It’s a fashion trend popular with much of today’s younger population,
not only in Colorado, but nationwide. Like so many previous styles, and
surely countless future fashions, it’s also a source of contention
between generations. The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, TN reports that
a man shot a teenage boy in the buttocks after an altercation over the
sagging pants the boy was wearing.
The man apparently was in his yard when two teenaged boys passed by on
their way to buy “candy.” Both were wearing low-slung pants
that showed more underwear than the adult wanted to see. The adult told
the boys to pull their pants up. The boys, of course, didn’t comply.
The adult then called the boys “a derogatory word for gay men,”
preceding the word with an obscenity. He also told the boys that he was
a grown man and that they should do what he said. The boys then called
the adult “a fat ass” and told him he needed to shut up.
When the boys came out of the candy lady’s house, the adult appeared
again, this time armed with a semi-automatic pistol. The boys prudently
began running away, at which time the man fired several shots at them.
One shot hit one of the boys in the buttocks, exiting through his thigh.
He was treated at two different hospitals. His condition is unknown, but
his injuries are not expected to be life-threatening.
The shooter admitted to the police that he had shot at the boys.
Do you think the incident would have happened if the teenagers had been
girls? Maybe. Do you think it’s OK to shoot someone whose style-consciousness
we don’t like? Not in this country. Will the boys take a different
route to the candy lady’s house? I hope so.
“The Scoop on Poop in Colorado,” Colorado Business Litigation Lawyer Blog, posted 02/17/10
“Intentionally Shooting Shotgun into Victims’ Car Not Covered by Insurance Policy,” Colorado Business Litigation Lawyer Blog, posted 10/05/10