Last night Lifetime channel showed a rerun of "The First 48" episode titled "Backyard Murder," and the outcome of the case really did ring the bell on the importance of gun safety rules.
"The First 48" is a very entertaining show if the viewer enjoys the mysteries of true detective stories. We don't know if or how much of the stories were recreated and how much actually developed while the cameras were running. But they are presented as true cases, and they look awfully real.
So in "Backyard Murder" a body was found in a backyard. The detectives identified him as 25 year old Christopher Robinson. And a friend named Leroy Kelly contacted the police to tell what he knew about it.
There's a transcript of Backyard Murder online, but keep in mind that the transcript covers the entire show which includes two murder mysteries with commercials.
Here's a condensed version. Leroy drove his friend Christopher to a Detroit neighborhood where they thought someone wanted to buy a gun from Christopher. According to Leroy, the prospective buyer, Brian "Little B" Posey pulled his own gun and attempted to rob Christopher of his gun. Leroy and Christopher took off running, a shot rang out, and as Leroy ran he drew his gun and shot in the direction of Little B without looking.
Two bullets were recovered from the scene. A .380 caliber bullet was dug out of a wall, and a .25 caliber bullet was removed from Christopher's chest. Leroy's gun was .25 caliber, and everyone agreed that it was Leroy's shot that killed his friend Christopher.
The case ended when Little B was charged with felony murder after he admitted that he intended to rob Christopher, and Leroy was set free as he acted in self defense. But he had to live with the fact that his careless shooting ended his friend's life. Leroy could have prevented that death by following the general rules of gun safety.
It's doubtful that anyone reading this blog needs a review of the gun safety rules, but let's look at Richard Fairburn's Causes and cures for the negligent discharge for Leroy's sake:
1. All guns are always loaded. (Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.)
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (For those who insist “this particular gun is unloaded,” see Rule 1.)
3. Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target. (This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 60 percent of inadvertent discharges.)
4. Identify your target, and what is behind it. (Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.)
If Leroy had followed these rules his friend might have lived to see another day.
Comments