12-year-old boy fatally shot while trick-or-treating

[WEC]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/01/hal ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SUMTER, South Carolina (AP) -- A 12-year-old boy trick-or-treating with his family in central South Carolina was shot from inside a home Friday and killed, and his father and brother were wounded by the gunfire, authorities said.

The shooting suspect, Quentin Patrick, was in custody, a jail official said. Patrick, 22, has been charged with murder and three counts of assault and battery with intent to kill. The jail official said she didn't know whether Patrick had an attorney and his telephone number was unpublished.

The family was headed home from a city-sponsored event downtown when they decided to stop at a few homes, Sumter Police Chief Patty Patterson said. The father and his four children approached a home with a porch light on about 8:30 p.m. EDT while their mother waited nearby in a vehicle.

As the family was at the door, they thought they heard fireworks. The 12-year-old boy, his father and brother were all hit by the gunfire. The boy died at a hospital, Coroner Verna Moore said. The other two children were not hurt.

The boy's father and brother were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have not released the identity of the family.

Patterson also would not release any more details about the shooting.

"The investigation is continuing into what has been a very tragic evening," Patterson said. "Our sorrow and sympathy goes out to this family."

The police chief said there were other people inside the home at the time of the shooting, but she didn't expect any of them to be charged.

A neighbor said he heard a loud noise about the time of the shooting and thought it was simply Halloween mischief.

"I thought, trick-or-treat night -- pranks go down. Anything goes," said Lenwood Dixon, 49, who works at a hazardous waste and recycling company. "I heard a noise like maybe gunfire, then my daughter saw a bunch of lights flashing and saw some cops."

In his six years in the neighborhood, he said he wasn't aware of any violent crimes. He said a few trick-or-treaters had been on his block that night.

"I'm surprised. Since I was here, I'd never heard of anything like that happening. It's a quiet neighborhood," he said. "You don't see many children in the neighborhood. It's more elderly."

Understandably, it's early in the investigation and there is still much to learn about the details of the incident, but it's still tragic. My biggest concern is that there has been a rash of gun-related news items recently, what with this one, the 8-year-old kid in Massachusetts, a couple of idiot teens who had some wildly unlikely scheme to assassinate Obama, etc. If Obama lands the Presidency, he would probably use these incidents to further fuel his anti-2A stance.

[Lodge2004]

Understandably, it's early in the investigation and there is still much to learn about the details of the incident, but it's still tragic. My biggest concern is that there has been a rash of gun-related news items recently, what with this one, the 8-year-old kid in Massachusetts, a couple of idiot teens who had some wildly unlikely scheme to assassinate Obama, etc. If Obama lands the Presidency, he would probably use these incidents to further fuel his anti-2A stance.

If this happened as written, it is indeed tragic.

As to items in the news, IMHO, it's similar to stories of the homeless. If "the one" is elected next week, you will hear very little about the homeless and unemployed for the next 4 years, but you WILL hear about EVERY tragic gun accident/incident. If McCain wins, we will have four more years of stories on homeless, unemployment, ethics violations, etc... In large part, the press decides what happens in this country because if they don't cover it then, practically speaking, it never happens.

[HighVelocity]

Drug use perhaps? Tragic.

[biggyin]

Turn's out the guy was a convicted felon.

[KBCraig]

Turn's out the guy was a convicted felon.

...who thought he was being robbed, so he emptied a 30 round magazine through the door.

I suspect there might be some chemical reason behind his state of paranoia.

Oh, but wait, that must have been an AirSoft gun, because felons are banned from owning real firearms! Yeah, that's it!

[WEC]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/01/hal ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SUMTER, South Carolina (AP) -- An ex-convict who said he thought he was being robbed gunned down a 12-year-old trick-or-treater, spraying nearly 30 rounds with an assault rifle from inside his home after hearing a knock on the door, police said Saturday.

Quentin Patrick, 22, is accused of killing 12-year-old T.J. Darrisaw on Friday night. T.J.'s 9-year-old brother, Ahmadre Darrisaw, and their father, Freddie Grinnell, were injured but were released after being treated at a hospital.

The family attended a Halloween celebration in downtown Sumter, 45 miles east of Columbia, then stopped at Patrick's house because the porch light was on, police said. Another sibling was with them but wasn't hurt.

Police said at least two of the boys were wearing ghoulish masks when they knocked on the door. The boys' mother and a toddler stayed in the car nearby.

Patrick emptied his AK-47, shooting at least 29 times through his front door, walls and windows after hearing the knock, Police Chief Patty Patterson said.

He told police he had been robbed and shot in the past year.

"He wasn't going to be robbed again, and he wasn't going to be shot again," Patterson said Saturday at a news conference.

She said T.J., a bright young man, suffered multiple wounds, including a fatal shot to his head. No one answered the door at the family's home Saturday.

"This is by far one of the worst tragedies that I have had to personally experience," Patterson said. "It happened basically because kids were out doing what they would normally do on Halloween."

Patrick has been charged with murder, three counts of assault and battery with intent to kill, and one count of assault with intent to kill.

Police said they also charged a 19-year-old in his home, Ericka Patrice Pee, with obstruction of justice when she was caught trying to run away after the shooting with $7,500 in cash. Patterson did not give an explanation for the money.

Pee's 2-year-old daughter was inside during the shooting and is now being cared for by family members.

Patterson said Patrick had multiple drug convictions but police do not believe he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the shooting. Authorities did not know if Patrick or Pee had attorneys. Both are being held without bond.

A man who identified himself as Patrick's brother but declined to give his name said in a call to The Associated Press that he believed Patrick was suffering from post-traumatic stress after a break-in last December. The man's account matched the information police provided.

"We want to let his family know that this is a total tragic accident," he said. "He was trying to protect his family."

Patrick's home is off a busy, two-lane road in Sumter, a city of about 40,000 people. On Saturday, shattered glass still covered the front stoop and about 20 bullet holes peppered the front door and a front-window casement.

The shooting shocked residents of a neighborhood where most people know each other well.

"I just hate it that that little kid got killed. It used to be the quietest place. I knew everybody and everybody knew me," said Vivian Johnson, 81, who lives two doors from Patrick and Pee but said she did not know them.

County Councilman Charles Edens said he lives just a few blocks away and passed the crime scene on his way back from trick-or-treating with his 13-year-old daughter, who was upset by the news.

"It's going to put a dampening on Halloween," Eden said. "I would think twice about going to a door that we don't know who lives behind."

Convicted felon, AK-47, $7500 cash on someone trying to flee the scene. All of these add up to a dead kid and more negative press for guns. I'm just waiting for the liberals to say, "If the attacker only had 5 rounds, the kid may still be alive today." Never mind that the perp is a convicted criminal.

[anygunanywhere]

IIRC, in the book Enemies Foreign and Domestic, the ban on semi-automatic firearms was pushed through into law based on a mass shooting staged by BATFE. Anyone who thinks that the banning of all semi-autos is not a probable scenario once the anointed one takes office is sorely mistaken. It would not take many of the scenarios like the one in the OP to make this happen.

The gross media bias supporting the obamassiah will continue even to the death of a free America as there is nothing to prevent it from happening.

Well, almost nothing.

Anygunanywhere

[Excaliber]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/01/hal ... index.html

SUMTER, South Carolina (AP) -- An ex-convict who said he thought he was being robbed gunned down a 12-year-old trick-or-treater, spraying nearly 30 rounds with an assault rifle from inside his home after hearing a knock on the door, police said Saturday.

Quentin Patrick, 22, is accused of killing 12-year-old T.J. Darrisaw on Friday night. T.J.'s 9-year-old brother, Ahmadre Darrisaw, and their father, Freddie Grinnell, were injured but were released after being treated at a hospital.

The family attended a Halloween celebration in downtown Sumter, 45 miles east of Columbia, then stopped at Patrick's house because the porch light was on, police said. Another sibling was with them but wasn't hurt.

Police said at least two of the boys were wearing ghoulish masks when they knocked on the door. The boys' mother and a toddler stayed in the car nearby.

Patrick emptied his AK-47, shooting at least 29 times through his front door, walls and windows after hearing the knock, Police Chief Patty Patterson said.

He told police he had been robbed and shot in the past year.

"He wasn't going to be robbed again, and he wasn't going to be shot again," Patterson said Saturday at a news conference.

She said T.J., a bright young man, suffered multiple wounds, including a fatal shot to his head. No one answered the door at the family's home Saturday.

"This is by far one of the worst tragedies that I have had to personally experience," Patterson said. "It happened basically because kids were out doing what they would normally do on Halloween."

Patrick has been charged with murder, three counts of assault and battery with intent to kill, and one count of assault with intent to kill.

Police said they also charged a 19-year-old in his home, Ericka Patrice Pee, with obstruction of justice when she was caught trying to run away after the shooting with $7,500 in cash. Patterson did not give an explanation for the money.

Pee's 2-year-old daughter was inside during the shooting and is now being cared for by family members.

Patterson said Patrick had multiple drug convictions but police do not believe he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the shooting. Authorities did not know if Patrick or Pee had attorneys. Both are being held without bond.

A man who identified himself as Patrick's brother but declined to give his name said in a call to The Associated Press that he believed Patrick was suffering from post-traumatic stress after a break-in last December. The man's account matched the information police provided.

"We want to let his family know that this is a total tragic accident," he said. "He was trying to protect his family."

Patrick's home is off a busy, two-lane road in Sumter, a city of about 40,000 people. On Saturday, shattered glass still covered the front stoop and about 20 bullet holes peppered the front door and a front-window casement.

The shooting shocked residents of a neighborhood where most people know each other well.

"I just hate it that that little kid got killed. It used to be the quietest place. I knew everybody and everybody knew me," said Vivian Johnson, 81, who lives two doors from Patrick and Pee but said she did not know them.

County Councilman Charles Edens said he lives just a few blocks away and passed the crime scene on his way back from trick-or-treating with his 13-year-old daughter, who was upset by the news.

"It's going to put a dampening on Halloween," Eden said. "I would think twice about going to a door that we don't know who lives behind."

Convicted felon, AK-47, $7500 cash on someone trying to flee the scene. All of these add up to a dead kid and more negative press for guns. I'm just waiting for the liberals to say, "If the attacker only had 5 rounds, the kid may still be alive today." Never mind that the perp is a convicted criminal.

Note one other curious fact: The list of charges does not include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Hmmmm.

[WildBill]

Note one other curious fact: The list of charges does not include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Hmmmm.

Maybe he had only multiple misdemeanor drug convictions.

[Excaliber]

Note one other curious fact: The list of charges does not include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Hmmmm.

Maybe he had only multiple misdemeanor drug convictions.

According to this article he was a convicted felon. BATFE is now looking into it.

[WEC]

Note one other curious fact: The list of charges does not include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Hmmmm.

Maybe he had only multiple misdemeanor drug convictions.

According to this article he was a convicted felon. BATFE is now looking into it.

Good point, Excalibur. Awesome to see that the press reports just the important things, "sprayed nearly 30 rounds with an assault rifle..." To quote Seinfeld: "This thing is like an onion. The more layers you peel, the more it stinks."