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Updated: Boy, 11, Facing Felony Charge After Pulling Gun At Ballpark; Girl, 13, Pulls Knife
May 12, 2010
A fifth grader has been charged with a felony after pulling an unloaded gun at a local ballpark Tuesday night.
The 11-year boy is facing a third degree felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon and a first degree misdemeanor charge of improperly exhibiting a firearm.
The incident happened just before 8:00 p.m. at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill as ballgames were played nearby.
Two 13-year old girls “were involved in a verbal altercation when (the boy) pulled a handgun out from underneath his shirt and displayed it in a reckless manner, pulling back the slide of the firearm and waving it around,” according to the Sheriff’s Office report. The report notes that the gun was not loaded.
“At some point (a 13-year old girl) pulled a knife out of her back pocket, but did not threaten anyone with it,” the report released Wednesday afternoon states.
The gun, according to the Sheriff’s Office was taken by the 11-year old from his grandfather’s locked filing cabinet. The grandfather told deputies that he was unaware how his grandson had removed the firearm.
The boy was transported to the county’s juvenile justice facility for processing. The 13-year old girl that allegedly pulled the knife was not charged.
The gun, according to the report, was a Armi Gales .35 caliber. The gun and the boy were secured shortly after the incident by an off-duty Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy that was coaching a game at the park.
“It was an isolated incident. No one was hurt, and no one was in danger,” Pam Brown, the ballpark’s president, said. “Everyone was safe and is always safe here.”
NorthEscambia.com does not identify juvenile suspects unless they are charged as adults.
Pictured above: A fifth grade student that produced a gun Tuesday night at a Walnut Hill ballpark is questioned by Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. (Editor’s note: The photograph has been altered to conceal the identity of the juvenile.)
Comments
51 Responses to “Updated: Boy, 11, Facing Felony Charge After Pulling Gun At Ballpark; Girl, 13, Pulls Knife”
REGARDING:
“The action indicates something is happening on a larger scale. Its a symptom. The symptom should be analyzed inorder to locate the root of this behavior/action. Once the root is located then it can be medicated.
Good gravy im starting to bore myself…”
YAWN, huh? Just joking, you aren’t boring–that’s MY job.
You are saying we might extrapolate from a specific incident to a general problem and its relief.
That’s reasonable.
Of course, it might just be an isolated incident but it’s worth looking at.
BLISSSSSSS
I am not a teaher…all situations takes forthsight. Too many people like to water down, sugar coat an incident and make excuses for behavior. I have not once said a negative word (OR PAST JUDGEMENT)towards the individuals involved. If you (meaning anyone) choose to be ignorant to the fact of what could have happened then you will now be referred to as Mr or Mrs BLISS.
My comments are directed towards the behavior/action not the individual. We all know it was wrong. It does not need to be justified. This is the problem now days. The individual and the action/behavior/act is seperate. Having said that, the action (pulling a gun/knife…as in this situation) should be dealt with approprietly (law). The action indicates something is happening on a larger scale. Its a symptom. The symptom should be analyzed inorder to locate the root of this behavior/action. Once the root is located then it can be medicated.
Good gravy im starting to bore myself…seriously. We as humans are allowed to error. We should also be allow to correct an error. We have free-agency so we are able to make our own choices…fortunately we do not get to choose the consequences.
If anything maybe those involved get more involved and everyone makes progress. Otherwise its just time and words. Now go ahead and get offended and pick apart my writting and come up with something witty or self righteous to say…better yet grab at a spelling or gramatical error.
Not casting any stones on May 14th, 2010 3:24 pm
“I believe you are an agitator and a instigater of how things are so simple ”
What have I agitated?
What have I instigated?
How is human interaction simple?
Are you SURE you aren’t casting stones? I thought for sure I just heard one whiz by me–or was that a slug?
I COULD be twisting what is being said if I could understand it better. Some sounds like gibberish due to being out of context, just thrown out like a stone.
I’m not sweating these kids’ misbehavior, I don’t go to that park anyway, too many bullets flying around. Just joking, I’ve been hit by more here in Bluff Springs but they were mostly bird shot and healed quickly.
Theologically speaking, forgivng everybody of everything without regard to repentance is unsound. Not everybody is forgiven of everything or there would not be a Great White Throne Judgment. Jesus demanded repentance. Even when he told Peter to forgive those who repented, he prefaced it on them repenting and even then he only insisted on forgiving 490 times (seventy times seven), after that they’re fair game.
I doubt these kids understood what they were doing was wrong. Thus I am not even considering condemning them because they had to have a clue first. You don’t fault a dog for being a dog or a buzzard for it’s eating habits.
Practically speaking, ignoring all misbehavior is unsafe and leads to poorly socialized (formerly known as BAD) people. Discussing how to respond is more likely to come up with sound parenting proposals and social responses–along with some unsound ones. There is a winnowing process some seem to want to skip.
Oxymoronically speaking, forgiving bad people and not forgiving those as quick to forgive or overlook those who endanger their children is a wee bit silly. That’s like saying, “I can forgive anything but unforgiveness.”
David dodging stones
(which is VERY hard in my case, target-size-wise)
Rodney
Did you learn anything ? FOUL
No, because you would need to know there were several other kids involved , their parents were called to the park, they had to fill out statements for the LEO’s. See , a lot of you don’t know the kids , you don’t know what any of them are going thru in their personal lives, you don’t know their parents , YOU are judging. I read a lot , I keep up daily on what’s going on with a whole lot of issues. Gun control , NRA , politics , what kids are getting into due to peer pressure , emos, drugs, sexual perversion, sexual trafficking of children,
abused children, runaways, kidnappings , just to name a very few.
Don’t assume everyone walks around with their head in the sand . Their are more
intelligent people than you could possibly image. We know the laws, we are involved with prolife groups, (which means no to abortion) , groups against same sex marriage , groups that are coming together to pray for ALL the problems in ALL areas in this great nation as well as the whole world.
I pray you have a blessed day and no I didn’t miss the point of your opinion , already know all that , just think you had a bad comment.
David Huie Green
Seems you love to take comments and twist and turn them to suit you. I believe you are an agitator and a instigater of how things are so simple and you try your best to pick them apart.
Not casting any stones , thinking David loves to twist everything
Not worth keeping up with you
for one…who ever is making all the bad comments on here about the two kids with the weapons. u dont even know who they are. when ever u know the kids and know how they are then you can speak bad comments on them. and yes everyone has an opinion. and everyone has the right to express it. if you knew who they was you would know that they are kids that never get into trouble. the one with the gun makes a/b honor roll at school and never is in trouble at school. the girl with the knife dont get in trouble either at school and make good grades. they may deserve some kind of punishment but not to the point that they in jail or away from their families. im sorry for the families and kids that they scared. but neither one of them would hurt a fly they just not like that. they both understand about guns and knifes and have been taught better. and no matter how well you think you have taught your kids right from wrong, you never know what is going on in their minds. i think both of them have learned their lessons. and i know him being arrested was enough to make him not want to do something like that again. he wasnt trying to hurt anyone. he wasnt thinking how much trouble he could get into for having a gun. he is only 11. he just thought that he would be cool but he realizes that it wasnt cool because of all the trouble he is in and it wasnt fun for him to be handcuffed and having to wear an orange jumpsuit and have to be behind bars. true enough it was a gun and it wasnt loaded. which dont matter cause its still a gun. but he ment no harm to anyone and he didnt pull the gun on someone. and for the girl with the knife she wasnt meaning any harm either and she didnt pull it out on someone. and thanks for the support from the others that do know that they are good kids. and for the ones that just want to keep making bad comments……what if it was your child and everyone was downing your kids…would you want your child to go to jail at the age of 11? if it was an inocent thing that didnt mean to get blowed out of proportion. and wasnt trying to hurt anyone and you knew that but no one else believed it but you.
Condemned-
seriously..what are you talking about? go ahead and read up on how many crimes are prevented due to citizens (legally) carring a fire arm. Even better, stay current with the crime increase year to year. yes i believe there are individuals who are desperate, foolish, irrational, drug induced, and yes crazy. Its fact. Having said that there are individuals who, as you say, believe carring a gun is some form of “im tough!” and these type of people suck and have other serious issues…yet another reason rational law abidding citizens should protect themselves, family and others.
I beleive several points have been missed. 1. someone could have been killed or seriously hurt 2. the kid(s) need attention 3. parents need attention 4. what are you doing to prevent/lessen this from happening with your family. Thats it..a lesson is taught….did you learn anything?
Guns at ball parks in general should not be tolerated but only by the proper authorities…Law Enforcement!! Why do you need to carry a weapon in the first place…would that be to defend YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILD..or just to intimidate people….you know like IF YOU MESS WITH ME OR MY FAMILY I’M GOING TO SHOOT OR KILL YOU!!! That would have to mean you believe there are people out there to hurt you or someone you care about…RIGHT!!! Yes,there is more to this story than published….has anyone considered the reason the family didn’t press charges themselves!! Choose your words lightly and get all the facts!! You have the right to your opinions,and that’s all they are…”Opinions”…because truthfully you haven’t a clue!! Just wish people would look at the whole picture before putting a child down. I have seen kids at the ball park waiving baseball bats at other kids…this to could be used as a weapon…just think before you speak!!
REGARDING:
“Every word written was taken from my daily instruction manual,THE HOLY BIBLE.”
Just remember a true statement can be a false statement if taken out of context.
for instance, John The Baptist called a certain group a bunch of vipers or something like that. If that statement is all you read, it sounds like all people are vipers, rather than the ones to whom he was talking.
now go say kind words about my cousin who is accused of trying to smuggle drugs into prison (I’m sure she’s innocent since I live in a fantasy world) She looks most unhappy in her picture.
Actually, the law doesn’t say that you can’t carry at a “sporting event”, it says you can’t carry at a “school, college, or professional athletic event” (ref: FSS 790.06(12)).
One can legally carry at the ballpark in question.
It’s a moot point anyway, since an 11 year ols cannot have a concealed weapon license.
I know that most of the people who wright on here are good at heart but i also know what a child can and will do when he or she is going through stress and even thought this does not excuse him from blame. lets remember that he is also able to read these notes and he has to go to school and face he classmates and what used to be his friends and know that they will never be so again, not because they are afraid of him but because parents don’t think before they speak. True he will be punished according to law but if he was your 11 year old would you still be so hard? I think not ,because after all he is a child and we love him,and let me tell you until you are faced with this or something worse you have only hurtful words and no idea how that feels. To stand in a courtroom and hear that your child may spend his life away from his family .Ihope that nobody that has posted a comment has to go through this kind of fear and i am truly sorry that he reacted . I would like to thank the friends that do understand and thank those who are praying for our family. I would like to thank the people who tried to help . as for those who can’t see past the issue that what if it was my child in danger well I am turly sorry.I” not trying to make light of this ,just trying to understand ,why and how a small area that knows everyone can forget that this child is part of it.sometimes things happen no matter what percautions we take. Thank You and God Bless
REGARDING: David Huie Green
” Well I must admit I’m just as bad , and can not condemn’
Every word written was taken from my daily instruction manual,THE HOLY BIBLE.
I did NOT say it was right to pull a gun or a knife on someone, but if you want to get technical; my comment is about JUDGING. Most people that comment on this website , judge first and ask questions later, hence the scriptures.
It really would be great to see the TRUTH in print. This is not the FULL story of what happened at the ballpark Tuesday night. There is a lot more to this story regarding a self defence issue , kids being bullied , and more kids involved concerning their emotional state of mind due to personal reasons.
Soooo, lets get real!
BALLGAME RULES
Everybody leave your pistols at home
Guys take those guns out of your truck
Men leave your pocketknives at home, don’t take your knife out to clean under your fingernails
Women don’t use your knife or scissors to cut that string off your kids jersey
Don’t yell or scream at the umpire
Don’t yell or scream at your kid or mine while he /she is playing the game
and most of all
Don’t try to defend yourself with a weapon under any circumstances!
How foolish can we get , when we don’t understand or have all the facts!
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU IN HIS CARE!
REGARDING:
Not casting and stones on May 13th, 2010 4:45 pm
“You may think you can condemn people , but you are just as bad , and you have no excuse! ”
Well, I must admit I am just as bad and can not condemn, but can you find it in your heart to consider the fact that these others may not be all that bad and their children have a right to live free from fear of a bullet or knife?
Do you really want to just ignore people pulling guns on people? Even if the ones they pulled them on deserved it, bad aim often kills others.(They might hurt someone you actually DO care about!) Do you really want to encourage that?
Do you really want to just ignore folks pulling knives on each other? This seems to be another one of those “non-threatening” knife pullings, but people get hurt even when you stick a knife in them in a kind-hearted manner. Do you really want to encourage that?
From a religious viewpoint, Jesus also refused to condemn the woman caught in adultery but he ordered her to “go and sin no more”. He did not deny that she had done the act (apparantly all by herself since they didn’t bring anybody else to accuse), just refused to personally punish and condemn her and encouraged her to stop doing things which could get her stoned.
People pulling knives and guns run a higher chance of getting killed than people behaving. Do you really want to encourage them to do things which make their lives and freedom less likely?
David thinking the children should at least be told,
“NO! BAD! STOP! BEHAVE! ”
but that’s just me
Turn a blind eye. It will be ok, they will learn there lesson… It could be at your park next with your kids see if it is ok then. I DONT THIN SO!!!!!!
” Let he who is WITHOUT sin , cast the first stone.” John 8:7
” The tongue can bring death or life ; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” Proverbs 19:21
” Fools words get them into constant quarrel; they are asking for a beating.”Proverbs 19:6
” The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.” Proverbs19:7
” Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.” Proverbs 19:8
You may think you can condemn people , but you are just as bad , and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself , for you who judge others do the very same things.
And we know that God , in His justice , will punish anyone who judges.
Romans 2: 1,2 New Living Translation of The HOLY BIBLE.
May the Lord in His mercy Bless everyone of you and I pray He will have compassion on you all.
Sorry Rodney,
I read it the same way Steve did.
That’s why we have law enforcement to weigh all the facts and investigate..if not everyone would be in jail at some point…the way I see it there was a reason why the girl wasn’t charged and never say it couldn’t happen to your child…the day isn’t over.
I say both of them should be arrested they knew what they were doing and they knew what the gun and the knife were going to do if the want to act like adults then lets treat them like adult and send a clear message to all of them that if you are old enough to commit the act of violence then lock em all up
Sorry, I have to disagree with Ms. Browns statement “everyone is always safe here”. No one knows when someone is going to bring a weapon or even a ready fist to an open event. Parents and guardians should be aware of what is going on in their homes but this is not always possible. Be on the lookout for problems at public places at all times.
Steve-
Of course and having a Florida drivers license means you will obey all traffic laws. We digress. I wrote nothing to indicate carring a fire arm at the sporting event. My comments were directed towards a gun being pulled in general. Thanks for stating “the law” so other readers who are not informed now understand, however i hope my point wasn’t missed.
No, No, No, the girl with the knife should have also been taken in as well, right along with the boy with the gun. I ask, “Where were the parents/gaurdians of these children?” There are too many parents/gaurdians that just drop their children off at places and just leave them, assuming oh they won’t get into any trouble. Parents/gaurdians you need to spend a little more time with your children, teaching them that this is not the behavior that will be put up with, lives could be lost in cases like this…
REGARDING;
“a sporting event is one of the places you cannot legally carry”
Probably a good thing too, too tempting sometimes I imagine
All the kids involved should be charged. As soon as kids start doing criminal activities..the earlier they should be taught a lesson ..even if its jail time!!! The parents of the kid w/the gun should be charged w/something..guns should be locked up. the girl w/the knife should be punished a well. WHERE ARE THE PARENTS??? They are accountable for thier kids till they are 18 yrs old!!
Rodney, as a person licensed to carry a concealed weapon in Florida you realize a sporting event is one of the places you cannot legally carry.
im with rodney.
I think both of them was in the wrong and if one was going to be arrestd both should have been because they both had a weapon
First its pills now guns and knives some kids apparently have too much time on their hands that they don’t know how to act. Kids nowadays act like its to much to ask just to behave. Yes kids will be kids just as thugs will be thugs and spoiled brats will be brats. But it don’t excuse the behavior. If our system will punish them accurately it just might change their minds
if someone pulled a gun on my child or anyone else for that matter and i was nearby i would consider the action a very hostile action and a serious threat. I would have reacted to the situation in a clearminded manner…pulling my pistol (yes i have cwp) demand the individual drop the fire arm. If the individual continued to behave as a hostile threat i would be forced to make a seriously life changing choice….all of which are extremly negative for many people associated with the person, around the vicinity and directly involved…including myself. I would hate to be in this situation. Buck up parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends…get it together.
Seems to me the girl should have been arrested too. She was involved in a verbal altercation and then she pulled a knife out. Maybe she didn’t wave it in a threatening manner but if you are in a altercation and pull a knife out what does that imply? I know wouldn’t think it was to play with!
If the girls were in an ‘altercation’ I believe its safe to say that he had the intend to imply he was going to use it. Not just show it off.
Based on the updated information in the story, I retract my previous statement. The initial story did not mention any altercation or “waving the gun in a reckless manner.”
The comments below this one were made prior to the story being updated with information about the arrest and altercation.
some of yall are rite but some aint yes the boy shouldnt have had the gun or even got to it unless he was taught not to touch it with his grandfather bein around so i think the parents in this have learned a lesson the boy made a mistake i think he has been embarrassed enough through this he was arrested and takin to jail in front of all his friends and yes some parents dont teach thier kids like we were taught but sometimes its because they had it harded then wat some of us had it so dont judge i think it was a lesson taught and i think the parents have been through enough about this and you dont know where the gun was stored so it could have been on a shelf were the child couldve got a chair and got to it but where would u store a gun besides a gun cabinet yes some people have them and some dont we r not all made out of money so leave the family alone and let them deal with it like they want to it is a big deal but lesson has been learned by the family and boy
I hope this will not be a slap on the wrist issue. The federal law pertaining to firearms, specifically handguns, requires a person to be 21 in order to possess a pistol. The boy in fifth grade had to “possess” the gun in order to show it off. As far as his grand dad, he could be looking at a felony conviction for having the handgun accessible to a minor. If convicted, this would solve that problem in that household from happening again as they would no longer be permitted to own any guns. Florida law reads :
“It is unlawful for: A minor less than 18 years of age to possess a firearm, other than an unloaded firearm at his home, unless engaged in lawful activities.”
This was definitely not at his home nor was it a lawful activity!
> wow, we just finished our game up there when we passed a few firefighters and an ambulance
The firefighters and an ambulance had nothing to do with the ballpark. They were on a medical call a little distance up Hwy 97
wow, we just finished our game up there when we passed a few firefighters and an ambulance
Should have had better locks…better keys…he just did not realize the mess this makes in times like these…curiousity…being cool…you know how it is…you get all the attention with something like this
what the kid was wrong
I’ve done worse
more people killed by :”unloaded” guns and guns that “won’t fire” than by any other kind. Please assume all guns are loaded and can kill.
never point a gun at anything you don’t want to shoot
never shoot a gun unless you intend to kill
never kill anything you don’t want to eat
Unless you are a cannibal, don’t point a gun at a person for the above reasons.
David still thinking it a wonder any of us survive to adulthood
How did this 5th Grade Child , get ahold of a gun & bring it to a local ballparkk in the first place ! this is crazy & I know it upset alot of people . And to those who think it isnt and shouldnt be a big deal ;; dont judge people until you experience this for yourself .
I really hate dumb people!!!!! It doesn’t matter if it was loaded or unloaded, a weapon is a weapon and any one under the age of sixteen is not allowed to carry without supervision. Now, who is to blame the grandparent or the kid? Both, though the grandparent did not know, and he states it was locked..well, it needs to be placed out of sight. and to the kids what in the world are you thinking????
So what if the gun was not loaded, heck there has been a lot of “I thought the gun was not loaded”, guess what the person on the other side of the gun is now DEAD…. This is not something I would not want to take lightly. Oh, and not to mention the fact it was brought out in public.
Someone mentioned about letting the parents deal with the problem and it would be worse at home. I do agree to some point. I do believe the kid got what he deserved and maybe a night in juve. was the trick to say, I will be a law abiding citizen.
I think the title of the article is needlessly sensational. According to the story, the boy did not “pull” the gun. “Pulling a gun” on someone implies using it as a show of force. It Sounds like he was just showing it off.
Was he wrong…sure, but the parents should handle this incident.
I’m not sure what crime he was charged with (if any), but don’t see anything in the Florida Statutes that will stick.
Possibly “carrying a concealed weapon”, but it doesn’t sound like there is criminal intent, hence, no crime.
All the hard work that has been put into this ballpark to give it a good reputation and also a good buch of kids that have played here and then something crazy like this happens. remember this is still one of the best ball parks around if not the best.
I coached this kid for t-ball a few years back. He is a good kid and yes this should not have happened. what the law does for punishment will be considered light to what the punishment will be from the family.
He should have not took the gun to show it. There will be lots of things said that are not true. I have knew this boy since he was 6 years old. I am sure that he would not hurt anyone. I also know his grandmother that helps take care of him Times has changed due to the abuse people do with guns. The law has to be so strick now. This child will be punished the rest of his lfe for showing a antquie gun of his fathers. Pam is right the children are always safe at the ball park. Again this is a good child and he has been punished enough. The parents that think there children makes no mistakes need to look and think again. All children make mistakes.Did he pull the gun or take the gun to show the kids? The article stated both.
My child knows that you should always assume that every gun you see is loaded and to NEVER touch them. I belleve everyone should have the right to own a gun but I also think that there should be some sort of punishment in a case like this. As one stated here, if the gun had been loaded we could be talking about an accidental death this morning. I’m certain the boy is very sorry as well as his guardians. I trust everyone has learned something from this very unfortunate and scary incident..
I think the grandfather / parents should have first crack at the punishment phase (it may have already been taken care of). When we demand that our court system (to be read government) try to punish a kid for everything, then we are forfeiting parental responsibility.
You’re asking for the government to take control of something else that we should be doing ourselves. I agree with Robert, if I’d done that, I wouldn’t be able to sit down today and I probably wouldn’t have the opportunity any way. I would have a good 8-10 hours of “family service” to perform.
Sad to say but the child should be punished he stole a gun took it to a public place where children are playing. Thank God no one was hurt who’s to say if not taught a lesson by this next time gun could fire and accidently shoot someone dead. Then you have a child dealing with a lot more than legal trouble
Robert is right. Then again we were raised in a different era. We were taught to respect others and keep your hands off what doesn’t belong to you. Just some of the traits that aren’t taught anymore.
You have to be very careful with your weapons when children are in the house. I know when I was a kid I was facinated with firearms. Fortunately I was taught how to properly use and store them. I know if I had done this, my butt would have gotten a lot of attention from my grandfathers belt. Please be careful with your guns.
I totally agree with Michelle, there should be no guns like this anywhere, others do not know that the gun was not loaded, and I’m sure if they saw this; then they were in fear of their and the childrens lives. I really think the boy deserves some kind of punishment to make him and other people know that you just don’t bring guns to different places like this, loaded or not!!!
It doesn’t matter if the gun was capable of being fired or not you just don’t take a gun where there are people and display it. My nephews were playing ball and it was something that just shouldn’t have happenend.