12 year old shoots family; parents are dead, siblings wounded

[proud2BlibKansan]

When a twelve-year-old called Burlington police to report a shooting, officers may well have suspected that either an adult inside the home or outside parties had been responsible. But no: Authorities now believe the tween was responsible for the death of his parents, Charles and Marilyn Long, and the serious wounding of two siblings, ages five and nine.

According to 9News, both the wounded children are expected to live, with the five-year-old girl off a respirator and talking and the nine-year-old boy still sedated. He was reportedly shot twice.

Due to the level of carnage, speculation immediately focused upon whether the shooter could be charged as an adult. That's not a call 13th Judicial District DA Bob Watson can make under Colorado law for any suspect south of fourteen. And while it's technically possible for the juvenile court system to make such a determination, the odds of that actually happening are probably small.

Mourners at a candlelight vigil last night portrayed the Longs as loving and responsible parents. The Denver Post notes that they were deeply religious members of a Seventh-Day Adventist prayer group, with Charles, a guitarist and unicyclist, extolling the Bible and Ted Nugent on an old Facebook page. In the meantime, the shooter's motives remain unknown, with a brief court appearance by the boy last night shedding little light on a startling tragedy.

more . . . http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/03/charles_long_marilyn_long_12_year_old_burlington_homicides.php

[KamaAina]

1. "the Bible and Ted Nugent"

If any budding Truman Capote out there wants to write this book, there's the title. :cry:

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Yep. What a combo.

[Wilms]

3. Exactly that has my jaw dropped.

And I was thinking, "who'd of thought of such a phrase"?

:(

[TheWraith]

7. Makes me wonder what the hell they did to this kid.

12 year olds don't normally go around murdering people for no reason.

[LiberalAndProud]

4. Seven kids, homeschooling, deeply religious --

cue banjos

[ZombieHorde]

5. "Due to the level of carnage, ... the shooter could be charged as an adult"

I don't think we should try kids as adults.

[Tsiyu]

6. Any household where a parent lauds a guy who shit all over himself

to avoid going in the service may not have been the healthiest household.

That's all i'll say....

Sad situation, though

[hlthe2b]

8. It will be interesting to see what the older siblings (pictured in the photo)

at the Westword website, have to say.. I assume they no longer live with the parents.

Burlington is a small town on the far Eastern Plains of Colorado--nearly in Kansas, along I-70. It has less than 4000 people and a high level of poverty. Isolated, for sure with radio stations in the area limited to three "Xian" stations. RIght wing, for sure.

Rather than opening procedures to try to try this kid as an adult, I'd favor an in-depth investigation into the family and its dynamics, frankly. Yes, I guess I am willing to cast potential blame on the adult victims in this situation-- until proven otherwise.

[MyrnaLoy]

9. I wrote a little about

this yesterday and today read as much as I could find about it. It strikes me as odd that, in every report, no one noticed any odd behavior. Think about that, he shoots and stabs his family and there were no warning signs from a 12 y/o?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. Fundie Christian homeschoolers are dangerous.

The ones I have known want to protect their children from the evil outside world. They are fighting a losing battle.
The kids either have to adapt, or else, sometimes they commit suicide because they were not prepared for the outside world.

Or else if the kids try to leave, the control freak father will shoot them.