Post by King Ghidorah on Mar 7, 2014 20:10:52 GMT -5
An early morning argument, possibly about getting out of bed, led to a 16-year-old boy being shot by his grandfather in northwest Alachua County early Thursday morning, authorities say.
The boy, Jermaine Hampton, was in critical condition Thursday night following surgery for a single gunshot wound to the back fired by his grandfather, Ulysses Hayes, 72, said Alachua County sheriff's spokesman Art Forgey.
"Sometime this morning an argument ensued, possibly about getting out of bed and going to school," Forgey said. "The grandfather apparently heard the argument between mother and son, interjected himself into the argument … and at some point pulled out a gun and shot the 16-year-old."
Forgey added Thursday afternoon that there may be a history of the teen abusing his grandfather.
Jermaine, his mother and grandfather were in a small house surrounded by the homes of other family members on a short, tree-shaded limerock road between Alachua and Jonesville.
At least a dozen relatives were in the front yard Thursday afternoon supporting one another and trying to figure out what happened.
Most did not want to talk about the matter but another grandson of Ulysses Hayes, who would not give his name, spoke highly of his grandfather.
"He's a great man and don't believe what you hear. It's as simple as that, nothing more and nothing less. Whatever happened here is going to stay here. It's a family matter and it's going to stay a family matter," said the man, who is not Jermaine's brother. "We're giving police the information they need to know. It's a tragedy. Nobody wanted it to happen. It is just one of those things that as a family, we have to deal with. And any law that is involved, we have to deal with that, too."
Deputies interviewed Ulysses Hayes and the mother, Loria Hayes, to learn what prompted the shooting, Forgey said.
Ulysses Hayes was released after questioning, Forgey said, adding that a sworn complaint will be filed with the State Attorney's Office.
Forgey said the decision not to arrest Ulysses Hayes was based on mitigating circumstances learned during the interviews.
"There is some indication there might be some past abuse issues there — possibly even this morning," Forgey said.
Jermaine is a 10th-grade student at Santa Fe High School in Alachua. School district spokeswoman Jackie Johnson said he was not involved in any extracurricular activities such as sports or clubs.
Loria Hayes called 911 at 7:33 a.m. and reported that her son had been shot by a family member.
Deputies and an ambulance were immediately dispatched to the scene. The first arriving deputies were able to secure the scene and provide first aid until EMS arrived, according to the sheriff's report.
State Attorney Bill Cervone said his office will review the incident and evidence to decide whether to file charges.
Cervone said Florida's "stand your ground" law may have been a factor in the decision by ASO not to file charges.
"This is illustrative of the problems that exist with the ‘stand your ground' legislation in that law enforcement is actively discouraged from making an arrest or a charge under situations where you don't really know everything that might be involved," Cervone said. "It may play out to be a completely legitimate use of force, or it may not."
www.gainesville.com/article/20140306/ARTICLES/140309757/1150/news09?Title=Teen-shot-by-grandfather-investigators-say&tc=ar
The boy, Jermaine Hampton, was in critical condition Thursday night following surgery for a single gunshot wound to the back fired by his grandfather, Ulysses Hayes, 72, said Alachua County sheriff's spokesman Art Forgey.
"Sometime this morning an argument ensued, possibly about getting out of bed and going to school," Forgey said. "The grandfather apparently heard the argument between mother and son, interjected himself into the argument … and at some point pulled out a gun and shot the 16-year-old."
Forgey added Thursday afternoon that there may be a history of the teen abusing his grandfather.
Jermaine, his mother and grandfather were in a small house surrounded by the homes of other family members on a short, tree-shaded limerock road between Alachua and Jonesville.
At least a dozen relatives were in the front yard Thursday afternoon supporting one another and trying to figure out what happened.
Most did not want to talk about the matter but another grandson of Ulysses Hayes, who would not give his name, spoke highly of his grandfather.
"He's a great man and don't believe what you hear. It's as simple as that, nothing more and nothing less. Whatever happened here is going to stay here. It's a family matter and it's going to stay a family matter," said the man, who is not Jermaine's brother. "We're giving police the information they need to know. It's a tragedy. Nobody wanted it to happen. It is just one of those things that as a family, we have to deal with. And any law that is involved, we have to deal with that, too."
Deputies interviewed Ulysses Hayes and the mother, Loria Hayes, to learn what prompted the shooting, Forgey said.
Ulysses Hayes was released after questioning, Forgey said, adding that a sworn complaint will be filed with the State Attorney's Office.
Forgey said the decision not to arrest Ulysses Hayes was based on mitigating circumstances learned during the interviews.
"There is some indication there might be some past abuse issues there — possibly even this morning," Forgey said.
Jermaine is a 10th-grade student at Santa Fe High School in Alachua. School district spokeswoman Jackie Johnson said he was not involved in any extracurricular activities such as sports or clubs.
Loria Hayes called 911 at 7:33 a.m. and reported that her son had been shot by a family member.
Deputies and an ambulance were immediately dispatched to the scene. The first arriving deputies were able to secure the scene and provide first aid until EMS arrived, according to the sheriff's report.
State Attorney Bill Cervone said his office will review the incident and evidence to decide whether to file charges.
Cervone said Florida's "stand your ground" law may have been a factor in the decision by ASO not to file charges.
"This is illustrative of the problems that exist with the ‘stand your ground' legislation in that law enforcement is actively discouraged from making an arrest or a charge under situations where you don't really know everything that might be involved," Cervone said. "It may play out to be a completely legitimate use of force, or it may not."
www.gainesville.com/article/20140306/ARTICLES/140309757/1150/news09?Title=Teen-shot-by-grandfather-investigators-say&tc=ar