13-Year-Old Suspect Killed In Armed Robbery Attempt

[Shadow 7D]

the 12-15 year olds are even more dangerous and unpredictable than the older, more experienced thugs. They know that the law is more lenient on juveniles than those who are eligible for big boys' prison, and because they want to earn their "creds" in order to impress the career gangsters.

When confronted by the "juvenile" criminal, there are all sorts of arguments about this, but, consider that the defense is going to argue something to the effect "his brain is still developing, bad home, bad crowd, impressionable, peer pressure, and the MAN" made him do it.

Now, under all the above (yes excuses), I would think that you should be just as fearful if not more, as they are in it for a reason, and have little though about what happens if they kill you, and they think in the moment and immediate gains.

Look the the history of modern society, in Columbia, kids were used as assassins by the cartels since most people weren't as guarded against 'innocent kids'
they are ran as human bombs in the middle east
they are used as remorseless killers in Africa as child soldiers.

Do you think they are going to give a damn about you or the consequence of their actions?

 

[alsaqr]

There is a every chance this was a gang initiation ritual. The kid left home in a car with some other guys.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/05/slain_teen_jaquares_walkers_mo.html

A red Chevrolet Trail Blazer pulled up to the group of young men. Latonya Walker said she yelled out to her son and asked who was in the car. He replied that it was one of his friends and the friend's uncle, and then got in the vehicle with them.

...........................................................................................................................

Police still are looking for the people who were accompanying Ja'Quares on Friday night, "but no one has been arrested," said Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr., spokesman for the Birmingham Police Department.

One witness saw two guys wearing blue bandanas watching the attempted hijacking go down.
Quite often these kids have adult mentors who challenge them to commit violent crimes. Case in point: The two kids who were involved in the attempted robbery of the OK City pharmacy were with two adults who had criminal records.

Tender age does not matter when a perp shoves a gun in your face.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I recall a case not too long ago where a shopkeeper shot and killed a teen robber who was (a) unarmed and (b) no longer a threat since he was wounded. The shopkeeper was in deep doo-doo, but my point is the two adults who armed the teen's companion and sent the two teens to rob the shop were found guilty of felony murder for being the cause of the death.

If this was another case of an adult criminal sending a child to do his/her dirty work, I would hope the adult responsible gets the books thrown at them.

It's unfortunate that a 13 yr old lost his life but on the other hand cases like theis one may make the next 13 yr old Dillinger think twice about pulling an armed robbery.

Two city detectives told me that, in our home town, a successful robbery would be followed by repeats by the robber or copycats; a robbery foiled by a shooting would mean a quietus on robbery for months. Just a hard fact of life. Giving criminals what they want just encourages them to do more.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Carl,

That was the Ersland case in OKC, as referred to in the post above yours. News coverage of that story is still maintained at http://newsok.com/pharmacyshootings , IIRC the two adults who put the teenagers up to the robbery were sentenced to life as well.
=========

alsaqr,

Thanks for the update. I had wondered if something else was going on there.

More details in that article:
Wearing a gray shirt around his face like a bandana and armed with a loaded and cocked pistol, authorities said Ja'Quares approached a black Lexus SUV with a couple inside and ordered the driver out. The driver pulled a gun and shot Ja'Quares multiple times.

 

[BCCL]

By pointing a gun at the victim, it doesn't matter if he said "give it up" or "Hey, nice car"........the threat is implied and imminent.

 

[jawman]

If you choose to rob someone (especially ARMED robbery) you are also choosing to risk your life, regardless of your age, or anything else for that matter. It's called consequence. By choosing to commit armed robbery, the 13 year old Jaqures risked getting arrested and prosecuted, he risked getting his ass kicked, and he risked getting himself killed. Unfortunately for him he made a very stupid decision and paid the ultimate price for that stupid decision. How do we know that he would not have murdered his victims to silence any witnesses? Anything is possible. And even though he was only 13 this may sound callous, cruel and insensitive, but it is one less armed criminal on the streets. 13 year olds can be murderers too. For all we know, he could have gone on to become a vicious criminal and murderer. If you're doing armed robbery with a loaded gun at the age of 13, your future is pretty clear as to what path you're going to go down.

 

[Doghandler]

Since when did thuggery or self defense have an age boundary?

 

[Fred Fuller]

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/05/jefferson_county_das_office_sa.html
Jefferson County DA's office says shooting of 13-year-old was justifiable
Published: Friday, May 04, 2012, 4:49 PM

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --- The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office has ruled that the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old during a robbery attempt last week was justifiable, Birmingham police said today.

In addition, said Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr., there will not be any charges filed against any of the people with Ja'Quares Walker when he attempted to rob a couple at Skyview Condominiums in Birmingham.

Efforts to reach District Attorney Brandon Falls for comment were unsuccessful.
The shooting happened one week ago today about 11 p.m. Police said Ja'Quares approached a couple in an SUV as it pulled into the gated southwest Birmingham complex where a woman in the vehicle lived. He was wearing a T-shirt covering his face, and was brandishing a loaded and cocked pistol as he demanded them to get out of the car.

The driver pulled a gun and shot Ja'Quares multiple times, hitting him in the chest and abdomen. The teen was pronounced dead on the scene. Police refused to identify the man or woman in the car, saying only that the man who fired the shots was a 35-year-old white man.

Investigators said today there were five other people in the car with Ja'Quares. They were interviewed, along with the couple in the car, Williams said.
///snip

 

[FourTeeFive]

In addition, said Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr., there will not be any charges filed against any of the people with Ja'Quares Walker when he attempted to rob a couple at Skyview Condominiums in Birmingham.

So this 13-yr old kid was in a car with others and said "can you please let me out, I need to do something"? And then he attempts a carjacking but somehow nobody else in the car is involved?

This certainly sounds like a gang initiation rite to me in which case the others can be charged with murder. At a minimum the driver was an accomplice.

And this is considered justice?

 

[FourTeeFive]

I feel for the mom. But again all of this points to gang initiation and others should be charged:

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/05/slain_teen_jaquares_walkers_mo.html

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2879416/posts

 

[Kleanbore]

Obviously a matter of the adequacy of the available evidence....

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

VCA

What does that mean?

TV. Video game, Or maybe the internet. Or maybe friends. It ain't new though. How old was William Bonney when he stole his first horse? Young people have been killing people for a long time now.

tipoc

I knew plenty of kids growing up that played Grand Theft Auto and other games like that, none of them ever got in trouble with the law and are perfectly find today. It's not media that makes kids do this stuff, it's bad parenting and hanging around with the wrong crowd. Blaming the internet and video games is an excuse for bad parenting.

 

[sidheshooter]

The good

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --- The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office has ruled that the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old during a robbery attempt last week was justifiable, Birmingham police said today.

the bad

In addition, said Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr., there will not be any charges filed against any of the people with Ja'Quares Walker when he attempted to rob a couple at Skyview Condominiums in Birmingham.

the ugly

The driver pulled a gun and shot Ja'Quares multiple times, hitting him in the chest and abdomen. The teen was pronounced dead on the scene.

In all, a reasonable outcome to a lousy situation entirely of the decedent's making.

Curiosity has me, among others here, wondering what the rest of the story is with these bandana individuals-I agree that, *at a minimum*, they knew something sketchy was up:

Investigators said today there were five other people in the car with Ja'Quares. They were interviewed, along with the couple in the car, Williams said

 

[Double Naught Spy]

But again all of this points to gang initiation and others should be charged:

Exactly what part(s) of the incident points to this being a gang initiation? How is it that you are arriving at this rationalization and how would this differ from the kid already being in a gang, or the kid and his buddies just being bad apples and not even in gangs?

Committing a crime is one type of initiation used by some gangs, but there are others such as being jumped in, courted, walked, or sexed.
http://www.sanantonio.gov/sapd/pdf/Awareness.pdf

It certainly isn't unusual for gangs to behave in the manners described during normal criminal acitivites. That the kid's mother had no clue isn't uncommon either and may be true or simply may be the typical act of disbelief many parents express when they learn their kids have gotten caught or killed acting for the Dark Side of the proverbial Force.

 

[tipoc]

Quote:
"TV. Video game, Or maybe the internet. Or maybe friends. It ain't new though. How old was William Bonney when he stole his first horse? Young people have been killing people for a long time now.

tipoc"

I knew plenty of kids growing up that played Grand Theft Auto and other games like that, none of them ever got in trouble with the law and are perfectly find today. It's not media that makes kids do this stuff, it's bad parenting and hanging around with the wrong crowd. Blaming the internet and video games is an excuse for bad parenting.

There was no effort in that post to blame video games or TV specifically though you can take your pick of the many possible influences. Note the reference to Bonney. You have heard of Billy the Kid. Ran around before there was electric lights.

We have no evidence this was a gang initiation. Neither did the cops which is why there was no arrest or charges filed for that. Some evidence may turn up later. In a few months or a year some one who was in the car will talk if that was they case. These are young folk. They always talk, a lot of the point of doing it is to brag on it.

By the way we still have a Bill of Rights in this country and one of the things that means is that the state needs evidence before it can charge people and a trial needs to be held. We have a right to a trial by a jury. The latter is getting rarer than teeth in a chicken but we still have that right. I'm a big fan of that Bill of Rights and take it serious.

tipoc

 

[jawman]

For the person that said this may be a gang related crime, I didn't think of that at first, but the more I learn about this incident, the more I see the possibility of that claim. I have to stress the word "possibility" because, even on the internet and in forums, people love drama and are always so quick to distort or twist what someone has said into something else. Again, I'm not saying it is a gang related crime, I'm just saying it is possible (as intelligent, logical thinking beings, we must consider various potentialities, as to do otherwise is daft) so before you decide to get all tough and attack me for making an assumption, please mature up and understand that I am not assuming something as fact. /Disclaimer.

Quote from Jaqures' mother: "Even if he did this, someone had to put him up to it. Why else would 16- and 17-year-olds want to hang out with a 13-year-old boy?" she said.

While it's not common, 13 year olds do hang out with 16 and 17 year olds and it's definitely possible and it does happen, but that age gap isn't normal under standard societal terms. But it is normal for gangs. Just think, when you were in 10th and 11th grade, did you often hang out with kids in 7th and 8th grade? Probably not. In 95% of the schools in America, 7th and 8th graders go to an entirely different school than those in 10th and 11th grade. Most normal kids don't hang out with kids 2, 3, and possibly even 4 grades below them because it's "not cool" to hang out with the underclassmen, and it's a large maturity gap. When I was in high school, I didn't hang out with anyone in the 7th and 8th grade, (1 grade younger than me, yes - but never 7th and 8th graders, that's a huge grade gap and is pretty rare) and the only people I knew in those grades were my younger brother or his friends, that's it, and that was only because I had a younger brother.
But gangs are a different story. They will accept anyone that wants to be a part of their circle. And armed robbery, or armed robbery murder is a VERY common gang initiation.

I can guarantee you that that thought process is going through the cops' heads: "Why was a kid in the 7th/8th grade hanging out with kids in the 10th/11th grade?" Or more importantly, "Why were 11th and 10th graders hanging out with 7th and 8th graders?" To think that is not crossing their minds and the possibility of a gang relation is not being thought about is just silly.

 

[alsaqr]

Did anyone catch the date of birth in the photo of Ja'Quares? If the birth day is right on the photo he would have been 15 years old in two months.

 

[FourTeeFive]

While it's not common, 13 year olds do hang out with 16 and 17 year olds and it's definitely possible and it does happen, but that age gap isn't normal under standard societal terms.

Bingo. So kids of driving age pick up a 13 yr old and sit and wait while he does a crime with a gun?

I really don't see any other explanation other than gang activity. And since he's the young guy it sounds like initiation to me.

Just seems logical. I could be wrong, but SOMETHING is weird with this.

 

[robmkivseries70]

Quote:
VCA
What does that mean?
Violent Criminal Actor who was DRT (dead right there)

Sad story!
Rob

 

[highlander 5]

Could be he did this on a dare,13 yr olds are suckers for doing something on a dare. And what's this "Loaded and cocked" pistol bit or is it just me thinking that the reporter has to spell out everything to his readership.

 

[LAK]

During my service as an Air Force police patrolman I was asked to make a courtesy call at a base housing address one evening. After ringing the doorbell, looking up at windows and waiting for signs of someone coming to the door for a few seconds I became aware that there was someone a couple of yards away off in my peripheral vision with what appeared to be a rifle leveled at my head.

The houses were built into a steep hillside and this lad being a few feet up a sloping lawn looked larger than he was. He had evidently come from the back of the house and crept down along the wall. It took me a split second to shake off an initial paralysis and during another second of racing mental options I decided that if he was going to just shoot me he would have done it by that time. So I turned my head to look at him and it was clear then that he was just a boy.

I asked him to point his rifle somewhere else and he dropped the muzzle like a kid who had been told to get his feet off a chair. The rifle was a black 3/4 size Winchester lever action plastic toy. Initially indistinguishable from the real thing at night.

If he had not responded the way he did I really am not sure to this day what I would have done.

 

[majortoo]

A lot of good discussion in the thread. I am particularly eager to hear details that the police pursue about the other people who accompanied the deceased. They are working that lead, I presume? I agree with the possibility that this might have been a gang initiation, but have an open mind. And, just where did the deceased get his firearm? That would be another interesting thread. On the other side of the coin, my thoughts and prayers are with both the boy's family and with the survivors in the car he tried to attack. All of those involved have to live with the traumatic memories of that terrible incident.

 

[Twmaster]

The whole thing stinks of a gang initiation. 13 yo gets into an SUV with a bunch of older kids. Witness sees two guys in blue bandannas watching the event. Kid pulls his first and last stick-up.

I lived in some pretty bad places and from my experience that just screams 'gang'.

 

[jawman]

Could be he did this on a dare,13 yr olds are suckers for doing something on a dare. And what's this "Loaded and cocked" pistol bit or is it just me thinking that the reporter has to spell out everything to his readership.

Eh, I guess anything's possible. But a dare? Who dares someone to take a real, loaded handgun and rob someone, just for a dare? The scenario you're creating sounds extremely unlikely. A gang initiation sounds more likely to me than a dare, but anything is possible. Either way, the kid was going down the wrong path and picked the wrong person to mess with. As I said before, even though he was just a "kid", 13 year olds have and can commit murder. It's one less crook/potential murderer on the streets. Who knows if he intended to kill the witnesses. And committing armed robbery at 13, it's pretty clear what path you've chosen to walk down in life. He could have gone on to murder people years later and become a vicious criminal. Choose a life of violent crime, there are some pretty dire consequences. Hopefully what happened to him is a nice wake up call for his buddies and they will reevaluate the life they're choosing to live.

 

[Averageman]

Jawman in a culture where Mom is working and Dad is MIA, the gang is the family.
Sad that he was eaten alive by a culture that sent him out with a gun to be killed, even sadder that some guy who probobly feels awful about the whole thing gets to live the rest of his life with it.