Police: Teen steals gun, accidentally shoots self

[jpak]

http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/179622/3/Police-Teen-steals-gun-accidentally-shoots-self

HOULTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- A 15-year-old Houlton boy suffered a gunshot wound to the head after police say he accidentally shot himself with a gun he allegedly stole Tuesday night.

According to the Houlton Police Department, a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old broke into Mac's Trading Post on North Street in Houlton at about 11 o'clock Tuesday night.

Sgt. Eric Crouse said the teens stole four guns and ammunition while setting off the store's alarms, causing police to respond to the call at 54 North Street.

Crouse said after conducting interviews, he believes the teens began loading the guns, preparing for a confrontation with police.

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[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. a future republican, hard at work.

[jeepnstein]

2. He's a real problem solver, that one.

The child should not have even been out of his house at 11:00. And he had a thirteen year old with him? On a school night?

[dmallind]

3. So...don't steal shit you don't understand is the lesson here then.

If I stole a space shuttle I'd be at serious risk too.

[Remmah2]

4. A Darwin Award candidate?

How does one "accidentally" shoot ones self in the head?

Probably puts his head on the train tracks too.

[jmg257]

5. Thwart a shootout with police by shooting yourself in the head 1st.

Good call!

[TheMadMonk]

6. Definitely a darwin candidate, and anything less than a vegetable...

...he should do serious time.

RIGHT ALONGSIDE THE FUCKING STORE OWNER.

AN ordinary gun owner has no excuse having improperly secured firearms. A trader in firearms has even less.

[We_Have_A_Problem]

9. Excuse me?

The little miscreant broke in, set off alarms, etc...How is the store owner responsible for the criminal behavior of this idiot?

[TheMadMonk]

13. Because without safe busting tools, those guns should not have been...

...accessible.

I have no, zero, nada sympathy for the little bastard and his friend and I wish upon them the full force of the law. (Actually I'd prefer a 200 plus meter arse kicking with his sobbing "Please don't tell my dad")

That said. The store owner is responsible, because, Said "little bastard" should NOT have been able to get his hands on those guns with such ease. If a fifteen year old was able to do what that fifteen year old clearly did, then a couple of gang bangers, or "true believers" on a fast track to Paradise, operating under instruction could have walked off with an entire fucking arsenal.


.177 air rifle or 110 mm howitzer, I do not give a flying fuck what you owm, just that if you claim ownership you do so responsibly AND DO NOT put me (or mine) at risk, unless we first do unto you.

[AtheistCrusader]

14. We don't yet know what methods were used to free up the firearms.

Just because he was stupid enough to shoot himself, doesn't mean he wasn't smart enough to mix rust and aluminium in the correct portion to burn through an inch of hardened steel in half a minute.

If they were sitting on a shelf, I might be inclined to agree. Let's see what exactly transpired inside the store.

[TheMadMonk]

15. Easy effing peasy. Now not cooking off the ammo, THAT takes smarts enough...

...NOT to shoot oneself in the face.

Piss poor safe, or no safe at all, is a far more believable scenario than a couple of kids using a thermic lance (or thermite) to successfully breach a well built vault.

If storage was "up to code" then "code" very obviously needs updating. What a couple of kids almost achieved, is well within the capabilities of most street gangs.

[PavePusher]

12. WTH?

Get a drink, seriously.

[ileus]

7. Well that saves a little money in the end.

[benld74]

8. 2011 Darwin Award runner up

[Remmah2]

10. Police are not releasing the names of the juveniles?

But they'll publish the names of CCW's as leads for crooks.

[spin]

11. This is a tragedy ...

It's hard to say how this could have been averted but possibly we have a failure of parenting as well as a failure of our society to instill good values in these teenagers.

It leads me to wonder if these kids had a criminal record and if they did what measures were taken to help them find a better path to follow.