A BB Gun and a Minor Facial Injury

mumps

aliasojo wrote: »

Police.

I disagree with mumps and feel that whatever went on is a different matter to a large degree. I'm not dismissing the the provocation aspect but there is no justification for firing a bb gun at someone.

How would you feel if you found out your child and their friends had made some other childs life a misery for months, it does happen. Maybe the child has been hurt before and has become fearful for their own safety and then took the BB gun out to scare them off. Is it fair if he ends up with a criminal record and the tormentors are seen as the victims?

Just edited to add that I am not a violent person but you need to live with a ten year old who is seriously suicidal to know how it feels. The funny thing is that twelve years on these girls will say hello and try to talk to her when she is home. I can honestly say they are the only people on earth that I have so sympathy for and I am someone who got upset when they saw what happened to Saddam Hussain and Gadaffi so not a hard person at all.

One of mine was badly bullied, physically assaulted and made suicidal. Now they never carried a weapon but there were times when I could have murdered the little !!!!!!!s who did it and would have happily done time for it.

These things aren't always straightforward, the boy obviously shouldn't have done what he did but I would want to find out more before leaving him to carry all the blame.

Pthree

I would go to the police although I am not really sure what they can or will do.

I went to school with a girl who had a glass eye as a result of a bb gun "prank" although thinking back I am sure the lad that did went to some kind of detention centre for a while.

aliasojo

mumps wrote: »

How would you feel if you found out your child and their friends had made some other childs life a misery for months, it does happen. Maybe the child has been hurt before and has become fearful for their own safety and then took the BB gun out to scare them off. Is it fair if he ends up with a criminal record and the tormentors are seen as the victims?

His action is no less wrong just because he's been wronged.

keystone

mumps wrote: »

What does the highlighted bit mean? I would normally say involve the police but if the above means something like the boy was being bullied/tormented/teased by others I might feel differently. If, and it is a big if, he was also a victim I would be more inclined to try and talk to him and daughter about it. I am not saying your daughter was the culprit but is she maybe hanging about with kids who think it is funny to make someone elses life a bit of a misery? Just a thought and I hope you aren't offended but might be worth thinking about.

No not offended at all. My second (probably) question last night was what did you do to him? Apparently she was "dared" to "borrow" his scooter which she did and then returned it and then for a second time. Apparently there was also some comment when he produced the thing along the lines of "so you'll make a good terrorist one day". An added complication is that (how can I put this in a way that I don't generate offence?) he doesn't have a particularly English sounding name. The two groups (3 or 4 in each, one girls the other boys but all from the same year at the same School) were quite separate until a few minutes before this event occured. I don't believe he was being "picked on" wholesale. Of course there are always two sides to a story.

Cheers

mumps

peachyprice wrote: »

None of that distracts from the fact that the boy shouldn't have had a BB gun out on the street.

I will wait to hear what the OP says. Apart from anything else she could end up getting her own daughter into trouble with the police if other things come out.

Edit: hadnt seen your above reply.

keystone

aliasojo wrote: »

I'm not dismissing the the provocation aspect but there is no justification for firing a bb gun at someone.

Yes I think thats my primary concern. It doesn't sound as though he deliberately aimed it at her face (as another poster has surmised) but the fact remains that over that distance only a very tiny movement of his hand (or by her for that matter) would have had the projectile in her eye rather than hitting her cheekbone.

Thanks to all so far. It's helping a great deal to achieve some perspective. Popping out for a bit and will return later so am not abandoning the subject.

Cheers

mumps

keystone wrote: »

No not offended at all. My second (probably) question last night was what did you do to him? Apparently she was "dared" to "borrow" his scooter which she did and then returned it and then for a second time. Apparently there was also some comment when he produced the thing along the lines of "so you'll make a good terrorist one day". An added complication is that (how can I put this in a way that I don't generate offence?) he doesn't have a particularly English sounding name. The two groups (3 or 4 in each, one girls the other boys but all from the same year at the same School) were quite separate until a few minutes before this event occured. I don't believe he was being "picked on" wholesale. Of course there are always two sides to a story.

Cheers

It is difficult isn't it. The problem with these sort of dares is you don't always know the history. It could have been the final straw for him. I agree with you that if you could talk to the parents it would be ideal. How does your daughter feel about it, as someone else said she will have a good idea about what sort of boy he is.

It is such a shame that schools won't get involved, we had this problem when my DD was bullied, the actual physical assaults were outside school so they didn't want to get involved. The problem was it affected her in school so what do you do?

I am glad that your daughter had no serious injury, I guess the problem, like with my DD, is how it will affect her otherwise.

Good luck with it, you seem to have a very sensible attitude to it.

zzzLazyDaisy

Personally I would report the matter to the police and let them deal with it. Whatever the provocation there is no justification for someone carrying an offensive weapon in public, or for assaulting another person with it. It is no different to someone carrying a knife or a baseball bat with intent to use it if 'picked on'.

Having said that, you should also realise that if the police investigate the complaint, your DD's conduct will also be investigated and if her actions are thought to amount to bullying and/or racial harassment, she is also likely to get her knuckles rapped.

Either way, I would still report it on principle, but that's just me.

967stuart

*EDIT

Just seen your reply.

So your daughter stole his scooter and made racist comments to him.

Sounds to me like you need to sort your daughter out.

keystone

mumps wrote: »

I will wait to hear what the OP says. Apart from anything else she could end up getting her own daughter into trouble with the police if other things come out.

Yes exactly.

LoL - she is a he. (:D) although a perfectly natural assumption on your part I guess and I'm totally not offended. My wife left us to our own devices some time ago.

Cheers