Teen Shot 3 Times During Toilet Paper Prank

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Teen Shot 3 Times During Toilet Paper Prank
Monday , October 13, 2008




SOLON TOWNSHIP, Mich. —

A toilet paper prank has led to the shooting of a 14-year-old by a southwestern Michigan man who believed strangers were trying to break into his home.

The Grand Rapids Press and WZZM-TV report the victim and four other teens were pulling the prank about 1 a.m. Sunday at a home in Solon Township, about 20 miles northeast of Grand Rapids.

Kent County sheriff's Lt. Jerry Miedema said the teens were intent on draping the house in toilet paper, while the homeowner's "intent was to come out shooting."

Police say three shots were fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking the 14-year-old in the chest, stomach and leg. He is recovering at a local hospital.

The homeowner was not arrested, but a prosecutor is looking into possible charges.
 
Teen Shot 3 Times During Toilet Paper Prank
Monday , October 13, 2008




SOLON TOWNSHIP, Mich. —

A toilet paper prank has led to the shooting of a 14-year-old by a southwestern Michigan man who believed strangers were trying to break into his home.

The Grand Rapids Press and WZZM-TV report the victim and four other teens were pulling the prank about 1 a.m. Sunday at a home in Solon Township, about 20 miles northeast of Grand Rapids.

Kent County sheriff's Lt. Jerry Miedema said the teens were intent on draping the house in toilet paper, while the homeowner's "intent was to come out shooting."

Police say three shots were fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking the 14-year-old in the chest, stomach and leg. He is recovering at a local hospital.

The homeowner was not arrested, but a prosecutor is looking into possible charges.
Well... that'll sure discourage anyone from papering his house ever again, but it sure sounds a bit extreme from what is reported here.
 
Great quote from the cop, re the shooters intent "was to come out shooting"

If I found one person in my yard at 1 AM there might not be gunfire, 5 on 1... well let's just say when you are out numbered you might try to improve the odds.

Not knowing what was said, if anything, between the trespassers and the homeowner we are all just guessing.
 
Prank that led to shooting has teens thinking twice
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
By John Agar
The Grand Rapids Press

CEDAR SPRINGS -- The weekend shooting of a teenager caught toilet-papering a Solon Township home has given pause to others who admit they have taken part in such pranks.
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"I don't think anybody's going TP-ing anymore," said Ryan Dines, a 14-year-old freshman at Cedar Springs High School.

He and pals Jason Gingrich and Isaac Golczynski didn't know the identity of the 14-year-old shooting victim, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries when he was hit with pellets from a 12-gauge shotgun, but assumed he is a classmate.

The homeowner, who lives on Sherwin Street NE, told police he woke around 1 a.m. Sunday and thought he was being burglarized.

The shooting has prompted debate, with some saying the homeowner overreacted, and others saying the trespassing teens put themselves in danger late at night.

Kent County Sheriff's Lt. Kevin Kelley said police will forward reports, once complete, to Prosecutor William Forsyth. The prosecutor said Monday he could not comment until he reviews the reports.

Kelley said police determined the shooting victim and four others bought 30 rolls of toilet paper at the Cedar Springs Family Fare before going to the house in the 900-block of Sherwin. He said the five teens involved were friends of the homeowner's son.

Kelley would not release the names of those involved. He would not say whether he believed the shooting was justified or not, but said: "People have to really take into account the consequences of their actions when they pull out a (gun)."

He advised residents to call 911 first.

He also said the teens put themselves in a dangerous situation "in the middle of the night, prowling around somebody's residence."

Dines, Gingrich and Golczynski, all 14-year-old freshmen, said TP-ing is considered a harmless prank, with any signs of destruction washing away with the first hard rain.

At The Gun Tavern in downtown Cedar Springs, customers debated whether the homeowner was justified. Most didn't give their names, but readily offered opinions.

One man said those who live in the country have to take their safety into their own hands because police response can take too long. He said people are fed up with crime, and that the homeowner probably believed he was protecting his family.

"So that's why people are shooting people showing up in their front yards," he said.

Another man wondered why the teens were out at 1 a.m. But he said the homeowner should not have fired on them.
 
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Sorry but I will have to respectfully disagree. These types of clusterducks are what makes gun control so easy to put through. I am fine with the guy coming out with the shotgun, but just facing down the barrel of that would have had the kid crapping i-beams. There was no need to discharge here. There was not even property *damage* per se here so even in states where property rights hold as much water as life this should be a hard sell.
 
Sorry but I will have to respectfully disagree. These types of clusterducks are what makes gun control so easy to put through. I am fine with the guy coming out with the shotgun, but just facing down the barrel of that would have had the kid crapping i-beams. There was no need to discharge here. There was not even property *damage* per se here so even in states where property rights hold as much water as life this should be a hard sell.

I could be wrong but I think Derek means that if the kids were not screwing around in the first place this would not have happened and not that being shot is acceptable punishment for TP'ing a house.
 
I could be wrong but I think Derek means that if the kids were not screwing around in the first place this would not have happened and not that being shot is acceptable punishment for TP'ing a house.

Guess we need clarification from derek about what he meant because I read it the same way regarding it was ok to pop the kid.
 
Sorry but I will have to respectfully disagree. These types of clusterducks are what makes gun control so easy to put through. I am fine with the guy coming out with the shotgun, but just facing down the barrel of that would have had the kid crapping i-beams. There was no need to discharge here. There was not even property *damage* per se here so even in states where property rights hold as much water as life this should be a hard sell.

The point I am making is if I'm f-ing around in the middle of the night in someone's yard with some other idiots, there is a good chance that I am either going to get bitten by a large dog or shot by a home owner.

Who knows what happened when the guy came outside with the shotgun. The report was vague at best. I am not defending him, I'm just saying when you do something as stupid as trespassing at 1am, very bad things can happen.
 
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I don't think Derek means it's acceptable, but that the kids should have known better than to trespass on someone's property in the middle of the night and not expect anything to come of it, esp. in what seems to be an area with an increasing crime rate.
 
Either way the shooter needs to go to prison.

Spare me the, 'victim got what was coming for trespassing' statements, I agree with it.
But the shooter lit his target up three times so he clearly identified it.

And in bad taste this should settle the birdshot vs. slugs argument.
 
Either way the shooter needs to go to prison.

Spare me the he got what was coming for trespassing scenario, I agree with it. But the shooter lit his target up three times so he clearly identified it.

And in bad taste this should settle the birdshot vs. slugs argument.

Agreed on all counts.

I think the actual response was overboard. If his life wasn't in danger (we don't know the totality of what transpired), there was no need to pull the trigger.
 
Either way the shooter needs to go to prison.

Spare me the, 'victim got what was coming for trespassing' statements, I agree with it.
But the shooter lit his target up three times so he clearly identified it.

And in bad taste this should settle the birdshot vs. slugs argument.

Or maybe the applicable MI law could be applied to the case after an investigation, not a media story, of all the facts.

Some states do allow for shooting of trespassers. If you don't like that law live in one where people go to prison for shooting people who break into their homes and steal stuff. Oh wait, you do live in one of those states.
 
Or maybe the applicable MI law could be applied to the case after an investigation, not a media story, of all the facts.

Some states do allow for shooting of trespassers. If you don't like that law live in one where people go to prison for shooting people who break into their homes and steal stuff. Oh wait, you do live in one of those states.

Are you talking to me or the shooter:

http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-328-1931-LXXXV
 
Either way the shooter needs to go to prison.

Spare me the, 'victim got what was coming for trespassing' statements, I agree with it.
But the shooter lit his target up three times so he clearly identified it.

And in bad taste this should settle the birdshot vs. slugs argument.
WRONG!! He was hit with 3 pellets from ONE SHOT! It's a friggen 12guage not a rifle. What you see as a couple of kids performing as a harmless prank he saw as a gang of people trying to break into his home and attack his family!

The question is do you bring a high powered light to properly identify the target while making yourself a target also, or do you shoot in the dark and make yourself a much less likely target for return fire? We as gun owners constantly criticize the media for bad reporting yet all we have here for facts is a couple of poorly written, inconclusive articles. And here I thought I was supposed to be the immature, doesn't know jack 22 year old [rolleyes]
 
It's hard to make a judgment by the written story. Like I said who knows what happened when he went outside.
 
Sorry but I will have to respectfully disagree. These types of clusterducks are what makes gun control so easy to put through. I am fine with the guy coming out with the shotgun, but just facing down the barrel of that would have had the kid crapping i-beams. There was no need to discharge here. There was not even property *damage* per se here so even in states where property rights hold as much water as life this should be a hard sell.


There is no info in the article on what actually happened, therefor your assertion is baseless. Maybe he did simply confront them and they did not leave immediately. Maybe they were hiding and when he found them he was startled and shot, who knows.

You do not have to wait for property damage to occur if you have cause to believe it will and its legal.

In some locals, simple trespass at night, especial when disparaging numbers are involved, is good enough to shoot.

Gun ownership is a Constitutional right, its abuse has no legal bearing on the laws, which are un-Constitutional. Yes, the morons will bitch and moan about it, but they are still wrong.
 
WRONG!! He was hit with 3 pellets from ONE SHOT! It's a friggen 12guage not a rifle. What you see as a couple of kids performing as a harmless prank he saw as a gang of people trying to break into his home and attack his family!

Nwanner, please re-read the opening post and article. Despite the writing style and lacking forensic information, it clearly states
article said:
Police say three shots were fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking the 14-year-old in the chest, stomach and leg. He is recovering at a local hospital.

So those are 3 separate shots from the shot gun.

Not sure which shotgun you are familiar with, but I know of no shell that fires 3 pellets. Your gun knowledge may be far greater than mine however, I'm willing to yield if so.

Nwanner said:
The question is do you bring a high powered light to properly identify the target while making yourself a target also, or do you shoot in the dark and make yourself a much less likely target for return fire?

I think we all know the rule of identifying your target and so forth.

Nwanner said:
We as gun owners constantly criticize the media for bad reporting yet all we have here for facts is a couple of poorly written, inconclusive articles. And here I thought I was supposed to be the immature, doesn't know jack 22 year old [rolleyes]


No one disputes the article is not written well, its really a blurb more than anything else.

Who called you immature or questioned your age? What does that have to do with this topic?
 
There is no info in the article on what actually happened, therefor your assertion is baseless.

They were TPing the yard. Yes, there could be info not already known, but in the absence of that, I find it hard to believe this was justified.
 
They were TPing the yard. Yes, there could be info not already known, but in the absence of that, I find it hard to believe this was justified.

TPing is one thing but the kid or kids could have had a knife, a bat, a gun, and they could have threatened the homeowner. It was more like a drive article. Can't get too bent out of shape with the lack of facts.
 
Either way the shooter needs to go to prison.
Without knowing what went on, I can't agree with this. Yet. Five on one is pretty poor odds.

From what was reported, then no, there doesn't seem to be a reason to shoot. Hopefully we'll see the reports from the trial in a year or two. 'Cause I'm pretty sure that, justified shooting or not, he's gonna be charged.

We'll see. We all know that the media will be all over this like cockroaches on shit. (let's not insult flies by comparing the blamestream media to them - comparing them to cockroaches is more accurate).
 
We'll see. We all know that the media will be all over this like cockroaches on shit. (let's not insult flies by comparing the blamestream media to them - comparing them to cockroaches is more accurate).

So... that means they'll be around beyond the end of the world and are impossible to truly rid yourself of?

I think it's a fitting description.
 
I bet money that it was weak bird shot fired at a good distance. You would think if he was shot with three direct hits from any 12ga ammo that his injuries would be a little bit more than life-threatening.
 
I also agree that there is no where near enough information to develop an informed opinion of the shoot. Additionally, it has been my experience that the great majority of media reports regarding firearms will tend to have an anti slant to them anyway. I am wondering, though, about the fact that the homeowner was not arrested on the spot, or within a short period of time. Maybe it's just because I live in MA and just assume that if I have to shoot, I'm #uc&ed from the start and will be defending my actions in court by default, but it seems to me that if he hasn't been arrested yet, then the initial investigation has suggested that the shoot was justified. Thoughts?
 
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