Teenager Mistakes Brother for Intruder, Shoots and Kills Him

I don't what to say except that the family has my condolences. It's sad that the boy died at the age 12 before having the chance to go through puberty or finish it if he already started going through it, get a girlfriend, get a job, etc.

I like that his older brother won't get charged with shooting-related charges, but I don't think he should be charged with negligence, either. 16-year-olds are old enough to be home alone.

 

This is so sad.
I can't imagine what the brother must be thinking, and to be honest, I don't want to.
No charges should be made, this family just needs to be left alone and given time to grieve, this was a horrible accident, not a crime.

 

It's not even negligence. The kid was had an idea of what he wanted to do in case of an intruder, and even then he's old enough to be left home alone with a sibling. Poor chap. I do hope they'll be alright...

 

"He didn' t answer so I accidentally shot him" is often used as an excuse to try and cover up cold blooded murders. Not that I think it' s the likeliest explanation here, but it' s not impossible either.

If your reaction is to go trigger happy without even checking who it is you' re shooting first (and by checking I mean seeing) then clearly you aren' t prepared to handle a gun.

 

Sorry, I worded myself wrong at first.

 

This is negligence, clear and simple. I don't think I'd let the parents off with nothing, they hurt both of their children with this, I don't know whether I'd trust them with their eldest. It's terrible, irresponsible, selfish.

Huh, I hate guns owned by the public, they aren't to be trusted by any means. I've heard of too many incidents with murders with firearms, I'd rather see them gone then have this feeling of despair I experience with each story.

 

I'm assuming that the negligence charge is for the parents leaving a gun accessible to a 16 year old child whose home alone. Especially since if the 16 year old could get it, the 12 year old probably could.

I think the family needs counseling, not charges. But even in the absence of charges, the family should be required to keep the gun away from where children could get it (though this should be a law for all families, I think.)

 

This is why I think guns should not be for public use. This is devastating, the article seemed like a bit of an understatement: "They were devastated"- I'm sure they were completely heart broken. I feel so sorry for this family and it's good they aren't getting charged for the murder. However, I hope this wasn't a cover up, like Patman said, for a cold blooded murder.

 

If not a cover-up it is probably one of the worst things someone could accidentally do. Talk about getting messed up for life. Not sure about the parents being charged since that could deter them from being there for their son, if they aren't already. Especially since even if the gun was locked away it isn't that hard stealing a key or picking a lock, so he could have gotten it anyway. Can't say for sure without the full details but either way I don't believe charges should be made if there's not even a murder or manslaughter charge.

 

I don't know how this can't be considered negligence, since the teen was able to grab a gun without any sort of trouble. I mean, it's fine to keep a gun on hand in case an intruder comes in, but you should't keep it where anyone can grab it whenever they feel they need it. I feel sorry for them losing their son, but I really can't feel as sympathetic as it would seem

 

Can't imagine what the parents are going through right now? I think the boy has it worse. He's going to have to live out the remainder of his life knowing that he killed his little brother. Sure, the parents lost a son, but the boy lost a brother at his own hands. I feel sorry for all of them. This was just another of those situations where fight or flight took over, and caused a terrible accident.

As for any negligence charges, I don't see them getting pushed. The family's already going through enough, losing one child, I would hope the system wouldn't take them from the other.