Really? This seem HIGHLY inappropriate. Give this poor family a smidgen of privacy

Alright, David. How about people who talked to him every day? Are you implying this kid was some kind of evil psychopath? I know numerous reasons why this happened aside from the fact that he was intoxicated. They weren't that "he had bad grades" and his mom "didn't like who he was hanging out with." They are very serious and for the sake of the family I'm not going to point them out here. But you need to check yourself before saying something like that.

Well his Mother has certainly been in my thoughts all day. I'm sure she's loving this call being broadcast for all to hear during her son's last minutes. I remember my best friends brother was killed in a traffic accident and the family BEGGED the local news to not show the body/car Nope-no go. I guess ratings are that important.

Yeah David I don't care if you were his neighbor I went to school with Andrew for 3 years in middle school and you don't know the whole story so try shutting up and respecting Andrew and his family. He was not a bad kid and his family and him are in my prays. Maybe you should stop talking and start paying some respect for the family that just went through something terrible.

This 911 call changes everything. This was not a hostage situation.. She was able to leave the home without any issue and before the cops arrived. I really hope there is an investigation and it's contents are released to the public. Something went horribly wrong. I am sure that the Family would want the call out as seemingly they have a potential case against the Sherifs Dept.

why is always the cops fault instead of the person causing the whole situation?

Listen to the call.

They did what they are trained to do....just like a soldier.He picked up a gun that makes him a threat..
Im sorry for the family.but the people you all depend on every day are not to blame.

I personally knew Andrew. He wouldnt purposely hurt anyone else. He was troubled and unstable, but he was never unkind. Once, two months ago, I had been upset, and he had made sure that I was alright. He always helped those in need and never failed to make people feel better. This is heartbreaking, so please, unless it's nice or respectful, keep it to yourself.

He aimed a gun at innocent people of course he was gonna shot if somebody aimed a gun at me id shot then too and I'm sure every single person blaming the cops would have done the same thing doesn't matter how nice or mean the kid was

Where are you hearing he aimed the gun at someone, because I read he shot the window OR broke it with the gun. It seems like stories are very misguided because everyone was led to believe this was a hostage situation and it clearly was not.

Ok that makes more sense. Thank you

Please join me on Facebook at Andrews Justice. We need to demand that this story remain on the fore front of everyone's mind. I am outraged and disgusted.

Yes he went charging at the two deputies standing at the front door trying to negotiate! So of course, you point a gun at any officer or show any threat they are taught to take out the threat. And that's what they did. Great job Sheriff's office! Glad they stopped it before anything worse happened. But like always its gotta be someones fault so blame the cop cause that's easier then facing reality.

Good thing he didn't take the 357 to Etowah. Chalk another one up for Zoloft!!!

I'm appalled how police handled this tragedy... When 911 asked the mother if she was feared her son would shoot her or anyone else, mother specifically stated "NO".. And 911 asked if she feared that he would shoot himself, mother specifically answered "YES".. And the mother was freely talking from outside on her deck at that point.. The boy was medicated with antidepressant medication AND meds for attention deficit disorder (adderall perhaps), a stimulant.. In addition it is claimed he was drinking (by newspaper) alcohol.. We're talking about an over medicated 16 year old CHILD!!!! You mean because officials felt negotiaters were too close outside the front of the home and they "thought" they heard a gun shot , a "sniper" shooting the boy is justified???? I have no understanding why they allowed the standoff to go on for as long as it did... Why did the 911 operator tell the mother leave immediately, rather asking her if she can try and get the gun from the boy! And why couldn't' they flush the boy out w/tear gas, qrather allowing this to go on for hours putting the neighbors at risk??? I mean, they weren't dealing with some Al Qaeda terrorist! It was a mentally ill, over medicated child!!! This whole ordeal was handled poorly and unprofessionally... My heart aches for the mother...

Not only did police kill a boy, they also killed the mother... I imagine she blames herself... She called 911 in fear the boy would shoot himself, instead cops shot him... Her life is undoubtedly over... Poor, poor woman...

The 911 operator did ask the woman if she can get the gun from the boy... I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Tear gas is a irritant not only to the lungs, but also the skin and eyes.. That boy would not have the ability to run out with gun in hand and get away.. He would have been physically incapable, especially being so young.. Don't forget he was impaired with drugs and alcohol-- also impairing reflexes and quick thinking.. Providing police surrounded the house (I'm not sure at this point) there would have been no way he would have gotten away, period... A highly trained law enforcement agent (Sniper) shot the boy, not the run of the mill officer.. Sending negotiators up to the house and not expecting anyone in this state not to respond in a threatening way was just plain stupid on law enforcement part... I think they felt they could over power this boy-- Then they "think" they hear a shot (why didn't they assume that as a strong possibility and not send them up there in the first place??) so this highly trained guy shoots the kid in the stomach?? Why not the leg, ARM, or shoulder???

If you shoot somebody in the leg or arm they could still be a threat but if they are dead they are not a threat when you have a second to line up and take a shot you aim at the largest part of the body to ensure you end the situation.

I have been told that he had been seen pouring alcohol on the drapes and have been given to understand that tear gas may have made any fire started worse or maybe could have started a fire combined with the alcohol (have no idea of the accuracy).

As to where AM was shot- the sniper was aiming through semi-opaque glass. I would think that would make it much harder to aim for a leg or arm. Additionally, he did not go for the head or heart shot that would have left 0 hope of sparing his life. He may have been trying to get him out alive.

If the kid had somehow shot a negotiator, everyone would be screaming that the sniper made a mistake. This was a no-win situation. The sad reality is that the cops are trained to respond like they did. Maybe something could have been done differently; but, that is not sufficient reason to blame the cops. Blame their training- i.e. that they are prob not trained different tactics for a 16y.o. kid vs an adult - but don't blame them. They were doing their job.

And all the casting of blame in the world will not bring Andrew Messina back

I looked at the website, thanks. Watch out Adele !
Will he be on "American Idol" or the "Biggest Looser" in 2013
Let America Vote

It doesn't matter the situation who called the cops if he was drugged or drunk or what the hell ever I feel bad the mom lost her son and I'm sad a young man lost his life. But he waved a gun at cops... That sums up everything. And it doesn't matter how nice someone is just think what would every single one of yaw had done if you were one of those cops and someone was waving a gun at you and your fellow officers and the houses around with familes in them?

They did not have to kill this kid. Our country has become a Police State and it is only getting worse. I have been through pure hell because of the Cherokee Country Sheriff's Department and their corrupt and dishonest actions. They act with egos, and not with compassion or intelligence. Search: Kerry Walker Story

MB
This was NOT a hostage situation. Listen to the 911 call, the mother was not in fear for her safety. She almost had to be convinced to leave. If the boy was erratic the officers had no reason to be that close to the door, period. The fact that the boy may have been trying to start a fire still does not justify DEADLY FORCE. Sheriff Garrison should have made his way to the scene. He should have been made aware of the boys age and mental issues. The officers had many options and their poor training resulted in this death. They could have maintained a large perimeter around the home. A 357 is very difficult to fire accurately. The could have used tear gas or a flash grenade. It's done and I will pray for the family and the officer. I will also not vote for Garrison in the next election.

It's tragic for everyone; the parents knew he was a problem, but had a 357 in the house. That's irresponsible.

I don't think anyone has a right to comment Negatively against the boy. Whether it was handled right or not he was Killed, any of these inconsiderate fools that are glad for the safety of their family and glad he was killed, keep it to your damn self, it could just as easily be your child one day.

Also I'm pretty sure the sheriffs intentions weren't to harm him in any way, since when did any of us become god?

This is a sad situation for all involved. My heart goes out to the parents, to friends, to neighbors and to the officers involved. But I have read comments and I have to question some of them. Clearly the child was desperate to have done what he did. Clearly it was a volatile situation...and could have ended up with even worse consequences....as if this wasn't bad enough. Anti-depressants at that age are known to cause kids to become suicidal--especially mixed with alcohol. He chose to knock out the window with the gun knowing that he had officers in close contact. He chose to do this knowing that there would be consequences. I do not live in Eagle Watch. I am a parent. My heart aches for his parents. My heart aches for the troubled young man. My heart aches for the officer involved. But my question is for those who keep doubting what the officer did: Would you be so quick to judge if that had been your parent/child who was having a gun waved at them and in danger if they were law enforcement? Would you be so quick to judge if they had backed off and he had gotten out running through the neighborhood and put other children in danger? The boy was in a bad place...and to me, it appears that he brought this on himself. He knew what he was doing. To me, there was something going on with Andrew that maybe no one even knew about and he wanted an easy way out. Maybe he couldn't get the courage to do it himself and he thought the only way was to have the officers end his pain......

I am extremely heartbroken over this thinking what could any of have done to help eased this childs fears; to have helped him to overcome whatever obstacles he was facing. But trust me: I have family in law enforcement. Not here in Cherokee County. Not saying I'm a fan/supporter of who is in office. I don't know anyone involved in this situation. But the law is the law. You do not threaten a police officer. They have to uphold their duty to serve and protect. What they were trying to do was to communicate with Andrew and try to bring this to a peaceful conclusion. I listened to the 911 tape; I listened to Sheriff Garrison's accts of what transpired. I heard the desperation in both Andrew's voice and his mother's voice. If the deputies had allowed him to get out of that house if they had not surrounded it, and he had harmed another child in the neighborhood or anyone else God forbid.........everyone would be saying they (law enforcement) had not done enough. I am a parent who has a child at Etowah. What if he had brought that gun on campus? What if he had been bullied and he decided to take it out on students on campus? What if that were your parent, your sibling, your child standing on the other side of that glass when he knocked it out waving the gun around and threatening them in that matter? What would you say then? Let it be and let this family grieve. Remember them. But remember also that there is an officer who I know is having a hard time dealing with this himself.

This kid should not be dead. There are facts about this town and there are facts about the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department that are not positive. Search: Nightmare in Georgia

For those of you who have questions about the procedures and protocol the SWAT team follows, including the snipers, we spoke to the captain of the Cherokee County SWAT team for more answers. Check here to see what he had to say: http://patch.com/A-sXgT

One key thing that no one is mentioning is the fact that the student was on ZOLOFT. Zoloft is only approved for OCD and yet psychiatrists still tend to use it for other "Off-label" purposes. The FDA issues a major and very explicit warning about Zoloft use in children and teens re: the potential to make depression turn into "suicidal behavior" and "aggressive/ violent" behavior. Lets stop talking about the actual day because I do think everyone did their "best" to help and that doesn't say there weren't possibly fatal mistakes made. Lets look at learning about this and helping the parents "sue" or understand how their loving, pacivist, socially conscious, musically talented and very bright IB student, turned into an adolescent they couldn't recognize. My own mother was given Zoloft once for mild anxiety and within 24 hours she got so depressed we had her in the ER that night. That has never happened before or after that and it was blamed on the effects of Zoloft. My uncle took Zoloft for his OCD and did very well on it. The medication is not evil in itself, however knowing this young man and how "extra" loving and good he was, I can only imagine the absolute flip in personality that occurred with this drug in his system mixed with alcohol to boot. FDA made the warning due to several similar cases, the warning is quite serious and you can google it if you're interested. Signed< a trained and licensed mental health professional

I believe as a community we need to stop trying to lay blame to an individual, whether it is a person or entity. After listening to the 911 call it is obvious that the poor mother was in fear when her son pointed the gun at her. I believe it is unfair to judge without all of the facts but it is a right of all citizens of this county to question actions taken by any government entity. If we do not question the things that happen and challenge the outcome we cannot grow as a community. That being said it is highly inappropriate and immoral to place blame without the complete story. That sniper did his job, however distasteful it ended up being. That mother did her job when she could not handle the situation at home. And we are all doing our job as citizens to evaluate whether this is a community we choose to raise our children in. I do not believe police tried to provoke that young man into a confrontation; they likely did what had worked so often in the past. Please consider how your actions/comments affect the rest of our community, a family that is grieving and a police department that is saddened. I cannot imagine how tragic it is for the people who knew and associated with the family but please consider their feelings above your own outrage at the outcome.

Surely you must realize the Sheriff is aware there are video recordings of the incident that could become public knowledge and he would not lie to cover up anything. This is the same man who was forthright about the missteps with the little girl so heinously murdered in Canton. Please be considerate of the torment everyone involved is going through. And if you have video please provide it to the GBI as opposed to bragging about it. That video could make a difference the next time we all have to deal with any situation like this. It is very sad that this has happened in our community please don’t let it tear us apart. Please pray for everyone involved to find peace.

What it comes down to is no one deserves to die, certainly not at a young age.
But there are a couple of things I would like to point out to those who feel sorry for the mother, she cared more about her neighbors not knowing what happened than helping her son who has a past of suicidal thoughts. I understand not putting them in danger but she said the situation was embarrassing. Also if she knew that her son had such thoughts why would there be a gun kept in the house, or the son be knowledgeable of where it was.
I know if my son and I were having a fight about grades or friends and he found a gun I would say none of those things are important enough to take any life and stop the argument there and tell him that you loved him and calm him down.
There are many ways to look at what happened depending on your morals but one thing that everyone should agree on and leave it at is that is terribly sad to see a young person have to leave the earth with so much more life to live. May he rest in peace.

Do any of you know of funeral arrrangements or a memorial service for Andrew?

Watch Chanel 2 News tonight, They have the first interview from the Family.

I am so glad that they are getting the actual story out.

Also for People in Eagle Watch that didn't want bullets flying around, the one that killed Andrew didn't stop there. Through the window, through Andrew, through the steps through the wall and through the back wall of the house. The back yard is like a cliff so the bullet did not end up in a hillside. It most likely hit another house somewhere.

Please watch and be informed...

I did repeat what I heard several officers, neighbors and a GBI agent told me. I had no reason to disbelieve that many separate people. I apologize for anything I said to hurt or offend anyone. I lost an aunt and a cousin I grew up with in seperate incidents this week as well as a fatal police standoff across the street from my house. Now my angry neighbors are insulting and slandering me on the web. I may have let my emotions get too much control over me. I should have thought things through before I posted.

Melissa, I don't know you, but whatever I have said or done to make you so angry, hateful and mean, I'm sorry. I will personally apologize to the Messina's for anything I said in my emotionally agitated state to hurt or offend them.

I'm a neighbor of the Messinas and I knew Andrew for many years. He was a good kid (despite whatever conclusions you draw from the 911 tapes or news reports) and I always enjoyed chatting with him when we had a chance. He will be missed and my prayers for peace and strength are with Andrews parents. For those of you with strong feelings of anger towards the police; or the parents; or Andrew himself; or even other people posting on this site, I hope you see through your emotions to respect the true tragedy… a young man has been taken and family and friends mourn. God bless all of you who hurt.

I profusely apologize for my misinformed remarks. Emotions ran high and I believed what I was told by authorities and neighbors. I have learned a huge lesson about keeping my emotional rants to myself until I know the facts. Andrew never held his mother hostage. He was apparently not even bipolar. I was told he was a drug dealer too, which I did NOT believe. I am SO sorry for running my mouth, and inadvertently hurting people who are already in umimaginable pain.

Garrison is a dishonest man and he runs a dishonest force. Then the local newspaper steers away from stories that convey the corruption. Read: The Dawn of Intelligence by Kerry Craig Walker

Ck out this..Do a search for Kerry Walker Story