A Montana man who was “buzzed” during a game of “gun tag” was charged with shooting a child dead last week, according to multiple reports.
After initially saying he had only heard the gunshot, Galen Hawk, 26, allegedly confessed to detectives that he shot Lonato Moran-Allen, 3, on Wednesday night, according to reports from the Billings Gazette newspaper and Montana television station KECI.
According to the Gazette, Hawk said he found the boy playing with a Taurus .380 pistol in the hallway and took it away from him. The boy then picked up a toy gun and ran away, pretending to fire over his shoulder at Hawk.
Hawk allegedly said he then fired a single shot into the boy’s shoulder from behind, according to the newspaper. He told deputies he assumed the pistol wasn’t loaded since he carried a magazine in his pocket, the Gazette reported.
Court documents described the incident as a botched game of “gun tag,” according to Montana television station KECI.
The boy was taken to hospital and died that night. The Gazette said investigators later found the pistol at the boy’s home.
Hawk told detectives he was “buzzed” on Mike’s Hard Lemonade, according to the Gazette.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it believed Hawk was unrelated to the boy but lived in the same home, KECI reported.
It’s a wonder that the species continues, really.
“Gun tag”
Isn’t that a clever euphemism for murder?
Another day in Wayne LaPierre’s America. Once again, the Tree of Liberty’s unquenchable thirst has been momentarily slaked by the blood of innocents.
He first says he only heard the gunshot then admitted he fired the shot?
I sure hope a lifetime in prison is in your future.
As long as we are going to insist that even the dumbest, drunkest, idiots can have guns, can we make them a little safer? Here are some ideas:
Glock triger. All guns should be as hard as a glock to pull the trigger, if not harder.
Chamber timeout. Any bullet in the chamber should be ejected, automatically, after 5 idle minutes. I suggest we also turn the safety on automatically, and require you to hit Ctrl-Alt-Del and enter your password to use it again.
All firearms should be equipped with a breathalyzer.
Nerf bullets. All bullets should be replaced with nerf bullets.
Auto arrest. After fie ring the weapon, if the victim is under 16 or Caucasian, the gun will turn on the owner and arrest him.
I see no reason why the NRA should refuse to accept these proven safety measures.
Or maybe they will settle for background checks, and keep guns away from criminals, drunks, stoners, and morons?