Last summer Bryan and Brendon Mackey — father and son — walked toward Swift Creek Reservoir to enjoy a Fourth of July fireworks show. Joy turned to grief when a bullet fell from the sky and struck Brendon in the head. The 7-year-old died.
Death apparently came from a gun fired in celebration of Independence Day. The police diligently have sought the shooter but have been unable to charge anyone.
State Sen. Henry Marsh reacted to the heartbreak by introducing legislation to toughen penalties against celebratory gunfire. The Times-Dispatch’s Jim Nolan reports that Marsh’s bill would make a death resulting from such gunfire a Class 5 felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, the same as manslaughter. It would make injury resulting from celebratory gunfire a Class 6 felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment. A conviction for the firing of a gun in a celebration that does not cause harm would be a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
We support Marsh’s proposal without reservation and are pleased a Senate committee has endorsed it.
The person responsible for the crime knows what he did. How does he live with himself?