‘He started crying like a little baby’: 11-year-old brags about shooting suspected home invader

[TeddyR]

Chris Gaither was home alone “petting the dogs” on Wednesday morning when he heard a noise upstairs.

The 11-year-old boy from Talladega, Ala., told NBC affiliate WVTM-TV that he was scared, so he grabbed a knife and steadied himself.

Chris said that a man appeared on the stairwell, but when confronted, he ran back up upstairs. When the man reappeared moments later, the boy told WVTM-TV, the individual was holding a gun.

“When he was coming down the stairs, that’s when he told me he was going to kill me, f-you and all that,” Chris said.

Instead of running, Chris told the station, he upgraded his weaponry, picking up a 9mm handgun that was in the home.

***

Once the man made it outside, Chris fired a warning shot. The man, who was carrying a stolen laundry hamper, began running. Chris emptied the clip, firing off 12 shots by the time the intruder neared a fence in the family’s front yard, the 11-year-old told the station.

The final shot hit the man in the leg as he was hopping the fence, the boy said.

“I shot through the hamper he was carrying,” Chris said. “It was a full metal jacket bullet. It went straight through the back of his leg. He started crying like a little baby.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/05/01/he-started-crying-like-a-little-baby-11-year-old-brags-about-shooting-suspected-home-invader/?hpid=hp_rhp-more-top-stories_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

[Chakab]

1. How bad does it have to get for a person to resort to breaking and entering to

steal a hamper full of soiled clothing?

[Autumn Colors]

2. No link to article, so ???

My first assumption was the guy probably emptied the hamper and used it to carry whatever he else was stealing.

[TeddyR]

4. Yeah, sorry about that

Completely forgot to include the link. Fixed. A WaPo story.

[mackdaddy]

3. One of those cases where he should shut the hell up.

This kid just admitted to a probable criminal action.

Yes, you get to shoot someone who has broken into you home and is threatening you. Kinda.

No, you do not get to shoot someone leaving the scene, even with some of your stuff.

His parents did not do him any favors doing these interviews. In some states just leaving an 11 year old alone will get Children's services on you, much less leaving a 9mm where he has access to it.

Thief probably has a good civil case against the family, too.

Not quite a bad as the stories of kids in the back seat shooting their moms, but not good for RTKBA either.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. Those are the very thoughts that went through my mind when I read the article.

[TeddyR]

6. Alabama law is pretty favorable for the homeowner/resident in cases like this

And I doubt any Alabama jury would convict this kid or rule in the criminal's favor on a civil suit. Pretty sure that a prosecutor isn't going to file charges here either.

People would be a lot less likely to get shot if they didn't break into someone's home and attempt to steal the homeowner's possessions.

[DashOneBravo]

14. I agree

[marble falls]

7. Shooting at a retreating burglar? At the risk of being hooted at, the kid was in the wrong once ...

the burglar left the house and made for the fence. Has it even been established the burglar really was armed?

[TeddyR]

8. The kid was 11 years old

And asshole burglar shouldn't commit burglary, with a gun, and threaten a kid.

[marble falls]

9. So what was this 11 year old doing with access to an automatic with 12+ full metal jacketed rounds?

[TeddyR]

10. Shooting

A thief. Hopefully the thief spends a long time in prison.

[sarisataka]

12. Good point

Hollow points are much more effective at incapacitating an assailant quicker and with less risk to bystanders.

[TeddyR]

11. Why would it matter if the thief was armed?

[sarisataka]

15. Very important

Because I am sure that 11 year old boys, much like 80 year old women, can easily physically overcome an armed, adult, male attacker in their prime.

[Brickbat]

13. There are guidelines for interviewing children, and WVTM blew it here.