FL - Julia Bennett, 33, shot dead, 2yo son blamed, Miramar, 20 April 2011

[Missizzy]

One thing I found interesting is that the man, the legal father of the child, has a permit to carry. He's obviously trying to follow the letter of the law, which is more than can be said about a number of gun owners.

I stand by my theory that no mother would turn her back on her own toddler who was holding a gun. I looked at all the photos on Wiki and I just don't see how it's possible. I also defer to the "expert" gun owner. He would know.

....Unless an adult "steadied" or supported the child's hand. That's an evil thought.

 

[jjenny]

He might have had a permit to carry, but it would appear his story is he brought the gun to the apartment and then left it where this toddler got a hold of it. If that story is correct, then he hardly is a responsible gun owner.

 

[DairyGirl]

One thing I found interesting is that the man, the legal father of the child, has a permit to carry. He's obviously trying to follow the letter of the law, which is more than can be said about a number of gun owners.

I stand by my theory that no mother would turn her back on her own toddler who was holding a gun. I looked at all the photos on Wiki and I just don't see how it's possible. I also defer to the "expert" gun owner. He would know.

....Unless an adult "steadied" or supported the child's hand. That's an evil thought.

I just assumed that the mother did not know that he had the gun and maybe, it would seem, didn't even realize there was a gun in the child's reach.

 

[Missizzy]

I'm not implying that the man was responsible. Not a bit. I was merely making the point that he went to the trouble to get the permit and most likely carried it all the time. He is the child's father and thus, I would think that the mother spends some time with him, or has in the past. I would think that she'd know that he had a gun.

I agree, the ultimate irresponsibility. Being shot by the child in the back, though, makes no sense to me. I'm going to be very interested as to what the investigation turns up. I'm very sad that a woman was killed but will be relieved if it's proven that the child did not pull that trigger.

 

[joeskidbeck]

respectfully snipped and BBM:

The young boy was seen playing around with police shortly after the shooting, giving no outward sign of distress as his mother lay inside shot to death....

Are they implying that a two year old would be aware that he had just shot his mother? If this child did shoot his mother, he doesn't even know that she will never come back. To me, that remark is as lame as the one about LE not arresting the child!

 

[Lanie]

MOO

I don't know about a Glock, but the guns I have handled are very loud. I would think a 2 year old shooting a gun would be traumatized by the noise alone, and possibly have at least some temporary damage to his ears.

Also, gun powder residue is not just coated on the skin. Unless the toddler put on gloves before he shot the gun (yeah, sarcasm) he would have tiny fragments of gunpowder embedded in his skin. That's why they say you can't 'wash' it off.

IMO, a toddler could pull the trigger on a gun. They are not going to necessarily hold it and shoot it like someone older would, so this boy could have used his whole hand vs. just his index finger.

That being said, how convenient for the father of this child, who apparently has pointed this gun at this woman in the past, that everything managed to fall together so perfectly that his 2 year old was able to shoot and kill her. How convenient for him he leaves this gun in the reach of a two year old at the victim's house, and she either just doesn't notice there is a gun laying around, or she doesn't care if her child plays with it. Yeah, right. My house is a mess, and I would notice a gun in a heartbeat.

What a crock.

 

[LCoastMom]

Thanks for answering the question about GSR - I had no idea how that works and wondered if there would be a pattern vs a smear - like powder blast.

Aside from the obvious distress to his ears, isn't it quite easy to catch skin in this type of gun? I've seen some nasty bruises and even cuts from people who didn't hold the gun properly, just not sure which type of gun is more likely to cause this type of injury.

I would think a toddler would react to the emotions/yelling of those in the home with him - his mommy was just shot while this visitor/dad is standing by - in my home that would be an emotional event...

 

[Missizzy]

I'm out of my element but isn't there quite a kick-back from a gun? Wouldn't that hurt the child? We're talking about a very little guy.

Even if someone steadied the child's hand, wouldn't the trajectory be obvious? Maybe that would be similar, though, if an adult was sitting near where a child was standing.

I'm very hopeful that a specialized trauma specialist was brought in immediately to talk to this child. He/she would most likely be able to get a clear picture of what went on inside that room. I just have concerns that we're going to hear about tainted testimony down the road.

 

[joeskidbeck]

Missizzy, I just had the most horrible thought. What if this man held the child's hands on the gun and pulled the trigger? Dear Lord please guide LE to get to the bottom of this mess. This child does not deserve to grow up thinking he killed his own mom. This kinda reminds me of the case where the stepdad said that the two year old girl threw her baby brother out of his crib and killed him. I don't remember the names but she grew up believing she killed him at a terrible cost to her emotional health. At least she got the investigation opened back up and proved the stepdad was the killer. I'm sorry I can't remember the names. Maybe someone else here can?

 

[Missizzy]

Sadly, that's what I was implying. However, I still think that the child would be more traumatized if he was even in the same room as the shooting. It's clear to me that something is very very wrong here.

There's also the possibility that the shooter took the gun into another part of the house and had the child hold it but my guess is that forensics will get to the bottom of this horrible tragedy.

 

[LCoastMom]

(Edited) 911 tape released in Miramar shooting

On the 911 tape, a male caller wails with panic and fear as he watches the mother of his 2 1/2-year-old son bleed to death....

Oh God, I can't believe this," the man told the 911 dispatcher.

"My son picked it up, and I tried to grab it," the caller said on the tape. "Jesus Christ, God, why do I put myself in this spot?" he said to the dispatcher and to himself, as he waited for help to arrive. "God, I never went through nothing like this in my life."

An arriving officer can be heard on the 911 tape say, "Tell rescue to step it up."


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/miramar/fl-miramar-toddler-911-20110425,0,4374797.story

Since the S.S. brought up the tape is edited, I'd like to know what he said about the victim, instead of himself...

 

[jjenny]

So, the son picks the gun up, the father tries to grab it, and the mother's back is turned to them (since she was shot in the back)? If there was any sort of a commotion, wouldn't the normal response be to see what's going on?

 

[tlcya]

My question is: Your bf, baby's father, whoever he was to her at that point, has pointed a gun at you in the past, arrives in your home and lays a glock on your coffee table, with your toddler in the room no less, and your response is to turn your back and walk away?

NOT. This story stinks from top to bottom. If that gun were laying there in plain view and within reach of her toddler that woman did not turn her back and make to exit the room. It did not happen. I guarantee.

Hink and stink all over this. Period.

 

[marycarney]

I'll eat my hat if that child shot that woman......unassisted.

 

[jjenny]

I just assumed that the mother did not know that he had the gun and maybe, it would seem, didn't even realize there was a gun in the child's reach.

Even assuming everything happened as this guy claims, why did he bring a loaded gun into the apartment and left it where a toddler had access to it? I'd hope if police believe this story the guy is charged with some sort of negligence resulting in a death of a person.

 

[Missizzy]

It doesn't sound like most of us would be good jury candidates on this case. ITA, if anything, the mother would have been shot attempting the take the gun away from the toddler.

Mothers do NOT turn their backs on children with guns--especially their own child. It just doesn't work like that. I seriously doubt a father would either. There's a compulsion to keep the child safe at your own risk. It's just part of the parenting psyche.

 

[gngr~snap]

(Edited) 911 tape released in Miramar shooting

On the 911 tape, a male caller wails with panic and fear as he watches the mother of his 2 1/2-year-old son bleed to death....

Oh God, I can't believe this," the man told the 911 dispatcher.

"My son picked it up, and I tried to grab it," the caller said on the tape. "Jesus Christ, God, why do I put myself in this spot?" he said to the dispatcher and to himself, as he waited for help to arrive. "God, I never went through nothing like this in my life."

An arriving officer can be heard on the 911 tape say, "Tell rescue to step it up."


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/miramar/fl-miramar-toddler-911-20110425,0,4374797.story

Since the S.S. brought up the tape is edited, I'd like to know what he said about the victim, instead of himself...

:waitasec: sure sounds like he more concerned about himself doesn't it? I think that 911 operators are trained to screen for "me" and "I" statements during a call. I hope LE is all over this one! - must be... if they can't locate daddy, sounds like they want to find him. hmm
MOO

 

[Anadarko]

I carry 3 9mm's. One of them is a Glock. Don't know which model was used in this shooting, but I would have to say there is no way this child shot his mother.

The Glock takes quite a bit of pressure to shoot. It is usually a 4.5 to 6.5 lb trigger. They are notoriously large grips. I am a 5'2 female, and I rarely use this one, as I have a hard time getting a handle on it in order to shoot. If you don't have a good grip, you can't pull the trigger. And a Glock has 2 triggers for safety. One in the center of the main trigger. You must have that pulled in order to set off the second trigger.

If for some crazy reason, this child was able to pull the trigger, the gun would have jumped out of his hand afterwards, and scared him to death. I wear electronic headphones for noise, and the sound is still LOUD.

Most licensed gun owners, such as myself, keep a loaded magazine in the gun, and already have 1 in the chamber. So you NEVER leave it lying around. If this man had a loaded magazine, but didn't chamber a round, the kid never could have done it. The slide on a Glock, IMO, is tough.

jmoo

 

[Anadarko]

Missizzy, I just had the most horrible thought. What if this man held the child's hands on the gun and pulled the trigger? Dear Lord please guide LE to get to the bottom of this mess. This child does not deserve to grow up thinking he killed his own mom. This kinda reminds me of the case where the stepdad said that the two year old girl threw her baby brother out of his crib and killed him. I don't remember the names but she grew up believing she killed him at a terrible cost to her emotional health. At least she got the investigation opened back up and proved the stepdad was the killer. I'm sorry I can't remember the names. Maybe someone else here can?

If residue is found on the child's hand, then your thought would be correct. Someone else had to pull it. Would like to know if they found residue on both.

 

[Anadarko]

:waitasec: sure sounds like he more concerned about himself doesn't it? I think that 911 operators are trained to screen for "me" and "I" statements during a call. I hope LE is all over this one! - must be... if they can't locate daddy, sounds like they want to find him. hmm
MOO

I agree. It sounds all about poor me from what is released. It should have been ÖMG! OMG! Get some help fast. Someone has been shot!" Not poor me...'

BTW - Howdy North Ga neighbor!