Police: Teen killed after vehicle hit with eggs

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sun, Dec. 03, 2006
Police: Teen killed after vehicle hit with eggs
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A 14-year-old boy who was throwing eggs at cars along with two other teens was shot and killed by someone who had been in a sport utility vehicle that was hit, police said.

Danny Crawford, an eighth grader at Westmoor Middle School, was killed by a gunshot wound to his upper body, according to Franklin County Coroner Brad Lewis. He died at the scene early Saturday morning.

The teens were throwing eggs at cars when a vehicle that was struck chased them, said Detective Tim Huston of the Columbus police. The vehicle stopped and several gunshots were fired, he said.

Police were looking for the shooter, who fled in the SUV, Sgt. Dana Norman said. The SUV believed to be involved was located a short time later near where Crawford died in an alley on the city's west side.
(snip/...)

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/16152474.htm

This quick thinking SUV owner was able to save the taxpayers money prosecuting this vandalism case, and he was able to apply his own capital punishment to a case which the government might have fumbled away only to let the little culprit walk.

[Mythsaje]

1. Some people deserve nothing less than

to be fed to an alligator.

Since when was petty vandalism punishable by death?

What a fuckwad.

[fujiyama]

8. Sounds like the penalties in Saudi Arabia or something

Scary thing is, I think there are a lot of people in this county with the same kind of reasoning...and I think they would have similar draconian penalties for petty crimes...

[Mythsaje]

11. Shooting a kid for egging your car

seems a bit over the top.

Once he's caught, IF he's caught, he'll probably get life. That's about the worst we can expect, and certainly a punishment I'd never want to face.

I just can't believe ANYONE is that far gone that a paint job is worth killing someone over.

Some people might consider such a person a "waste of skin."

There are people that deserve being thrown to the alligators, but that doesn't mean they SHOULD be thrown to the alligators. Though I'm sure the alligators wouldn't mind.

[fujiyama]

14. Just to be clear

I wasn't talking about your suggestion of the alligator. I was talking about the death penalty for someone egging a car.

[Branjor]

16. It wasn't "reasoning"

Sounds like a purely over the top rage reaction.

[fujiyama]

55. You're absolutely right

though, I think some freeper types will try to justify this.

[Solo_in_MD]

18. Egg my Ride, You Gonna Die!

Seriously, last summer there were a rash of paintball attacks on cars in my area. Sure enough, the kids were stupid enough to use a small set of hiding places. Local resident spotted them and apparently bad things happened. No one was shot and the attacks stopped. I honestly was of mixed minds about how it was handled. From what I heard there were no serious injuries but there were some bruies and destroyed personal property.

As a year round motorcycle rider I am particularly vunerable to egging, paint balls etc, and have a very low tolerance for someone risking my life for thier amusement.

[dddem]

19. I think we can agree that there is a difference between a motorcycle

and an SUV. And there is a difference between an egg and a rock. There is no excuse for killing a person over an act of vandalism. No excuse.

[Pithlet]

25. What about the people who are risking other's lives

by shooting at people who piss them off? People with hair trigger tempers heavily armed are much more dangerous than that kid ever was. The asshole shooting at that kid could have hit an innocent bystander. It would have been much safer for all involved to report him. There is no excuse. People who think the SUV driver was justified are sick in the head.

[Darth_Kitten]

48. Though I think shooting anybody is way out of line..........

I have a very low tolerance for stupid, reckless behaviour. I don't know, maybe kids should be taught EARLY that you don't take stupid, reckless chances and what may seem "fun" to them can have dangerous consequences.
You read about these kids/youths/whoever all the time. Whoops, dropped a boulder or rock off an overpass, whoops, this is the 10th time some 7 or 8 year old set fire to an abandoned building or garbage bin, etc, etc, etc.......

Where are the PARENTS in any or all of these cases? THEY should be held accountable as much as their unsupervised little angels.

I can understand a little bit why people snap. Though I don't condone murder, I can understand that people can get frustrated. :(

[lvx35]

2. Of course it was an SUV.

It all just goes together into such a great image of this fine character. :sarcasm:

[Darth_Kitten]

49. Well, what make of car do the parents of these vandals drive?

I personally don't care if it was a SUV or whatever.

[lvx35]

105. I look distainfully at gas guzzlers

If what Al Gore says is true, choices about things like how much fuel we burn could have serious impact on our childrens lives.

[MnFats]

3. there was a time .... that kid could have been me....

i sincerely hope this guy will be charged with some degree of murder and not some halfassed charge like negligent use of a firearm....don't know what Ohio calls it but most states have such a law...I think second degree murder would fit....in my state that's defined as intentionally causing a person's death but without intent to kill.
...though you could probably argue that stopping, getting his gun, getting out of the vee-hickle and shooting the child are enough to constitute premeditation AND INTENT...so in my book he should go for first-degree murder.

[Rottenmac]

4. I remember getting eggs thrown at me and friends in LA

in the late 80's early 90's. By turds in suv's before they were suv's. (Bronco's, jeep wranglers, etc...)

At least they hit another car, and then we saw both guys going to 2 different grocers to buy more eggs. Ironically, they gave us some and told us to "Get those other guys."

We ended up throwing them at each other, and laughng it off. Unfortunately, this kid wont have that chance.

[Porcupine]

6. I've had SUV asshats hit me with beer cans while biking.

My ideal job would be towing those things off and crushing them aka "Who killed the electric car." It would do wonders for the US's carbon budget.

[Swamp Rat]

7. A full bottle can kill

Rural Louisiana can be very dangerous for the urban cyclist who is out training for the next century race or triathlon. ;)

[lonestarnot]

13. Had mofo's throw one at us at a protest in Tempe. Sailed passed my

kid and hit the sidewalk and shattered. I'm ready for the next one.

[KG]

23. oops

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. That'll teach those punks

Thank dog that law-abiding citizen was in control of the situation.




Just in case... :sarcasm:

[PassingFair]

58. Thanks for the sarcasm tag.

Lately, around here......

well, you just DON'T KNOW.

[xchrom]

9. wow -- you just never know when you are going to egg the vehicle

of someone who is having the worst day of their life and a gun.

[WinkyDink]

10. I've told my husband to drive as though every other driver has a gun.

[Deja Q]

17. A gun and no common sense whatsoever.

Always drive defensively and with an avoidist attitude.

[Judi Lynn]

12. DU'ers who were here in 2003, do you remember the Amish guy killed similarly?

Here's the only story I could find with this much info., but DU'ers discussed this one for a couple of days:

DRIVER KILLS MAN AFTER PRANKSTERS THREW TOMATOES
Wednesday, September 3, 2003
NEWS 05D
Associated Press

MOUNT HOPE, Ohio (AP) -- A motorist fired a shotgun into a cornfield at a group that threw tomatoes at his car, killing a 23-year-old man of Amish heritage, authorities said.

Steven L. Keim of Applecreek and about 10 others, ages 15 to 23, were hiding in a cornfield Monday night along Rt. 241 north of Mount Hope, about 60 miles south of Cleveland.

The group told the Holmes County Sheriff's Office that they were throwing tomatoes and firing paintball guns at vehicles.

After a northbound Lincoln or Cadillac was struck with tomatoes, the driver got out and threatened to shoot whoever threw the tomatoes, the sheriff's department said.

The vehicle drove past the cornfield again and was struck with tomatoes a second time.

The car returned about 25 minutes later. The driver challenged the group to throw more tomatoes, then fired into the cornfield, striking Keim.
(snip/)

http://forum.headpollution.com/viewtopic.php?p=37469&sid=29378617ea95c53b24650b751f9c9458

[petronius]

27. That story came to my mind as well

I'd bet that the 'throwing stuff at cars' thing happens on a daily basis (somewhere around the country); I'm a bit surprised that the 'shooting at vandals' thing isn't more common.

I hope they catch the murderer and charge him appropriately - and I also hope they prosecute the other kids who were involved in the egging...

[Ms. Toad]

94. Note to self -

Since I live in Ohio, only throw food at passing cars when I am traveling out of state...

[Name removed]

15. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftofthedial]

21. raw eggs can contain botulism, a biological agent

that can kill people

this clearly was an armed, responsible citizen combatting terrorists weilding biological weapons of mass destruction

[itsmesgd]

22. It's a sick world

It's sad that someone would whip eggs at traffic, and it is sad that someone would respond with gunfire. This is why each person should exercise responsibility and beware of egg-throwers and shoot-backers. There is no right answer, both share a portion of the responsibilty for the actions and the outcome. I am aware and careful to avoid these types of situations. I don't "prank" but I do possess a concealed weapons permit and carry daily.

I am a very responsible person, my father once said. When shit goes wrong, I am usually the one responsible.

[KG]

24. see, this is why the 2A is so important!

we need the right to keep and bear arms to kill teeagers egging our cars! thank god for the 2A!

[petronius]

28. Why wait till they throw them?

Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to start shooting every teenager I see in the supermarket egg aisle. Actually, maybe I'll shoot every kid in the supermarket just in case they're looking for the eggs...

:sarcasm:

[jgraz]

31. Great idea -- how many of us HAVEN'T wanted to shoot a kid in the supermarket?

Screaming kid in the checkout line? BLAM!

"Sorry, ma'am he appeared to be reaching for an egg."

[LisaL]

Just the other day I was in a store and that kid was wailing something

awful. I don't know if any eggs were nearby.

[Darth_Kitten]

54. The kids in this case aren't exactly angels......

they bear some responsibility.......don't play with fire and you won't get burnt.

Why don't we just give the little angels more things, they just do these random acts of vandelism because they are BORED and there just aren't enough skateparks/arcades/toys to keep them distracted.

Yes, shooting them is extreme, but don't play with other people's brains and emotions, you never know what they can do. :(

[uppityperson]

56. of course they bear some responsibility but shooting them is extreme

Or are you saying people bear responsibility for how others react?

[Darth_Kitten]

66. Just what I wrote......

you cannot gauge how other people are going to react. If I don't want a lion to maul me, I won't go into a lion's cage with a steak tied to my back.........

Yeah, we can NEVER know how another person is going to react. Right or wrong, we cannot control what's going on in another person's brain. Of course, if they break the law, they will have to pay the consequences......

[majorjohn]

115. I agree with you 100% n/t

[Tyler Durden]

119. A better idea: CAGE THE LION IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Sounds like the same logic that says "Don't wear that miniskirt, or if somebody rapes you, you asked for it."

Provocation without injury is NO EXCUSE for physical violence. Unless you're psychotic using the "insanity" defense.

[seabeyond]

90. shootin them is extreme? it is fuckin MURDEROUS n/t

[Darth_Kitten]

91. different adjective.........geez.

;)

[Tyler Durden]

120. Tornado. Force 1 Beaufort breeze. a matter of degrees?

I think not. I think your on odd ground on this one. Shooting people from a car for VANDALISM is a response that carries neither reason for occurance, or a requirement to defend against.

Like shooting shoplifters. NOT.

[Critters2]

85. Pre-emptive strikes-They're not just for the Pentagon! nt

[Nikia]

95. Grocery stores in my hometown

Limited how much toilet paper that they sold to teens out of suspicion that teenagers were buying large amounts of toilet paper for vandalism. Maybe they shouldn't sell eggs to teenagers either, or at least no more than one dozen at a time.

[jgraz]

30. But only if I can use an assault rifle

Shit, those teenagers have equipment that allows them to fire 12 eggs at once! Why can't I have the same capacity on my guns?

[spoony]

82. Yeah, and that gem of satirical genius

is a perfect example of why we need the first amendment: to post strawmen on the internet!

What, it has other uses?

[Quixote1818]

26. When I was young we threw snowballs at cars and one stopped and the guy

chased us down. He caught my brother and started banging his head into a wall. He then grabbed my brother by the arm and started dragging him back to his car to take him to the police station when my Dad pulled up. The guy let go of my brother and took off running. Too bad we didn't get his license number.

[LisaL]

34. Lucky for you he didn't have a gun.

[undeterred]

29. When I was young a teen caught throwing rocks at cars committed suicide

after being arrested. It was the first time he'd been in trouble. Shot himself in the head.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. Someone threw a full beer can at me a few weeks ago

during our anti-war protest. Should I have shot at him?

[90-percent]

33. my movie

I always wanted to make a Schwarzenegger type vigilante movie about a faction of people sick and tired of rude drivers and take the law into their own hands.

when the guy driving in front of the vigilante-mobile doesn't signal or drives too slow in the passing lane, a loudspeaker pops out of the roof and then a howitzer and over the P.A., "That's the last time you'll change lanes without signaling, goon! Prepare to meet thy maker!" Followed by the rude drivers car shredded and exploded to bits and explicit footage of the rude driver burning alive.

The above is the most scripting that's ever been done on my gem. Could I get the wealthy DU supporters of indie films to fork over 2-3 million to finish it, plez?

-85% Jimmy

[Retired AF Dem]

35. Moral of the story?

Don't fuck with people you don't know. It is as simple as that. (and no, I don't agree with what happened)

[pitohui]

36. no humans involved

solo and toad may overstate to make a point, but let's be honest, little shitheads who throw things at vehicles don't merit many tears

someone doing this at age 14 is not the same as someone doing this at age 6, the 14 year old's personality is formed, he is a loser who was going to screw up his life some kind of way, and maybe this way of getting himself killed was faster and easier on the family than 30 years of drugs or whatever cheap thrillseeking technique came next

i do agree that he should have been reported and jailed, not killed by a vigilante who is probably as useless as he is, but it's just getting hard, real hard, to have sympathy for people who go around deliberately causing trouble when so many of us who only want peace are having such a struggle in this world

i will submit that if you go around trying to cause automobile accidents, you are at least in some sense an attempted murderer if not a terrorist and i am not going to shed any tears for your loss

nobody involved in this story is worth a moment of my pity or concern, not the gun whack driver but not the teen jerkwad either, they are two of a kind, cowards who look to harm or kill without getting their own hands dirty

throwing objects at drivers of vehicles isn't just a prank, it is a coward's prank, and not a bit more uplifting than the equally cowardly act of shooting dead a teen armed only with eggs

[LisaL]

37. Oh that's just silly. The kid threw eggs at a car.

Kids do stupid things. To say that he doesn't deserve tears is ludicrous.

[WhollyHeretic]

38. It's pretty funny for you to start with questioning people's humanity and then write this

soulless garbage.

The kid did something stupid, lots of 14 year olds do. He did not deserve to die.

[pitohui]

43. i'm pulling your leg a little

i don't really think he deserved to die, but i will cheerfully admit that i don't much care one way or another that he did

nor would i lay awake nights weeping if the suv driver shot himself dead in remorse

i did say "no humans involved" not "no humans involved except for the amazingly insightful and concerned and oh-the-humanity poster herself" :-)

it's horrible to say it, i know it's horrible, but yeah -- since kids know that throwing things at cars will, some small percentage of the time, result in death or serious injury to the driver or passenger of the cars, i do find it symmetrical that, some small percentage of the time, the kid throwing the object is himself taking some risk of death or serious injury

a 14 year old knows better, he was gambling -- a coward's gamble -- that he could cause serious harm to someone else with almost no chance of harm to himself, he lost the gamble, no where is it written in life that every time you take a chance you are guaranteed to win

moral of the story, as another poster says, don't fuck with people you don't know

[High Plains]

47. Ah, pitiless pitohui is back...

[Darth_Kitten]

59. Wow, this is great................

Bravo!!!!! :D

Yes, people just want some peace and quiet....where's the joy in life if cowards and mindless idiots are going to take what little we have and destroy it. :shrug:

You are so right, it's HARD, very hard, to have any sympathy for these people. Too much valuable energy should be directed towards positive things.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

61. I Find The Mentality Displayed In Your Post To Be Far More Damaging To Society Than A Kid Throwing

eggs at cars. Far more damaging. Just thought you should know, lest you think you were on higher ground than they, or something.

[pitohui]

67. read post #59

apparently i'm too subtle, so there i spelled it out -- "no humans involved" means "no humans involved" it does not mean "no humans involved with the exception of me and my wisdom" or "no humans involved except everyone eating popcorn and enjoying this thread because we are so morally superior to kids throwing eggs and kids driving stolen SUVs and wielding guns"

i'm not pretending to be on higher moral ground than anyone else who is being entertained on a pleasant sunday afternoon by this incident, however, i will refrain from pretending i've shed any crocodile tears, i don't think that's especially attractive either

honesty is a moral value too, and anyone who has nearly had a serious accident because of a punk like this one and watched their life flash before their eyes is entitled to express what they honestly feel, which is, in my case, this kid won't be missed in this world

social pressure stops many people from saying what they think, but if an invisible person on the internet can't ever be honest, what's the point?

[uppityperson]

71. Am I a punk who should've been killed and no one would miss?

I have been on the throwing AND the receiving end of having things thrown on my car. Yes, I was scared both times, but NEVER EVER EVER thought of killing the kid throwing eggs at my car and NEVER EVER EVER would pretend I wouldn't have been missed if the driver of the car I threw at had killed me.

Of course this kid, and I, and the one throwing at me, deserved some punishment, but death? And to have my death discounted so "never be missed as was a punk"? Bah.

[pitohui]

76. you seriously want me to believe you were throwing stuff at cars age 14?

if it's true, i'm glad you have changed

but you've got to realize, any time you set out to seriously kill or injure someone for fun -- a stranger who has done you no harm, just any random person in a car -- if instead that person snaps back and kills you, that's your legacy, that's how you will be remembered

there isn't any pretty face i can put on a punk who threw things at vehicles, sorry, he knew what he was doing, he just thought all the risk of being hurt was on the other side

[uppityperson]

80. I did. I have. I had it happen to me too.

I did not set out to seriously kill or injure someone for fun. I wanted to scare the driver. I did. I also had the police chasing me after they got called. They didn't catch me.

I got scared as a driver when it happened to me and was glad I didn't crash. I called the police also.

No one tried to kill anyone.

Did I know all the possible repercussions at 14? No.

[Mythsaje]

102. Sounds an awful lot like projection to me...n/t

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

78. I Repeat, Regardless Of Your Illogical Reply: I Find The Mentality Displayed In Your Post To Be Far

more damaging to society than a kid throwing eggs at cars. Far more damaging. You can rationalize the mentality all you want. It still doesn't justify it, lend logic or credibility to it, or make it any less disgraceful.

And for the record, the only thing not completely honest about my replies is that I can't make them passionate enough, strong enough or impactful enough to truly get my sincere emotions across as to how I really feel about your assessment. That's the only thing not purely honest about my posts. They're letting your sentiment off far too easy.

[Darth_Kitten]

106. Things get thrown at cars.....

drivers get distracted, accidents can happen.

Sorry, it's not the mentality of fed up, concerned citizens that is damaging this world, it's the mentality of those who just laugh off or find excuses for the punks wanting to have some "fun". These precious little angels aren't very amusing.

[Mythsaje]

39. Here's a question...

How is it that a teenage boy of 14 isn't legally old enough to consent to sex yet is held responsible by some on this thread to the point that he deserves to die for a stupid prank? In case none of you remember (or never were) a teenage boy, doing stupid shit goes with the territory. Sure it was criminal...but hardly worth the death penalty.

There are more sick fuckers here than I ever imagined.

[pitohui]

68. people on this thread didn't set the age of consent laws

i had sex at 14 and i'm fine, not sure where age of consent comes into it your argument

our society tells a lot of lies and one of those lies is that a 14 year old is a baby who doesn't know what he is doing

the kid knew what he was doing, he wanted to see a car crash, he wanted to see someone badly hurt or dead, and he wanted to be able to run away from it without consequence

the suv driver who shot him was a sick fucker, but this kid is a sick fucker too

it's a sick world sometimes i'm afraid

i'm a little surprised at this thread myself, apparently more people on this thread than i ever imagined tried to crash other people's cars with rocks, eggs, apples, etcetera when they were old enough to know better, this don't give me much faith in humanity, i'll be the first to admit

[YankmeCrankme]

72. so maybe people at that age just don't know better

If the majority of the people in this thread did things at that age that they failed to see bad consequences, not really thinking actions all the way through, then maybe that's the norm and you were the exception growing up being functionally mature at age 14. I wasn't, no matter whether I thought I was back at that age. It takes time for most adolescents to finish developing into mature adults that can recognize the actual effects of risky behavior, seeing that far into the future.

"the kid knew what he was doing, he wanted to see a car crash, he wanted to see someone badly hurt or dead, and he wanted to be able to run away from it without consequence"

You know that how? Can't ask the kid, he's dead. But, it's good to know you knew what he was thinking or his motives, especially since you can identify with him...Oh, wait, you can't since you never were in that situation...you were already emotionally and intellectually mature. I forgot.

[pitohui]

73. i judge people by their actions

he was throwing things at vehicles, that's how i know he was up to no good, who are we kidding here? it don't take mind reading skills

you understand we are talking about 14 here, not 6 right?

no way this person did not know what he was doing could have harmful consequences, he just thought he personally was immune to the consequences

it's usually the driver or passenger or both who are harmed in such situations

[YankmeCrankme]

77. Yeah, because that's what the research shows regarding

human brain development.

[Pithlet]

75. I'll take the kids throwing objects

over the sick murdering monsters who would shoot them, or defend the murderer, any day. The fact that there are people on DU cheering and laughing at what the monster did, and insinuating the kid deserved to die do a lot more to shake up my faith in humanity than idiot prankster kids do. There are some sick, disturbed people in this world, that is for sure.

[Mythsaje]

83. You KNOW what he had in mind?

And age of consent laws DO come into it. In one case we consider him a child, unable to make his own decisions, yet in another case we assume he has all the responsibility of an adult?

How the hell do you know what his intentions were?

On edit: Kids that age are rarely able to understand the consequences of their actions. They have issues with impulse control, as has been proven by studies of brain chemistry. He may not have been SIX, but he's also not an adult.

[sendero]

97. Wow..

.... you can not only read minds, you can read the minds of the dead.

You are completely full of shit. The stupid kid probably never even considered he could cause an accident, and as a matter of FACT, it is highly unlikely that he would.

I could extrapolate your brain-dead logic into branding all sorts of prankish acts as murderers in training. Jesus, were you EVER a fucking kid? Get a grip.

[Ms. Toad]

98. Where do you get

"he wanted to see a car crash, he wanted to see someone badly hurt or dead"?

Throwing eggs at a car does not equal wanting to see a car crash and/or wanting to see someone badly hurt or dead. More likely they were more interested in making a big mess with something they perceived as relatively harmless (i.e. not likely to get them in big trouble if they got caught)? That's certainly whad friends who did - and their intent was just that - to make a big relatively innocent mess. No, I didn't take part myself - I was Ms. Goody-two-shoes, but I recall my friends' pranks and currently have a teenage daughter (an honor student) who every once in a while amazes me with how totally clueless she is about the consequences of some act which would be obvious to most adults.

[Catherine Vincent]

40. That poor kid.

I hope they find the shooter. Too many people have tempers. It's just scarey.:(

[benEzra]

111. Unless the SUV was stolen...

then it would seem he'd be easy to find, since the police recovered the SUV, and can therefore identify the owner.

[Crandor]

41. what's with all the apologists for that idiot kid here?

It's easy to make light of vandalism when you're not the one affected. That's the same kind of mentality that makes RWers say "screw the poor, I got mine."

[stevedeshazer]

44. Do you advocate death for vandals?

That's what some here are saying.

Can you direct me to a post that apologizes for the behavior?

[countingbluecars]

45. This child did not deserve to die!

No one is making light of vandalism, but what kind of mentality would defend the driver here?

[Crandor]

46. I'm not saying the driver was right

Vigilante justice is not a good replacement for the legal system, since it is both less accurate and has a tendency to lead to feuds. But the vandal does not deserve the sympathy that he is being given in this thread. I look at most of the posts and it's all "How could this monster shoot such a perfect innocent kid" etc...

[Bluebear]

52. "How could this monster shoot such a perfect innocent kid"

Please direct us to one of "most of the posts" that say that.

[LostinVA]

65. We'll be waiting a long time for that link, I suspect

[Mythsaje]

103. Since we're still waiting, I'd say you were right...n/t

[Eric J in MN]

93. We're sympathetic because he's dead.

If he'd been arrested, I'd want the DA to prosecute and not just let it go.

[JVS]

70. Sure he did. He was out there doing something that endangered lives...

and ended up losing his own. Feel good story of the week.

[dddem]

51. Don't you mean 'Dead' idiot kid?

I think that might explain a lot.

[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LostinVA]

64. What's with being an apologist for the person killing the kid?

Vandalism, even being a little punk, doesn't mean the kid should die.

[Eric J in MN]

92. The driver should have called the police, not murdered the kid.

Arrest and prosecution are appropriate to vandals, not instant death.

[Minnesota_Lib]

42. There was a case in San Jose once where an ex-marine sharp-shooter...

...was packing his car very early one morning for a trip. He had been up drinking all night.

While loading up his gear, he saw a 13-15 year old neighbor kid (I forget the exact age but he was young) climbing over a fence into the backyard of the house the kid lived in. The kid had--like many of us had at that age--had sneaked out of the house to have some late night fun with friends and was in the process of sneaking back into his house.

Doing what any concerned citizen would have (or so he later claimed) the ex-marine took out a pistol and shot and killed the kid. He then calmly got in his car and left for a weekend camping trip. He was questioned by police upon returning home the following Monday. Although he admitted to the shooting, he was not arrested and never charged in the kid's death.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the perp was also an ex-cop and assistant DA. This was way back in the late 60s or early 70s. It looks like we still have trigger happy nuts who like to shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to the horrible crime of kids being kids.

Sickening...

[Sapphire Blue]

50. Your comment after the article:

"This quick thinking SUV owner was able to save the taxpayers money prosecuting this vandalism case, and he was able to apply his own capital punishment to a case which the government might have fumbled away only to let the little culprit walk."

Is this meant to be sarcastic? Please tell me it is.

[Judi Lynn]

74. I believed it to be completely clear. How could it be other than sarcastic? n/t

[WhollyHeretic]

79. I think it was completely clear. Though, some people here started

muddying the waters with some horrible, heartless and violent posts. It was probably in response to their posts that the question was asked. I can't believe some of the things people have said in this thread.

[Judi Lynn]

117. I hafta admit, I was floored by some of the responses.

I was really unprepared to see ANYTHING like that summoned.

I believe ALL Democrats are very intelligent, well-balanced, mentally healthy. Anything less is a Republican!

It's true: Republicans are deformed Democrats.

[uppityperson]

81. I took it as sarcasm, am upset with posters who took it as real.nt

[Judi Lynn]

118. I was unprepared to see this, also. You're not alone. n/t

[Sapphire Blue]

87. Thanks for the response.

I thought it was sarcasm, but, given the things I've seen posted here on occasion, I had to ask.

[YankmeCrankme]

53. I remember seeing a show a few years back...

about research into human development. I was struck by the findings that teenagers don't really development a sense of bad consequences until the late teens. I could relate to that, as I had done some pretty stupid things as a teenager and looking back I realize how I was clueless about the possible bad results of my behavior. It wasn't until something stupid resulted and you do the slap to the head, "what was I thinking" reaction. And I've seen it enough times with my experience as an adult watching teenagers growing up. Luckily, nothing bad occurred because of my dumb actions, though I do recall throwing oranges out of a moving car one night.

So, I would like to apologize to HynoToad, Pithoui, et al for not having been killed then, as much as a "loser" deserves to. It would have saved me the time and effort of growing up into a responsible adult who volunteered to serve his country, pays my taxes, is a loving family member, performs volunteer work in the community, is generally law abiding, among other mature adult behaviors.

[uppityperson]

57. Me too.

Guess I deserved to be killed for my stupid acts that might have led to an accident. Apples in my case.

[Mythsaje]

84. Good post, Yank...

I totally know what you mean.

[YankmeCrankme]

86. show was called...

The Secret Life of the Brain. PBS 2002

[uppityperson]

88. thanks. brain development is interesting.

Little kids, toddlers, 2-3 yr olds. They know not to do somethings, can watch them tell themselves "no don't touch" while they touch. They can repeat the words but their brain has to develop that into actions. Teenagers have different brain development also. Thanks for the name of the show.

Uppityperson, another punk that should've been shot rather than being allowed to grow up into a contributing member of the community

[seabeyond]

99. they have an adult brain. they think with the front part of the brain, whereas

adults active in the back part of the brain. the difference is spontaneous to thinking it thru. it is a fact. that is the absurdity i see on posts when people talk about kids here at du and the outrageous demands people are making on kids and teens, that are not natural, will not happen, yet we all insist on.

agree

[d_b]

62. Insane.

Hell, I probably would have roughed the kid up some, but shoot him? KILL him?

What the hell is wrong with some people?

[JVS]

69. LOL!

:rofl:

[gulfcoastliberal]

89. Maybe a shot pointing straight up, would have gotten the point across

I doubt they would've ever done it again if they realized how anyone could be carrying a gun; that said, I hope the murderer gets a lifer.

[seabeyond]

96. i allowed both boys to read this post, along with hynotoads response

a clear signal to my boys not to do anything stupid cause there are adults out there doing a bigger STUPID. hynotoad, you gave my boys a lesson greater than anything i could have given them,.... and all those that responded to hypnotoad, you allowed my boys to see that still a majority of adults are reasonable.

to all that never did a stupid as a teenager pat you on the back. i tended not to do stupid either when i was a teen, but i assure you, i was the minority by far. i did tp however, and that is vandalism, i guess for the few, that warrants death?

no one here excused the boy or claimed he was an innocent. so that is a bullshit statement totally not supported and arguing something that isnt.

between calling our kids out of control, a nusaunce, shootin em dead, tasering,..... and toe line perfectly or else

we will face a repercussion i am sure. that is simply how universe works. but when reading these many different types threads on du about our children, i tend to be a tad disappointed in our adult population as we work all day, too busy for the kids, wars, racism, going to hell advocates, teen porn and so many messed up things in their world.

[KingFlorez]

100. And that warranted murder?

I can see someone being angry at a kid throwing eggs, but to commit murder? That is insane.

[seabeyond]

101. a few on this board actually dont see a problem with it.

surprise

[Skittles]

104. disturbing

very, VERY disturbing

[ProfessorGAC]

107. I Knew A Kid That Was Killed For Throwing Snowballs

Back when i was in third year of high school, the son of a guy my dad worked with was shot and killed with a 30-06 rifle after he hit a car with a snowball. He was 10!

The guy who killed him was in my homeroom! Sat one row back and one row over. We always had a feeling he was awfully close to tilt, and we were right. He fired four shots. Hit the kid in the heart with the second one. The first went through the fence, and one of the other two went through the hood of the jacket the 8 year old brother was wearing. The fourth shot hit the 11 year neighbor kid near the elbow.

So, i'm not shocked about this, since i personally knew both a shooter and a victim. (Btw: This happened in 1972 and that guy is still in prison.)
The Professor

[bleedingheart]

112. there are a lot of folks "close to tilt"

and even some youngsters are that way.

my son waw stabbed by a classmate in the chest (no serious injuries thank god) over an argument about whether Spyro?? some video character was cool or not....the kid just could not handle that my son would not agree with him...

[bread_and_roses]

108. I am struck dumb by some of the responses here

But then, this is not the first thread I've read here where hostility to children - even children much younger than this one - leave me speechless. As well as the near-total lack of comprehension some evidently have about human development.

[Sapphire Blue]

109. ...

Welcome to DU.

[LisaL]

113. Yea, me too.

WTF is wrong with some people? First of all, the fact that the guy had a shitty day does not excuse him killing a young kid for a prank. And he shouldn't spend some time in prison. He should spend a lot of time in prison.
There is no excuse for what he did to the kid. It's not self-defense. He followed the kid and killed the kid. Having a shitty day is not an excuse for murder.

[seabeyond]

114. i hear you. i am amazed. these people are beyond clueless

they dont realize and cannot be educated how stupid they sound.

[bleedingheart]

110. The shooter is an idiot, the kid did something dumb and paid with his life

First, the reason our parents tell us (and why I tell my kids) not to do dumb stuff to other people's property or to them is because you never know when the person you are messing with may kill you.

When I was a kid, we used to tic tac with corn around halloween (throw dry corn on aluminum awnings...made awful noises)..one of my friends was shot in the back with a salt pellet by an old geezer who did not like trespassers. Now my friend just had a nasty mark and scar from that but no one was prosecuted because our parents thought it taught everyone a "lesson"...

Now...I feel bad for this kid, but people have been killed on roads by idiots who threw shit from overpasses.

Same thing here, what if the kid moved from eggs to bricks?

As for the driver, that was a severe overreaction but if the guy was having a shitty day to begin with and this happened...well unfortunately some people don't know how to calm down and he/she will be doing some time in prison and for good reason.

Overall it is a very sad situation..

[La Lioness Priyanka]

116. jesus christ: guns sure make killing easy...