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Girl, 6, fatally shot; father jailed

FMCDH

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jbone wrote:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1014&year=2007

The purpose of the bill above is well founded. This tragedy is a direct result of the "red neck" mentality of getting too used to guns and allowing the handling of them to become a "mundane" act. Except when taken appart, a gun should ALWAYS be handled as if loaded, and that includes not allowing children access in any way to firearms (loaded or not) when not under the direct supervision ofan experienced and SOBER ADULT!
:cuss:
This guy deserves the full punishment of the charge they have him on and more! Hes not only dangerous to his family, but hes also dangerous to others. Anyone who would drink and handle firearms deserves to never own or touch a firearm again. People who do stupid things or commit crimes under the influence of any drug should have the punishment doubled (or tippled if your in Oregon ;)). IMO
 

thewise1

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FMCDH wrote:
jbone wrote:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1014&year=2007

The purpose of the bill above is well founded. This tragedy is a direct result of the "red neck" mentality of getting too used to guns and allowing the handling of them to become a "mundane" act. Except when taken appart, a gun should ALWAYS be handled as if loaded, and that includes not allowing children access in any way to firearms (loaded or not) when not under the direct supervision ofan experianceand SOBER ADULT!
:cuss:
This guy deserves the full punishment of the charge they have him on and more! Hes not only dangerous to his family, but hes also dangerous to others. Anyone who would drink and handle firearms deserves to never own or touch a firearm again. People who do stupid things or commit crimes under the influence of any drug should have the punishment doubled. IMO
Hate to say it, but the kid did just fine. It's the dad that failed. Ignored the 3 rules of safety - Didn't treat the gun like it was loaded, pointed the gun at something he hopefully didn't want to shoot, pulled the trigger when he didn't want to shoot it.

If he would have followed any one of those rules his kid would be alive now.
 

3/325

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MARYSVILLE -- A Marysville man told detectives he watched his 6-year-old daughter crumple to the floor after he accidentally shot her in the head Sunday with a handgun she retrieved for him.

Detectives were told Richard Peters, 42, had planned to clean the .45-caliber Colt. He said he'd sent his daughter, Stormy, to get the loaded gun from a nightstand in his bedroom. He also allegedly told detectives he'd consumed multiple double shots of vodka and would have been too drunk to drive a car.

Peters was arrested for investigation of first-degree manslaughter and is being held in the Snohomish County Jail. Stormy died early Monday, a few hours after she was rushed to Seattle Children's hospital, according to a police affidavit filed Monday in Everett District Court.

"The death of a 6-year-old is tragic," Snohomish County sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. "You have to be so careful when you have guns and children in the house. Adding alcohol to the mix is certainly a recipe for disaster."

First-degree manslaughter occurs when somebody recklessly causes the death of another person.

Deputies were called to the Peters' home Sunday about 7:30 p.m. after receiving a report of an accidental shooting at a house in the 4500 block of 83rd Place NW. Deputies found Peters sitting outside with a neighbor. He was talking about how he had just killed his little girl, according to the police affidavit.

Homicide detectives later questioned Peters about the shooting. He told investigators he'd asked Stormy to bring him his gun from his bedroom. He said the girl was standing somewhat behind him when she handed him the gun. He explained that he cleared the loaded magazine from the gun, pulled the trigger and the gun fired, according to the affidavit. Stormy fell to the ground. Peters said she turned blue. He held his daughter in his arms. He told police he froze and couldn't perform CPR or call 911 after the girl was struck by the bullet, according to the affidavit.

Stormy was put on life support at Children's, where doctors pronounced her dead just after 3 a.m. Monday.

State records list no unintentional deaths involving firearms and children Stormy's age between 2002 and 2006, the last year the statistics were available. Of the 43 accidental firearms deaths in Washington during those years, just two involved people under 15. The most frequent causes of accidental death for children Stormy's age were motor vehicle accidents and drownings. Between 2002 and 2006, more kids under 14 died of bee stings in the state than accidental shootings.

Peters reportedly told police all of his children handle guns, including his 3-year-old. He said the handgun that fired Sunday has a "hair trigger," and he thought his daughter could have been able to pull back the slide, loading a bullet into the chamber.

Peters' wife had a somewhat different account of the shooting, according to the police affidavit. She allegedly told police she retrieved the gun from his nightstand. She said he cleared the gun, pulled back the slide and the weapon discharged. She said her daughter wasn't in the room while they were cleaning the gun but suddenly appeared, police wrote in the affidavit.

Their other children, 3 and 8, were home but not in the room at the time of the shooting, she said.

Richard Peters told police he is proficient with guns and has a concealed weapons permit. He said he was in the U.S. Navy and often goes shooting. He said he started handling guns at the age of 7, according to the court record. Peters told detectives he accidentally discharged a shotgun in October during a Halloween event at a shooting range in Darrington. He said his friend had handed him a loaded shotgun. He said he didn't know the gun was loaded and he accidentally fired a shot downrange. He was counseled about the shooting.

Detectives removed other guns from the house, Hover said. They declined to say how many weapons there were. Prosecutors on Monday requested that Peters be held on $500,000 bail. There were other children in the home at the time of shooting and a large number of guns in the home, Snoho­mish County deputy prosecutor Mona Clarkson told the judge.

"He was cleaning guns while using alcohol," she said. "We do believe he is a danger."

Clarkson said prosecutors also are concerned about his mental health. Deputies noted that Peters was distraught and made statements about harming himself, according to the affidavit. Peters' public defender, Anika Carlsten, requested that Peters be released from jail. She argued that Peters isn't a flight risk. He's employed and has lived in the area for more than a decade. The only prior trouble came in 1990 when he was cited for driving without a license, Carlsten said. She said her client isn't a danger to himself or the community.

"He has a wife and children who need him at home at this time," Carlsten said.

The judge set bail at $250,000.

The other children have been removed from the home by state Child Protective Services workers, Hover said. That is standard practice when an investigation is under way surrounding the death of a child.

Neighbors who live on the quiet cul-de-sac on the west side of the Tulalip Indian Reservation described the accident as tragic.

"They are good people," said Ana Tall, who lives on the same block as the family. "They are good neighbors."

Gerry Provencher, 65, didn't know about the shooting until Monday morning when his son called to say the road was blocked off with police tape.

"She was just a little girl," he said. "It's sickening. It's just ... Why?"

Provencher said the girl's death is a tragic reminder of the importance of gun safety.

"I have a gun," he said. "I have grandchildren. The gun is in my safe, locked."

Stormy was a first-grader at Quil Ceda Elementary School. Grief counselors were at the school Monday to help any children who might need help, said Marysville School District Superintendent Larry Nyland. Quil Ceda's staff was briefed before school.

"It's just a real tragedy," Ny­land said.

Quil Ceda Principal David McKellar sent a letter home Monday afternoon to families with children at the school.

"Classroom students were told of the accident this morning by their teachers," McKellar wrote. "Counselors were available to talk with children who may have felt sad or uneasy; however, we understand that may not be enough."

McKellar included a tip sheet for parents as a resource to help children deal with death. He said the school is respecting the family's request for privacy as it deals with its grief.

"We all feel a tremendous loss of a friend and will hold the family close in our hearts at this sad time," he wrote.

An interesting disparity between statements by the shooter and his wife. I wonder how that's going to pan out. I have to applaud the reporter for pointing out statistics on deaths of children under 15.

As usual, there are undoubtedly facts missing from the story. But that won't stop me from posting my initial reaction here on the worldwide interwebs thingy: Fry his ass. I'm not kidding. Hook him up and throw the switch. I'm sick and tired of people blaming alcohol or drugs for the tragedies they cause and then getting reduced sentences for it.
 

Tawnos

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Not to mention the guy had a previous ND incident with a shotgun. He's repeatedly ignored the rules of firearm safety, and done so in a disturbingly stupid way.

Sadly, this incident will be pointed to as a reason to ban firearms, not to require people to show a lick of common sensibility when dealing with them.
 

deanf

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Fry his ass

We don't have a history in this country of executing people for unintentional killings, nor should we start one.

Why tell a family that just lost a daughter and sister that we are now going to kill her father? Barbaric.

The other children have been removed from the home by state Child Protective Services workers, Hover said. That is standard practice when an investigation is under way surrounding the death of a child.

I wonder what the legal basis for that is? I don't personally feel subject to the State's "practices", only laws.
 

3/325

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My internet bravado aside, having kids doesn't get anyone a free pass as far as I'm concerned.

Nobody forced him to start drinking or to continue until he was drunk. He chose to do that all by himself. If you're going to willingly and knowingly enter into a condition where your judgment is impaired, you should bear the full consequences of your actions.
 

marshaul

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State records list no unintentional deaths involving firearms and children Stormy's age between 2002 and 2006, the last year the statistics were available. Of the 43 accidental firearms deaths in Washington during those years, just two involved people under 15.
More evidence that the high numbers of "children" killed by firearms in this country reflects our prohibition-fueled gang problem. They count underage gangbangers (who die in the greatest numbers because they are footsoldiers, sacrificed first) as "children", and all of a sudden you have massive numbers of them dying by firearms. However, when you look at accidental death (which is the kind of incident people worry about when they freak out over "guns and kids :what:"), the numbers drop to almost absurdly low levels. Just goes to show that, as tragic as this sort of event is, and as much media attention as it may get, it is exceedingly rare. On the order of peanut fatalities.

Which gets me to my point: laws mandating how one stores his firearms are knee-jerk reactionary, unnecessary, and protoprohibitionist.
 

PT111

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, South Carolina, USA
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Before I start pulling the switch on the father I need to know much more about what happened.But there are so many things wrong here until I really don't know where tostart. When one gets drunk and claims they are going to clean their .45 what they really mean is they are going to play with it. Cleaning is just an excuse. The father's and mother's story conflict so who do we believe? Finally who tells their 6 year old to go get their gun out of the drawer? Too many things wrong here but a sad story.
 

tricityguy

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Yes, very stupid. I carry consistently, even around my house. In fact, the only time I don't carry is when... wait for it.... I'm DRINKING!!

Will I have one beer or a glass of wine while carrying? Sure!

Will I have two, three beers, or drink liquor, do shots, have multiple glasses of wine, etc, while carrying? Hell no!

This is how I figure it: If I am not safe to drive due to the level of alcohol in my system, then I am NOT safe to handle a firearm, either! For me, that's anything more than one normal sized beer or one small glass of wine. Anything beyond that and I consider myself impaired and do not drive, do not handle weapons. In fact, when I find myself reaching for that second drink, I unholster and put the weapon away before I indulge.

Common sense, people.
 

FMCDH

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tricityguy wrote:
This is how I figure it: If I am not safe to drive due to the level of alcohol in my system, then I am NOT safe to handle a firearm, either! For me, that's anything more than one normal sized beer or one small glass of wine. Anything beyond that and I consider myself impaired and do not drive, do not handle weapons. In fact, when I find myself reaching for that second drink, I unholster and put the weapon away before I indulge.

Common sense, people.
I think if there is one thing we have proven time and time again on this forum, its that common sense isn't so common. :(

Fear and self hatred tend to cloud that realm of thought for allot of people. Only these two things interfere with the primal instinct of self preservation, and the evolved concept of live and let live. IMHO
 
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