Read the details of this child being killed

[Horse with no Name]

I'm not even going to say a word except to say you can't make this stuff up.:(


Wearing an orange county jail jumpsuit, Mathis Jr. said the day began with a trip to Wal-Mart to purchase a remote control for a VCR before stopping in Annona to buy a 30-pack of beer.

Mathis Sr., Dalfern and Mathis Jr. then dropped a fourth individual off at his home where he handed the trio a pornography movie.

The three men took the movie and beer, along with Dalfern’s laundry, back to Mathis’ residence in Avery where Mathis Jr. discovered Crouch playing Nintendo inside the home.

Crouch was related to the Mathis family by marriage and spent a fair amount of time at their house.

Mathis Jr., also described as having the mental abilities of an 11-year-old, referred to Crouch as his closest friend whom he loved like a little brother.

“We fixed bicycles, played Nintendo games,” he said. “ We rode a go-cart sometimes but the motor blew out.”

Mathis Jr. said after discovering Crouch playing video games, he immediately told his father, who became angry.

"My dad grabbed the gun off the shelf," he said, admitting his father had threatened the child with the weapon before. "He didn’t know there was a bullet in the chamber. He was trying to scare him."

Mathis Jr. testified that on the night prior to the incident, he had loaded the weapon with the intention of shooting a stray cat.

"I was going to shoot the cat, but I didn’t shoot it," he said. "I felt sorry for the cat so I put the gun back."

Mathis Jr. admitted to cocking the gun, causing a bullet to enter into the chamber before re-shelving the weapon. He did not inform his father of his actions, thinking he had taken the bullet out.

After the shooting, Mathis Jr. testified he and his father loaded the child into a car and drove Crouch to his mother’s home down the road, where she called 9-1-1.

Mathis Jr. said his father told him to tell Ellen her son had shot himself so they would not get into trouble.

Ellen got into the car and was told by emergency personnel to travel to a local convenient store where the group was met by paramedics.
http://theparisnews.com/story.lasso?wcd=25962

[MadMaddie]

1. Guns in the house....

where children are....is a bad combination. Mathis has the mental capacity of an 11 year old....

this is an event that didn't have to happen...

[ima_sinnic]

2. all 3 men are described as, basically, mentally retarded (nt)

[Horse with no Name]

5. I have to ask "the" question

How would someone with an IQ like this even get a gun?:shrug:
My question has nothing to do with Constitutional rights or wrongs--just common sense.

[benEzra]

10. The same way someone like that could get drugs...

by buying them off some guy on the street.

I'm not sure someone with a very low IQ could fill out the required paperwork to buy a gun from a dealer. I can't speculate as to whether he would have passed the required background check, either.

I will say that if you own guns (as my wife and I do), you do need a pretty high IQ to avoid violating some of the more obscure gun laws on the books.

[LisaL]

11. Which didn't prevent them from having guns.

[MnFats]

3. The kid's name is "Jermiah?" pronounce that once.

Germ-eye-ah?
poor kid would get teased to death.
unless it's a typo and the kid's name is "Jeremiah" as in "was a bullfrog.
sorry. I don't mean to be flippant.
these people that goof with guns deserve .....well, they deserve .... I don't know. Something very bad.

[Horse with no Name]

7. The name is, as spelled

Jermiah.
He won't get teased around here---there are quite a few kids whose names should be spelled traditionally but are spelled the way they sound with thick Texas accents.

[TomInTib]

4. Man, I can't wait for those guys to get out of jail so I can drink beer

and watch some porn with them.

Have to be a laugh a minute.

And Sr. had a driver's license!

[sendero]

6. Even I...

... "She also said she believes the defendant, who was presented as having an IQ of 45, could distinguish right from wrong."

Even I don't think it should be legal for someone with an IQ of less than 75 or so to own a firearm. You don't ever, ever, ever point a gun at someone you don't intend to shoot. Ever.

I have a teenaged son who is not going to ever be a "normal" adult mentally. He is fascinated with guns (from watching movies) and frequently asks about getting one.

My wife and I recently informed him that he would never be able to own a gun. It is hard to tell your kid something like that, but it is the truth and there is no way around it.

[newyawker99]

8. Horse with no name

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


NYer99
DU Moderator

[Horse with no Name]

9. I'm sorry

They weren't really paragraphs. Wasn't sure how that worked.
My apologies.