Boy calls shooting of 14 year-old girl accident

[onehandle]

"Based on evidence at the scene, we charged him with murder," said Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris. "We're still sorting out the details."

Aaron Schmitt, 14, of the 1200 block of Miles Road, remained in custody, accused of the fatal shooting of Alana Calahan, also of Miles Road.

Deputies found a handgun -- a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol that belonged to Alana's father -- in the woods behind her family's home, where the shooting took place.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/crime-courts/2011-02-01/boy-calls-shooting-accident

[geckosfeet]

1. Another loaded gun that should have been locked up.

[shadowrider]

2. How do you know it wasn't? Nothing in the article says anything either way

Just sayin

[Demit]

3. It's self-evident. If it had been locked in a cabinet the boy couldn't have fired it.

I think the poster was pointing out that there was obviously some failure in safety measures taken.

[shadowrider]

4. See, the difference between you and me is, I don't jump to conclusions and base

my opinion on facts not in evidence. The pistol very well might have been left out. It very well might have been locked up and the kid knew the combination.

Until the facts come out on where the gun was, I'll not offer an opinion (on where the gun was acquired).

A girl was shot and killed and the kid is facing severe charges. THAT I support.

[MineralMan]

5. It doesn't matter, really. The facts we know are that a boy took

his father's firearm and killed someone. Whatever the point of failure was, the person he killed is dead. There is, however, a point of failure in this story. If the boy had access to the firearm, however he had accident, there is a failure. If it was an accidental shooting, the boy did not have the proper training. If the boy has emotional problems, additional safeguards were not appropriately applied. Somewhere, there is a point of failure. Someone is dead as the result of that failure.

What that point of failure was is irrelevant.

[TheMadMonk]

6. Her father's actually. (3rd parra OP.)

Accident? Or she just told him he was dumped.

At fourteen, you don't get to call a death coming out of playing with a gun an accident.



And I don't particularly care how remorseful he may be, or how much more he is puinishing himself than any court could possibly do.

The Jackass wannabes, hoons, drunk drivers, train surfers, stoopid kids waving "borrowed" guns, etcetera, THEY DO NOT KNOW the self punishment that remorse brings until it is already too bloody late. All they "know" when they set out to be dickheads for funsies, is that those who have gone before them have almost invariably gotten off lightly no matter how horrific the outcomes. Which until it actually happens to you, is about a horrific as a good slasher flick.

Just why do we make so little distinction between truly mittigating circumstances and "She didn't mean it." or "He didn't think." when it comes to meting out punnishment?

[shadowrider]

7. On that you and I agree.

[geckosfeet]

8. Point is - an untrained child had access to a loaded gun. If he had a key

to the safe, that's as bad as leaving it out on a table.

[rrneck]

9. I have been told by more than a few

mental health professionals that males don't develop an understanding of consequences until their mid twenties.

[one-eyed fat man]

10. and girls don't

until the first time they are a week late.

[rrneck]

11. LOL! It's hard to fight two million years of evolution. nt

[burrfoot]

13. oops. perhaps that was dripping and I didn't notice? n/t

[burrfoot]

12. I'm not sure it's quite so straightforward...

As a general statement, it's true to say that males tend to take longer to develop the ability- and therefore the habit- of routinely thinking through a decision and it's potential consequences before acting.

This does not in any way mean that a teenage male is incapable of understanding consequences. Teenage males make responsible decisions every day. Although I'm sure everyone who knows a teenager has anecdotal evidence to the contrary (including me- I've worked with them for years!); I'd suggest that the vast majority of decisions they make are good ones, or they wouldn't make it through the day.

[rrneck]

14. Very good point. Thanks. nt