Friday, October 3, 2014

Washington DC 13-Year-old Dead - 14-Year-old Shooter Will Not Be Charged

Local news reports

A 13-year-old boy was shot and killed by his 14-year-old best friend Tuesday in what the boy's father is calling a tragic accident.

Tyin Caldwell's father says the boys were playing with a gun inside an apartment on Downing Street Northeast Tuesday night just before 7:30 p.m. The father and the other boy's mother were talking outside the apartment and rushed in to help.

While the boy was conscious when police arrived he later died at a hospital.

"The preliminary investigation indicates that this is an accidental shooting," said D.C. Police Commander George Kucik.

As a result, the 14-year-old has not been charged. But Kucik says the owner of the gun could still face charges and the investigation is ongoing.

15 comments:

  1. How does this qualify as nonchalance? The article says absolutely nothing about the circumstances beyond who did it and the belief that it wasn't intentional. I know that many states have ages at which children are considered to be too young to commit a crime. DC seems to be one of the states that have a fixed age,

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/stats/states.html

    You likely have but to wait for the prosecutors to wade through the myriad of gun laws there and do the paperwork.

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    1. Well, that's how to turn the tables on me. Now I'm arguing that a 14-year-old is old enough to be held responsible for his actions. But the real nonchalance is that the owner of the gun is not immediately locked up and they need to conduct one of those investigations.

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    2. "But the real nonchalance is that the owner of the gun is not immediately locked up and they need to conduct one of those investigations."


      Again Mike, we then run into that pesky 36 hour rule. And we've talked several times about police discretion regarding arrest.

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    3. One thing for sure, the kid was not trained on gun safety, which he should have been given there was a gun in the house he could get a hold of.

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    4. I don't know if that's for sure. I think many kids are trained and still do stupid shit like this.

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    5. Even a better reason to not have guns in a home with children.

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    6. "Even a better reason to not have guns in a home with children."

      Nonsense. They should be treated just like any other hazardous material in the home such as poisonous chemicals. And just as with these other hazards, just telling them not to doesn't absolve you of responsibility if they don't follow a parent's instructions, something any parent can tell you isn't a matter of if, but when.

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    7. Knowing kids as they do, that's why most parents don't keep poisons around the house where kids can get at them.
      You accept that a nine year old (who hasn't the physical strength to handle a weapon) is fine using a weapon. I think that's to young, but certainly a 14 year old boy can be taught, especially if there are guns in the home. I knew perfectly well how to handle a gun and it's dangerous handling by the time I was 14. A good parent should know if their kid is responsible enough and able to safely handle a gun by that age. Some can, some cannot, but a parent should know their own children.

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    8. "that's why most parents don't keep poisons around the house where kids can get at them."

      I can certainly hope they do Anon. Also keep in mind that parents also tend to slack off as kids get older. For example, take safety latches that many parents install to keep toddlers out of cupboards where poisons are stored. At some point though, these latches become easily defeated by children as their strength and dexterity develop.
      By that age, most children can also defeat standard child guard caps. Do the parents then purchase more and more secure safety devices? Do parents ask the parents of playmates if they keep household chemicals?
      Yet, in 2011, just over 400 children died from poisoning. I take firearms seriously and am legally and morally obligated to secure the firearms in my home. So the only one that isn't locked up is the one on my person, or under my control.

      "You accept that a nine year old (who hasn't the physical strength to handle a weapon) is fine using a weapon. I think that's to young, but certainly a 14 year old boy can be taught, especially if there are guns in the home."

      You cant really make any kind of informed decision as to whether my child is old enough to learn to shoot, and it seems strange that you seem quite ok with letting a parent use their judgment once the child reaches an age that YOU think is old enough.
      I am always supervising at the range, the level of supervision is determined by my judgment on the individual. If needing more attention, be they my youngest daughter or an adult who has no experience, no one else shoots so that I can concentrate on the one shooter.

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    9. Again your diversion to make this about YOU with no consideration of the millions of other Americans, is childish and ridiculous. How often do people use poisons? If you keep deadly products around, then yes, your security has to evolve as your children get older and smarter and able to overcome the previous security. Or maybe the threat should just not be in the house. Your conclusion is, oh well, shit happens. NO, shit happens when idiots don't take precautions. Like gun loons not knowing where the barrel of their gun is pointing and oops the gun discharges and someone ends up dead.

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    10. "How often do people use poisons?"
      Use toilet bowl cleaner? Poison. Use draino? Poison, Use bleach? Poison.
      As I said in my comment, I take weapon security quite seriously. Been doing it for years.

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    11. So I take it as a stupid parent you allow your children access to those poisons. It's your fault when your children kill themselves with such poisons including your gun. AGAIN, if the gun problem was only about YOU we would have no problem. You think the gun problems the country has IS only about YOU. You constantly refer to YOUR experience and then claim there is no problem. Thanks for proving your dishonesty AGAIN.

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    12. Anon, I'm glad you're satisfied that the way I'm doing things aren't causing a problem. You seem to regard me as a "gun loon", so it seems quite appropriate to use my experience as an example as to what works. I also use other data when needed.
      I never claimed there were no problems, but you need to look at the possibility of solutions other than ever tighter restrictions on civil rights.

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    13. Your statements prove you are not only a gun loon, but a constant liar and a person who cares little for other peoples lives, or even common courtesy for other people.

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  2. Must be those permissive gun laws in DC. Oh . . . wait.

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