13-year old New Orleans boy shoots and kills man, and 15-year old accomplice also involved

A 13-year old boy with a lengthy criminal record shot and killed a 58-year old man, apparently in a botched robbery, in New Orleans.  A 15-year old boy was also an accomplice to the murder.  The shooter had just turned 12.

The shooter was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet as a result of prior criminal sentencing.  Because of this, he was matched to the scene and time of the crime, and was also easily tracked down.

From the article:

Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge Mark Doherty placed the boy into the electronic monitoring program on May 16, with conditions that included refraining "from all criminal activity including possession of narcotics and weapons," attending school and adhering to an 8 p.m. curfew.

"In 13 years on the bench I have never seen a murder suspect this young," Doherty said.

The murder suspect turned 13 on Tuesday, the same day he allegedly gunned down Rafael Quintanilla shortly before 3 p.m., authorities said. Neighbors said Quintanilla was sitting on the front steps of his home in the 4000 block of Baudin Street, getting ready to shave, when he was shot. Quintanilla banged on his neighbor's door before slumping to the ground near the corner of Carrollton Avenue.

According to police, the 13-year-old pointed a .380-caliber pistol at him and demanded that he "give him everything." Before Quintanilla could respond, the boy shot him once in the stomach and both teenagers ran, police said.

Authorities said the 13-year-old has a lengthy criminal record, although those records have not been made public.

Doherty gave the boy no restrictions regarding where he could go, according to the Sheriff's Office. The office doesn't monitor juvenile anklet wearers in real time, but receives alerts when an offender veers from the restrictions or loses battery power, according to the Sheriff's Office.

They said the boy was reporting in regularly to the court as required.

In a statement, Doherty called Quintanilla's death "the result of a senseless act of violence," but said the state's judicial code of conduct bars him from discussing the case.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

14-year old boy shot and injured in Surprise, Arizona

A 14-year old boy was shot and injured in the thigh, apparently after an argument with other juveniles, in Surprise, Arizona (in the Phoenix metro area).

From an article:

About 8:00 p.m., police responded to shots fired in the 14500 block of North 132nd Avenue and contacted several residents in the area, Sgt. Norm Owens said. Residents said there had been a large group of juveniles fighting and possible gunshots were heard, he said.

Police discovered several shell casings in the park area but did not find any juveniles there, he said.

A short time later, police received a call from the 14-year-old gunshot victim, who was located near the 14100 block of North West Grand Avenue, Owens said. The victim was found with a single gunshot wound to his upper left thigh and was transported by ambulance to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, he said.

He is in stable condition.  No arrests have yet been made.
.

17-year old Illinois girl killed and 16-year old injured over a Facebook post

Venita Allen, age 17

18-year old Amos Bullocks was angry about a Facebook post, so he told two girls, 17-year old Venita Allen and 16-year old Niesha Farrar, over to his apartment.  That's when he pulled out a gun and started shooting.  The girls ran, but not before begin shot.  Niesha was injured in her buttocks and neck.  Venita died from her wounds a few days after, on what would have been her 18th birthday.

From the article and news video:

Venita Allen died Thursday morning at Cardinal Glennon Children`s Medical Center.

“She was really excited about this day,” said Niesha Farrar, Venita`s best friend, who is also the other girl wounded in the shooting early Sunday morning in the 500 block of Falling Springs Road in Cahokia.

Venita Allen was particularly exited about turning 18 because it would mean she would be old enough to leave the foster care system and go out into the world on her own, which, with the help of a family friend, she was planning to do.

Niesha Farrar, age 16 (left) with Venita Allen, age 17 (right)

The other girl wounded, 16-year-old Niesha Farrar, is still recovering from being shot in the neck and buttocks.  Now, she is also dealing with a broken heart.

“She was my girl, every night before we would go to sleep we would talk about everything, she would tell me the stuff she used to go through. She was the kind of person you could count on,” Farrar said.

The suspect in the case, 18-year-old Amos Bullocks, has so far been charged with attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.  He is being held on a $1,000,000 bond.

Allegedly, Bullocks text messaged the girls, inviting them to his home, because he was upset about a Facebook posting.  Soon after, he allegedly shot them both.

After the shooting, Farrara was able to run to a nearby apartment complex for help, but she lost track of Venita.

Three hours later a passerby noticed her lying in this vacant lot and called police.

“I am so hurt, but I know God sent her to heaven and she won`t have to suffer no more,” Farrar said.

The charges Amos Bullocks faces right now are only for shooting Niesha. The St. Clair County State`s Attorney  anticipates Cahokia police will file more charges on Friday.

In the meantime, people have been leaving birthday cards near the spot where Venita was shot.

.

10-year old New York girl wounded in leg by gunfire

A 10-year old girl was standing outside her Brooklyn, New York home when she was injured in the leg by gunfire.

From an article and news video:

Investigators say shortly before 3 p.m. a 10-year-old girl was standing in front of a home when gunfire broke out.

They say after the girl heard the shots she realized she was hit.

Sources say she suffered a graze wound to the leg.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

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)

9-year old Texas girl killed unintentionally by father mishandling gun

Anaya Wilson, age 9

A 9-year old girl in Fort Worth, Texas, was killed in her home when her father mishandled his loaded gun.

From the article:

Police say a shooting in North Texas has left a 9-year-old girl dead after a gun being handled by her father discharged. 

Fort Worth police say the apparent accidental shooting happened Wednesday night at a home. 

Sgt. Pedro Criado says the father was apparently removing the gun from a bag when the weapon fired. 

Police say the girl was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her name was not immediately released.

UPDATE (6/2/12):  The girl's name was Anaya Wilson.  From another article:

Police call Anaya Wilson's death a "tragic incident." Homicide detectives are still investigating.

Neighbors in the north Fort Worth community near Roanoke say the Wilson family has four children, and they are very active at Hughes Elementary in Northwest ISD. So the death of their oldest child is especially difficult.

Anaya was a third grader.

Fort Worth police say she was with her father around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when he was taking a handgun out of bag. Initial interviews indicate the weapon fired and hit the girl.

Officers arrived at the house a short time later, and Anaya was taken to Baylor Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

.

Two Detroit teens shot and injured when two men have gunfight over who makes the best Kool-Aid

Two men in Detroit started arguing over, of all things, who makes the best Kool-Aid.  The argument escalated, then both men pulled out handguns and started firing.  Both missed each other, but instead hit two teenager bystanders.  One teen was wounded in the wrist, the other in the buttocks.

From the article:

The initial argument, from my understanding, began over Kool-Aid," a witness told reporter Andrea Isom, who confirmed the story with Detroit officers. 

The tongue-lashing increased in intensity until two of the men from the conflicting Kool-Aid crews started shooting each other. 

However, neither shooter hit their intended mark, according to ImperfectParent.com,which reported that two innocent bystanders, both 17, were hit by the stray bullets. 

One victim was struck in the wrist and the other got a bullet in the rear. 

Both victims were taken to local hospitals to be treated for their injuries and both have since been released from the hospital. 

Meanwhile, Detroit police are looking for the two shooting suspects, one of whom reportedly left the scene in a purple 2007 Impala.

.