[Fred Fuller]

Sad...

lpl/nc
================
http://www.azcentral.com/community/peoria/articles/0426wvshoot0426.html

Boy accidentally kills friend
Police say 14-year-old was playing with gun
Brent Whiting
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 26, 2007 12:00 AM

PEORIA - A shotgun blast to the chest has claimed the life of a 16-year-old Peoria boy in what police have described as an accidental shooting.

Mike Tellef, a Peoria police spokesman, said Wednesday that the case serves as a tragic example why gun owners should exercise firearms safety.

The shooting took place about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when a 14-year-old friend was playing with the gun, Tellef said.

The shotgun discharged and struck Pablo Martinez Jr. in the chest, killing him, Tellef said. He was pronounced dead by Peoria firefighters.

Police took the friend into custody and placed him in juvenile detention on a charge of manslaughter, Tellef added.

The boy's name was offered by police but is being withheld by The Arizona Republic because he is a juvenile.

Tellef said the shooting took place in a bedroom of the suspect's home in the 10300 block of North 73rd Avenue.

Police believe that Martinez, the friend and two other boys had been drinking and smoking marijuana before the shooting occurred, Tellef said.

The suspect took the shotgun from a closet and was playing with it when it accidentally fired, he said. The suspect and the other boys fled the scene, but were found by detectives hours later.

Tellef described Martinez and the 14-year-old as "good friends." He said investigators don't believe there was any intent to harm the victim.

The shooting remains under investigation, Tellef said.

[Dave McCracken]

What a shame....

[Milkmaster]

A shame indeed!

Is exactly why I keep my weapons in a locked gun cabinet. As much as I trust my son who shoots with me regularly, he is STILL only 14 and will use the judgement of a teenager when with them. He is proud of his guns. Proud enough in fact to probably want to show one to his buddies when I might not be there even though he knows better. I had rather have him to shoot with me the rest of my life than to be dead or feel responsible after a teenager's mistake. Call it fear, being unfair, or whatever you like. It is what it is!

[pdowg881]

The suspect took the shotgun from a closet and was playing with it when it accidentally fired, he said. The suspect and the other boys fled the scene, but were found by detectives hours later.

I guess guns are still firing themselves.

[glockman19]

Sad. My condolences go out to both parents and the young man who accidently killed hid friend. His punishment will be remembering this day for the rest of his life. A long sentance for a teen.

[Robert Hairless]

So there's no problem here except that the police arrested people for what the shotgun did. It's the shotgun that needs to be arrested, charged, tried, and sentenced to a long stretch for manslaughter.

[obxned]

Alert NASA - one less rocket scientist available.

[pax]

Young teenagers drinking, smoking dope, apparently without supervision for long periods of time ... but it's only an example of why gun owners should exercise firearms safety. Grrrrr...

I think it's actually an example of why parents should, you know, actually parent their children. As in keep an eye on them, have some vague idea what they are up to most of the time, teach them to respect the law and themselves, develop some sense of personal responsibility for their actions ... you know, that kind of thing.

Oh, and keep the guns locked up, too.

But there's a whole heckuva lot more wrong with this story than just the access to a gun.

pax

[Robert Hairless]

In two more years that 16-year-old becomes an emancipated 18-year-old.

Then it's up to everyone else to lock things away from the young man.

It's a lot easier to lock things away than it is to parent the child so that he or she is taught judgment and responsibility.

[nemoaz]

Yeah, they should have had their gun locked up. The drugs and alcohol are ok though.

[Fred Fuller]

The drugs and alcohol are ok though.

Not at the same time a firearm is being handled, they're not... altered mental states and firearms don't mix.

lpl/nc

[Robert Hairless]

I agree with Lee Lapin. It also occurs to me that perhaps there might be something wrong with the parenting of 16-year-olds who abuse alcohol, smoke pot, and shoot people.

It would take a lot of locks to secure everything a 16-year-old could abuse. Many decades ago, when we began parenting, we never locked anything away from our children or anyone else who lived in our home. They were never the enemy within.

But I guess we were not all that good at parenting by today's standards. We just didn't know that parents were supposed to childproof the world, so we worldproofed the children.

It's a miracle they survived, I suppose, even though we weren't knowledgable about how to be good parents. They've been successful, responsible adults for a long time and they retained all their body parts, so our lack of parenting skills isn't something I think about much. My own parents were worse. I didn't know enough to correct them when they were alive.

[pcosmar]

If this boy had been educated about firearms and the safe handling it would be less likely to happen.
Tell the kid "don't touch" and "stay away" he will check it out with no supervision.
Very sad for all.

[Sistema1927]

Accidental? :confused:

Nah, negligent. :banghead: