Boy, 12, charged with brother's fatal shooting

[onehandle]

Source: AP

DEPOSIT, N.Y. — Authorities are charging a 12-year-old upstate New York boy with the fatal shooting of his 8-year-old brother.

Prosecutors charged the 12-year-old as a juvenile delinquent Monday and will prosecute him in Delaware County Family Court for conduct that would constitute the crime of second-degree murder.

State police did not identify the children because of their ages.

Troopers said the boys were home alone early Saturday evening in the town of Deposit when the older brother retrieved a rifle from inside the residence and discharged one round, striking the younger boy. The younger brother was airlifted to Wilson Regional Medical Center in Johnson City, where he later died.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/boy_charged_with_brother_fatal_shooting_9FNeJ6ssfYOBllvl10kOnO

[movonne]

1. another gun tragic..

[ecstatic]

2. Tragic. IBTM

In before the move to the gungeon.

[WriteDown]

3. Wow, intentional at that age. nt

[Happyhippychick]

5. I was thinking the same thing.

[damntexdem]

8. Well, so charged.

As to the nature of the intention, one can wonder.

[WriteDown]

9. I suppose that is true of most murders. nt

[the other one]

10. Too young for intent. IMHO. nt

[WriteDown]

12. Years ago....

When I was in NYC, there was a 12 year old who shot an air conditioning repair man over a drug deal gone bad. It was a big deal back then, but probably would only be a blip now. I had met the kid a few times and he was a mean little punk.

[jgraz]

4. Yeah, charge the 12-year-old

The kid is obviously a hardened criminal who stole that gun from his law-abiding parents. :eyes:

Guns don't kill people, 12-year-olds kill people.

[WriteDown]

7. So forgive the 12 year old?

What if it was a knife or a brick? Regardless of method, this sounds intentional.

[jgraz]

22. A knife or brick is a qualitatively different weapon

You don't have the point-and-click aspect that a gun provides. Stabbing someone or beating them to death with a brick is a much more sadistic act than firing a gun.

Which is exactly the problem: guns make the killing sooo much easier.

[WriteDown]

23. All it takes is one stab or one brick thrown at the head...

Not sure if there is anymore "click" than that.

[jgraz]

24. You cannot be serious.

Guns are long-distance, low-effort weapons. They cannot be compared to an up-close stabbing or bludgeoning.

[WriteDown]

25. Who says this was at a distance?

They were in a living room. I can throw a brick much farther than that and crush someone's skull very easily. All it takes is cocking my arm back.

[jgraz]

27. You're spinning fantasy scenarios

I'll make this simple: what kills more people per year, bricks or guns?

Assuming you answer truthfully, what does that tell you about the relative lethality of these weapons?

[WriteDown]

28. Better question...

Why has the # of gun deaths risen greatly since 1965. Or why did the # of knife deaths rise sharply and then drop back down. If there were no guns, then would knife deaths rise up to meet demand?

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004888.html

[jgraz]

30. No, they wouldn't

That actually wasn't a better question. It was a deflection.

You still haven't answered my question.

[WriteDown]

32. Okay you got me....

Other murder methods are only used about half as much as guns. Guess those methods are only half as bad and deserve half the sentence. :eyes: The good news is that gun murders are way down from 14-15 years ago. Guess we're doing something right.

[jgraz]

38. Actually, I "got" you after the first post

The rest was just seeing how much functional logic you were capable of.

[WriteDown]

39. Don't think you got the jest.

:)

[demwing]

41. Snarkiness

...you're doing it right

[bigmonkey]

35. This is a simple argument to settle.

Give two trained men different weapons, one gets a gun, the other a brick. Who wins?

[WriteDown]

37. Why not a knife and brick?

I was not aware that these two children dueled.

[MineralMan]

6. If only the 8-year-old had been armed....

he'd have been able to defend himself.

[tabatha]

11. Yep, they needed two guns in the house,

one for each child so they could shoot each other to death.

[snappyturtle]

13. Where are the parents in this? Seems to me they're guilty of

leaving two kids home alone with a loaded gun. PERIOD.

[JerseygirlCT]

19. I'm with you

I don't like guns, period. Don't want them in my home or near my children.

But if someone is going to have a gun, then they absolutely, positively must keep them properly. And anywhere an unattended child can access the gun isn't proper.

What a tragedy.

[robo50]

33. These two parents need to be charged, too!

I say hold the parents in jail for a while, see if they smarten up about guns, kids, and what their job is when their kids are NOT yet teens, in other words, staying home to do the parenting.

[Demobrat]

14. Acceptable collateral damage

What's the life of one kid compared to the right of every gun nut who wants one to own an arsenal?

[Rebubula]

15. Awesome...

...Hyperbole.

[baldguy]

21. It's not hyperbole.

Gun worshipers think their "right' to play at being John Wayne is more important that this child's life.

[depakid]

29. Worth more than a thousand children's lives

as even the meagerist of public safety reforms meets with a lobbying barrage.

[Demobrat]

40. Their "right" to play John Wayne is more important than the life of any child,

and more importantly, they bear ABSOLUTELY no responsibility for the the death and suffering they cheerlead for on a daily basis.

[mrsadm]

16. Guns are very big in that area of upstate New York

I don't live too far from Deposit, and the gun culture here is very strong. Fathers all take their sons hunting, even at very young ages. I know more than a few guys with gun collections. I think this tragedy was just waiting to happen sooner or later.

[WriteDown]

17. Hunting rifles are big in that area...

Not sure what to do about that though besides offer better gun safety courses.

[mrsadm]

18. Parents can go further than safety courses

They can lock up the guns, esp. when the kids are alone in the house.

[robo50]

36. How about going even further? STAY HOME WITH THEIR KIDS!!!!

What was SO DAMNED important that kids needed to be left at home without parental (or at least some adult) supervision?

I don't think 12 year olds are mature supervision for an 8 year old. Sorry, I'm old fashioned, but I'd never hire a 12 year old babysitter for an 8 yr old in a house with a accessible gun and ammunition.

[winyanstaz]

20. I have raised a lot of kids and I just don't think this boy is a bad boy..

It sounds more like they were playing around and it was an accident. This boys life is also ruined and he will always carry the guilt of killing his little brother.
The gun should NOT have been loaded to start with and I believe the child thought he was playing with an empty gun.
I blame the adults for not keeping the guns locked up.
They should be the ones to go to jail and the kid should be put someplace where he will have counceling and care.
I don't know a single 12 year old on the planet that is old enough and wise enough to think of all the results of their actions. They are still kids.

[mbperrin]

26. Thank God it wasn't a cub scout eating utensil!

Those little bastards get the hard time!

[divideandconquer]

31. The tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of Amereica's young people

[GETPLANING]

34. Guns don't kill people,

people kill people. But if you give them all guns, they sure as hell will start killing each other with them.