News 8 Year Old Shoots Caregiver/grandmother

[Lady of Longbourn]

When I first saw this on the news my first thought was how the kid may be mental ill. I also thought perphs maybe his caregiver was abusing him or maybe he was on some medication that was causing homicidal or suicidal thoughts.

The news is claiming he did it becasue he was playing Grand Thef Auto and got the idea from there.

I do realize though that I may be bias becasue of my own mental issues but I really wont be surpriased if in a few days we find that there was something other then video games was at work with the killing.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/25/us/louisiana-boy-kills-grandmother

 

[Ice_Fire]

That's really sad. I bet it will take a while for him to appreciate and understand that his grandmother is not going to get up again from that but when he does...well, he'll need a lot of support as well as being made to understand the gravity of what he did.

Just tragic all round. But yeah, I think there's something else wrong besides a game there.

 

[Flyaway]

Isn't the game MA? Or R in the USA? What was a child of 8 doing playing it in the first place? I think that the game most likely did influence his actions... Although, I think you are right Ayesha- there are other factors involved.

One of my first thoughts after reading the article was: why was an 8 year old sharing the same room as his Grandmother? I personally find that disturbing. Boys start getting erections around age 6, they need privacy especially at night. For all I know, it may have been a temporary means to an end and reasonable boundaries were in place.

Regardless, I don't see it as the child's fault. If proper boundaries were in place re: access to gun, access to innappropriate games, etc. this wouldn't have happened. Maybe the lack of appropriate boundaries did extend to the bedroom.

 

[anthony]

I was watching this this morning on the current affairs breakfast show, and they asked a psychologist whether the game had any impact. He stated that studies have showed there is no such conclusion that playing a video game depicts any behavioural outcome. He also highlighted a point above, being that that game has an MA / R rating typically around the world, and what was the adult doing allowing a child of 8 to play such a game in the first place. People want to blame the game, yet people don't want to blame the dead victim in being ignorant of their responsibilities in caregiving.

Polls have shown that the majority of players of these games are actually over 18, with the mean figure for age at 32 years as the main demographic player. Yep, you read that correctly... it isn't kids who are the main player of such games. These people are adults as a majority and thus are allowed to make their own decision on playing such games, and not having such games banned.

It is a tragedy that the grandmother is dead, though to be perfectly honest, she had an eight year old playing a game strictly not made for an eight year old, as well as a gun laying around for an eight year old to get hold off. Hmmmmm... who is really negligent in this one? The game maker or the grandmother?

I vote the grandmother.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

being that that game has an MA / R rating typically around the world, and what was the adult doing allowing a child of 8 to play such a game in the first place.

Yes, that is very true and something the news did not say here. Why would he have such a game? And where did he get that gun??

yet people don't want to blame the dead victim in being ignorant of their responsibilities in caregiving.

I agree. And that wasn't talked about in the news either.

I really think in the next few days more things will come to light about that child's treatment from his grandmother. Abuse, neglect...something will come to light. I truly believe that.

 

[anthony]

America doesn't want to talk about gun crime, to be perfectly honest. The above points were raised here in Australia the moment the story hit our TV... yet isn't in America. The reason is very simple... because Americans don't want gun discussion in the news because they don't really want it changed because it is part of American culture, and culture, history, defines us as a populous. American media is not going to use this story to create further internal debate that has little to no real purpose for outcome.

 

[intothelight]

My mind is trying to wrap around how an 87 year old woman can possibly be responsible for an 8 year old child. Guns left unsecured, violent video games....and an 8 year old who probably doesn't have the cognitive development to discern fantasy from reality. Basically a tragedy just waiting to happen.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

It doesn't look like the child is facing any chargers becasue he is under 10 years old.

@intothelight, I agree I don't think any 8 year old understands death that well or at all.

 

[circe47]

I think it was a combination of things. Somebody gave an 8 year old a game that depicts violence. That should not have happened. I have a son and he played those games (without my consent) at his father's house when he was younger. We tried a little experiment. I suggested not letting our son play shoot em' up games when he became too bratty. Within a day or so my son was noticeably less aggressive and way more manageable. I don't think it is just the games alone- but I do think they add a touch of aggression to an already less than ideal situation.

Next, I don't think it is necessarily the grandmother's fault either. Again, who places the care of an 8 year old, energetic boy into the hands of an 87 year old woman? I can't speak for every elderly person, by my own grams at the age of 87 was barely functioning. She died a couple years later of Alzheimer's. I would NEVER leave a small energetic child under the care of someone almost 90 years old, who kept a gun in the home.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I agree with everyone. This was a tragedy waiting to happen. I fear for the eight year old. This will certainly be very traumatic for him in the years to come. No eighty seven woman should have custody of a small child. And as for the gun how did he know how to use it?