5 teens accused of setting teen on fire for argument over video game

[Liberal_in_LA]

Teen Charged With Attempted Murder In Burn Attack
One Of Two Additional Teens Charged
5 Teens Now Face Charges In Torching Of Michael
(10/13/2009)

Attempted murder charges were filed against a 15-year-old boy Tuesday afternoon and another teen was charged with aggravated battery, bringing to five the number of teens charged with intentionally setting a boy on fire in an argument that started over a video game.

------------------------

"One of the more horrific crimes I have been associated with since I've been with BSO. It's just a horrible, horrible case," said Sgt. Steve Feeley of the Broward Sheriff's Office. "It doesn't reflect very well on our community or our society," said BSO Sheriff Al Lamberti.

Four of the suspects are 15, and the fifth is a 13-year-old boy. All are accused of setting Brewer on fire.

According to BSO, one of the juvenile suspects, the alleged ringleader, was owed money by Brewer for a video game. The ringleader allegedly stole Brewer's father's bike as payment, but was caught on Sunday.

Officers arrested the ringleader on Sunday, but he was later released into his parent's custody later. Monday, the five suspects allegedly surrounded Brewer when the ringleader said, "pour it on him, pour it on him," according to Sgt. Feeley.

One of the suspects allegedly poured alcohol on Brewer, and then Mendez allegedly used a lighter to set Brewer on fire, according to the BSO. The lighter was found by Broward Sheriff's Deputies at the scene of the crime.

A neighbor heard his screams for help and put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, said Malissa Durkee, Brewer's sister. The teen then ripped off his shirt and jumped into the pool.

Neighbor Jennifer Nielsen, a former lifeguard, heard Michael's screams and ran outside to help. She said she comforted Michael as he screamed in agony.

http://cbs4.com/local/deerfield.beach.teen.2.1244436.html

[closeupready]

1. Florida. I don't even need to open these threads anymore to know it's probably Florida.

Poor thing. :(

[w4rma]

3. It could have been Texas, just as easily. Not likely anywhere else, though. (nt)

[TexasObserver]

24. That's a ridiculous statement.

[w4rma]

27. Well, not *as* likely anywhere else. :D (nt)

[TexasObserver]

28. There's about a ten percent likelihood that anything bad in the US happens in TX

About 90% it happens somewhere else.

Almost no chance it happens in small states.

[Shell Beau]

45. Glad you added the stupid ass smiley.

:eyes:

[MellowDem]

42. Bigot # 2

[Shell Beau]

44. Stop that bullshit.

Terrible and cruel things happen all over this country unfortunately. No state is exempt from craziness. Hello Columbine.

[SteppingRazor]

10. Yeah, no one would EVER do this in, say....

New York: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1S1-9199204230798292.html


or Maine: http://www.wmtw.com/news/18519512/detail.html

or Vancouver: http://www.canada.com/fire+while+sleeping+outdoors+Vancouver+police/2093358/story.html


Or any of a few dozen other places I found with a simple Google search. Quit picking on Florida, dammit! I stick my tongue out at you! :P


:silly:

[closeupready]

12. Okay, okay - sorry!

:D

[redqueen]

21. Oh no, not rational thought.

Anything but that.

[TexasObserver]

25. That's ridiculous.

[MellowDem]

40. dupe

[MellowDem]

41. Bigot #1 nt

[AllentownJake]

2. I wonder if the Video Games

these kids are playing has anything to do with their barbaric behavior

[gratuitous]

4. NO!

And neither does our society's addiction to using violence to solve its problems. We'll just write these kids off as animals, lock them away, and never think about it again.

Whew! That's better. Oh yeah, damn shame about the kid who got set on fire, sorry for his family's pain and his discomfort, blah, blah, blah.

[brentspeak]

13. Well, frankly, these kids ARE animals

Actually, not even animals, as animals don't set people or each other on fire.

[gratuitous]

20. Step 1 complete

Dehumanize the perpetrators as aberrations or exceptions rather than predictable products of our society.

Still need to get on to steps 2 and 3: Make the monsters go away forever (or a good long time), and induce amnesia so that we don't think about the why ever again. After all, we have 300 million people in this country, and because not every last one of us is setting our adversaries on fire, we must be doing everything else just fine as soon as we take these young fellows out of the equation.

All better now. Let's go see what's on teevee.

[Incitatus]

8. I play violent games all the time and I don't set people on fire.

So do millions of other people.

[TexasObserver]

11. Were you also listening to ... heavy metal or rap music?!

Because we need to decide if it was the music or the video game that makes one kid out of one million do things like this.

It's gotta be one or the other, right? Can't be that they're poorly reared, or psychologically deficient, or just plain sociopaths, can it? That would be too easy.

[theHandpuppet]

14. Well, I guess we'll just have to wonder...

...because we're not supposed to accuse folks of poor parenting, either, according to some here at DU. However, I think it's still okay here to blame schools, teachers or poverty, so it must be one of those three that created these vicious little sociopaths. I'm waiting for the interviews with the suspects' parents in which they will inevitably claim, "My little baby would never do that!"

[TexasObserver]

16. Agreed. It's NOT the fault of genetics or parenting, because those are far too likely.

Probably the video games or the music thing.

I'm going to blame the ACLU until they prove it's not their fault.

[Incitatus]

15. Yes, I was. I also smoke weed and drink. nt

[TexasObserver]

17. Well, there you are.

Everyone knows weed + video games = burning a 13 year old alive with gasoline.

[QC]

26. Do you wear Goth clothing while playing those games? n/t

[Incitatus]

34. No. nt

[QC]

36. Good. Otherwise you would be certain to commit acts of wanton mayhem. n/t

[Incitatus]

38. I know. That's why I don't wear that stuff. nt

[QC]

39. Good idea! n/t

[AngryAmish]

33. By your logic, video games prevent rape.

[mikelgb]

5. horrible

[MuseRider]

6. Thank goodness they induced a coma.

I have taken care of burn patients and there is nothing I have ever seen that can cause such pain. Poor child. He is in for a very long journey.

[flvegan]

7. Precious snowflakes. Parents should be proud.

[winyanstaz]

9. those are some sick lil boys that did that.

someone should have spotted them a long time ago from the sound of things.

[Echo In Light]

18. Scary part is, they're likely considered 'normal' by many

[Shell Beau]

46. People like that can put up fronts.

Parents and teachers can see one thing... Then there are those who we know should have been at least evaluated. People want to blame someone. Who knows what happened with these boys. Bad parents, extreme peer pressure, abuse of some sort,etc. I feel really badly for the kid burned. So sad.

[KansDem]

19. "Officers arrested the ringleader on Sunday, but he was later released into his parent's custody..."

Need to arrest the parents, too...

[Shell Beau]

47. We don't necessarily know that.

He could have been raised in a lovely home. These things can and do happen, while the kid seems to be thriving otherwise. Not saying the parents don't take any blame here, but I don't know. It is usually something going on in the home or at school but not always.

[Selatius]

51. It's all due to probability and statistics. A broken home generally leads to troubled youth.

The ringleader may or may not come from a fucked up household, but given the statistics on troubled youth, I wouldn't hold my breath on the idea that his home is a good place.

[The Gunslinger]

22. Sounds like it was over money not a video game. nt

[FormerDittoHead]

35. Thank you. If it was about money owed for Britney Spears tickets then ALL news would cover it!

Gotta love the news. They find that one 'hot' item and onto the headline it goes!

Video games have as much to do with people committing violence as "rock 'n roll" has to do with underage kids having sex.

[BeHereNow]

23. There is something seriously wrong with our youth-

What, this is like the tenth story this week reporting horrendous
acts by teens on other people?
WTF is going on in this world???
Is there something in the water?
A secret plan to create more violent military fodder?
I mean WTF????
BHN

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

29. I say we ban fire before this can happen again.

[TexasObserver]

30. And alcohol. And matches.

[Brooklyns_Finest]

31. Setting "snitches" on fire

Dang, things have gotten a lot more hardcore since I was a youth. Poor kid, I hope he recovers from his injuries.

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. We live in a very violent culture, and no, it is not the video games

they play games that make ours pale in comparison in places like oh Japan.

This is OUR CULTURE and it is high time we face it. That is if we really want to change the culture.

Then again, readying the thread, it is everything but the underlying causes, aka the culture.

[Arkana]

37. Fucking Florida.

[MellowDem]

43. Bigot # 3

[Shell Beau]

48. Really stop that. It isn't just Florida or Texas.

These kind of things happen all over this country. Terrible things. Stop blaming it on a state. I am so sick of seeing this kind of shit.

[omega minimo]

49. What level in what game is pouring alcohol and lighting it?

[jesus_of_suburbia]

50. How can people be so mean? I just DO NOT get it.

I save bugs in my house when I can.


How can people hurt other humans (except for self defense of course)?

[City of Mills]

52. Take one sociopath, add several esteemless lackeys

And shit like this happens...