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Dakota

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4yo Boy Shoots, Kills Iraq War Veteran Dad

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Prescott Valley police said a 4-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his father around 12:30 a.m. Friday while they were at a friend's house.

They said 35-year-old Justin Stanfield Thomas and his son drove up from Phoenix for an unannounced visit to see his former roommate.

Within minutes of being inside the home, the 4-year-old found a gun, picked it up and asked what it was.

It discharged - hitting his dad.


"He was still in his pajamas when all this happened," said Jeremy Hartt, the former roommate's next-door neighbor. "But I mean, he keeps a loaded gun for protection. He used to be a military police officer."

Thomas was taken to a Prescott-area hospital in extremely critical condition, where he died from his injuries.

Hartt, who also knew Thomas, told CBS5 News he was an Iraq War veteran and a former member of the Army's Green Beret - who loved his little boy.

"He was a great dad," said Hartt. "He was a great dad. But, he (Thomas' 4-year-old son) was a curious little boy. And, he (Thomas) turned around for one second, and that's when this incident happened – apparently it happened really fast."
[...]

Police said the 4-year-old is now in the care of his mother and doesn't seem to grasp that his father is gone.

Hartt also said Thomas had recently become a father for the second time with his current girlfriend.
http://www.kpho.com/story/22535135/pd-4-year-old-shoots-kills-father-in-prescott-valley

"I really can't believe this happened," said Jeremy Hartt, a neighbor and friend of everyone involved. "It's tragic, that poor little boy."

Hartt said he didn't hear the gunshot but saw the aftermath. He said the friend Thomas was visiting is also a military veteran who keeps a loaded gun for protection.

"Apparently when Justin and his little boy showed up, within minutes, the little boy found the gun and said, 'hey, daddy, what's this?' and it went off," Hartt said.

"He didn't know what was going on; he was just a happy little boy," said Hartt.

Police say it's believed the visit was unannounced, which may explain why the gun was not secured with a child in the house.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/PD-Child-may-have-shot-man-in-Prescott-Valley-210636531.html
 
I am very, very sorry for the family; most of all for the little boy. I hope they get him into some kind of talk and play therapy, and soon. Poor little fellow has to live with this accident; he needs all the help he can get.

Then, on to what I've said a hundred times, "People are irresponsible morons for keeping a loaded gun anywhere a child might find it, and they deserve jail time for keeping a loaded gun. You just don't do that."
Gun safety classes stress, over and over, that you keep the gun locked in one place and the ammo locked in another.
 
Then, on to what I've said a hundred times, "People are irresponsible morons for keeping a loaded gun anywhere a child might find it, and they deserve jail time for keeping a loaded gun. You just don't do that."
Gun safety classes stress, over and over, that you keep the gun locked in one place and the ammo locked in another.
However, I would politely point out that in this case, the gun owner wasn't identified as having any children living in his home, and as it states, the father and son were paying an unexpected visit, so I can hardly blame the friend. I mean, if your buddy showed up with his young son out of the blue, would the very first thing you did be to say "hold on a moment, let me stash this loaded weapon somewhere"? The kid found it in minutes.
 
However, I would politely point out that in this case, the gun owner wasn't identified as having any children living in his home, and as it states, the father and son were paying an unexpected visit, so I can hardly blame the friend. I mean, if your buddy showed up with his young son out of the blue, would the very first thing you did be to say "hold on a moment, let me stash this loaded weapon somewhere"? The kid found it in minutes.

Not for nothing, but yea that is the first thing I'd do while making sure the bong, the weed, the love swing, the porn, the lube, and various dildos were likewise secure.
 
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would the very first thing you did be to say "hold on a moment, let me stash this loaded weapon somewhere"? The kid found it in minutes.

Well, yes, it would be the first thing, or maybe the second... after telling them to help themselves to a Coke or coffee and cake in the kitchen while I go lock the gun up. I'd rather my friends think me rude than risk someone getting shot.
 
Well, yes, it would be the first thing, or maybe the second... after telling them to help themselves to a Coke or coffee and cake in the kitchen while I go lock the gun up. I'd rather my friends think me rude than risk someone getting shot.
It's also good to be cautious when taking your kid into a kid-less home. They are often not childproofed.
 
No matter what, seems there was a bullet in the chamber and the safety was not on, both major fails
You don't keep a bullet in the chamber and the safety off unless you intend to shoot the weapon
 
This is so tragic. I hope he gets what he needs growing up and when he's old enough to understand he can forgive himself. Hopefully a really great father figure will be in his life.

I think if this had happened 50 yrs ago, he would have never known. But there's so much media and information now. Even if he grew up not knowing, he could google his fathers name someday & ...whammo.
 
Thomas, 34, of Phoenix came to visit a friend at a home in the 3100 block of Truwood Drive and possibly to pick up some personal property, Prescott Valley Police Sgt. Brandon Bonney said.

"Investigators learned Thomas sent a text to the resident, 26-year-old James Williams, that he was coming up," Bonney said. "Williams never got the text as he was asleep, and read it later in the presence of investigators."

Another friend who was with Thomas in the living room of the home told officers that Thomas' son found a loaded .380 caliber gun on the television stand, asked his father "What is this?" then he heard a shot, Bonney said.

They had been in the home for less than 10 minutes, the friend told the officer.

"The witness said Thomas grabbed his chest and told him to call 911, then collapsed," Bonney said.

Williams was in his bedroom when the shot was fired, Bonney said. "Williams heard the shot and went into the living room," Bonney said. "He called 911 to get help."

Williams is heard in a 911 recording released Monday saying that a man in his 30s was shot in the left side of the chest and was bleeding. With labored breathing, Williams tells a dispatcher that he wasn't sure what happened but that he believed it was an accident involving Thomas' son.

"He's non responsive, he's breathing, there's bubbles coming from his mouth," Williams says. "He looks pretty bad."
[...]

Investigators interviewed three adults who were at the home at the time of the shooting, Bonney said.

The 4-year-old told investigators he found the gun under the television, that he "pulled the trigger and the bullet came out," and his "Daddy got blood on him,"
according to the police report.

Investigators don't believe the child has ever fired a weapon before based on his statements, Bonney said. The boy is in his mother's custody at his Phoenix home.

No charges will be filed against the child, and investigators are reviewing whether any weapon-related charges might be filed against Williams, Bonney said.

Bonny said the gun owner "really wasn't in a position to know they were there or to go and secure his gun. With this person, living by himself, there wasn't necessarily any legal requirement to keep that weapon locked away."

The case has raised questions about how weapons should be stored in a home even when children aren't present. Firearms experts say gun owners have a certain responsibility for their weapons but aren't required to lock them up at all times.

Larry Kolontar, owner of Common Sense Firearms Training in Des Moines, Iowa, said the issue isn't about whether children are present inside the home - it's about control of your weapon at all times.

"If it's not on you or in a secured location, out of reach and hidden, it needs to be locked up," Kolontar said. "This is a very sad, horrible situation, but it's one of those things that could have been avoided if the owner would have taken a little more responsibility and secured the weapon."

Jon Abel, lead instructor and owner of Phoenix Firearms Training, said children also need to be taught at an early age not to point guns at people or avoid handling them altogether.

Prescott Valley police would like to ask parents to talk with their children about what they should do if they see a gun and other weapons.

"If a child ever sees a gun, we want them to know to never touch it," Bonney said. "We want them to run to tell an adult."
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=120101
 
On the TV stand ffs! What the hell dude. What the hell. Then again anywhere not put up safely is a risk. Why the hell was it in the living room of all places.
 
PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ – Police said a 4-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his father, 35-year-old Justin Thomas, while they were visiting at a friend’s house.
Thomas and his son had driven to Prescott valley from Phoenix for an unannounced visit to see his former roommate. Within minutes of being inside the home, Thomas’ son found a gun, picked it up and asked what it was while pulling the trigger.
The gun fired, and Thomas was hit. He was rushed to the hospital in extremely critical condition, and later died from his injuries. Police said it’s standard procedure to investigate any death as a homicide anytime someone dies of anything other than natural causes, but probably will not be filing charges against the owner of the gun.
“At this point, it does appear that this is just a tragic accident from this child, and we will look to see if there’s any negligence issues there,” said Prescott Valley police Sgt. Brandon Bonney. “But, at this point, the information we have is it’s just a tragic accident that was unforeseen.”
Bonney also said the gun should have been locked away, but that Thomas’ friend was caught off guard by the unannounced visit and that no kids lived in the home.…

This article was written by Morbid for The Dreamin Demon - the Internet's self-appointed buzzkill.


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