I feel betrayed by police, says mother of Black teenage boy arrested at gunpoint over water pistol

The mother of a Black 13-year-old who was rammed off his bike and held at gunpoint by officers after his water pistol was mistaken for a real gun says she feels betrayed by police, insisting the incident was sparked by racism.

The boy, referred to only as Child X, was knocked to the ground, handcuffed and arrested on suspicion of having a firearm after being confronted by marksmen with submachine guns while having a water fight with his younger sister.

The mother said she and her family had been left “broken” by the trauma, with her son having regular nightmares about the incident. She said his race led to his treatment by armed officers, who she also accused of treating her with “contempt”.

“I feel very angry about the way in which my 13-year-old son was treated by the police. It has been a deeply traumatic experience for him, for me, and for our family as a whole,” she said in a statement released through campaign group, the Alliance for Police Accountability (APA).

“I know – and the police know – that they would not have treated my son in the way they did if he had been a white 13 year old boy. I know that they would not have treated me with the contempt shown towards me or described me as “aggressive” if I was not Black.”

She added that the family were still in shock.

“How do I explain to (my son and siblings) what happened? How do I help them cope with the fact that the police present at the scene seemed unable or unwilling to apologise, explain or answer for what they had done?

“And after what has happened, how can I ever tell them that they can turn to the police for help?”

The incident took place on July 19 in Hackney, east London, when a police officer on patrol reported a potential firearms incident. One of the water guns was blue and white, and one was pink and white, the APA said.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, in charge of policing for Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said he had apologised to the family.

He said: “This incident was understandably extremely distressing for the boy involved as well as the rest of his family. We know it may cause public concern and we want to help the public understand why we responded in the way we did.

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“This does not in any way detract from our recognition of the trauma caused to the boy, for which I apologised soon afterwards to his family.”

He added: “I am sorry for the trauma caused to the child and I am happy to meet with the family again if they feel that would help.”

An internal investigation by the Metropolitan Police found no misconduct had been committed by the officers involved. A further complaint accusing them of racial bias is still being investigated by the force’s standards department.

The mother added: “I feel let down and betrayed, not only by the police, but also by the IOPC, and by the whole system that is supposed to look after our children, black or white.”

Lee Jasper, chair of APA, described the incident as “appalling” adding: “The case terrifies me as a parent. Our blood runs cold at the context and scenario.” He claimed the child was “inches from death”.

He called on the Mayor of London, Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley and the Home Secretary to investigate. He wants the mayor’s newly-launched policing board to encourage the Met Police to start collecting data on violent interactions between its officers and Black children.

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Courtney Brown, CEO of Father 2 Father Hackney, has been supporting the family and the people who witnessed the incident.

“Child X is having nightmares and trying to get on with his life. He’s trying to manage that and we’re supporting him,” he told the press conference. “Witnesses described feeling anxious, fearful, confused and angry. One girl said when she now hears sirens, this changes her whole behaviour.”

Speaking at the press conference, Leroy Logan, retired Met Police superintendent, warned similar incidents will keep on happening until there’s a total culture change in policing. He called for the police officers involved in the incident to be taken off-duty.

And Dr Wanda Wyporska, CEO of Black Equity Organisation, said the charity is calling for reform of policing and root and branch investigation.

“This is an example of institutional racism,” she continued. “There are many other cases of families who have experienced the same thing; this is not just a one-off. This is a recurring pattern within our communities.”

Mr Conway said: “Our officers are dealing with fast-moving situations, based on the limited information provided to them at the time.

“Such is the nature of the threat from firearms that the College of Policing is clear that officers should treat all firearms as real and loaded until proven otherwise.

“The police have a positive legal obligation under human rights legislation to protect life, which shapes our approach to responding to suspected firearms.”

A City of London Police spokesperson said: “As common practice, a firearms unit from the City of London Police attended in support of Metropolitan Police firearms units at an incident on July 19 2023.”