If this keeps up, the life expectancy for teenagers is going to drop in this country.
An Arkansas man faces a murder charge for allegedly gunning down a car filled with teenagers who had wanted to play a prank on his son. One of the passengers, 15-year-old Adrian Broadway, died from a gunshot wound to the head on Saturday.
The teens said they were pranking Willie Noble’s son by covering his car with eggs and leaves, which is when Noble reportedly arrived with a shotgun. “Apparently Mr. Noble’s teenage son had done a prank on some of the kids that were inside the vehicle on Halloween Night,” Lieutenant Sidney Allen said. “As a result they were doing a retaliation prank and it ultimately had deadly results.” In addition to first degree murder, Noble has been charged with committing a terrorist act and five counts of aggravated assault.
“It was supposed to be a prank,” Kortazha Williams, who was in the car with Broadway, told KTHV. “We were supposed to get up right now, and we were supposed to laugh.”
One of the many issues at play here is now how quickly adults are willing to shoot teenagers because of either a perceived physical threat or anger. Once upon a time, there was a danger something might spark a brutal fight. The pattern we’re seeing is of a swifter and more fatal response — leading to news stories, indignant statements and reaction, op-eds. But the bottom line is that we don’t seem to be evolving into a more civilized society. (That’s what is called an understatement, kiddies.) MORE:
At approximately 1 a.m., a group of seven teenagers reportedly threw eggs, mayonnaise, toilet paper and leaves at Noble’s car, according to FOX 16.
An irate Noble is accused of storming out from his house and firing shots. Police said the teenagers fled the scene in a car, but not before the suspect riddled the vehicle with bullets and shot Adrian Broadway, pictured below, in the head.
Forget about all the legal and other issues in these cases.
Isn’t it about time for some adults in this country to work on anger management?
Or soul searching?
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.