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Boy Allegedly Kills Friend With Bat After Losing Baseball Game

Discussion in 'Other Sports' started by Behad, Apr 15, 2005.

  1. Behad

    Behad Contributing Member

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    http://www.avpress.com/n/14/0414_s1.hts

    More info here:
    http://www.avpress.com/


    PALMDALE - Baseball had always been a big part of 15-year-old Jeremy Rourke's life, but an argument following a Pony League game Tuesday night cost the Palmdale teen his life when a 13-year-old boy allegedly struck him in the head with a bat.

    The bat allegedly was swung by a Pony League player who may have been upset when Rourke taunted him for losing. The boys were standing near the ballpark snack bar when the incident occurred.

    Rourke died two hours later at a local hospital. Murder charges were expected to be filed by the district attorney's office this morning, according to a late-night report on KCOP-TV (Channel 13). Authorities did not release the suspect's name because he is a juvenile.

    "This is a tragedy for everyone involved … family members of both boys," Detective Bob Kenney, a homicide investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, said in a telephone interview late Wednesday.

    Family members declined interviews Wednesday. A man who identified himself only as "Kurt" stood outside the Rourke family's west Palmdale home and said the family had no immediate comment.

    The victim and suspect knew each other and were friendly, according to Kenney. He said there didn't appear to have been any previous problems between the two.

    Rourke attended Highland High School while the suspect attends Cactus Elementary, according to friends who knew both boys.

    "They never had any problems before this that I know of," 15-year-old Davon House said. "It's a shock. I don't think he was trying to kill him."

    House described the alleged assailant as "smart and kind of quiet."

    The incident caused Pony League officials to halt play for several days.

    "It's pretty much a tragic day for Pony baseball," said Bill Blaylock, a Pony League regional director.

    It wasn't unusual to see the Rourke family at youth baseball games, since he had gone through the program as a youngster.

    On Tuesday night he was a spectator at the fields on 20th Street East just south of Palmdale Boulevard. His sister worked the snack bar and his younger brother officiated a game, according to witnesses.

    Rourke wore a retro California Angels baseball jersey to the field that night. Umpire Cory Meeks said he saw Rourke walking behind the backstop several times to check the score of the game with the scorekeeper.

    Meeks and Rourke's brother were officiating a game between the alleged assailant's undefeated Angels and the last-place Dodgers, a game the Angels lost. An Associated Press report said the younger boy was the Angels' starting pitcher.

    Around 8:25 p.m., about half an hour after the game ended, Rourke and the suspect apparently got into an altercation near the snack bar. Homicide detectives would not confirm what caused the dispute, but witnesses told others that Rourke teased the suspect about losing.

    Kenney denied reports in other media that Rourke had cut in line at the snack bar.

    House said witnesses told him the boys began pushing each other, and at one point the suspect pulled out a bat from his bag and hit Rourke in the knee. Rourke went down and the suspect swung again, hitting him in the head.

    Someone called 911 and paramedics transported the teen by ambulance to the hospital, where he died about 10:15 p.m.

    The suspect was taken to the Palmdale Sheriff's Station and was later in custody at Challenger Memorial Youth Center in Lancaster.

    News of the incident shocked those who knew the boys. Players gathered at the field Wednesday afternoon, while students at Highland High organized the release of hundreds of balloons, some colored pink and others black.

    Messages written on the balloons included "R.I.P. Jeremy." Friends of the teen hugged each other and cried.

    "He was a good kid," said 15-year-old Trevor Bloom, a fellow baseball player. "Sometimes he got into a little bit of trouble, but he was friendly."

    Homicide detectives reportedly planned to interview more witnesses before discussing the case with prosecutors later today .



    My son's Pony league team recently lost their first game of the season after starting 8-0. Some kids took it hard. Scary.
     
  2. RocketMan Tex

    RocketMan Tex Contributing Member

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    Unreal. I just don't know what this world is coming to sometimes.
     
  3. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    Palmdale?

    I doubt too much will happen
    Slap on the wrist

    At most Juvi until 18

    Rocket River
     
  4. Cesar^Geronimo

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    it sounds like a little more than someone over reacting to teasing.

    One possible scenario:
    The older boy started teasing the younger boy. The teasing escalated and the older boy actually physically pushing and threatening the yonger boy (I highly doubt the younger boy was the initial aggressor of the shoving match). In self defense (gone overboard) he grabbed a bat to defend himself.

    Obviously, I don't know what happen --- but if you read between the lines of the article the scenario is possible
     
  5. Rockets34Legend

    Rockets34Legend Contributing Member

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    Wow.

    Violence entering the arena of sports. What has this world come to?
     
  6. meggoleggo

    meggoleggo Contributing Member

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    That's just horrible. I mean, I would seriously hope the kid didn't intend on bashing his brains in with that bat to kill him, but if the kid did so with such intentions.... That's too messed up for words.
     
  7. Falcons Talon

    Falcons Talon Contributing Member

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    There's probably no correlation, and this is probably a scenario of getting teased and reacting, but have you seen the way parents behave at these games. I was at a game where one mom literally hit another mom with a folding chair.

    Great example! :rolleyes:
     
  8. rezdawg

    rezdawg Contributing Member

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    What the mother effer?

    This is just ridiculous. I couldnt imagine the feeling of losing your child over something like this.
     
  9. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    The incident is bad but I wouldn't say it is a sign that the end of the world is coming. I would hope the 13 year old didn't know how much damage he would cause.
     
  10. Pole

    Pole Houston Rockets--Tilman Fertitta's latest mess.

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    Thank you.
     
  11. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    you reaching

    Rocket River
    too bad ALL kids don't get that much benefit of the doubt .. .
     
  12. gwatson86

    gwatson86 Contributing Member

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    Taunting a 13 year old kid, holding a bat, with all kinds of crazy hormones and having just lost couldn't possibly yield anything good. Given the situation, it doesn't surprise me at all that he swung at him with the bat. I highly doubt he had any intention of killing him, so the fact that murder charges are expected surprises me. It's a horrible situation, no question, but the outcome doesn't surprise me at all.
     
  13. A-Train

    A-Train Contributing Member

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    Well, at least the kid didn't go home hitless...
     
  14. PhiSlammaJamma

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    Here is the thing. We all get in fights. But we all don't swing a bat in that fight. we throw a glove. we tackle the kid. whatever. The kid knew better. You don't swing a bat at someone no matter what situation you're in. I've only been in three fights, but there was never a weapon involved like a bat. I think he made a choice with the bat. Everybody knows you drop your weapons in a fight. On the diamond, you don't ever see the batter charge the pitcher with a bat. The reason is simple. Judgement kicks in. This kid had a choice.
     
  15. Behad

    Behad Contributing Member

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    The article says he pulled the bat from his bag. That's what makes me believe there is more to this. Simple taunting usually results in punches being thrown. To pull the bat from a bag before any punches are thrown tells me this kid had some emotional problems that needed attention.
     
  16. RIET

    RIET Contributing Member

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    Didn't Pascual Perez try to hit someone with a bat? Of course he was also got lost driving to the stadium - his own team's stadium.
     
  17. J DIDDY

    J DIDDY Member

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    :eek: I WAS thinkin the samething
     

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