Local news reports
The gun Dominique Sullivan, 19, used to shoot his friend accidentally was stolen four days before the shooting, Capt. Steve Morris with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office said.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office confirms the gun was stolen from an unlocked Dodge parked on Fairfax Street in Martinez the Thursday before the shooting.
On Nov. 11, the Richmond County Sheriff's Office responded to 2560 Andorra Drive to find 18-year-old Delarrion Smith with a gunshot wound to the chest. Smith later died from his injuries at GRU.
Witnesses told deputies Smith picked up Suillivan and that the two were close friends.They said once Sullivan got into the vehicle, he began horseplaying with Smith.
According to the sheriff's office, Smith pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Sullivan in a playful manner. Sullivan grabbed the gun and removed the magazine then pointed the gun at Smith and pulled the trigger believing the handgun was unloaded.
Sullivan has been charged in relation to this incident with involuntary manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and pointing a firearm at another.You see what's missing? No mention of the owner of the gun who left it in an unlocked car. I suppose these guys subscribe to the Greg Camp theory of single-responsibility when someone steals a gun. The victim of the theft can never be looked at, it would be like blaming a woman for her own rape, after all.
In reality, when someone owns a gun and fails to keep it safely stored they are responsible for that. The thief is responsible for the stealing but the gun owner is responsible for the failure to practice safe storage of their gun.
Why is that so difficult for the gun-rights fanatics? Do they really condone leaving a gun in an unlocked car? Why can't they admit that many gun owners are adding to the problem by this kind of sloppy behavior?
