Shooting victim in serious condition

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The high school student who was shot Wednesday by a five-year-old child playing with a loaded gun, remained in serious condition Thursday at the St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center's intensive care unit.

The 16-year-old victim was shot at about 11:18 a.m. at the corner of N. 10th East and East Jackson streets, around the corner and about half a block from the Hacker Middle School grounds.

Police Chief John Walter said the quick response of police and ambulance crews may have saved the young man' life. One patrol car was less than a block away when the incident occurred. Ambulances arrived only a few minutes later "and if he hadn't been lifeflighted, he might not have made it," Walter said. "He lost a lot of blood.

The victim was shot while standing on this street corner with friends.

"Any 'through-and-through' is going to affect him for a long time," Walter added, but the reports he had received was that the teen had successfully come out of surgery for his wounds and was expected to survive. The teen was shot by a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, which hit him in the left side of his back and exited out the front of his body.

The teen was on lunch break from the high school, walking with some of his friends to Maverik, when he was shot at the corner of N. 10th East St. and East Jackson Street, around the corner and about half a block from the Hacker Middle School grounds.

The shot was fired by a five-year-old child who had found a loaded gun in his home and taken it outside to play with in his backyard. His mother was at home at the time, but was cleaning and didn't realize what had happened until she heard the shot, and went running outside, police officials said.

Walter said he believed the child "knows that something really bad happened, and that he was to blame, but I don't think he really understands what happened."

Authorities are still trying to piece together how he got the weapon. Currently, they believe it belonged to the boyfriend of the child's mother, but the investigation is continuing. Police have recommended that charges of child endangerment be filed, because the victim is a minor and because of the five-year-old's access to the gun, but the final decision as to whether or not there is sufficient merit to proceed with the filing of formal charges will be up to the county prosecuting attorney.

Police are still trying to determine how many shots were fired by the child. Initially, the believed just one had been fired, but some witnesses reported hearing two shots. The shot was fired from 50-75 yards away and across the street from where the victim was hit.

Police said the shooting by the child was clearly accidental. "This was just a very unfortunate situation," said Sgt. Rick Viola of the Mountain Home Police Department.

Viola added that the incident underscores the need for families to secure firearms properly. "If they're laying around, kids can find them. If you have little ones, you have to be smart about it," he said.

Some of the students who were with the victim were so shaken up by the incident that they did not return to school and the school district immediately activated its crisis intervention/grief teams to help students at the high school. The district brings in extra counseling staff trained in dealing with traumas during necessary circumstances. The staff are available to any student needing someone to talk to about their feelings concerning the incident. The grief teams were expected to be there at least through Friday.

Although there was never a threat to any schools, school district administrators said they were flooded with phone calls of concern. "You name it as far as the variety of calls we got," said Deputy Supt. James Gilbert. "It's amazing how things get twisted and turned as the rumors float around town."

As a result, the district rushed out a letter to go home with all students Wednesday afternoon, describing what had happened to the best of their information at the time at the time the letter was written, and attempting to quell some of the rumors it had received, including pointing out the incident was not gang related.

Because most of the principals involved in the incident are juveniles, authorities have not released any names of the victim, the child or the child's parents.

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  • *

    Prayers to all.

    Jessie

    -- Posted by jessiemiller on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 12:31 PM
  • I hope they charge the parents for negligence.

    -- Posted by annoyedinmtnhome on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 1:01 PM
  • OMG, hope the teen is going to be ok! The parents of the kid with the loaded gun need to be charged,how did a 5 year old get their hands on a loaded gun?

    -- Posted by Moanah on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 2:03 PM
  • Lets get the whole story before we pass judgement. Sounds like the cops were on it fast and I am sure the family of the 5year are devastated. Prayers to both families.

    -- Posted by R&M on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 2:11 PM
  • The perants messed up. But don't hang them befor you know what the full story is. For you that say Fry them. You need to look at your self in this situation

    -- Posted by goodthing78 on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 2:26 PM
  • Is this the shooter typing?

    english please.

    -- Posted by WpnsShop on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 2:27 PM
  • What a feeling in your stomach, when you first hear about this and you have a teenager the same age that was probably at the scene when it happened. Panic was all I felt. I pray the teen is ok.

    Also thank the Lord the 5 year old didn't hurt or kill himself.

    -- Posted by Liv2fish on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 2:30 PM
  • Goodthing;

    I have kids in my home and guns in my home. Putting myself in their shoes, i would feel like a complete IDIOT. MY GUNS are put up seperate from the ammo and only my wife and i know where the ammo is or how to get it.

    -- Posted by annoyedinmtnhome on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 3:40 PM
  • maybe we should ban guns? It has to be the guns fault!

    -- Posted by Savage2506 on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 4:03 PM
  • I was out front of my Son's house which was a block away and heard a SINGLE shot. I thought oh gosh that was a gunshot. I noticed a police car turn the corner almost within seconds of the shot. How sad that it was a teenager shot. My heart goes out to everyone involved!! But please people don't pass your judgement on anyone. We have all been in situations where we were not proud of the outcome. Lets just support who needs it and learn from it!!

    -- Posted by Som1whocares on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 4:26 PM
  • I feel for the high school student. But I also feel for the five year old child. The parents are to blame, one where were they and two do people not know by now with all the laws we have that you do not leave a loaded gun lying around your house or even unloaded for that matter. If anyone should press charges it should be against the parents of the five year old, for being dumb. when I heard what happen my heart sank. for the fact that a five year old could do this just shows how well the parents pay attention.

    my prayers are with the family of the teenager, and my prayers are especially with the five year old he probably feels horrible for what has happened.

    -- Posted by Againstviolence on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 4:58 PM
  • I have kids, be them older now. I also collect guns, work on guns, carry a gun, and have guns available to me unless I go to a federal building or public school. It's NOT THE GUNS FAULT. Let's ask why a 5 year old was left unattended? Why a loaded weapon was left unattended around a child? Pray for the victim and the 5 year old. I hope the family of the teenage sues these parents for everything they have. These are the people the anti-gun movement love to use as examples.

    -- Posted by Retirmentcanbefun on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 6:43 PM
  • A cashier at Maverick just told me the teen was shot thru the kidney and is in critical condition. She said the mother of the 5 year old told the cops the child picked the lock where the gun was stored and that this was'nt the first time the child had played with the gun! Unbelievable! Our prayers tonite are with Leonards family.

    -- Posted by Moanah on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 7:10 PM
  • As a parent, I am extreemly careful to keep a good eye on my child, although when I am busy doing this or that in the matter of a split second they seem to do something I never thought they would or could. I am not talking hours and hours of being unattended but I can be doing a load of laundry and child playing in living room and next thing I know half way up the pantry shelves going for things up high. As most parents know no matter how hard you try to keep a very close eye on a young child they will still amaze you and do something unexpected in a split second. While I am not saying these parents were right or wrong here- I am simply stating in the time you go to the bathroom or do a load of laundry a young child can do anything and usually what they are not allowed to do.

    I personally do believe that guns should be locked up and away from all children. I do not know the whole situation and I doubt any of us will unless we know the family- BUT lets say the gun was in the closet very top shelf out of reach of children but loaded as a safety measure in case of an emergency or whatever.... If there is multi shelves or a dresser or anything the child can climb they may of climbed up and reached it. we have no clue how the child got it- but without knowing why hang the parents without full facts of where the gun was- etc....

    Personally my child is not allowed to play with any kind of gun, no water guns, no bubble guns, no sticks pretending to be a gun, no fingers pointed like a gun etc... Too often we let them play with a toy one and tell them toy is okay but not the real one- most SMALL CHILDREN DO NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!!! When my child ask why they are not allowed to play guns like others I simply tell them that guns CAN hurt people and make them bleed if they hurt the person-- we do not want to hurt our friends so why would we want to pretend to hurt them. Personally more parents need to step up and say no more guns-- quit making the children toys with guns--Do you know how hard it is to find a good guy to play with in the vehicles-- You can find star wars guys,etc.. but when was the last time you found a guy that was a fireman, policeman, mailman, etc... We do not need to teach our children from a small age that everything has to do with guns....

    Back to the story here-- it is very sad that anyone at all was hurt. My prayers go out to the young man who was hit and his family/friends. My prayers also go to the other children in the area who saw exactly what happened and will probably have flashbacks/nightmares for some time. My prayers also go out to the 5yr old and his parents. Accidents happen and without full facts I will not condem (I do believe our country states innocent until proven guilty) The fact that the parents are distraught about the situation means they do care and are probably beating themselves up a lot more than you are bashing them. Instead of wasting time pointing a finger and blaming- lets pull together and pray- lets pull together and start helping to raise some funds as I am sure the student was was injured is going to have extreemly huge medical bills from the medi-vac and surgeries...

    -- Posted by another resident on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 7:20 PM
  • *

    A 5 year old knows how to pick a lock? Really.

    -- Posted by Bluebird77 on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 7:21 PM
  • I'm sorry, shot thru the liver~

    -- Posted by Moanah on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 7:51 PM
  • Because young children get into everything is exactly the reason to not have a loaded gun in the home! No excuses! I'm all for right to bear arms and I also have a gun in my home but it's not LOADED!

    -- Posted by Moanah on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 7:56 PM
  • Oh wow! That is Awful! How does a 5 Yr old get ahold of a gun? Where were his Parents? How did he get out the door without them knowing he had a gun? People you need to properly secure your guns so children can not get ahold of them! I grew up in a Family of hunters and guns were always put away and we as children wer always taught never to mess with them! Thoughts and Prayers go out to the Teen and his Family!I am sure the 5 year old feels bad for what has happend and i am sure his parents also feel bad.

    -- Posted by lilmisstude23 on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 8:05 PM
  • Jeez, another resident take your bleeding heart outside. An ACCIDENT is something that happens that is unforeseen to happen.....Load Gun and Unattended Child equals a problem...not an accident. That's like saying it was an accident that an explosion occurred when you mixed the nitro and glycerin. Your theory about the mom turning for a few minutes is a little implausible to believe also. The 5 year old would have had to pick the lock, get the weapon, and go outside to find a target all within a couple minutes. Don't blame the gun; educate your child, if they know what it can do and how to respect it early might have taken the curiosity about it away. More people are killed by cars but I'm sure your children have been in one or have at least crossed the street. By the way this kid must be old enough to learn he learned how to pick locks, how to cock the weapon, take it off safety, and make a pretty good shot. The parents are 100% to blame and should pay the medical bills, get sued for everything they own, and be charged with child neglect at the very least.

    -- Posted by Retirmentcanbefun on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 8:20 PM
  • I don't care who you are or where you come from Point is that if a little five year old can pick a lock then shouldn't you take further precautions to make sure that the guns in this cabinet are safe... and the fact that the child was left unattended for this period of time shows irresponsibility towards the parents. I hope that justice comes to the family of the victim in this issue, and I hope all is well with them. I also hope that families owning guns will take further precautions after this incident...

    -- Posted by Againstviolence on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 8:40 PM
  • The mother was supposedly in the kitchen, according to KTVB. I can't believe that she allowed that to happen.

    Regardless of whether or not the kid wasn't watched properly, that gun should have not even been CLOSE to any way he could have gotten it. Unacceptable. It should have been unloaded, safely locked up, and the child told the dangers of it. Five years old is plenty old enough to educate a child on gun safety.

    -- Posted by lilmissmelmo on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 8:52 PM
  • Kudos to those of you who are praying for the teen's and the child's families. This will be a tough burden to bear for all involved and I hope that we receive good news about the teenager tomorrow. He's such a nice kid with great manners and comes from very good people. My heart also goes out to all of them.

    I don't understand how some of the people in this small, protective, loving, caring town become a lynch mob every time we make the Boise news. During times like this, we should be protecting and consoling each other. Instead, we degrade parenting styles, point fingers, insist that "...I would NEVER allow MY kids to be near a firearm...". With this town of perfect people, perfect parents, perfect children, why do these incidents still happen? It's easy to say "my way is better" until this happens in your own family. Compassion just seems to be lost during tragedy in Mountain Home and so many on this squawkbox are eager to point fingers.

    -- Posted by campers4 on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 11:07 PM
  • It seems as if people are forgetting that two young lives have been changed forever. Who cares about the "whole" story or who is to blame, please do not forget the two children who are suffering. The rumors are really flying right now and it is very sad. Please pray for both of the children and the rest will fall into place.

    -- Posted by avidreader on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 11:48 PM
  • This a an example of how a normal day can turn tragic in the blink of an eye. An act of carelessness can have far reaching consequences. As parents, it is our job to do everything in our power to keep our children safe and educate them about the dangers around us. We are responsible for creating and maintaining a safe environment for our children. When we fail to do this, for whatever reasons, we may find ourselves and our chldren in a tragic situation such as this. I was raised around guns and always knew that they were off limits without parental supervision. Gun safety was a matter of fact and I was aware of the potential of tragedy. My parents kept the guns and ammo out of sight and out of reach of us kids. A gun was never left out in the open for any reason. My parents were wise enough, that even though gun safety was drilled into our heads and reiterated every time the guns were handled, to know that we were still just kids and had a childs curiosity. Educations is only part of the process. Parental responsibility is the biggest part of the equation. Just because you tell your kids not to touch - remember they are still kids, they are curious. Never rely on just what you say to do or not to do. Lead by example and keep dangerous items out of sight, out of reach, locked up. Show them that you believe what you say to them by putting dangerous things in their proper places, using the proper safety precautions and showing them the proper respect.

    -- Posted by kathylh on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 5:33 AM
  • why do you keep deleting my comments? Freedom of speech, freedom to bear ARMS....

    -- Posted by WpnsShop on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 8:24 AM
  • Moral Of This Story...

    What's Worst Than A 5 Year Old With A Gun?

    A 5 Year Old With Your Gun!

    -- Posted by WpnsShop on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 8:34 AM
  • The rules are simple. I don't care how you abbreviate or shorten up with *&%symbols*&^ don't use profanity, period.

    -- Posted by Brenda Fincher Publisher MHNews on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 8:43 AM
  • profanity just shows how ignorant you really are. If you can't think of a word tu use instead of profanity try looking at a dictionary. or go to dictionary.com they give you synonyms.

    -- Posted by annoyedinmtnhome on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 8:55 AM
  • *

    My thoughts and prayers are with both families.

    -- Posted by Proud Army and Airforce Mom on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 9:02 AM
  • There Was No Profanity When I Was Giving Kudos To The Kid And His Natural Skills As A Sharp Shooter.

    I Want You To Try To Shoot A 9mm From 75 Yards Away, And Hit The Intended Target...

    Skills...

    -- Posted by WpnsShop on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 9:04 AM
  • *

    Wpnshop:

    Your sense of humor is despicable and your comment is "as*"-inine.

    -- Posted by Bluebird77 on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 9:47 AM
  • WpnsShp- Why are you on here? Your comments are nothing but rude and disrespectful to these families and are making light of a very serious and tragic situation. Show some respect and if you can't do that then follow the good ol' classic "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

    -- Posted by myhiveoffive on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 9:53 AM
  • So many people underestimate the resourcefulness and intelligence of children. Let's be real, parents cannot be everywhere all the time(wouldn't that be great if we could?). With that said, anyone who owns a firearm "SHOULD" know proper handling and storage of it, in a perfect world.

    At this point, hind-sight is 20/20 and placing blame does not rewind events. Let's learn from this.

    As for any charges filed, that is why we pay taxes for our judicial system and law enforcement.

    This is a tragedy for all involved and the community. Learn from it.

    -- Posted by lifermdc on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 9:53 AM
  • Prayers for both familys....... Accidents do happen

    Many yrs ago my brothers 2 boys were involved in a shooting. They were 2 & 3 yrs old. It was in the winter of 1970 a very cold winter and lots of snow. My brother had a friend who lived out in the country alone and was wheel chair bond. His furnace stopped working so my brother packed up his boys and went to help his friend.

    Around noon that day the boys got tired and they were put down in the friends bed for a nap.

    The friend forgot about the loaded gun under his mattress (which he never had to use) 3 yr od finds it shoots 2 yr old.

    Rushed to hospital in car, 2 yr old survives from the bullet that pierced his left lung.

    Years later the 2 yr old has had health issues all is life and the 3 yr old still feels awful that he pulled the trigger.

    When this happened the 3 yr old knew something happened but didn't really understand the impact of what he had done

    I personally don't like guns and don't remember anything good about them.

    5 yr olds are smart and we don't know how the boy was able to get the gun. Maybe he seen it being put away and the parents didn't know he was watching.

    Prayers going out to Leonard for a speedy recovery and no life long effects from this tragedy

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 9:59 AM
  • I absolutely cant believe this had happened. It just shows that something so unexpected can happen at any possible time. The gun should have been up where the child couldnt have gotten to it (and unloaded) and the parent should have known about the childs whereabouts. But to have gotten a hit from 75 yrds away with a 9mm is pretty sharp shooting.

    -- Posted by lvnlife77 on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 10:11 AM
  • Can we please stop making comments about the 5 year olds sharpshooting skills? It's really disrespectful to the family of the 16 year old and makes it almost like he's being admired for his skills.

    -- Posted by myhiveoffive on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 10:35 AM
  • Referring to the 5 year old as a sharp shooter is rediculous.....he had no clue what he was doing with that gun or harm that could be done by playing with it!

    Anyone know how the 16 year old is doing? Thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

    I hate guns that is why they are not in my home, and I have no problems with people owning guns, its your right, but so very sad when a gun is in a home and not respected the way it should be!!! Tragic events like this take place.

    I am sure most of you would agree that boys naturally like toy guns at a very young age, and will pick up anything and pretend its a gun and make a shooting sound so as parents we need to make sure they are taught right away about what is real and what is pretend and continually remind them.

    -- Posted by lifetimemthomey on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 11:30 AM
  • I heard from a reliable source that there could of been 2 shots fired

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 11:45 AM
  • Yes, lifetimemthomey, I'd also love to know that the teenager is doing well. If anyone has a good, reliable update, please share. No personal info necessary----I just want a positive recovery report.

    -- Posted by campers4 on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 12:31 PM
  • This is the latest on his condition as of last night....he was in ICU and doing well. It is now all about healing and watching for infections.

    -- Posted by myhiveoffive on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 1:06 PM
  • *

    I agree with Campers4, The child is old enough to be taught about gun safety. I hope the student is okay. My prayers are with him.

    -- Posted by Bay River on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 1:12 PM
  • WpnsShop,

    It is obvious that you did not put 2 seconds worth of thought into your comments. I highly doubt that if it was someone in your family or a friends family that had been shot you would be here making comments that praise such a tragedy. Maybe next time you should think twice before commenting or in the least show a little respect for the victim and his family.

    Sending prayers out to the family!!

    -- Posted by americanbelle28 on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 2:11 PM
  • it was one shot. The gun did not have any bullets in the clip. The only bullet in the gun was in the chamber. My prayers go out to the teen that was shot.

    -- Posted by annoyedinmtnhome on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 7:34 PM
  • You have to ask the question: how? How in the world does a child wander outside, unsupervised and with a gun? Don't people care about their kids? I have a 4 year old, and there is no way I'd let her even "wander" outside without my supervision. How does a child pick up a loaded weapon, wander outside, and then shoot it?

    I'll tell you how: complete and utter parental negligence and the parent should be charged and then sued. This is absolutely unacceptable.

    I hope for a speedy recovery for the young man that was injured.

    -- Posted by luv2fly on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 11:00 PM
  • Please don't come on here and be disrespectful to the 5 year old OR the 16 year old. I personally know the 16 year old and he will NEVER be the same after this incident. He is going through ANOTHER surgery this morning and all anyone should be doing is praying for him. You are wasting your time by coming on here and making snide remarks.

    -- Posted by _Blank_ on Fri, Feb 5, 2010, at 9:28 AM
  • My prayers are with both families.

    -- Posted by lvnlife77 on Fri, Feb 5, 2010, at 1:57 PM
  • So was it true that the 5 year old picked the lock to the gunsafe?

    -- Posted by lvnlife77 on Fri, Feb 5, 2010, at 2:07 PM
  • no it was not true that he picked a lock. the gun was left ontop of a cabinet that he could get too.

    -- Posted by annoyedinmtnhome on Fri, Feb 5, 2010, at 4:22 PM
  • Prayers to both families involved, and hope that this incident provides "safety dialog" among all in the community.

    The worse accidents are ones that could have been prevented

    -- Posted by dm_22 on Fri, Feb 5, 2010, at 4:46 PM
  • WpnsShop, do you sell safes?

    -- Posted by Reserve ID on Sat, Feb 6, 2010, at 11:56 AM
  • Does anyone know how the 16 year old is doing?

    -- Posted by softball12 on Sat, Feb 6, 2010, at 2:10 PM
  • KTVB is now reporting that he's been moved out of ICU into a regular room and that he should be fine. Just has recovering to do. Second surgery was good.

    -- Posted by myhiveoffive on Sat, Feb 6, 2010, at 6:19 PM
  • There's a saying, quit "shoulding" on yourself and others. It's pretty obvious what "should" have been - talk's cheap when it's not you or yours. What in each of our lives would we have done differently if we knew then what we know now? No doubt all parties concerned will have a great deal of healing to do - and are very aware of their own "should".

    -- Posted by EarthLover on Tue, Feb 9, 2010, at 1:03 PM
  • Ok just so you all Know the "mother" was NOT CLEANING!!! She was sleeping on the couch! she lied to the police! i heard it from her own mouth this morrning. not only that but the gun was no in the gun safe it was some were else im not sure.. how do i know this.. b/c im the boy friends WIFE! soon to be ex! He has a bad habbit about leaveing guns out! my 5 year old back when he was about 2 had got to one of his guns. thank god it wasnt loaded! and i made him get rid of it.. as soon as i left the house he went out and bought a new gun... they are both irrisponsible, and she needs to go to jail for being lazy and not paying attition to her child!

    -- Posted by Mckenzie on Tue, Feb 16, 2010, at 12:05 PM
  • the MHPD needs to get their facts straight before talking to the media. the victim was not admitted back into the hospital for "routine" reasons as the Idaho Statesman suggests. AND WHY HAVEN'T CHARGES BEEN FILED? if Elmore county cannot handle a case of this magnitude, they need to turn it over to someone that can. The "mother" needs to go to jail. and who should be responsible for the $50,000 in medical bills? certainly not his family.

    -- Posted by richsgurl87 on Wed, Feb 17, 2010, at 12:52 PM
  • McKenzie doesn't seem to have any of her facts straight, much like the rest of the comments on here. The five year old's mom is just as devastated as anybody about this tragic accident and should be left alone. Not gossiped about by a petty "EX"-wife!!!!

    -- Posted by idahoclover on Sat, Mar 20, 2010, at 7:45 PM
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