An 11-year-old Missouri boy shot and killed a 16-year-old boy during an attempted home invasion Thursday afternoon, St. Louis County police said.
I cannot imagine how either family can deal with the tragedy which all have suffered.
Police said two suspects tried to break into the home north of downtown St. Louis twice before the shooting on Thursday. On the third try, authorities said the unidentified teen went through the home's unlocked front door while the 11-year-old and a 4-year-old girl were home alone. Police said the younger boy shot the teen in the head.Police should also wonder why the 16-year-old (and his companion) attempted to break into an occupied house.
Fox2Now reported that police want to know why the children were home alone and why the 11-year-old had access to a gun. Police believe the mother bought the gun after prior break-in attempts.
These are children. Everyone involved here was just a child. They aren't expected to be able to deal with this kind of confrontation as an adult would.
Why should one teen be so determined to rob a house. Was he so desperate that he would risk his life for monetary gains? Obviously, he either didn't know there was anyone home, or he didn't care.
As for the younger boy, who defended his home and his little sister ... this will haunt him for the rest of his life.
In the state where I live, it's legal for a child over the age of 10 years to be left alone in charge of a younger sibling. But obviously, it's not the 'best' solution to the problem of a Single Working Mother.
One wonders what would have happened if the defending boy had NOT been able to defend himself. Would the older boy (the intruder) have assaulted him and his little sister?
We have no way of knowing what tragedy had been averted. We only know the tragedy that we see.
That's bad enough. For everyone.
Nobody wins, everybody loses.
Compare that story with this story.
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