Boy fatally stabbed by 12-year-old at playground

KENTWOOD, Mich. (AP) — A 9-year-old boy who was repeatedly stabbed by a 12-year-old boy at a playground in western Michigan has died, police said Tuesday.

Michael Conner Verkerke ran home and collapsed on the porch around 6 p.m. Monday after he was stabbed at a mobile home park in Kentwood, near Grand Rapids, according to police. He died after being rushed to a hospital.

Witnesses told investigators that four children were playing when one of them pulled a knife and stabbed the boy. The motive in the attack was still being investigated, said Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Killen.

Police said the older boy left the playground after the stabbing and called police from a nearby home to turn himself in.

Boy fatally stabbed by 12-year-old at playground

This is sad to read just more violence going on in and across America. But this just goes to show how we need to invest here in America in stead of all over the world. When i was growing up we had after school programs and such to help keep kids occupied after school. Also had big brother/sister mentors for troubled kids .We need to invest back in to arts and music programs especially in the poorer neighborhoods. Now if this was a gun and not a knife it would be all over the place and people pushing an agenda. R.I.P Michael Vekerke.

a reply to: switchqm8

Such a shame, such a waste.

Many decades ago (lol) when I was that age, it never occurred to me that something like that could happen. Never heard of anything like it happening while my kids grew up, until the school shootings started in the late 90s.

I place part of the blame on parenting. The rest on "the village" lol. Perhaps Clinton was right: It takes a village (to warp a child).

a reply to: switchqm8

Very sad to read this. Something has taken the empathy and sympathy away from some children and replaced it with a de-sensitized version of itself.

Yes i agree and about the parents sad part is most of these kids parents are still kids them self. It is sad that 16 year olds are having kids especially in the inner cities i know thats where i grew up. Even worse is most of the time the 14-16 year olds getting pregnant their parents are happy about it crazy and say...as they sad it is a mad mad world

Interesting timing that this makes the news. Just recently two parents got in legal trouble for letting their children play at the part unsupervised. Instead of expressing outrage over the parents actions, the public expressed outrage over the parents vilification.

This isn't want They wanted. The public isn't afraid enough.

Of all the things that have been swept under the rug lately by the media, yet they are pushing this story, tells me they were looking for a story to incite fear and regain the inch of control they lost over the public's perception.

Be afraid folks, it is too dangerous to let kids play, so keep them infront of the t.v. so that we have more control over their minds.

When I was a kid (60's) we all played with knives and there were no stabbings. I think thats because we saw knives as a tool, not as a weapon.
The reason I'm so anti television is because kids are inundated with films and tv programs showing knives as weapons! Is it any wonder they use them as such?

From the little info we have about this story I see two victims, the kid who died (RIP little dude) and the kid who stabbed him and then ran home and reported what he'd done. It sounds to me like he momentarily acted out something he'd seen, then realised what he'd done and ran home. I wonder if he was a good kid until this moment of madness?

It is weird how a child can die in one geographic area and a big deal is made about it.
Or hundreds can die in another and nobody bats an eye.
Selective empathy.

originally posted by: calstorm

This isn't want They wanted. The public isn't afraid enough.

Of all the things that have been swept under the rug lately by the media, yet they are pushing this story, tells me they were looking for a story to incite fear and regain the inch of control they lost over the public's perception.

Be afraid folks, it is too dangerous to let kids play, so keep them infront of the t.v. so that we have more control over their minds.

I think your spot on with that!

Will this be another kid on antidepressant drugs?

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
Will this be another kid on antidepressant drugs?

Well if he isn't already then he soon will be!

But yes, an interesting question, but I doubt we'll be told if he was.

I think it's about time we looked into stricter knife control laws. Knives are dangerous, and we need to get them off of the streets and out of the hands of children.

originally posted by: ThisIsMyRifle
I think it's about time we looked into stricter knife control laws. Knives are dangerous, and we need to get them off of the streets and out of the hands of children.

But I grew up with knives, and so did all my friends, and none of us got stabbed, so why ban knives?
Should we ban scissors? what about pointed sticks? or long finger nails?

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: ThisIsMyRifle
I think it's about time we looked into stricter knife control laws. Knives are dangerous, and we need to get them off of the streets and out of the hands of children.

But I grew up with knives, and so did all my friends, and none of us got stabbed, so why ban knives?
Should we ban scissors? what about pointed sticks? or long finger nails?

I think that was sarcasm,,,,lol

a reply to: switchqm8

Rich people will continue to pretend to care and then go back to pandering to the sinful desires of humans to control their minds and maximize profits.

People are quick to assume it was pharmaceuticals. While they may have played a role, turn on your tv or your Xbox. What precepts are being pushed?

I am not saying "video games made him do it." Or "rap music made him do it." Or "violent tv made him do it." I am saying a combination of things cause things like this to happen all the time.

It could be fall out from the slave labor program in inner cities for all I know.

I get sad when I visit someone's house and they have a preteen or teen shrieking cuss words at their parents and acting violent and impulsive. That is avoidable. The blame does not go directly to the kid or the parents, but much more than either of them - simply put - rich people.

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: ThisIsMyRifle
I think it's about time we looked into stricter knife control laws. Knives are dangerous, and we need to get them off of the streets and out of the hands of children.

But I grew up with knives, and so did all my friends, and none of us got stabbed, so why ban knives?
Should we ban scissors? what about pointed sticks? or long finger nails?

I think that was sarcasm,,,,lol

I know, it was me who gave him the first star. I just used it to push a point (learnt that trick from the shills)

Yes i agree voidhawk i grew up in the 70s and knives pellet/bb guns we all had them. Also we were always outside playing running roof hopping from garage 2 garage we got yelled at for watching tv and not playing outside lol..how times have changed.
Yes hoosieryourdaddy good question..

a reply to: VoidHawk

and then there's the people who want to step in and blame something....

if it's a gun, they blame guns...if it's not a gun, then they blame video games, or T.V., or music, or books, or whatever....but they never actually blame the person who did the bad thing....

they never want to accept that from time to time, anyone can temporarily lose control, and act out in a way that could be dangerous or frightening....they don't want to accept this, because it would acknowledge that they, too, are susceptible to this phenomenon.....

and when it's kids...nobody wants to blame the parents....it's always gotta be something else....

on the face of it...it appears the kid lost control, acted out, and stabbed the other kid....realized wtf he'd just done, and turned himself in....looks like the little guy just lost it for a minute....now, if he hadn't had the knife, he probably would have just punched the other kid a few times....my question is why in the hell did he have a knife?

i didn't get my first knife until i was 15....and i wasn't allowed to take it out of the house until i was 18...

a reply to: Daedalus

How do you blame a 12 year old for buying into false precepts?

a reply to: VoidHawk

Yes,we should ban all of those and also ban rocks, bicycles and any balls that are not foam. We should also ban sunshine (sunburn, cancer) and grass (contains germs and could be used as germ warfare by another child ya know)

Things have certainly changed. When I was young and dumb anyone in my neighborhood could and would chastise me with the option of calling my Dad.

Now, you have to worry about irrate parents if you even tell a little one to be careful they may get hurt.