Teen Killed In Baseball Bat Attack

KCAL9/AP ^ | Apr 13, 2005 1:38 pm US/Pacific

[BenLurkin]

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) A 13-year-old boy allegedly killed another teen by hitting him in the head with a baseball bat during an argument at a concession stand after a Pony League game, authorities said Wednesday.

Jeremy Rourke, 15, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the Tuesday night attack, said Brenda Shafer, a spokeswoman for the coroner's office.

A homicide investigation was underway, but the younger boy had not been arrested, said Don Manumaleuna, a sheriff's spokesman. Authorities said the boy was detained after the incident.

"He just didn't realize it, it just happened and before you know it and then like I say, I told him, 'What did you do, why did you do that?"' parent Sam Cordova told Fox 11 News.

"I could see it in his eyes that it was starting to sink in, oh my gosh, what did I do?" Cordova said.

The nature of the argument was unclear. Authorities did not know whether the boys were spectators or members of the baseball teams that had played.

The Palmdale Pony League field has a sign promoting sign-ups for boys 5 to 14 and encouraging parents to "Protect Our Nation's Youth."

The city is about 40 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

[SerpentDove]

I'm usually not sympathetic to the perp, but in this case I'll make an exception. It seems he probably didn't mean to do what he did, and it will haunt him the rest of his life.

I was in many fights at that age...thank the Good Lord this never happened.

What a horrible story.

[ml/nj]

gee I'm so sorry I got off track

Why is that a liberal cannot be sincere about anything?

ML/NJ

[spinestein]

Ask any EMT about blunt force trauma at baseball games.

Injuries commonly result from getting hit with bats (swung or thrown), baseballs, (trauma to the head or occasionally to the heart when a wild pitch strikes a batter in the sternum), and collisions with other players.

A friend of mine was knocked unconscious for 3 minutes when we were playing softball in high school. He was trying to field a high fly ball and he simply missed it and it hit him right in the middle of his forehead. He got a concussion out of it.

[ladylib]

Beats me.

[Cobra64]

Here's a little observation/opinion of mine that relates to incidents like this. It seems to me that many children involved in these kinds of incidents have been raised in an environment in which they were rarely held responsible for their actions. As a result, they are unlikely to weight the potential consequences of their actions ahead of time. JMHO.

I'm with you on that. Both my kids are karate black belts. They no longer practice. However, I have ALWAYS asked them if they would EVER use an action that would kill anyone; unless it were a situation involving their own lives. They have told me that they would use "reasonable force, addressing the opposing force(s)."

So, I feel comfortable with their attitudes. I defend our domicile in the same way. Sigs, and Glocks seem to work efficiently.

[chainsaw]

Any thirteen year old who would do so has behavioral problems.

I'm thinking in a few days we will find out this kid was on a school mandated drug program. Prozac etc. and was using an unregistered baseball bat.

[KJC1]

Yes, I really was lucky. It happened right after a game had ended, so there were tons of other kids and parents around, including my mother. He insulted me, then I insulted him back, then WHAM.

I don't think anything happened to the kid, at least that I know of. He had some developmental problems amongst other things. He was about 10 or 11 and I was 9-ish.

[Americanexpat]

Yeah, their building a gallows for the little bastard right now.

[JSteff]

"many children involved in these kinds of incidents have been raised in an environment in which they were rarely held responsible for their actions."

That is because the adults themselves never learned that either, or have successfully ignored it (responsibility" for years themselves.

[ibtheman]

If some kid tryied to swing a bat, and hit me on the head. I would duck, and tackle him, get the bat, and brake either his leg or arm with it. But never hit him on the head, maybe in the balls though!

[vaudine]

Sorry, but I unfortunately believe there are quite a few that would erupt in anger and do that before they realize it. Teens have rampant hormones, are sometimes overzealous about sports, and super sensitive about insults; and in today's world, they are encouraged to emote their feelings and see much too much TV violence.

If this happened to my child, I would feel like doing the same to the kid, but I wouldn't.

vaudine

[cherry]

"they are encouraged to emote their feelings and see much too much TV violence."

yet we have freepers thinking we should let boys be boys even more than we let boys be boys NOW.......I'd hate to see what they would allow.....

as far as this incident, sounding like an awful lot of people want nothing to happen to this kid......like hitting someone with a baseball bat to the head is something done thousands and thousands of times a day, purely by accident.....

[festus]

I think what was sinkin in was "Oh dear I don't think I'm going to be able to get out of this one like I usually do".

[vaudine]

Yes, when something like this happens, immediate sympathy is beamed to the perpetrator and nobody wants to "ruin his life". Hey, actions have consequences, and every age carries its responsibilities. We have to start teaching consequences and responsibilities along with walking and talking, when they are babes. Unfortunately, a lot of people think responsibility and self discipline just happen automatically.

This kid's life is ruined, but the other kid is dead. I hope coaches and parents and teachers use this to teach restraint and responsibility, but I'm not holding my breath.