One of the boys, age 12, was fatally wounded and later died in the hospital, while his father and brother sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Patrick, is charged with murder and assault and battery with the intent kill. He is currently in police custody.
"The investigation is continuing into what has been a very tragic evening," Ms Patterson was quoted by the AP as saying.
"Our sorrow and sympathy goes out to this family."
She said there were other people inside the house at the time of the incident, but she did not expect any of them to be charged.
What the hell is going on is this world when someone shoots a children trick-or-treating in South Carolina, when someone shoots a pregnant woman in the head at a stop light in Chicago, when some coward shoots an innocent 11 year old twice in the head after he's been kidnapped and probably seen his grandmother and uncle killed in Chicago, when a moron doesn't put a safety lock on his hunting rifle and a 9 year old is killed in St. Clair, or when gang members get involved in someone else's business and a stray bullet kills a 3 year old in LA? Why is it that when gun violence has consistently killed small children that people advocate the present standards to the ownership of guns? Why do we as intelligent adults want to have automatic rifles legal in the United States? Why is a poorly written amendment to our Constitution held to mean what it wasn't intended for? If you can answer those questions reasonably, you obviously know something I don't.
Next time someone tells you that guns don't kill people, trigger fingers do, ask them to attempt to bury that finger through a human skull or through a breast bone. When they tell you that it is impossible, remind them of their prior statement.
2 comments:
Very poignant. I ask myself these questions myself. I have traveled and lived overseas and no one has the gun problem that we do. Why is that? Other countries adjust their constitutions, why do we, one of the youngest countries out there, think we cant? The circumstances around some of the amendments in no way reflect the reality of today - why can't people get that. It is those damn gun lobbyists and that damn NRA.
Oops! You struck a nerve! I just came over to say hi and thanks for the well wishes for NaBloPoMo - like your badge! Hope the writing juices flow!
I actually knew the shooter. I went to high school with him. I no longer live in Sumter, but I was shocked to hear of what happened back home.
Apparently the shooter has a history of violence, cocaine distribution/addiction, and other unpleasant things. Shame too, because he was generally a nice, quiet kid in school. If anything, we thought he would grow up gay -- not a junkie.
Go fig...
But back to the issue at hand, it is really sad at what happened. No motive. No justification. Just an unnecessary act of violence that ruined numerous lives all at once.