Boston mom faces trial in accidental shooting death of son

[onehandle]

BOSTON—After her 8-year-old son was shot to death, Lakeisha Gadson told police that three armed men wearing hooded sweatshirts had burst into her apartment and fired three rounds, hitting her little boy, Liquarry.

The next day, Gadson admitted she had lied about the intruders. This time, she told police that Liquarry's 7-year-old cousin had accidentally shot him.

Now Gadson is going on trial in an unusual case that accuses a mother of manslaughter in the death of her own son, even though she did not fire the gun that killed him.

Prosecutors say Gadson is responsible for Liquarry's death because she allowed her 15-year-old son to keep the loaded handgun that killed the boy in a dresser within easy reach of a child. They say that "led predictably to the resulting tragic -- and entirely preventable -- death" of her son.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/08/01/boston_mom_faces_trial_in_sons_accidental_death

[secondwind]

1. if she had a license for this gun, the accusations sound a bit harsh to me. Just sayin'.

[Ikonoklast]

3. Reckless endangerment.

Doesn't matter if she stole the gun, bought it, or it was given to her.

Would you give a minor child a gallon of gas and some matches to play with?

She's in serious trouble.

[Submariner]

2. I would say this woman from Dorchester has suffered enough

losing her son to an accident.

Now...if she was from say....white, and from Wellesley or Weston, where the prosecuting attorney may be from, I would venture to say there would be not trial, nor threat of one.

[Jennicut]

4. Leaving a loaded handgun in a dresser? The 15 year old

is a problem enough but from having young children I can say an 8 year old will go right in and take that gun and play around with it. I have 5 and 6 year olds, they go through my dressers at home to dress up in my clothes. I feel bad her for what happened to her son but that is kind of neglecting your responsibility as a parent, if she knew her older son had the gun. That is hard to prove. And manslaughter is way too harsh. I just wish more parents would realize that guns around children is something that can lead to tragedy pretty quickly. Lock the guns up, not loaded.

[one-eyed fat man]

5. This is crazy.

As a kid, back in the mid 50's, I had guns I was allowed to keep in my room after I had proven to my parents I could be trusted to do so. It was pretty common out in farm country and there were no great problems. In fact, if you were 11 or 12 and weren't responsible enough have a .22 in a rack on your bedroom wall you were pretty much considered a failure by adults, as well as your peers. By 15 you had a shotgun and a deer rifle and going hunting after school was common in the fall and winter. That, however, did not include loaded pistols in the dresser drawers.

Now, Boston, 2010, a 15 year old kid with a pistol, he ain't potting rabbits after school for supper. It makes me wonder if Momma was smoking crack or selling it? How did she come to "let him" keep a handgun? Was she saddled with an incorrigible delinquent and "allowing" it meant she didn't turn him in to the law for having it? I'd be curious to see what the 15 year old's arrest record looks like? After all, this is Massachusetts and it's not like you can legally buy any kind of gun, or even ammunition, at 15, much less a handgun.

[proteus_lives]

6. Ban mothers. It's the only way we'll be safe.

[SteveM]

7. Both parents violent repeat felons. Great example, there. nt

[one-eyed fat man]

8. That answers that question! Apple didn't fall far from the tree.nt