Gunned Down For Vandalism

[dogcom]

A 17 year old boy was gunned down and killed in Surrey BC after he and a group of his friends vandalized a bunch of cars. Unfortunately for him he had slashed and scratched a gang members car and was caught and shot dead. Everyone is shocked and upset including the mayor and say he was such a nice person and didn't deserve to die and blah, blah, blah.

While I agree that he didn't deserve to die. But shouldn't the people and the mayor of Surrey also be sending out a message that destroying others property or stealing can get your hurt or killed. If I was to drive drunk behind a vehicle and killed myself, wouldn't people say I deserved what I got for doing such a stupid thing. I am sick and tired of people saying property crimes or stealing a car or breaking into a home is not a big deal. We need to start educating young people that crime is always a very bad thing and can also be very dangerous and the people who do it are not some kind of a hero or some kind of nice person.

[the-royal-mail]

People need to learn there are consequences for their actions. In this case, lesson learned. Survival of the fittest, as it were.

[brad]

People need to learn there are consequences for their actions. In this case, lesson learned. Survival of the fittest, as it were.

I'm not quite sure I understand how someone can learn a lesson if they're dead.

Punishment should fit the crime. Setting aside the question of who's responsible for delivering justice, I think it would have been fair if the gang members had caught the kid and made him pay for (or actually perform) the repairs, for example.

[CanadianCapitalist]

I'm not quite sure I understand how someone can learn a lesson if they're dead.

Punishment should fit the crime. Setting aside the question of who's responsible for delivering justice, I think it would have been fair if the gang members had caught the kid and made him pay for (or actually perform) the repairs, for example.

I agree. I'm all for throwing the book at those who vandalize property but losing one's life over a trashed car isn't justice in my book. And since when do we condone vigilante justice, deserved or not?

[brad]

I struggled with an issue somewhat like this myself a number of years back. When I lived in rural Vermont, teenagers would routinely drive by my mailbox with a baseball bat and smash it. It was happening four or five times each summer, and I was getting fed up. I read online how you could take a small mailbox and put it inside a larger one, and fill the space between them with cement; that way if someone tried to smash the mailbox they'd probably end up breaking their arm in the process. I was sore tempted to try it.

But then I also read a few stories about some of the kids whose arms were splintered and permanently injured this way, and I decided to let them keep on smashing my mailbox. Kids grow up, mailboxes can be replaced.

Furthermore, the way things are now, a kid who broke his arm on my mailbox would probably come back in a week with a gun and shoot me for having done it. It's really not worth the risk to try to take justice into your own hands.

[Sherlock]

The problem is that vandalizing cars is not considered a serious crime. The police are unlikely to do anything unless they catch someone in the act, and even if they catch him the consequences are minor, especially for a teen. There used to be a time when vandalizing someone's property would result in getting your hand chopped off or similar, now it's nothing like that.

[mogul777]

Sometimes justice is poetic. You could also say karma is a bitch. May not be ideal, but it does send a message to the other vandals out there. One may not always appreciate the consequences of one's actions... such is life, and in this case death. Sad, but true.
So how many cliches was that? Lol.

[Berubeland]

Uhhhm anyone who didn't do a stupid dumbass stunt as a kid or teenager feel free to stand up.

Being an idiot is not a death sentence if it was god help us all.

[lister]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO48Vr4KIc8

The kid got what he deserved. As the clip says, you just don't mess with another man's car.

As far as learning a lesson, hopefully OTHER people will learn the lesson from this.

[CuriousReader]

Uhhhm anyone who didn't do a stupid dumbass stunt as a kid or teenager feel free to stand up.

Being an idiot is not a death sentence if it was god help us all.

I will stand up. I never done any stupid dumbass stunt in my life - not even as a kid or teenager - and I am sure there are many people will stand up with me - may be it's the way I was brought up, the environment, the culture background, etc ... but yeah, I never did stupid stunts, I never did stupid things and blame it on being drunk.... some may say I never "live out a life" because I never did stupid stunts - but hey, look at what "living out the life" for that kid mean.

I am not saying the kid deserve to be shot dead - but who can say the kid is not asking for some consequeces through his own actions? and the definition of what the consequence would be is up for interpretation.

Being an idiot is NOT a death sentence - but it CAN be - and some people learn it too late

[Addy]

I believe people think we live in some sort of lawless society. There are bad things that happen, but I believe History shows that there were much, much more violent times in our past. We are sheltered now a days, for the most part we don't live in fear that because we live out in the country bandits will come along, burn our barn, kill our horses and rape our children. Or, consider war times (some even currently happening) where children and adults are murdered en masse.

But then, if a kid had come along and burnt down a barn "back then", perhaps he would have been shot and killed.

My point is, we do not live in a crime ridden world here in Canada.

[humble_pie]

thanks for taking the trouble to write in to canada from so far away, lister.

how's it going in your home & native land. Seen any really good stonings-to-death this week ?

[lister]

thanks for taking the trouble to write in to canada from so far away, lister.

how's it going in your home & native land. Seen any really good stonings-to-death this week ?

You know, I'm tired of people not thinking about the consequences of their actions, not just from a legal justice viewpoint but also from a dealing with your fellow humanity viewpoint. There's dangerous people out there in the world and unfortunately this kid ran into one while doing stupid ass crap like that.

I certainly hope the gang member was caught and will be spending 25 years behind bars.

[the-royal-mail]

The problem these days is we have a legal system, not a justice system. Too many people are frustrated by the slap on the wrist type sentences given out by lenient judges, and young offenders out on bail who simply keep reoffending. The police are chasing the same punks and gang members constantly and the media doesn't report a lot of what goes on. Don't make the mistake of thinking your life is crime-free because you live in the city. It's at its worst in the city, actually. Especially in certain areas and neighborhoods. Small wonder people are dealing with these punks themselves. Parents surely aren't doing the job.