ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — Rochester police say a grandfather shot and critically wounded his teenage granddaughter after mistaking her for an intruder.
Authorities say the man and his wife were asleep and awoke to a noise outside about 11 p.m. Monday. The man grabbed his handgun and told his wife to call police as he went to investigate.
Capt. Brian Winters says the grandfather saw a figure at the back door and fired at least two shots. The figure was actually the man's 16-year-old granddaughter, who he thought was inside the house. The teen had recently been living with her grandparents. She was hit once in the upper torso.
The Post-Bulletin (http://bit.ly/T4T2FN ) reports the 61-year-old grandfather told police there had been a recent burglary at a nearby recreation center and that was on his mind when he went to investigate the noise.
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Information from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Comments (37)
Add commentGuns and Condoms
" You do realize that condoms (if used properly) protect against std's like HIV. I believe their effective 99% of the time."
The key point in that statement is 'if used properly'. The same can be said for the use of guns, cars, medication, chain saws, gasoline, welfare, etc.....
People can own many things legally, but it does not mean they are going to use them properly. It is up to each individual to learn. Did this guy use the gun properly? Yes, it functioned the way it is supposed to. Did he act accordingly to the situation? No, he assumed it was an intruder and fired from fear of assault, according to the article, not realizing it was his granddaughter.
I like the comparison Wildone
Hmm, guns and condoms. Both can prevent bad things when used properly, but both can give a false sense of security.
Maybe our govenment should treat them equally-- require you to register them at purchase, require "hands on" training to encourage proper usage, require a 2-3 day waiting period to prevent "heat of the moment" purchases, and have the government give them away free to anyone who wants them.
I think you may be on to something.