more time using the word Asperger's Syndrome than trying to teach the boy how to live within the framework of society, in spite of his condition.
    #3. ANY TIME someone stabs you, and you have a gun, you'd be a damned idiot NOT to shoot them. Primary reason being that the person who just stabbed you to death, or to incapacitation obbviously has no issues with violence, and after taking you out, they now have instant access to a loaded gun.

    It would be irresponsible for ANYONE armed, to try to fend off an armed attacker with their bare hands. Because losing that altercation means you have just handed a firearm over to an individual who is willing to commit armed violence.
  • thepoliticalcat
    I realize you're upset, but calm down for a minute. The parents are NOT to blame. High-functioning Aspies have difficulty understanding human emotional and social interactions. Certain parts of their brains are differently wired than other people's. Think of the serious nerds/geeks you know. They're probably (mostly) high-functioning Aspies.

    You're quite right that the officer did what he had to do. Sadly, that resulted in the death of this young man. It's a tragic situation all around, and there are no easy answers. But there's no need for rage, either.
  • kevintheoriginaltinfoilhat
    I appreciate your response.
    I wasn't actually upset. Midly irritated maybe, but nothing considerate. I
    think it nice that you took a moment to comment to someone though. That kind
    of interaction is often what seperates reasonable people from reactionists.

    I disagree with your opinions about Asperger's though. I have a couple close
    friends who's children have , or should I say have been diagnosed with
    aspergers, and my own son was incorrectly diagnosed with aspergers a few
    years ago.

    What I have come to believe is that a large portion of aspergers cases are
    "popular diagnosis", not unlike the current trend in "thyroid problems" and
    my personal favorite was the mid 1990's rash of Bi-Polar disorder that
    nearly every college age freind I had was being prescribed prozac for
    Bi-polar for nearly 2 years after a huge marketing push.

    My friends children with aspergers, are treated differently than other kids.
    They should be. Their particular disorders mean that they require constant
    remedial behavoir modification. At the point that an aspergers kid is
    carrying around a knife, it was a failure on the part of the parents. You
    can't even blame the school, that child should have had non-violence drilled
    into them to the point that carrying around a knife wouldn't even be a
    consideration.
    It's a difference of opinion that's all. Luckily I don't have a position
    where I am required to deal with other peoples children except socially, so
    my opinions will get very little legwork in the real world.

    Thanks for responding.
  • sharbuster
    The child, whose parents are my friends, was taught non-violence. He was never allowed to have knives or anything else. They worked with consistantly with him on how to function in our society. They found out all that they could about this, followed the guidelines set out for these type of kids, Trevor had a shadow at school with him to help him work through social situations when he was younger. His parents did everything that they could possibly do for him, so for this to happen, comes as a major shock to everybody that knew Trevor, especially his parents. Nobody is using his asperger's syndrome as a crutch or excuse for what happened, so for all of you out there who think differently, you are dead wrong. All that I know is that a promising young man is dead and an officer of the law will have to live with taking anothers life, justifiable or not. By the way, I think something is fishy about how this is being handled by SLED and others, Trevors parents have still not been told what happened in that office, why is that? Are they hiding something, shouldn't his parents have been told by now what transpired in there to take Trevors life, besides "oh, they got in a tussle, Trevor had a knife". Why was Trevor in there with a knife, who was the beef with, Roads or someone else? How about some real answers.
  • thepoliticalcat
    Yaknow, it sounds funny to say this, but I'm glad we talked. :) I see your point better now. I think you're probably correct about over-diagnosis. Most of the high-functioning Aspies I know are self-diagnosed, but I've done a lot of reading on brain function. I don't actually have any interaction with autistic people in real life, so must defer to your personal experience and judgment.

    Thanks for enlightening me.
  • annonymous23
    um its Rhodes, not Roads. If he had a shadow, don't you think that person should have been with him in Rhodes office, instead of allowing him to go by himself? I disagree that people are NOT using his disorder as a crutch for this case. There was just a story on the news about how awareness of autism should be raised and of course they talked about Trevor and the incident. Yes it should be, but why does it take a situation like this to suddenly highlight that fact? I didn't know Trevor and I feel deeply for his family, but people need to stop using this disorder as a way of justifying what he did to that officer. Rhodes is also an extremely caring person and was a resource officer of mine when I was in CFHS.
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