Posted on 05/14/2007 1:41:26 PM PDT by TexasCajun
Neighbors believe suspect just snapped
Police have released the name of a man who allegedly shot an 11-year-old boy to death outside a home in northwest Houston.
Police charged Raymond Lee Shaw, 58, with murder this morning. The young victim was reportedly a friend of Shaw's son.
It happened at Iron Liege near Fashion Hill in northwest Houston last night. Shaw is described by neighbors as a kind and good person. According to one neighbor, he wouldn't hurt a soul.
But last night, neighbors say they had to pull a shotgun from Shaw`s hands after police say he chased down the 11-year-old into a neighbor's yard and killed him.
Shaw's next door neighbor says young boys between the ages of 11 and 13 had been coming to Shaw's home to hang out with his 13-year-old son, and they began eating Shaw's food. Neighbors also say they would harass and even assault Shaw on occasion.
Shaw has throat cancer and is unable to speak. Yesterday, he apparently told his son through a note to tell the other boys to get out of his home when they began doing their laundry in his washer and dryer without permission.
Apparently, the son began arguing with Shaw and refused to tell his friends to leave. That's when neighbors believe Shaw just snapped.
"They've shoved him, they've pushed him. They've even jumped on him here in his own home and Mr. Shaw just snapped," said neighbor Vivian Phillips. "I'm very sad and I am very hurt because I know what kind of man he is."
Phillips says he's a good man and says this kind of thing has been going on for a long time.
The victim's name is being withheld pending notification of relatives. Witnesses told authorities that they saw Shaw try to reload the gun after the initial shooting.
Not enough information here - he may have been justified in defending himself from the little thugs if the report is accurate, or he may have just gone bonkers. From the report, I tend to think the former.
Reloading after shooting is prudent, especially when dealing with a group of thugs.
“Falling Down”?
Not that killing the kid was right.
11 years old? PAHLEESE!
The age of the ‘victim’ is included in the article, his actions towards this old sick man were not.
Kind of hard to justify shooting an 11-year old under any circumstances, unless the kid came at him with a weapon of some sort.
If he has repeatedly attempted to get police to deal with this in the past, and was still subject to frequent trespassing, theft, and assault in his own home, he should get off because it was self-defense.
Not like he could just dial up 911, family or friends and tell 'em he needed help.
Paid attention to gangs lately?
They’re recruiting kids as young as *9*. Especially as shooters, mules and couriers, because as the line goes, “you’re under eighteen, you won’t be doin’ any time.”
Exactly so. Kind of hard to use a TTY if little thuglets are beating on you - or have destroyed it.
There's kids younger than that currently in custody on charges of murder.
“They’ve shoved him, they’ve pushed him. They’ve even jumped on him here in his own home and Mr. Shaw just snapped,” said neighbor Vivian Phillips. “I’m very sad and I am very hurt because I know what kind of man he is.”
&&
2 questions come to mind:
What kind of a thug is this poor man’s son?
Why would this man not have a neighbor call the police for him before it reached this stage?
11 and 13 y/o kids doing laundry?
Kids coming over to do laundry and stuff? Sounds like they were feral kids. When is all is said and done, the shooter may turn out to be the victim here. To John Q Public, the age of 11 may sound young but I think a different set of rules was operating in that neighborhood.
Obviously much more info is needed to determine whether this was jsutifiable. But this guy seems to have been a victim of a persistent gang of adolescent thugs, and when it’s several of them against one of him, they could be very dangerous even without a “weapon”. In my book, the deciding factor is probably what actions he’s taken in the past to try to get this kids to stay out of his house. If he’s repeatedly sought help from police and courts, and they didn’t take charge of the situation, then he wasn’t left with a whole lot of choices.
He’s probably dying and doesn’t have time to wait for glacial court proceedings to get him back the right to enjoy his own home in peace. He’s presumably on a fixed income, and having trespasers repeatedly stealing his food, running up his electric bill, and roughing him up, pretty much left him with no reason to stay out of prison. He’ll end up in a hospital ward, have plenty of food, not get beaten up, and not have to worry about getting his utilities cut off when he can’t pay the bills.
I was raised to respect the parents of my friends when I was a kid. In fact that respect was expected in dealing with all adults.
Who says he didn't? I've read plenty of cases in the past of people trying repeatedly through police and courts to get an out of control youngster taken out of their home and into some kind of custody, and getting turned down over and over again until the kid kills someone. THEN the authorities will haul the kid into custody.
People nowadays have no qualms about trying 11 year olds as adults in criminal matters.
They’re recruiting kids as young as *9*. Especially as shooters, mules and couriers, because as the line goes, “you’re under eighteen, you won’t be doin’ any time.”
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