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Boy's action 'justifiable', 11-year-old shoots, kills assailant
South Bend Tribune (Indiana) | February 6, 2002 | Gwen O'brien

Posted on 02/06/2002 8:40:01 AM PST by Travis McGee

Boy's action 'justifiable'

11-year-old shoots, kills assailant

By GWEN O'BRIEN

Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- When Tony D. Murry held a box cutter to Sue Gay's neck Monday night, Gay's 11-year-old adopted son ran upstairs at the home at 1348 N. Huey St. and grabbed a gun.

"He hit the bottom of the stairs with the .45 and stood ready stance with the gun," said Gay with feet spread apart and her hands outstretched as if holding a handgun.

The boy shot one round and hit Murry, 27, in the chest, even though the man was shielding himself with Gay. "I don't know how he did that. One shot and he got him. He's my little hero," Gay said of the grandson she adopted.

The fifth-grader may not have been just a lucky shot. This is a family that knows guns. "Before his dad died, they'd go target shooting. He knows they're not toys and not something to mess with," Gay said.

Ironically, it was guns that Murry may have come for in the first place. "Murry demanded all the weapons in the house. Gay's late husband was a weapons collector and Murry knew of the collection," said St. Joseph County Prosecutor Chris Toth, who said this was a case of justifiable homicide.

Gay said her daughter, who is the boy's biological mother and currently in prison, was acquainted with Murry. Murry, or "Casper" as Gay knew him, would come by every couple of months to ask about Gay's daughter. The two never dated, according to Gay.

"I'm not sure where they met. Probably in South Bend when she was off on one of her drug binges," Gay said. In an arrest in November, Murry listed "drug dealer" as his occupation, according to booking records at the St. Joseph County Jail.

"I'm upset because she put us in this position. She didn't send him (Murry) over here, but he was one of her acquaintances. I'm more mad at him though," Gay said.

Murry had been inside Gay's house before Monday night and she trusted him. But this visit was different. "I know he was drunk. At first he wanted me to buy him booze. Then he wanted me to drive him home. I don't leave my house after dark," Gay said.

Gay said Murry had been at the house for about a half an hour. She said she asked him to leave at 8 p.m. because she needed to go to bed. She normally leaves for work at 3 a.m.

"He got irritated and asked for a drink of water. When I was in the kitchen he held the razor knife (box cutter) to my son's throat and said, 'This is not anything personal,' " Gay said.

Then Murry rushed up behind Gay and held the box cutter to her throat, she said.

"He told me, 'Take me to where the guns are.' He pushed me through the kitchen and into the front room," Gay said. Gay stopped at the love seat, put her left foot on it and pushed back on Murry, she said. "I pushed up so he couldn't push me forward any more, and I tried to push his hands down off my neck but he had a tight grip. I called for my son to say 'call 911,' " Gay said.

That's when the boy appeared with the gun. Murry ducked his head behind Gay's small frame. Some of his torso was left unshielded.

"I'm looking down the barrel of a gun that's in an 11-year-old's hands. I knew that if he pulled that trigger I was going to die," Gay said.

But Gay was not hit. She said they didn't immediately know Murry had been shot. "Casper went for the front door, turned the handle and went out of the house. My son ran to me and set the gun down. I hurried up and locked the door and called 911," Gay said.

South Bend police found Murry, of 2009 W. Linden Ave., outside the home. He died in the emergency room at Memorial Hospital.

"The young man reasonably believed his mother and himself to be in danger of dying. It was clear to us this was a justifiable homicide," Toth said. "He did what he had to do. That's an unfortunate burden for an 11-year-old to have on him," he said.

Murry had a criminal history. Between 1993 and 2001 he had several misdemeanor arrests. Murry had a theft conviction from 1994 and a conviction for attempted theft in 1993, which was treated as a misdemeanor. Murry had been convicted of unarmed robbery for which he received a four-year prison sentence in 1997. At the time of his death, Murry was charged in two Class D felony auto theft cases pending in St. Joseph Superior Court. He was scheduled to appear in court Feb. 26 for a possible guilty plea.

Meantime, Gay said after 23 years at 1348 N. Huey St., she is putting the house up for sale and moving with her son out into the county, where her fiance lives.

Gay said the boy is doing well since the shooting. "He's proud of himself. He feels bad he took a human life. But he didn't want to lose me. He lost his dad three years ago to a heart attack," Gay said.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist
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Dennis Prager is talking about this story right now, about guns in general, and the moron local St. Joseph's County DA who said "even though this was a justified killing, it is not any less tragic."
1 posted on 02/06/2002 8:40:01 AM PST by Travis McGee
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To: Bang_list,Cap'n Crunch,harpseal,Squantos,nunya bidness,Joe Brower,pocat,blam,wardaddy,45Auto,Mile
Now that's what I call shooting! And from an 11 year old!

I don't know if he's really that good, or just lucky, but it sure is good to be lucky!

Maybe his daddy's hands were wrapped around his son's when the boy made the one shot stop.

2 posted on 02/06/2002 8:44:12 AM PST by Travis McGee
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To: Travis McGee
I wonder how the St. Joseph's county DA would feel, if the boxcutter had been held to his neck? I'll bet the death of the villain wouldn't seem so "tragic" then!
3 posted on 02/06/2002 8:47:50 AM PST by Destructor
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To: Travis McGee
Here's the linked URL of the article:

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2002/02/06/local.20020206-sbt-MARS-A1-Boy_s_action.sto

4 posted on 02/06/2002 8:47:58 AM PST by Travis McGee
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To: Travis McGee
"I don't know how he did that. One shot and he got him. He's my little hero," Gay said of the grandson she adopted.

Video games!

5 posted on 02/06/2002 8:48:21 AM PST by Elsie
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To: Destructor
No doubt!
6 posted on 02/06/2002 8:48:26 AM PST by Travis McGee
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To: Travis McGee
P.S.- I love a happy ending!
7 posted on 02/06/2002 8:48:32 AM PST by Destructor
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To: Travis McGee
Now that's what I call "common sense gun control" !!
8 posted on 02/06/2002 8:48:38 AM PST by sanchmo
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To: Travis McGee
Bump for the good guys.
9 posted on 02/06/2002 8:48:58 AM PST by blam
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To: Travis McGee
BTTT for damned good shooting!!!
10 posted on 02/06/2002 8:50:05 AM PST by beowolf
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To: Travis McGee
even though this was a justified killing, it is not any less tragic."

The only thing "tragic" about this situation is how the liberal media will pillory this hero child.

11 posted on 02/06/2002 8:52:18 AM PST by 07055
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To: Travis McGee
In an arrest in November, Murry listed "drug dealer" as his occupation, according to booking records at the St. Joseph County Jail.

Good riddance.

12 posted on 02/06/2002 8:53:47 AM PST by Roscoe
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To: blam
Dennis Prager says "he has evolved thoroughly on his attitude toward gun ownership and gun use" since his days as a liberal, and now believes that children should be tought to use guns.

Formerly, Prager would not even buy his young son toy guns.

Now he understands that it does not do a service to children to deny them the knowledge of how to protect themselves and their families with guns. 'If we lived in the Garden of Eden, it might make sense, but since we live in the real world where evil exists, we need to equip our children to deal with it.' (T.M. paraphrase.)

13 posted on 02/06/2002 8:53:57 AM PST by Travis McGee
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: Travis McGee
"The boy shot one round and hit Murry, 27, in the chest, even though the man was shielding himself with Gay. "

Impressive.
Most impressive.

15 posted on 02/06/2002 8:57:37 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts
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To: Roscoe,Cap'n Crunch
The boy should get three medal:

/1/ "Junior Marksman of the Year" from the NRA.

/2/ "Hero Medal" for saving his mom's life under unbelievably great preassure.

/3/ "Community Service Medal" for ridding South Bend of an career dirtbag who was jailed 16 times in the last 9 years for assault, carjacking, drug dealing, burglary etc.

16 posted on 02/06/2002 8:58:07 AM PST by Travis McGee
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts
Especially with a .45!!! They have a NOTORIUSLY heavy duty KICK!!!! Indeed I was about 13 before I even shot my granddad's Singleshot Ruger .250!!!!
17 posted on 02/06/2002 9:02:59 AM PST by Roger_W_Isom
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To: Travis McGee
11 year old
18 posted on 02/06/2002 9:03:00 AM PST by SMEDLEYBUTLER
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To: Travis McGee
I guess the boy is another confirmation of the .45 being a solid man stopper.
19 posted on 02/06/2002 9:03:36 AM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig
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To: lexcorp
A word of advice to the kid.... Don't lose ANY sleep over offing this FREAK!!! you have just done society a SERVICE by elimating a potential SERIAL MURDERRER!!!
20 posted on 02/06/2002 9:05:32 AM PST by Roger_W_Isom
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