It’s a rough day for a California family. Yesterday we reported that an eighth grader – who has now been identified as Lawrence King – was shot by a classmate. While it can’t be said for sure, many peers and officials indicate that the shooter objected to King’s fey ways and sexuality. King has since been declared brain dead – and, in fact, clinically dead – but will remain on life support while his family decides on how to donate his organs. The shooter faces murder charges, obviously, but things will be hammered out as the motive becomes more clear. Regardless, this shit’s fucked up! [San Jose Mercury News]
Gay Shooting Student Brain Dead, To Be Taken Off Ventilator
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Shaun Tom
I find it terribly interesting and disturbing that national news sources are failing to cover the possible hate-based motives behind the shooting. This is something that needs to be looked into far more than it currently is.
rica alvarez
man fuck that lil bitch ass mora that shot that lil homie daw real pussy shit right their sun….
lil snitch dont even have thre balls to go up to the foo i bet that homie king would off sto on that fooo rest in heaven lil homie
John
Our society’s institutionalized homophobia combined with readily available guns leads to a child killing a child. As you said, this sh*t’s f*cked up…
Maybe adding a unit about gay people to the California school curriculum isn’t a bad idea.
ursapater
Uh, what language was the comment by Rica Alvarez written in? All I could make out was that they were wishing the poor kid rest in heaven.
fanboi
I hope the shooter is VERY popular in Juvie.
Cath
Here’s the latest. It is being charged as a hate crime:
OXNARD, California (AP) – Prosecutors on Thursday charged a 14-year-old boy with attempted murder and said he committed a hate crime in the classroom shooting of a student who has since been declared brain dead.
Prosecutors would not say why they filed a hate-crime enhancement with the attempted murder count, but several classmates said the 15-year-old victim, Lawrence King, sometimes wore women’s clothes.
Prosecutors want the suspect tried as an adult and expect to upgrade the charges after King is taken off a ventilator for organ donation.
…
“I think that’s what he would have wanted,” King’s father, Greg King, told the Ventura County Star.
Lawrence King had been under the care of the county foster care system and lived at Casa Pacifica, a nearby center for abused and neglected children, said Steve Elson, the facility’s chief executive.
“We’re are all stunned and it’s just an unspeakable tragedy,” Elson said Wednesday. “This is a very big traumatic experience for all of us.”