Child shoots intruder

[ppkheat]

As usual this news article raises more questions than it answers?

Child shoots intruder during home break-in

Posted: July 16, 2009 08:15 PM CDT

Updated: July 17, 2009 05:25 AM CDT


PORT ALLEN, LA (WAFB) - A mother is counting her blessings after her ten-year-old son defended himself and his younger sister against three people who broke into their apartment.

Late Tuesday, West Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputies received a call to a Port Allen apartment complex after several shots rang out from inside one of the apartments. "You are out here trying to work and for someone to come and do that and invade your home is very hard," the children's mother said. She asked to not be identified.

Deputies say Dean Favron and Roderick Porter knocked several times on the apartment door. The two young children, a ten-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl, stood on the other side, terrified. "He told his sister to be quiet and seconds later, they started kicking on the door and finally kicked the door in," said Sheriff Mike Cazes. The two children ran to their mother's bedroom closet.

In a panic, the ten-year-old grabbed his mother's gun for protection. "He did what I told him to do. I never told him to get the gun, but thank God he did," she said. Once the two suspects opened the door, threatening the kids, deputies say the boy fired a bullet into the lip of Roderick Porter. The two men were taken to the hospital, where they were later arrested. "It's just hard. I don't understand why they would do that. I know they have little brothers and sisters and they wouldn't want anyone to break into their house," said the mother.

Each man is held on $150,000 bond. The third suspect, a juvenile, was taken to a local detention center. One of the suspects, Dean Favron, just finished serving almost seven years in prison for aggravated assault on a Baton Rouge police officer and two carjacking charges. He was released on June 6th.

Both men will appear before a judge next month.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Reborn]

Brave kid..........its a shame he had to grow up in a split second....but if he hadn't he might not get the chance too. A little boy finally gave a dirt bag what he deserves....

[Ski]

Glad the kids are ok. But what a disturbing story on many levels.

[NYCMedic]

Thank G-d the kids are ok, but were they home alone? Little kids home alone with access to a firearm??? This quote is as clear as it gets, "He did what I told him to do. I never told him to get the gun..." Was he told or never told?
More questions than answers.

[Saber]

I’m from La and I can attest the old school culture that teaches self-reliance at a young age. This boy was likely taught how to shoot prior to the incident. No, it wasn’t good that the children had easy access to a firearm, although in the case, it may well have saved his life and that of his sister.
Regards,

[Holger]

Probably a single mom that has very little choice but to leave her 10 yr old in charge sometimes. Not a knock on her, just reality I guess. I'm glad the kid knew what to do, but it's too bad he was put in this position.

[joker1]

Interesting situation.

Were the kids home alone with access to a firearm?

The boy obviously knew how to fire the weapon, (and did it under what must've been a horrible amount of stress) I hope he was familiar enough with it to be safe. The boy did a wonderful job of protecting the family.

If the kids were home alone without access to a firearm we may very well be reading a much more horrible story, or even if mom was home and still no firearm.

I'm just glad the badguys are the only ones hurt. The boy is a hero in my book.

Joker1

[2ndsupporter]

A perfect example of why it is important that as gun owners we teach our children proper gun handling and safety.

My kids belong to 4H shooting sports and are allowed to participate at the age of 8. They are put through a 4 hour gun safety course and are under positive suppervision while out at the range.

This story ended well, although I,m certin the kids will need some sort of therapy to help them deal with the situation.

[shooterX]

Brave kid, glad it all worked out and they are safe. Although I am a little concerned that the children had access to the gun, this could have been one of those brohter accidentaly shots sister stories.

[Janq]

""He did what I told him to do. I never told him to get the gun, but thank God he did,"

It reads to me with the whole of the story in context that the mother told the boy or both kids that when feeling afraid to flee and hide, as in the closet. Which they did albeit unsuccessfully....which is to be expected within an apartment. There is no real hiding in an apartment (!).

She had not told the boy to get her gun, he did that on his own.
His use of the gun in this case likely saved himself and his sister from suffering, further.

To my eye there are no unanswered questions here.

Thank goodness the boys aim was true.
While as to the mother this is a bad situation that went good although only because she acted very badly in leaving amongst children a firearm unsecured and it was loaded ready to run at that.

Funny thing is I was going to post today about how my own children, girl 6 and boy 3, decided on their own spontaneously to run and grab their water pistols and my boy grabbed a hat and his sunglasses to have pretend "Shooting Class" in my living room as I was oustside grilling dinner.
I come back in to check on them and there they are my daughter showing my boy how to properly extend and aim against three invisible pretend targets.
She saw me watching them and asked that I do not laugh. I responded I see nothing funny, but I do see a safety violation...here let me show you. So I grabbed a third squirt gun they have and I advised them about finger off the trigger until you are absolutely ready to fire, and squirt your Da-Da! :)
My boy even had his squirt gun 'holstered' in the side of his pant.
I felt equally proud and distressed by this as they see me carry everywhere including around my home as well as train at home be it dry fire or in my backyard with a BB pistol.
My daughter later commented that she doesn't want to be a "shooter" when she grows up. She'd rather be a "mommy". I told her she could be whatever she wants. This nearly made my eyes go wet, as I was equally proud and saddened to see and hear this.
I told my wife later that night as she was away at knitting class and she stated that during the day as I'm working they have been doing shooting class play lately with my daughter being the lead as "instructor".

Teach your kids best you can. Secure your firearms. Keep your family safe as best you can. :|

- Janq

[oldogy]

I would expect the family has not heard the last of that situation, leaving the kids with acess to the firearm. Expect children services to investigae that one.

oldogy

[tinkerinWstuff]

What was he shooting a pellet gun?

Once the two suspects opened the door, threatening the kids, deputies say the boy fired a bullet into the lip of Roderick Porter. The two men were taken to the hospital, where they were later arrested.

Where was the second guy hit that he had to go to the hospital too?

[HKinNY]

To Jang: Great Job!! I think the kid in the story did a great job protecting the family.

[ppkheat]

I was wondering about the "lip" shot and also what injury came to the second guy?

Maybe:
The first guy got shot in the lip, it grossed the second guy out and he passed out. The third guy saw his two buddies go down and ran away?

In all seriousness I'm glad it worked out though I wonder what was in that occupied apartment that those three guys wanted so badly.

The mother may catch some grief from CPS, but funny thing, I grew up in a house that had three long guns hanging in an open/unlocked gun rack on the wall. I never touched them w/o permission when I was younger, though had I been alone and someone was breaking in I would have.

[Guns and more]

the boy fired a bullet into the lip of Roderick Porter. The two men were taken to the hospital

I'm confused. Why would both men be taken to the hospital? Maybe Porter was shot in the hip, not lip, and his friend drove to a hospital. But it said they were "taken" to the hospital, implying by a third party.
How come Favron didn't "scram-A-vou"? Honor among thieves?