Really sad story

My2Beauties wrote: There was a gang shooting here on Tuesday and the guy that got killed was a friend of mine in high school's brother! I was really close to this guy as a freshman, he was a real smart, quiet kid that was really sweet and goofy but after our freshmen year he moved into a not so nice part of town here where there is tons of gang violence and drugs, he completely changed and hooked up with the wrong crowd. He himself became part of the gang. He left school like right before junior year and I never really seen nor heard from him again. So the story comes on the news Tuesday night and friends started calling and wondering if it was this guy's brother, because of the last name and the area of town it was in! Like I said this guy was really likeable once upon a time. His brother was also part of the gang and was brought up on some really serious charges. Well to reduce his sentence police asked him to be a key witness in TWO of his fellow gang member's murder trials. One of the trials is already over and he is locked up now, he was the brother of the leader of the gang, now the leader is coming up on a double murder charge in 2 weeks and this guy was the key witness. The police asked him if he wanted to be in protective custody but I guess he felt he was invisible and denied any kind of protective custody. Well you know what they say you can never get out of a gang alive....they knew of the trial coming up in 2 weeks and how he was going to testify in this one as well and they killed him, pure retliation! At first I wasn't sure if it was his brother that was killed, but I saw it in the obit today, survived by his brother Carl!!

You know I know that him and his brother both decided to live life differently then I have and I do not agree with their way of life, but deep down I still see him for this little short kid, who had a heart of gold and who had the biggest crush on me and came over my house and watched TV with me and my friends and was the sweetest guy and the biggest gentleman, regardless of how his lfe ended up I still see him that way and I feel so bad for what he is going through! Not to mention I hate watching the news anymore because of these stories, in Louisville lately that is all it seems to be is violence and hate and police shooting everyone and cops killing their wives and children (yes that happened in Indiana not too far from here) and a police officer shooting a young teenage boy in the back while he was running away and getting off because of it, and kids killing each other over a playstation game Really, I'm scared for my child, I'm scared for my step-daughter I mean He** I'm even scared for myself. This just hit close to home for me! I haven't seen Carl since high school but I still see that image of him and although he has changed on the outside I think his inside remains the same and he was crying out for help and attention!!! I"m just really emotional about this guys! When people you knew in high school start to die by the hands of someone else, it makes you sick! It sickens me. A girl I knew in middle school a couple years ago who had 4 children by the time she was 20but nonetheless still a good person deep down, just made some bad choices, anyhow, her ex-boyfriend meets her at the front door one night of her apartment and shoots her in front of her 4 children then shoots himself......she was 20 years old when she died, 20 years old! That isn't supposed to happen! I don't understand! Thanks for letting me vent you guys, but after seeing his name on that obit that just hurt!

DVFlyer replied: How sad. I'm sorry this was somone you knew.

[soapbox] when are kids going to be held accountable for their actions. Maybe not in this specific case, but gang violence is a bunch of punks who think they are invincible and seem to get away with way too much. When are the parents of these kids going to lock these kids in their houses until they get squared away. I hate the fact that this could be totally avoided if the parents would have been spayed or neutered earlier in life [/soapbox]

ediep replied: that is a really sad story, I am so sorry that happened to someone that you know and were friends with

My2Beauties replied:
I agree...I think that parents are oblivious to the fact that their kids are the troublemakers sometimes, I know it would be hard to think of your child as a bully but sometimes as parents we have to stand up for other children as well as our own!

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Very sad......

I also believe that to a certain extent, parents should be help accountable for their children.... at the very least while they are still living under their roof....

I mean - if I knew my child was into trouble and drugs and gangs and stuff, I would do my best to get him/her the help they needed - whether it be rehab, boot camp, moving...whatever it took to make my child safe.... I would do it - I find that any parent who does anything less to protect their child ALMOST deserves what they get.....however NOBODY DESERVES to have troubled kids....

Off my soapbox...

My2Beauties replied: I agree with you Zach's mom, if I knew that Hanna was in trouble with drugs or alcohol the first thing I would do is get her some kind of help! Parents aren't there enough for their kids nowadays! Those anti-drug commercials that talk about parents asking who? what? when? where? why? how? are right, that has to be done! I remember having to answer all those questions when I was growing up, and sometimes I still got a no! At the time yes I was upset and mad and thought my parents didn't trust me but now that I look back on that I am so thankful that they told me no sometimes, because when I step back and look at the lives of some of the kids that grew up around me that I was so desperate to hang out with, they are in prison, on drugs, doing nothing with themselves, etc...this happened all too often in my neighborhood, I grew up in a poor part of town and you had to be selective when choosing friends! Thanks for being there guys! This is just really sad to me!

Boys r us replied: ((hugs)) I'm sorry LeaAnn! I know what you mean about still seeing him as the kid you once knew! Very sad sweetie!!

akbutterfly83 replied: Yes that is very sad.... my thoughts and prayers go to you adn the family of this guy..... I'm sorry you had to hear this, and that this happened period....

I know what you are talking about.... I was friends with a winess in the 6th grade... they moved him from Cali to Alaska, well the person followed him there.... and one day me, him, his little brother, and my little cousin were sitting in the park, and 2 guys came up and stabed the boys to death.... I was so freeked out after that.... and that was just one of my incounters with gangs in the city that I moved too.....

I lived in the city from 12 to 14 then 16 to 18.... then I was back in the villige the other years... I am so scared to move back, but it's safer there then here..... I really don't want my son growing up around that.... but here it's worse, and I'm not taking him to my home town.... Cause just year before last a cop was having sexual relations with a teen, and she wanted to cut of the relationship.... he sisn't want it, and he killed her.... well just last week or so they finally had his trial, and it was a mistrial, and they let him off or something.... I still have yet to hear more on that..... the scarey thing about that is he is my friends step-dad...... and he worked with my family in the station.....

My home town is small.... there are only liek 4500 people that live there.... so everyone knows everyone.... and everyone in the surounding villiges know everyone.... we are all pretty much related....

The world needs to get some help... parents need to reconize..... My mom doesn't pay attention, and never has.... I wish she would... and not buy smokes and alcohol for my sibblings..... but that's a whole nother story.......

Hope you feel better..... my thoughts & prayrs go out to you and the family......

A&A'smommy replied: ((((((BIG HUGS)))))) that is TERRIBLE and it scary and I can see where it would hit home with you especially since you knew his innocent side.... It breaks my heart to hear stories like this I just wish there was something we could actually do!!! Ivy hun I can't believe you went through all that, thats horrible!! (((HUGS))) LeaAnn if you want to talk I'm here for you!

akbutterfly83 replied: Thanks Jessy Ann...

And yes... if you need to talk.... I'm her for you Lea Ann

elvisfan replied: That is sad! I agree with what most people have said. Parents do need to take some responsibility and their kids need to pay for their actions. It seems as if so many can get away with so much stuff!!

My2Beauties replied: Thanks for your support guys I really appreciate it! I'm doing ok now, it's just a shock when you finally realize it's someone you know that is dealing with such a hurt! Ivy I am so sorry that happened to you that is terrible, I would live in fear for the rest of my life! I grew up in a part of town where violence and gang affiliation was the norm, I went to school with nothing but kids who wore red and threw gang signs all day long, but to get to know these people is funny because most of them were just good kids who got hooked up in the wrong crowd and whose parents didn't give a hoot! I am so glad that Desiree is on the right track, Brian and her mom Staci stay on her about what to do when certain things happen and they ask a lot of questions, as do I! I always thought my parents were too over-protective growing up but now I could thank them every day for the rest of their lives and it still wouldn't be enough!