LA - Marie Smothers, 87, shot to death by 8yo boy, Slaughter, 22 Aug 2013

[Kimberlyd125]

http://theadvocate.com/home/6884617-125/parents-shooting-by-8-year-old-not


A few snips:


Parents: Shooting by 8-year-old ‘not intentional’
BY JAMES MINTON
[email protected]
August 26, 2013
COMMENTS
CLINTON — The parents of an 8-year-old boy suspected of fatally shooting his grandmother said Monday the shooting was an accident.

“It was not intentional,” Jerry and Annette Smith said after a brief appearance with the boy in a closed juvenile court hearing before 20th Judicial District Judge William G. Carmichael.

The Smiths said the boy and his grandmother loved each other and their son did not mean to shoot her.

“He’s not a violent child,” Annette Smith said before she and her family left the East Feliciana Parish Courthouse.



<modsnip>



The purpose of the hearings is to make sure the child is adequately treated, the district attorney said.

D’Aquilla said he wants the FINS program to assign someone to monitor the entire family “to make sure there’s not a lot of emotional backlash.”

“Even if it was an accident, he’s going to have to have counseling at a minimum,” Guin said.

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

My own mother is almost 90 and I assure you she would have no problem caring for an 8 year old. Ninety today is often like seventy just a decade or two ago.

Lol, Linda! I agree that a Grandma can take care of a kid. Maybe you meant to respond to the post above mine?

:seeya:

 

[Kimberlyd125]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/26/us/louisiana-boy-kills-grandmother/index.html

<modsnip>

Just days after an 8-year-old boy shot and killed his grandmother after playing video games, a Louisiana judge said Monday the child can continue to live with his family.

<modsnip>

"It was determined that he did the shooting and it was an accident. He thought it was a toy gun, a play gun," D'Aquilla told CNN.

<modsnip>

"It's not a bad environment. They have two other children," he said.

"The gun was in a pouch or a purse. where he could obviously pick it up," said District Attorney D'Aquilla.

"He shot her from about three or four feet away, according to the autopsy," he said.

The boy's grandmother was the mother of the child's father, according to a statement from the sheriff's department.

The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for September 10.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

So now they think it was an accident. That he thought it was a toy gun.

That makes sense to me given his age.

So he intended to point it at her and he intended to pull the trigger, but LE believes he thought is was a toy gun.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

Counseling at a minimum? I would certainly hope there is more than that and as far as one 90 year old being compared to another.....that's hard to do. I would never place or expect my mother or grandmother at that age to care for my 8 year old child, nor would I expect them to at 70. Not for any length of a time. An hour or two at most.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Since we don't know the details of the living situation, it's hard for me to say if he should have been there or not.

JMO

 

[BeginnersLuck]

So now they think it was an accident. That he thought it was a toy gun.

That makes sense to me given his age.

So he intended to point it at her and he intended to pull the trigger, but LE believes he thought is was a toy gun.

This makes the most sense to me as well. Especially if he was playing a game where people were killing each other and had no idea what the "actual" gun would do.

Such a sad story...

 

[Kimberlyd125]

This part from the article above really got to me ....

"He's distraught. It's really taken a toll on him. He looks visibly shaken," said East Feliciana Parish District Attorney Samuel D'Aquilla.



I'm sure he loves his grandmaw very much.

Poor little guy.

 

[ArianeEmory]

Have to go back to my original statement here:

Kid should not have been playing a rated M game. I've been employed by the online gaming industry for six years and I'm usually the one defending games. But Grand Theft Auto doesn't mess around. We're not talking about Minecraft here.

(I don't blame the video game industry--the game is rated M for a reason, you need ID to purchase it, it is NOT intended for children.)

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

I would feel very scared if I was one of the siblings to be sleeping in that house with that kid. Accident or no accident.

I'd be sleeping with one eye open, if you know what I mean.....

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Because he thought he was playing with a play gun? And did something he will never forget. So now he's some kind of a monster that nobody should feel safe around?

He's an 8 year old child and he's being evaluated.

If they truly feel he had no intent to hurt anybody, perhaps this little guy should get more understanding and love from people instead of ridicule and judgement.

If he really thought it was a toy, he's no danger.

JMO

 

[Linda7NJ]

Lol, Linda! I agree that a Grandma can take care of a kid. Maybe you meant to respond to the post above mine?

:seeya:

Yep, my mistake.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Counseling at a minimum? I would certainly hope there is more than that and as far as one 90 year old being compared to another.....that's hard to do. I would never place or expect my mother or grandmother at that age to care for my 8 year old child, nor would I expect them to at 70. Not for any length of a time. An hour or two at most.

Just wondering why you feel it would be inappropriate for a grandparent 70+ shouldn't be left with a child for more than two hours?

 

[BeginnersLuck]

Just wondering why you feel it would be inappropriate for a grandparent 70+ shouldn't be left with a child for more than two hours?

Ok, maybe I was exagerating a bit last night. I apologize. I just think there are two many kids that are being raised by grandparents these days, because either parents schedules are to busy or parents don't accept the responsibility.

There are some pretty fit 70 year old that I know but not to many that are 90 that could keep up with a child. Like I said, my 4 and 5 year old grand kids wear me out feeding them, bathing them, cleaning up after them and finding activities to entertain them. I am good having them periodically but it's hard five days a week. I just don't feel it is fair or right for someone that age to have that responsibility. There has been no other mention of others living in the house and it was mentioned that she was his caregiver. Going on that I just feel that when you get to that age there should be others helping to care for you, not the other way around.

I've heard she was 87 or 90. I'll stick by my opinion that she should not have had that responsibility placed on her.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Ok, maybe I was exagerating a bit last night. I apologize. I just think there are two many kids that are being raised by grandparents these days, because either parents schedules are to busy or parents don't accept the responsibility.

There are some pretty fit 70 year old that I know but not to many that are 90 that could keep up with a child. Like I said, my 4 and 5 year old grand kids wear me out feeding them, bathing them, cleaning up after them and finding activities to entertain them. I am good having them periodically but it's hard five days a week. I just don't feel it is fair or right for someone that age to have that responsibility. There has been no other mention of others living in the house and it was mentioned that she was his caregiver. Going on that I just feel that when you get to that age there should be others helping to care for you, not the other way around.

I've heard she was 87 or 90. I'll stick by my opinion that she should not have had that responsibility placed on her.

Makes sense. I'm glad I asked!
I wouldn't ever place the responsibility of five days a week child rearing on my parents. A weekend, at most, and that was because they requested to. We only live five miles apart so we are back and forth all the time anyway!

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

"Parents of eight-year-old who shot dead his grandmother, 87, after playing Grand Theft Auto say he loved her and is 'not a violent child'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Grand-Theft-Auto-say-loved-violent-child.html

 

[burbqueen]

still a kid that age shouldnt be playing a game where you car jack, kill, rape and do drugs just saying...

 

[gxm]

My mother is 86 and regularly watches my daughter's three kids, ages 10, 8, and 6. She also watches my son's 5-year old son occasionally. We call her the "energizer bunny." I just hope I inherited her genes!

 

[Mrs G Norris]

Because he thought he was playing with a play gun? And did something he will never forget. So now he's some kind of a monster that nobody should feel safe around?

He's an 8 year old child and he's being evaluated.

If they truly feel he had no intent to hurt anybody, perhaps this little guy should get more understanding and love from people instead of ridicule and judgement.

If he really thought it was a toy, he's no danger.

JMO

I really don't think he thought it was a toy, 8 is not too young to understand reality. They police said it was 'intentional' which says a lot.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I really don't think he thought it was a toy, 8 is not too young to understand reality. They police said it was 'intentional' which says a lot.

Well the police also said that they have concluded he thought it was a toy.

Investigations evolve as information is gathered.