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Investigators say 10-year-old boy shot younger sister in face

PT111

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, South Carolina, USA
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Don't leave your children home alone.

http://www.scnow.com/midatlantic/scp/news.apx.-content-articles-FMN-2008-02-13-0013.html

By Patricia Burkett
E-mail | Biography
DILLON — Investigators said a 9-year-old Dillon County girl is recovering in a Charleston hospital after her 10-year-old brother shot her in the face.
The incident happened at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday at a home on Briarwood Court in Dillon County.
The children were home alone were arguing over a bag of potato chips, Dillon County Chief Deputy Sheriff Douglas Pernell said. Their mother was at work.
Investigators said the boy wanted the entire bag of chips and when the girl refused to hand them over, he got his father’s .410 bore shotgun. He loaded a shotgun shell, pointed it at his sister and fired.
The blast struck the girl in the right cheek, near her eye.
The two then ran to their grandparents’ home nearby for help. Their grandfather called authorities and the girl was rushed to a local hospital.
Doctors transferred the girl to a hospital in Charleston to have emergency reconstructive plastic surgery. She is expected to survive.
Family members say they were shocked by what happened.
“I feel like it’s an accident,” said Freddie Haselden, a cousin of the children’s mother. “I know him real good and I spend a lot of time with him and I don’t see him doing that intentionally.”
Dillon County sheriff’s investigators sent the incident report to the Department of Juvenile Justice, petitioning for a charge of assault and battery with intent to kill against the boy
The boy’s mother told a Department of Social Services representative her son was prescribed medication for a hyperactivity disorder, but he’d lost the medication and hadn’t taken it in about a week.
The boy’s cousin told investigators the child pointed the shotgun at him and several others on previous occasions. The cousin said the boy pulled the trigger, but the gun wasn’t loaded.
Dillon County investigators say they don’t anticipate bringing any charges against the children’s parents at this time. It will be up to 4th Circuit Solicitor Jay Hodge, whose circuit includes Dillon County, to determine prosecution.
 

vmathis12019

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Even though just 10 short years ago, I was 10 years old and home alone with my sister and guns in the house, it seems that you just can't give kids today the benefit of the doubt.

Hate to say it, but the shotgun should've been in a safe, away from the kid.

Back in the day, we had loaded guns in the house that I could've easily accessed had I really wanted to, but I knew better. Kids today just don't seem to.
 

deepdiver

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If you can't lock up the guns, at least lock up the ammo. A 9 and 10 year old, IMO, should never have access to both a firerarm and ammo for said firearm simultaneously without adult supervision.
The boy’s cousin told investigators the child pointed the shotgun at him and several others on previous occasions. The cousin said the boy pulled the trigger, but the gun wasn’t loaded.
If my kid did that more than once (1) the guns would be in a safe or out of the house (2) the ammo would also be locked out of reach and (3) his punishment would be so severe he would never, ever in his life want to repeat the behavior.
 

Beau

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PT111 wrote:
Don't leave your children home alone.

http://www.scnow.com/midatlantic/scp/news.apx.-content-articles-FMN-2008-02-13-0013.html


The boy’s mother told a Department of Social Services representative her son was prescribed medication for a hyperactivity disorder, but he’d lost the medication and hadn’t taken it in about a week.
I really think these types of medications cause more problems than they solve. They only suppress a problem. When the medications stop the problem comes back often with more problems. I will never allow my children to take any kind of medication to control their behavior.
 

Citizen

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Beau wrote:
SNIP I really think these types of medications cause more problems than they solve. They only suppress a problem. When the medications stop the problem comes back often with more problems. I will never allow my children to take any kind of medication to control their behavior.

+ 10

About 15 years ago I was speaking with awoman. Iforget what I said, but out of nowhere came a complete flood of tears. Her boyfriend was emotionally abusive, things were not going well in her life. She had been seeing a therapist for some time and had been taking whatever was the latest anti-depressant.

I got to thinking about it later.

If the damned drug was so effective, where was all the crying coming from? I'm not talking sniffles here. I'm talkingcrying. She wasn'twailing, but there was no lack of tears. How much upset emotion had been building up for how long to make thatflood? And why hadn't the drug preventedthe build up?

What the hell are these drugs, anyway?
 

imperialism2024

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Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, USA
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This is one of the unfortunately side effects of freedom.

What could have prevented this? Proper gun education for the children. It's a shame that the anti's are willing to sacrifice lives of children through accidents like this instead of having gun safety taught in public schools. But I guess that would also take teaching time away from making sure that every little kid knows how to properly celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Kwanzaa...

Yes, the guns and/or ammo could have been locked up. That would also make it safer for an attacker to rape and murder the kids.

Really, though, it's time to stop treating the symptoms of a lack of gun education. It's time to treat the root cause of it.
 

XD40coyote

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woman stuck in Maryland, ,
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Citizen...

No amount of antidepressant can take away the fear and loathing that builds with an abusive relationship. I know, I have been there. My solution- cut off the cancer infected limb which wasthe man who was emotionally abusing me. Get him away from you! A restraining order and get a gun to defend yourself if he is that bad.

As to her other life problems, these too are different from simple chemical depression. No amount of meds will solve the problems causing the stress. The crying was from her pent up emotions she no doubt had been trying to suppress for a long time.

Yes one can have clinical depression and also have life stressors, the stressors just worsten things if they cannot be resolved. She likey didn't even have chemical depression, she was just VERY stressed out and it had been building and building and building.

I have had actual depression and am still on one med for it. The condition cleared up pretty fast, esp when the stressors in my life went away at a later date. I had other conditions related to it, and they too are controlled now. These meds can be real life savers for some people, so don't bash them in a generalizing way. Not everyone using them gets worst!

As to the 10 yr old boy- he is likley a spoiled little brat! I knew a girl who was very hyperactive- she was a spoiled brat simple as that! Never any discipline at all and she had too much sugar and caffeine all day to boot. When I was little I too acted up and got fidgety, but when my parents or any other adult scolded me or told me to stop it, I did. Gee maybe some spanking, and going to your room and not having dinner, had its uses. Oh yeah and my parents limited my coke and candy consumption pretty strictly.
 
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