Laderika Smith Charged With Murder After 5-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shoots Self In New Orleans

[ashling]

girl fatally shot herself when her mother locked her inside their home and went to the store.

The New Orleans Police Department said in a news release the girl was home alone Sunday, somehow found her mother's revolver, and accidentally shot herself in the head. The mother, 28-year-old Laderika Smith, will be booked on a charge of second-degree murder. Police say her negligence resulted in the death of her daughter.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/laderika-smith-charged-5-year-old-shoots-self_n_3489410.html

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but give a 5yr old a .22 rifle and whatever happens is just one of those things . . .

that is, if its a white 5yr old

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I asked this question on another thread - sort of

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=516448

What I tiptoed around - you stated. . .

I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with how this is NORMALLY handed. I don't think this is the 'norm'. Generally what we've seen is that the Local Statutes/State Laws treat this with a "Shame on you" and that's that. Not even negligence charges.

[Orrex]

2. It's always a tragedy

But apparently it's only a crime some of the time.


Hmm...

[kiva]

3. I'm don't own a gun, don't want a gun,

and am a huge supporter of gun control. That said, do you really think there's no difference between allowing a child to practice shoot a rifle under adult supervision (OK, that just makes me feel slimy to say) and locking a child in a home and leaving - a home where there is a loaded weapon that the child can access?

[JustAnotherGen]

7. I'll bite

It's normally toddlers or other children that just open a drawer and pull out the gun and shoot someone else . . . We've seen these a few times.


If it was the 'home alone' aspect - that negligence/abuse/neglect. That's not murder. That Child Protective Services, Parenting classes, etc. etc.

I wonder then - can we now start charging ALL parents that just leave guns laying around for their kids to get - with murder? Why not a national law for that?

[ashling]

11. I was referring to the case where a 2 year old was shot

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022782211

“It’s a Crickett,” the coroner explained. “It’s a little rifle for a kid… The little boy’s used to shooting the little gun.”

“Just one of those crazy accidents,” he added.

[kiva]

12. Thanks for posting this,

I had missed the story.

[mikeysnot]

4. and the guy who shot his kid in the back

seat with a gun "he thought was empty" walks...

[kestrel91316]

5. There is definitely a racist double standard.

I'd like to see negligent WHITE gun owners treated as harshly as this. But we all know that "accidents" are a white thing and criminal negligence is a minority thing.

[HarveyDarkey]

13. My thought too, but you expressed it more tactfully than I would

[cali]

6. yep. racism in action.

[malaise]

8. All parents should be charged when children find guns and use them

Sadly only non-white parents are charged

[Scuba]

9. Well of course she was charged. Her actions were totally different ...

[n2doc]

10. I guess she wasn't an NRA member

Because obviously if she had been everything would have been A-Ok

[marions ghost]

14. This is what needs to be done to stop this

from happening so much, but definitely a racial double standard here. Yeah it's an "accident" if the victims are white.
This should be the penalty regardless of race.

Involuntary manslaughter for the parents in all cases where a child has access to a gun.