"Police said the younger boy shot the teen in the head." Nice shot Burglars lives don't matter. Missouri 11-year-old fatally shoots 16-year-old intruder | Fox News ............................. An 11-year-old Missouri boy shot and killed a 16-year-old boy during an attempted home invasion Thursday afternoon, St. Louis County police said. Police said two suspects tried to break into the home north of downtown St. Louis twice before the shooting on Thursday. On the third try, authorities said the unidentified teen went through the home's unlocked front door while the 11-year-old and a 4-year-old girl were home alone. Police said the younger boy shot the teen in the head. The would-be burglar's body was found in the home's front foyer.
Move along, nothing to see here, just a routine job of taking out the trash..... Only issue I had with this story is ,why was an 11 year old left in charge of a 4 yr. Old? I'm fine with kids learning about gun safety and shooting/hunting at a young age. (I did), but 11 is too young to be left alone with a toddler. If something goes wrong, help is too far away. Choking, poison, cuts and bruises, would he have any clue what to do, or even if something could be done? One other point. If the front door was unlocked, why did the burglars fail twice previously to break in? And why was that door left unlocked?
I was babysitting at 11. If your kids are trained it's not a problem. In our o er cautious world we think age is the issue. It's the hills level of development that matters not his biological age. And if those kids hadn't been entering the house this wouldn't even be an issue. Killing isn't easy and killing another human being thus early in life will leave a particular mark on this kid depending on how his parents handle it.
Well said, the trauma most likely will be long lasting. We were staying at home by ourselves at the age of ten or so. My folks would leave a key on the dog's collar, good luck getting that key without a hassle. But those were different times, we had great neighbors
I know a few ten year old kids with more common sense than most people. Door should been locked though.
11 is fine (kid depending, of course) for toddlers that are potty trained. We used 11 and 12 year olds very often back in the day (read as the 70s) if we knew the family they came from, and knew them to be relatively capable of dialing their parents in case something came up that was over their heads. There was always a contact number stuck on the phone, too. Locking the doors (in those days) was sorta optional, too. Different times, for sure. We also stayed home alone at age 10 and up for parent's evenings out. Now, I have to say that the gun in the house is a whole 'nuther question. We had guns, but they were locked up, no way for us kids to access them. (Mom was like that.) Times have changed, yeddy?
I was carrying a long gun by 13, and walked the fields with my dad, about as long as I could walk. I have memories of cleaning guns as young as 8-9. Gun safety is not my concern. But in city (as this story proves) there are more hazards for the unwary. All doors should have been locked, numbers by the phone for help from friend or family, did the kid not know how to dial 911 before being forced to kill? This was the third attempt to break in. (They did not give a time that I saw) was there not enough time to call for help? Why were two children left alone, unprotected, and without a backup plan? Did they have a plan for a fire? Choking? Electrical shock? Things can happen that have nothing to do with intruders. Where was the backup plan? I'm all for letting kids learn about being trusted, and responsible. But they still need a safety net, for when things fail.
11 yr old can watch a 4 yr old is he is mature enough and the length of time is short. Was the mom just going to be gone for a half hour to an hour going to the store or something like that?
@Ganado Well stated. Unless a person is a heartless pig taking a human life no matter the at time the reason or in the heat of the moment will leave a mark.
....there seems to be a lot more to this story, and the facts are still not clear. There are other reports and eye witnesses that tell a different tale. Time to wait for the facts.
Yeah but when have you known an 11yr old and a 16yr old boy to be friends. That part is bs. A neighbor saying he called the kid up on the porch and shot him? If the cops found the 16 yr old inside the house he can't have been dragged inside without leaving a blood trail so I also call bs on that one. The 16 and 22yr olds were breaking into the house, true imho. Now if the 11 yr old was also a bad kid, who knows. Does the neighbor know that the 11yr old broke into his house before? Does the 11yr old have a record? People tend to lie to get their 20 minutes of fame. Just look at hands up don't shoot. We need more information.
