Accidental Wii Suicide 1343
Paul Taylor noted a story that I would have thought to be an April Fool's Day joke a few weeks from now, which makes it only seem more tragic. A 3-year-old shot herself with a gun after mistaking it for a Wii controller.
How did a 3-year old pull the trigger? (Score:4, Interesting)
Really? A toddler pulling the trigger of a .380? A toddler?
I smell bullshit.
Re:What a Tragedy and No Charges? (Score:5, Interesting)
But the fact that there are no charges being pressed enrages me.
Are you a parent? There's absolutely NOTHING they could do to the guy that would be worse than losing a child. I wouldn't be surprised if he winds up comitting suicide intentionally, with the same gun. I can't imagine how much this guy's hurting right now.
I'd also betting his marriage is over. Yes, charges of child endangerment could be filed, but no punishment is going to change anything; no punishment that state can inflict will come close to what he's done to himself.
I am a parent, and my eyes tear up thinking about a child dying, mine or one I've never met - they are all tragedies. However, in this case the *stepfather* left a gun around that killed a child that wasn't his. He may or may not be suffering, and it should be investigated.
Re:Suicide, my ass! (Score:4, Interesting)
"Nintendo" and "Wii" in all the headlines.... (Score:5, Interesting)
... But you have to read the article to see "Smith and Wesson". Unreal.
I can see where the conversation gets muddy when someone commits a violent act after playing violent video games. Not saying anything about that beyond that its at least an interesting topic. But when a TODDLER finds a LOADED GUN ON A COFFEE TABLE and SHOOTS HERSELF WITH IT are we really going to try to blame it on VIDEO GAMES?!?!?!
Re:Suicide? (Score:5, Interesting)
My best educated guess is that what happened was that the little girl was holding the gun upside-down and looking down the barrel, with her thumb looped through the trigger. Basically imagine holding a gun where the barrel is directly up in the air, and you've got your thumb against the trigger and are holding the bottom of the grip with your fingers wrapped around it. She squeezed to hold it tight, as it natural to do in that position, and shot herself. I've read a few cases of this position in holding the gun causing this accident. It's absolutely terrible.
Re:What a Tragedy and No Charges? (Score:4, Interesting)
Were I a prosecutor, I would push for the jury to see that going through the trouble to find a toy (not regularly distributed commercially here) for your child identical to the loaded handgun that you "happened" to leave on the table one evening is more than suspicious.
Yeah. A stepfather wanting to get rid of his/her stepson or stepdaughter isn't exactly unheard of.
Re:What a Tragedy and No Charges? (Score:3, Interesting)
He had the gun out because he thought he heard an intruder. That would be the point of owning a gun. The problem is that he left it unattended, and didn't put it away right away.
Honestly? I agree with the authorities that, in this case, the step-father should not be charged. Partially because there's no reason to believe he's less than genuinely devastated by the loss of his child, and partially because the taxpayer expense of a trial isn't going to produce any punishment that will overshadow that.
Re:What a Tragedy and No Charges? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Suicide? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What a Tragedy and No Charges? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:How did a 3-year old pull the trigger? (Score:3, Interesting)
Really? A toddler pulling the trigger of a .380? A toddler?
I smell bullshit.
This was exactly what I was thinking first thing. How the hell can a 3 year old manipulate the multi-pound trigger pull of a hand gun? Their little fingers are even unlikely to reach from the back of the handgrip to the trigger, much less be able to squeeze it.
The only thing I can figure, if this isn't a load a bullshit, is that the pistol was already cocked, making the trigger pull substantially less difficult, and the reason the kid died instead of shooting a hole in the TV was because he was just dicking around with the pistol instead of actually trying to play the game with it... so perhaps had it on the table and squeezed it while already cocked with his thumb and pointed at him.
It just seems like a fantastic series of events to get to that point, especially if the mother "was only a few feet away."
Suicide? Try murder. (Score:3, Interesting)
A 3 year old knows the difference between a real gun, and a lightweight plastic controller. According to the parents, the gun was sitting on the table for a whole day. In a little trailer.
Apparently, loaded, cocked, and with the safety off. And then the little girl pointed it at herself and pulled the trigger? Sounds dubious to me that someone who has spent years with guns doesn't know that you don't point it at yourself.
But even if thats the case it was negligent homicide - you don't forget to keep a loaded, cocked, and ready to fire weapon out for an entire day, in plain view.
I wouldn't be shocked if the autopsy shows no signs of gun powder residue on her hands/arms, and it turns out that the father shot her, and they made up a BS story to cover.
Re:What a Tragedy and No Charges? (Score:2, Interesting)
Read the article. Normally the gun was kept in a locked place away from reach by the children. He took the gun out because he thought he heard an intruder. After investigating, he let the gun on the table and didn't put it away immediately.
Now I'm even more suspicious. If I think I hear an intruder and I'm concerned enough that I take my weapon and check it out, I'm not just then going to put the gun on a table and walk off. It's staying on me.
what Wii game? (Score:2, Interesting)
OK, so what Wii game involves pointing the gun at yourself? It doesn't sound like much fun (remind me not to buy it). Does the controller even work when you point it at yourself?
The only thing being "used to playing a Wii game" should have taught this child is which end goes forward! And that is should be pointed at the evil brainless beings.
The fact that the Wii is even mentioned at all in this tragedy just boils down to human beings natural instinct to try and deflect some of the blame/responsibility when they screw up.
-hps
Re:Suicide? (Score:5, Interesting)
After reading the article, I have to respectfully disagree about this case. It does seem like this is criminal negligence on the part of the stepfather as well as the mother. They neglected to teach their child about the dangers of firearms, and by letting it play with a realistic toy made the situation worse by making it seem harmless. This is on top of the grossly negligent way the firearm was left loaded and unsupervised.
Still, I don't think further punishment is necessary because it won't have any preventative effect. The guy isn't likely to make that mistake again, and the chance that prosecuting him will scare others into being more careful is also just not there. But yes, investigate, find out what went wrong and how to avoid a repeat.
Re:Suicide? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Suicide? (Score:3, Interesting)
the chance that prosecuting him will scare others into being more careful is also just not there
Why not? Seems like a classic case for deterrence to work, at least if you believe deterrence in general is a worthwhile concept. What am I missing?
Re:Suicide? (Score:1, Interesting)
So should we let drunk drivers who kill people off the hook as well? Because they feel really bad about what they did?
Re:Suicide? (Score:3, Interesting)
So how did she turn off the safety? Or did the idiot have a loaded gun with safety off in reach of a child.....
Re:Stupid comment (Score:4, Interesting)
apparently it wasnt in this case. This is something that could be taught in a gun safety and licensing class. Even when you have a reason to want to handle a weapon, when the potential threat is clear, dont just put the damn thing down and walk away.
What about the situations where a kid is shot but not killed , or the situation where the gun discharges and misses completely? To me, these situations are the same, with a different result. The actions should end with some punishment, not dependent upon the results of the actions.
If you leave a gun where a child can access it, and manages to discharge it, you dont become not guilty of something heinous because you got lucky.
Re:Suicide? (Score:1, Interesting)
No, no way. This wasn't a mistake. Was the child's hands tested for GSR? I was properly taught gun handling, so I've held handguns, at 8y/o it was a struggle to properly aim and hold aloft. Not to mention the mechanics of the child's wrist being able to hold the gun at such an awkward angle. Let's face it, gun's aren't made to easily point at yourself. For a child to be able to support that much weight, while holding it at an angle that defys it's design, AND being able to pull a typically (unmodified) heavy-pull trigger all at the same time? Forgive my french, but no flippin' way. A decent handgun that's NOT a crazy-expensive alloy is heavy, and NOT designed for a hand with fingers the length of miniature bic lighters.
I agree with everyone that is hollering for a proper investigation, jailing, and immediate foster care for their other child. Did the kid have an a-typically sized life insurance policy? Or some sort of mental/developmental disability?
I'm sorry, but I'd have trouble believing a 5 y/o capable of holding a gun at that angle (purposely or accidentally) and firing it.
Re:Suicide? (Score:5, Interesting)
What I want to know is why the safety wasn't set on the gun.
It looks like the firearm in question is a S&W .380 Sigma. It is "double-action" only: each pull of the trigger draws back the hammer to fire. There's no external safety.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_&_Wesson#Sigma_series [wikipedia.org]
I haven't been able to find anything that indicates the weight of the trigger for that gun. I'll venture that it's probably about 6-8 pounds, but some DA guns are as high as 13 pounds.
I'm also vaguely curious as to what sort of shooting game the kid was playing that involved pointing the gun at himself....
As you and several others have mentioned, it's unlikely the child would be able to pull the trigger with her trigger finger. And I suspect that's what happened: The child picked up the firearm by mistake and tried to pull the trigger. When it didn't work, she fumbled with it and pointed the firearm at herself as she pulled the trigger with her thumb.