"Good Samaritan" Killed During Nintendo DS Robbery

[Andy Chalk]

"Good Samaritan" Killed During Nintendo DS Robbery

A "Good Samaritan" is dead after intervening in a fight over a Nintendo DS.

Four teenagers from Los Angeles County are facing charges of robbery and murder following a November 1 shooting at a shopping center, where they had agreed to meet another teen who was selling a Nintendo DS. Instead of buying the unit, however, the four attempted to rob him. A fight broke out, during which one of the four pulled out a gun.

An man described by police as a "Good Samaritan" who attempted to break up the fight was shot in the torso as he approached the group with a baseball bat, while the target of the intended robbery was shot in the thigh when he tried to get away. Both victims were taken to hospital; the teen selling the DS was treated for non-life-threatening injuries but the 29-year-old man who attempted to break up the fight died.

The suspects in the shooting range from 13 to 16 years old.

We like to poke fun at stupid videogame crime now and then, like when some idiot rise up [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113404-Middle-Aged-Gamer-Assaults-Teen-Over-Black-Ops-Beatdown] and say "no more." But there's none of that here. A man is dead, four young teenagers are going to jail, and for what? A toy that's worth maybe a hundred bucks - probably less than the gun used to kill the would-be hero. That's just tragic.

Source: GamePolitics [http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-canyon-country-shooting,0,1320438.story]


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[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

in b4 gun law explosion flame*


this is tragic..fucking stupid kids, you shoot/kill someone over a DS? let alone one that wasn't even yours?

i swear the stupidity of some people sometimes is ridiculous, and i truly feel sorry for the "good samaritan", obviously walking over with the bat is going to cause the guy with the gun to do something, but walking over without anything probably wouldn't have done much either, and calling the police probably wouldn't have done much for the guy being robbed as he was probably getting smashed on at the moment...

*sigh*

 

[anthony87]

Kill the bastards. Forget their ages.

People like that are a waste of oxygen.

 

[mental_looney]

Truly a horrible crime, seems lucky more people were not shot as it was in a shopping centre, raises the question how they got a hold of a gun in the first place.

 

[MetaKnight19]

Very sad news, hopefully the people responsible will think long and hard about how they have effectively torn apart a family. I know that sounds kind of like an after-school special, but it's true.

A man is dead, four young teenagers are going to jail, and for what? A toy that's worth maybe a hundred bucks - probably less than the gun used to kill the would-be hero. That's just tragic.

That basically summed it up right there. Well said.

 

[brodie21]

starting to think that heinlein was right about corporal punishment and flogging. when your kid robs someone, you get flogged alongside him. if he kills someone the kid gets hung and you dont have skin on your back anymore. give them the chair and make their parents regret not raising them correctly

 

[Andy Chalk]

It's really a tragedy, and it's not the first time I heard of this kind of robbing methods. Regardless if it was a DS, or whatever, this shows it's getting tragically easier to take someone life, and I don't think it's a issue related to games, but our society as a whole.

That man deserved better, and I hope those pricks get something worse than a jail for kids... maybe a dropped soap or two.

 

[squid5580]

Oh god you called it a toy.

I dunno a stranger standing up for some kid like that seems like a pretty big silver lining to a pretty dark cloud. My faith in humanity has been restored a little (until I come back to see all the whining about how you called it a toy).

 

[Kopikatsu]

Kill the bastards. Forget their ages.

People like that are a waste of oxygen.

Well, yes. I have to agree that they should be executed.

The point of prison is to remove people who can't/won't function in society, from society. However, killing someone over a $100 game system is...beyond 'can't function'.

 

[Slayer_2]

It's a tragedy. Really, who brings a gun to rob a guy of a DS? Kids these days are getting stupider, and I'm only 19.

 

[midknight129]

Truly a horrible crime, seems lucky more people were not shot as it was in a shopping centre, raises the question how they got a hold of a gun in the first place.

How did 4 teenage punks manage to get a gun? Seriously? The better question is why did 4 of them manage to come up with ONLY ONE.

 

[anthony87]

Kill the bastards. Forget their ages.

People like that are a waste of oxygen.

Well, yes. I have to agree that they should be executed.

The point of prison is to remove people who can't/won't function in society, from society. However, killing someone over a $100 game system is...beyond 'can't function'.

Wow...to be honest I was expecting to be blasted with people saying how horrible I am for thinking such a thing and so on and so forth.

I'm quite plesantly surprised.

 

[Diminished Capacity]

I am not a religious man, but Jesus Christ. Forget juvie, I hope they go to grown-up prison.

 

[Irridium]

Truly a horrible crime, seems lucky more people were not shot as it was in a shopping centre, raises the question how they got a hold of a gun in the first place.

How did 4 teenage punks manage to get a gun? Seriously? The better question is why did 4 of them manage to come up with ONLY ONE.

Well, it's LA, so there's plenty of places where they could've gotten the gun.

But if I had to guess they probably took it from a parent or something.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Kill the bastards. Forget their ages.

People like that are a waste of oxygen.

Well, yes. I have to agree that they should be executed.

The point of prison is to remove people who can't/won't function in society, from society. However, killing someone over a $100 game system is...beyond 'can't function'.

Wow...to be honest I was expecting to be blasted with people saying how horrible I am for thinking such a thing and so on and so forth.

I'm quite plesantly surprised.

Well, eh. Most people probably will. I just happen to be of the small 'Life is a privilege that can be revoked' crowd.

Besides, isn't death preferable to rotting in a small prison cell for the rest of your life? (Some might argue that is 'just punishment', but they're just eating up resources. Might as well kill them and be done with it.)

 

[dalek sec]

I forget, aren't there conditions if someone dies during a robbery the charges are more harsh or I have just been watching too much "Law and Order" lately during the evenings?

OT: My heart goes out to the Samaritan who tried to break it up and lost his life to those bastards. To be honest? Just fry 'em and be done with them, I doubt anyone will miss them in the long run...

 

[esperandote]

Life in adult prision for the shooter and the one that took the gun (if not the same). Something less harsh for the others.

 

[Charli]

Valuing a toy over a human life. Go Go Assholes, hope you're real proud.

Seriously evaluating pro's of the death penalty for offenses like this also to be honest. But then I sigh and just pray that they receive some kind of apt retribution or mental anguish in return.

 

[Kyogissun]

Kill the bastards. Forget their ages.

People like that are a waste of oxygen.

Well, yes. I have to agree that they should be executed.

The point of prison is to remove people who can't/won't function in society, from society. However, killing someone over a $100 game system is...beyond 'can't function'.

Wow...to be honest I was expecting to be blasted with people saying how horrible I am for thinking such a thing and so on and so forth.

I'm quite plesantly surprised.

Well, eh. Most people probably will. I just happen to be of the small 'Life is a privilege that can be revoked' crowd.

Besides, isn't death preferable to rotting in a small prison cell for the rest of your life? (Some might argue that is 'just punishment', but they're just eating up resources. Might as well kill them and be done with it.)

I dunno, a more suitable punishment would be having to live with the knowledge of their failure to value human life as long as they live. He made the decision to take another person's life, why should he get the sweet release that a lot of those people desire? That's not exactly FAIR to the life of the person who was taken, is it?

Provided the kid is you know, mentally sane and realizes what he's done. Course, he probably could commit suicide long before that but eh, I don't think that SOB deserves the escape of death so soon. He needs to sit and rot for a bit so he can 'truly' have enough time for his mind to beat into him what a fucked up little person he is.

Again, provided the kid is sane. If he's some sociopath loony bin needing idiot, then yes, go ahead and give him the death penalty.

Might get some backlash myself for the more cruel and dark way of thinking but I'm just throwing in my two cents, don't take it too seriously folks. Approach this post with the thought that I was kinda taking the 'devil's advocate' perspective, if you will. Primarily because...

I forget, aren't there conditions if someone dies during a robbery the charges are more harsh or I have just been watching too much "Law and Order" lately during the evenings?

OT: My heart goes out to the Samaritan who tried to break it up and lost his life to those bastards. To be honest? Just fry 'em and be done with them, I doubt anyone will miss them in the long run...

The above is closer to how I 'really' feel. Fry the shooter, couple of years in prison for the others.