Emergency Room Records Show Teen Prankster Shot in Back

AP NEWS/ The Palm Beach Post, http://www.pbpost.com ^ | 11-02-03

[Armed Civilian]

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) - A 16-year-old boy killed during a seemingly innocent late-night prank was shot in the back, according to emergency room records. The medical reports were released Saturday by the attorney for the teen's parents, who said they show he posed no threat to the neighbor who shot him.

Mark Andrew Drewes and a friend had been knocking on neighbors' doors and then running away Oct. 25. He was shot by neighbor Jay Steven Levin, 40, who told police he mistook the 6-foot-2 teen for a burglar.

"It shows he was running away," said the Drewes' attorney, Robert Montgomery. "Nobody was coming at (Levin)."

Montgomery announced Friday that he planed to file a wrongful death suit against Levin on behalf of Mark Drewes' parents, Gregory and Luciana Drewes.

Levin has not been charged in the shooting. His attorney, Bo Hitchcock, did not immediately return a phone message Sunday.

Mike Edmondson, spokesman for Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer, declined to comment on the hospital report.

[Ditter]

Poor dumb kid. I hope this guy gets jail time over this.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Jail time? Are you kidding? Ding Dng Ditch is a capital offense. </ sarcasm>

[CobaltBlue]

Megadittos.

[Bogey78O]

Never fire until the target has been either identified or has been certified as a threat.

[Cultural Jihad]

Emergency Room Records Show Teen Prankster Shot in Back

Clearly a case of a bruised ego shooting in self-defense.

[nicmarlo]

Tell me how threatening can one be if their back is to you because they're running away? I think this man will be arrested pretty soon now.

[ASTM366]

People who trepass in the night, pulling pranks that startle homeowners know that the homeowner might respond with force, even deadly force, even though it may not be justified.

A prankster is subjecting himself/herself to a high level of risk by operating at night.

Its a shame that the boy was killed.

[toddst]

Tell me how threatening can one be if their back is to you because they're running away?

If the boy was ringing the doorbell and then running away, why would he still be on the porch? There is more to this story than we yet know.

[nicmarlo]

Yep, I very much agree with you.

From the original story, the man saw two boys (if I remember correctly). The boy he shot was about 6' tall, about 210 lbs. (also, if I remember correctly). Also, the original story said nothing about opening the door first, then shooting. Rather, it made it sound as if he shot first (my impression: through the door). So, if he opened the door before he shot, the boy's back was already turned when the man shot him. The autopsy will have stated how close the gun was to the boy's back because of the diameter of the wound(s).

Yep, we'll be hearing more info. on this.

[xm177e2]

"It shows he was running away," said the Drewes' attorney, Robert Montgomery. "Nobody was coming at (Levin)."

He was jumping... backwards!

[muawiyah]

Already we can see the "homeowner was justified" crowd abandoning this piece of news.

I think this guy is going to go down hard, and if the prosecutor can't think of a reason to arrest him, then maybe the wrongful death suit might be expanded to encompass him (or her).

[Wiggins]

It shows he was running away," said the Drewes' attorney, Robert Montgomery. "Nobody was coming at (Levin)."

There is a time delay from when a person decides to fire a shot at another person to when the shot is actually fired. In that delay it is possible that the person who was shot turned away suddenly from the shooter after he ecountered the gun and was struck in the back by the bullet, while the shooter may have been aiming for the chest all the time. I know I'm gonna be sorry I said this but it could be possible.

[Armed Civilian]

INCOMING!! Don't flinch when IT comes your way.

[El Gato]

The medical reports were released Saturday by the attorney for the teen's parents, who said they show he posed no threat to the neighbor who shot him.

Remember who's interest that attorney is looking out for. Most emergency rooms would have a hard time telling an entrance wound from an exit wound... except in certain "high activity" areas of course. I'm not saying the guy wasn't shot in the back, but best to wait for the autopsy.

That said, coming out shooting is not the wisest move under most circumstances, unless there have been incoming rounds. Certainly this doesn't seem to be one of the rare exceptions to that rule.

[ironman]

Your analysis is quite possible. People should re-read the article. The released records say he was shot in the back. It's quite another conclusion that he was running away.

[marktwain]

The released records say he was shot in the back. It's quite another conclusion that he was running away.

While the article claims this, it is not necessarily true. The attorney for the young man's parents, (who was hired to file a wrongful death suit) released these records, and interpreted them for the journalist. Sounds like he is trying to influence the jury pool.

This makes me suspicious from the start. I have heard that lawers try to go to the "court of public opinion" when they do not have the law or the facts on their side.

[fml]

That is jsut what my 14 and 15 year olds concluded, but to shoot someone in the back is very wrong.

[ironman]

"A 16-year-old boy killed during a seemingly innocent late-night prank was shot in the back, according to emergency room records."

I can see your point but it is a reasonable conclusion that the AP reporter saw the actual records and wrote the above based on that.

[marktwain]

However, we do know that AP is aggressively anti-gun and anti self-defense.

The picture of the bloody shirt showing a hole in the back that was released does not prove anything because we don't know how the shirt was worn or if there is also a hole in the front.

I remain skeptical of the motives of this attorney.