I agree with you Max. I don't think locking these kids' dad up after they just lost their sister accomplishes much. Leaving your kid in a burning car for hours shows you don't care -- this shows you may be careless. Big difference.
i don't see the societal gain worth locking this man up given THIS situation. i just don't see it. i don't see why we should go to the cost of prosecuting and locking him up. i don't see it as a deterrant measure, because it's a "crime" based on mistake. I don't see it as a punishment, because nothing could punish him more than attending his own daughter's funeral with this on his consciense...and having to face the rest of his life with that guilt. That's why we have prosecutorial discretion..for cases just like this.
They would have already blamed the parents if he was not a COP he will walk. Because he is a COP. Bottom line is he should have known to not leave guns in his house unlocked. Cops preach to civillians about locking up guns and putting them on safety etc..... It is the pot calling the kettle black. He and his wife should be punished.
Same reason they would go to the cost of locking you up if you were this careless..... Lets ask the thousands of people in prison who have had the same "accident" happen in their life if he should not be held accountable.... Makes me sick, Cops think just because they have a badge they are above the law when they do wrong.
i don't see the societal gain worth locking this man up given THIS situation. i just don't see it. i don't see why we should go to the cost of prosecuting and locking him up. i don't see it as a deterrant measure, because it's a "crime" based on mistake. I don't see it as a punishment, because nothing could punish him more than attending his own daughter's funeral with this on his consciense... Out of curiousity, if someone was driving and not paying attention and got in a wreck and killed their daughter, would you think that person should be prosecuted? What about if it was someone else's daughter? What about if the driver was drunk? It seems like this scenario is similar - person was grossly negligent, crime was base on a mistake. The driver would probably feel ridiculously guilty in my various scenarios as well. I'm not sure how I feel about any of these cases, except the last scenario I posed.
I'm surprised by how many people are ready to send this man to prison before we even have all the facts: Where were the guns in the bedroom? Was the bedroom door locked? Where was the mother? Who left the guns out in the first place? Under what circumstances did the girl get to the guns? What we have here is a sketch of a tragedy, at best. A lot more details need to be filled in before we can have a complete and accurate picture. I'm also not willing to overlook the fact that this man risks his life for others (as eveidenced by the fact that he took a bullet to the head in the line of duty) on a regular basis. I find it hard to believe that a person who works to protect strangers would hold his own daughter's life in such low regard that he would knowingly leave firearms in an easily accessable place for her to reach. Additionally, I don't agree with the comparison of this man to a careless driver who hits and kills a child. Officer Hill is one step removed from that scenario since he didn't actually pull the trigger. He (possibly) supplied the weapons. I think a closer comparison would be he left the keys in the car and a child got in, drove it, had a wreck and died. I am deeply saddened by this event, and I personally think it highlights the need for greater gun safety measures. However, I can see no reason, at this point, to compound the family's tragedy by treating the already devastated father as a criminal.
I'm amazed at how sympathetic people are towards this police officer. Leaving a loaded gun readily available to a child is basically like leaving bottles of poison lying around your house with the cap unscrewed, or digging 10 foot deep holes in your backyard, then letting your kids play out there by themselves. Having your own kid shoot herself in the head is not an 'accident', and that's why he should suffer the legal consequences. One's emotional suffering simply isn't enough; a message needs to be sent out, because these types of things happen far too often. Strict laws are the only way we can keep people from doing these types of stupid things.
