Boy shoots through window, kills friend trying to wake him

BILLINGS, Mont. — A Montana boy startled at being awakened in the middle of the night fired a shot through his bedroom window and killed the 15-year-old friend who had been knocking and throwing pebbles at his window, police said Monday.

Billings police officers found the teen with a gunshot wound to his head early Sunday, and he died at a hospital a short time later. Police identified the victim as Mackeon Schulte, the Billings Gazette reported.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

Home defense at its finest..

Will the Boy form Montana by held accountable? Certainly doesn't sound like "when the actor reasonably fears imminent peril of death or serious bodily harm to him or herself or another".

a reply to: PhoenixOD

Right?, But What about the age of the Child....if his friend was 15, how old was he AND why is he going to sleep with a loaded gun? WTF people, Parent at their Worst.....
(I think i summed up the whole issue here.lol)

Why in the hell did a child have a gun in their room? Where were the goddam parents?

a reply to: PhoenixOD

Accidents do happen. Sounds to be one. I doubt he meant to shoot his friend in the head.

"Home defense at its finest"

What's this supposed to mean? Some snide remark at citizenry being able to keep guns at the home?

Why can't accidents happen and everyone just leave it at that? Why does it incite everyone's opinion and blame? People die, we can't cure that. Accidents happen too.

Wake me up when guns start going off by themselves and killing people.

originally posted by: bobbypurify
a reply to: PhoenixOD

Accidents do happen. Sounds to be one. I doubt he meant to shoot his friend in the head.

"Home defense at its finest"

What's this supposed to mean? Some snide remark at citizenry being able to keep guns at the home?

Why can't accidents happen and everyone just leave it at that? Why does it incite everyone's opinion and blame? People die, we can't cure that. Accidents happen too.

Wake me up when guns start going off by themselves and killing people.

If the victim was 15, then presumably, the shooter is about the same age. Regardless, they are a child, and have no business having a loaded weapon. Period. This wasn't an accident, this was gross negligence on the parents' part.

originally posted by: bobbypurify
a reply to: PhoenixOD

Accidents do happen. Sounds to be one. I doubt he meant to shoot his friend in the head.

"Home defense at its finest"

What's this supposed to mean? Some snide remark at citizenry being able to keep guns at the home?

Why can't accidents happen and everyone just leave it at that? Why does it incite everyone's opinion and blame? People die, we can't cure that. Accidents happen too.

Wake me up when guns start going off by themselves and killing people.

So I guess you fully agree with handing 15 year olds loaded weapons to keep in their rooms? As long as nobody tries to take your guns right??

originally posted by: bobbypurify
a reply to: PhoenixOD

Accidents do happen. Sounds to be one. I doubt he meant to shoot his friend in the head.

"Home defense at its finest"

What's this supposed to mean? Some snide remark at citizenry being able to keep guns at the home?

Why can't accidents happen and everyone just leave it at that? Why does it incite everyone's opinion and blame? People die, we can't cure that. Accidents happen too.

Wake me up when guns start going off by themselves and killing people.

I generally agree with your points, however, a 15 year old with a firearm that shoots through a window at a noise isn't an accident, it's a "negligent."

Negligent on the part of the parents that obviously didn't teach him correctly and permitted access to a firearm without said proper teaching.

Negligent on the part of the boy who shot at an unknown target just because he heard a noise. I knew better at 15 and I knew the proper rules of gun handling.

a reply to: bobbypurify
You don't know what an accident is.

a reply to: PhoenixOD

When one is awakened they do not awake with full mental faculties.

It isn't even a matter of he knew what he was doing.

He awoke, saw faces starring through his window at him and.......

Perhaps he was having a nightmare about something similar, and then being awakened fear took over.

Very tragic though, this kid should know better than to shoot first and ask questions later.

Very sad for the dead kids family and this kid.

He has to live with the fact he killed his friend the rest of his life.

originally posted by: AdmireTheDistance
Why in the hell did a child have a gun in their room? Where were the goddam parents?

I had a loaded gun in my room since my 7th birthday.

Why so phobic of guns?

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

I have never killed anyone.

a reply to: PhoenixOD

Authorities were meeting with prosecutors to determine how to proceed and whether to rule the death a homicide. Schulte's family will meet with authorities before a decision is made on whether to file charges

abcnews.go.com...

An example of extremely poor or no training in the use and storage of a firearm. Being "startled" at faces in the window and reacting by going to another area in your room, locating a firearm then exacting a headshot is a reaction beyond startled, irrespective of the adrenalin flowing through him - I have to wonder if the lad was on drugs.

Imagine his parents trying to wake him up for school, with bullet proof jackets and shields..

Do the state laws allow for a person to shoot through a window or must a person have to have entered the house.

Intentionally shooting isn't an accident other than who the target was.

a reply to: PhoenixOD

Pebbles at the window?

What is this, 1954? Are we in a God damned Enid Blyton novel all of a sudden? The application of a simple text message would have made this whole thing a damn sight less dangerous!

In all seriousness though, I would agree with other posters who have said that a fifteen year old with an itchy trigger finger is not someone you want to leave around a loaded firearm. That said, for all I know the neighbourhood could be rougher than a water slide made of grip tape. Either way, the key thing here is that the circumstance is tragic, that a young lad was killed, that another boy has to live the rest of his days in the knowledge that he blew a hole in his friends skull.

The political fallout, the blame game, these things are not for now. All that will happen until the gun smoke clears, and the spatter patterns are removed from the outside wall of the house, is a whole heap of knee jerk reactions on everyone's part.

originally posted by: roadgravel
Do the state laws allow for a person to shoot through a window or must a person have to have entered the house.

Intentionally shooting isn't an accident other than who the target was.

No. The laws state that the person needs to be in the act of actively breaking in. Smashing a window and trying to crawl through--good shoot. Knocking on the window--bad shoot.

originally posted by: AdmireTheDistance

originally posted by: bobbypurify
a reply to: PhoenixOD

Accidents do happen. Sounds to be one. I doubt he meant to shoot his friend in the head.

"Home defense at its finest"

What's this supposed to mean? Some snide remark at citizenry being able to keep guns at the home?

Why can't accidents happen and everyone just leave it at that? Why does it incite everyone's opinion and blame? People die, we can't cure that. Accidents happen too.

Wake me up when guns start going off by themselves and killing people.

If the victim was 15, then presumably, the shooter is about the same age. Regardless, they are a child, and have no business having a loaded weapon. Period. This wasn't an accident, this was gross negligence on the parents' part.

Why?

I just don't see that.

I can tell by your "a child shouldn't have a loaded gun period" attitude your just a antigun type.

Almost every kid I grew up with had a loaded gun and extra ammo for it in their room.

Hell my buddy had a 20 gauge a 12 gauge a .38 pistol a .22 pistol and several rifles, probably 1500 rounds of assorted ammo and several hunting knives.

Oh and 2 compound bows.

Guess how many gun accidents we had my entire childhood.

This is just a one off.

Stuff happens man, calm down, one accident doesn't mean we need to knee jerk and react emotionally in the extreme.

Maybe it was a high crime area and the kids parents worked nights.

We don't know enough to make any judgements yet.

originally posted by: Kryties

originally posted by: bobbypurify
a reply to: PhoenixOD

Accidents do happen. Sounds to be one. I doubt he meant to shoot his friend in the head.

"Home defense at its finest"

What's this supposed to mean? Some snide remark at citizenry being able to keep guns at the home?

Why can't accidents happen and everyone just leave it at that? Why does it incite everyone's opinion and blame? People die, we can't cure that. Accidents happen too.

Wake me up when guns start going off by themselves and killing people.

So I guess you fully agree with handing 15 year olds loaded weapons to keep in their rooms? As long as nobody tries to take your guns right??

Yes, why not?

Do you cut you 15 year olds steak for them?

You mean you would hand a 15 year old a knife that could kill someone???

Oh my god, are you crazy!!!?

Sarcasm off.

originally posted by: NavyDoc

originally posted by: bobbypurify
a reply to: PhoenixOD

Accidents do happen. Sounds to be one. I doubt he meant to shoot his friend in the head.

"Home defense at its finest"

What's this supposed to mean? Some snide remark at citizenry being able to keep guns at the home?

Why can't accidents happen and everyone just leave it at that? Why does it incite everyone's opinion and blame? People die, we can't cure that. Accidents happen too.

Wake me up when guns start going off by themselves and killing people.

I generally agree with your points, however, a 15 year old with a firearm that shoots through a window at a noise isn't an accident, it's a "negligent."

Negligent on the part of the parents that obviously didn't teach him correctly and permitted access to a firearm without said proper teaching.

Negligent on the part of the boy who shot at an unknown target just because he heard a noise. I knew better at 15 and I knew the proper rules of gun handling.

That is a very good point right there.

I never would have done it at 10 years old.

Perhaps you are right an he wasn't properly trained.

But we just don't know yet.

a reply to: johnwick
Jeezus..not an accident.
Gun falls on the floor and goes off..that would be a possible example of an accident.

originally posted by: vonclod
a reply to: johnwick
Jeezus..not an accident.
Gun falls on the floor and goes off..that would be a possible example of an accident.

So then you know a fact he intended to shoot his friend?

You know without a doubt the kid wasn't sleep walking or on sleep aids?

You know for a fact he saw his friend and pulled out a gun and shot him on purpose?

You better call the police then, otherwise you are withholding evidence and obstructing justice.