Milwaukee 13 year old shot by previously-law abiding gun owner

(UPDATED -- see below)

Darius Simmons, age 13

It's happened again. Another teen has been shot by an adult with a gun for no reason. This story explains what happened:

According to the complaint, Spooner approached Simmons as the boy retrieved a garbage cart from in front of a house Thursday morning. The boy's mother, Patricia Larry, who saw the shooting, said Spooner told her son he "wanted his stuff back and that he wanted his shotguns back," the complaint said.

Simmons and his mother told Spooner they did not have his property. Spooner then pulled a gun, pointed it at Simmons and fired one shot from about five feet away, the complaint said.

Spooner fired a second shot at Simmons as the boy was running away, according to the complaint. An autopsy found the boy suffered a gunshot wound to his chest, and the bullet damaged the ventricles of his heart before exiting his back. Police recovered a weapon as well as two spent casings.

So a 13 year old boy is dead because an older man suspects that he might have stolen some of his guns.

UPDATE (7/18/13):  The shooter, 76-year old John Henry Spooner, was mentally ill at the time of the shooting.  He has now been found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting 13-year old Darius Simmons.

(a related article on testimony from Darius' mother)