Thursday, December 31, 2009

Texas Man Shoots 10-Year-Old Daughter

The Dallas Morning News reports on a terrible tragedy that took place on Christmas Eve.

The Oak Point man accused of fatally shooting his 10-year-old daughter on Christmas Eve had been investigated repeatedly by Child Protective Services, and police believe he was probably drunk when he fired the shot, according to officials and court records.

"I could smell ... [alcohol] on him, and his actions indicated to me that he was intoxicated," said Texas Ranger Tracy Murphree, who is investigating the shooting with Oak Point police. "There's nothing right now to indicate that it was an intentional homicide, but the investigation is still ongoing."

Duke Lawrence Watrous, 36, remained jailed Tuesday on charges of manslaughter, criminal negligence and tampering with evidence. Bail was set at $200,000.


He was not charged with illegal possession of a firearm, why? Do the lax gun laws in Texas allow a man with a history of problems with the Child Protective Services to have a gun? That doesn't sound right to me. Is this part of the general attitude towards guns in the Great State of Texas?

Police say Watrous was recklessly handling a revolver Thursday night at his Oak Point home when it discharged, hitting Ashley in the face and killing her.

Her 9-year-old brother and 1-year-old sister were present when the shooting occurred, authorities say.

Watrous then tampered with evidence by moving the gun from the crime scene and locking it in a gun safe, Murphree said. Police later secured a search warrant and removed guns from the home, he said.

Court records paint a disturbing picture of a family racked by conflict and allegations of abuse.

A judge limited Washburn-Rives' custody of the children after a 2003 investigation found she had abused them, CPS caseworker Hiza said in an affidavit filed Monday.

CPS investigators found that Washburn-Rives had emotionally abused Ashley and neglected Ashley and her brother, according to the affidavit.

The caseworker described Watrous and Washburn-Rives' relationship as turbulent and said each has accused the other of abusing the children.

This sad story illustrates the need for stricter standards in allowing people to own guns. Drunkenness and documented mental instability need to be screened and people like Duke Watrous need to be prohibited just like convicted felons and repeat violent offenders.

What's your opinion? Is this just the small price we must pay in order to enjoy our god-given 2nd Amendment rights? I don't think so, but I'd like to hear what you think.

Please leave a comment.

9 comments:

  1. Our argument all along boils down to this:

    You have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. It's important, just like every right mentioned in the Bill of Rights, and ought to be afforded the same respect. That means you don't deprive someone of that right without due process of law.

    Due process itself means that sometimes guilty people go free. Free speech means you have to listen to despicable people preaching hateful things, or even advocating overthrowing their own government. Search and seizure laws make it hard for police to catch people dealing drugs, committing fraud, and makes it harder to catch people manufacturing child porn, etc. You can blame all kinds of social ills on the fact that we recognize that people have certain inalienable rights. The existence of those social ills is something a free society ought to tolerate.

    Our society decided long ago that people were to have a right to the means to defend themselves. You can advocate against that -- you certainly would not be alone -- but as long as it's the constitution we ought to treat it seriously.

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  2. Drunkenness and documented mental instability need to be screened and people like Duke Watrous need to be prohibited just like convicted felons and repeat violent offenders

    How do you screen for these things Mike? By AA's standards, I'm a drunk (go take their test. By their definition pretty much any social drinker is an alcoholic). What defines mental instability? There's ways we can declare someone mentally unfit, but there's due process involved. How do you screen someone otherwise?

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  3. "Is this just the small price we must pay in order to enjoy our god-given 2nd Amendment rights? "

    You're an Italian, you don't have 2A Rights.

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  4. Mikeb: This sad story illustrates the need for stricter standards in allowing people to own guns. Drunkenness and documented mental instability need to be screened and people like Duke Watrous need to be prohibited just like convicted felons and repeat violent offenders.

    Sme old problem: If you can do that, and even if it works, you will not be able to ignore the shootings by people who had no documented disqualifications to screen. You will conclude that gun ownership by ordinary people must be drastically reduced and will favor laws toward that end.

    Am I wrong?

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  5. Too bad state provided health care wasn't written down in the Bill of Rights as a right for American citizens.

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  6. Let's see if I can sum up Sebastian's position.

    He basically says, "who cares if a child gets killed so long as I can have any gun I want."

    Really, his position is obscene. In his examples of free speech, one has the option to walk away and not listen. They have the option to turn the station or not read the document. If they do listen or read, being offended vmay be an inconvenience but it's not a life-altering event.

    Unfortunately, with Sebastian's fetish, I have no choice in the matter if he decides to shoot me. Further, being dead or crippled for life isn't exactly the same as being offended.

    Remember, there is no group advocating a total ban on guns. There is no group demanding an end to self defense. But Sebastian and his ilk are actively promoting more crime qand violence.

    --JadeGold

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  7. All rights have consequences, Jade. Stop being a troll.

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  8. Jade is legendary. If trolling were an art, he'd be Michelangelo.

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