TheeBadOne
Member
In the first incidents of snow rage reported in the city this winter, Philadelphia police last night were investigating two separate reports of adults pulling guns on children for throwing snowballs.
Although in one of the incidents a 35-year-old man is accused of shooting at a group of children, no injuries were reported in either case, police said yesterday.
The 35-year-old man, identified as Jaime Vasquez of the 3400 block of North Marshall Street in North Philadelphia, has been charged with aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering the welfare of another individual and related offenses in the shooting, which allegedly took place outside his home Saturday afternoon.
Police said Vasquez, armed with a .25-caliber handgun, shot at an 11-year-old boy and his friends without warning shortly before 4 p.m. At the time, the boy was throwing snowballs at another youth, police said. Vasquez was in custody last night.
In an interview at his home on North Seventh Street last night, the 11-year-old boy said that before the shooting, Vasquez joined him and a buddy and several neighborhood girls in the snowball fight. The boy, who was allowed to speak by his mother on condition that his name not be used, said he had seen Vasquez in the neighborhood.
At one point, however, Vasquez flashed a handgun, and the children got scared, the boy said. Vasquez then told them that the weapon wasn't loaded and the snowball fight resumed, the boy said.
Vasquez then went inside his house and shortly thereafter fired one shot at the group from a second-floor window, the boy said. The children scattered, and police were called.
In the other incident, Southwest Detectives officers said they plan to arrest a 51-year-old West Philadelphia man on assault charges in connection with an incident that occurred about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday in the 4400 block of Haverford Street.
Police said the man, whose name was not released, pulled a handgun on a 10-year-old girl after he was hit in the face during a snowball fight involving children.
"It is incomprehensible to me that an adult would feel it necessary to pull a gun out and shoot at or threaten a child because they threw snowballs," Police Inspector William Colarulo said yesterday.
"We already had a tragedy last [winter]," he said. "An innocent little girl was shot in the head over snowballs. It sounds to me that these adults that resort to such actions are the real children who need to grow up and act like adults."
Colarulo was talking about Ebony Smith, the then-10-year-old Overbrook girl hospitalized for months after part of her skull was shattered by a bullet Feb. 23 in a drive-by shooting that was sparked by a snowball fight.
Police have alleged that Joseph Best, 32, of North Philadelphia, fired at a group of girls who he believed had thrown a snowball at his daughter. The shot struck the third grader, who police said had not been involved in the snowball-throwing incident.
"Kids throw snowballs; that's what they do," Colarulo said.
"I understand the frustration that could be generated from getting hit with a snowball, but that could never justify someone going to such extremes."
Authorities have also charged Best's fiancee, Cynthia Powell, 36, also of North Philadelphia, in the shooting of Smith.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7500542.htm
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Sounds like some real responsible gun owners, concealed gun carriers... :banghead:
Although in one of the incidents a 35-year-old man is accused of shooting at a group of children, no injuries were reported in either case, police said yesterday.
The 35-year-old man, identified as Jaime Vasquez of the 3400 block of North Marshall Street in North Philadelphia, has been charged with aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering the welfare of another individual and related offenses in the shooting, which allegedly took place outside his home Saturday afternoon.
Police said Vasquez, armed with a .25-caliber handgun, shot at an 11-year-old boy and his friends without warning shortly before 4 p.m. At the time, the boy was throwing snowballs at another youth, police said. Vasquez was in custody last night.
In an interview at his home on North Seventh Street last night, the 11-year-old boy said that before the shooting, Vasquez joined him and a buddy and several neighborhood girls in the snowball fight. The boy, who was allowed to speak by his mother on condition that his name not be used, said he had seen Vasquez in the neighborhood.
At one point, however, Vasquez flashed a handgun, and the children got scared, the boy said. Vasquez then told them that the weapon wasn't loaded and the snowball fight resumed, the boy said.
Vasquez then went inside his house and shortly thereafter fired one shot at the group from a second-floor window, the boy said. The children scattered, and police were called.
In the other incident, Southwest Detectives officers said they plan to arrest a 51-year-old West Philadelphia man on assault charges in connection with an incident that occurred about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday in the 4400 block of Haverford Street.
Police said the man, whose name was not released, pulled a handgun on a 10-year-old girl after he was hit in the face during a snowball fight involving children.
"It is incomprehensible to me that an adult would feel it necessary to pull a gun out and shoot at or threaten a child because they threw snowballs," Police Inspector William Colarulo said yesterday.
"We already had a tragedy last [winter]," he said. "An innocent little girl was shot in the head over snowballs. It sounds to me that these adults that resort to such actions are the real children who need to grow up and act like adults."
Colarulo was talking about Ebony Smith, the then-10-year-old Overbrook girl hospitalized for months after part of her skull was shattered by a bullet Feb. 23 in a drive-by shooting that was sparked by a snowball fight.
Police have alleged that Joseph Best, 32, of North Philadelphia, fired at a group of girls who he believed had thrown a snowball at his daughter. The shot struck the third grader, who police said had not been involved in the snowball-throwing incident.
"Kids throw snowballs; that's what they do," Colarulo said.
"I understand the frustration that could be generated from getting hit with a snowball, but that could never justify someone going to such extremes."
Authorities have also charged Best's fiancee, Cynthia Powell, 36, also of North Philadelphia, in the shooting of Smith.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7500542.htm
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Sounds like some real responsible gun owners, concealed gun carriers... :banghead:
