Go ahead. Accidentally shoot a kid in the parking lot at school. It’s perfectly legal.
No freaking kidding, folks. Mystery Shooter Man, an “employee” at Rangeview High School was not charged when his pistol accidentally went off Monday afternoon while stowing it in the glove box of his car in the school parking lot. The bullet struck an 18-year-old student in the leg, causing what police said was a “significant” injury. Mystery Shooter Man was giving the kid a ride home when the gun went off.
This only gets better. I dub him “Mystery Shooter Man” because neither police nor school officials will say anything about him — they don’t want to identify who he is.
Oh, it gets so much better, folks. So, after Mystery Shooter Man accidentally peels one off into the kid’s leg, he doesn’t call 911. No, he drives his accidental victim to the hospital. We don’t know which one because that would be offering up too much information. Never mind the kid could have gone into shock, bled out or found another way home. Mystery Shooter Man may be a lousy shot, but he’s a man of action.
As far as we can tell, Mystery Shooter Man never did call police to say he’d shot a kid in the parking lot of the school. That job must have fallen to hospital types, who — I can only hope — aren’t so accustomed to bullet-wounded kids being dropped off at the ER by people who shot them in the school parking lot that they just speed-dial the non-emergency number at Aurora Police Department to report, yup, another kid shot in the parking lot by a school “employee.”
So Mystery Shooter Man — whom we know is not a teacher but could be a hired security dude, or a custodian, or gerbil tamer — has a gun on school grounds, a gun-free zone. We know he is moving this gun to his car’s glove box as the kid is getting ready for a free ride home. The gun somehow got a round inside it, moved into the chamber, had the safety released and then fired when the trigger got touched. Or it was an act of God. Whatever, Mystery Shooter Man shoots the kid in the leg, doesn’t call 911, drives him to the hospital and apparently won’t face any charges. This is where I’d like to remind readers that the NRA wants to arm folks like this in every school in the country. Questions there?
Keep in mind, it’s illegal to take a gun to school in Colorado, and if you’re a kid, they’ll boot your butt for even having a fake one in your car in the school parking lot. But here’s the thing, if you have a concealed weapon permit, you’re allowed to leave the gun in your car in the school parking lot, as long as it’s not hanging from the rear-view mirror. What’s more, if you happen to be a school security guard, not a cop, you can bring your gat onto the campus. No kidding. Mystery Shooter Man’s gun was not part of his school job, school officials say, apparently referring to his need to have other kinds of tools to tame rodents, sweep floors or parade the halls.
Let’s review. Mystery Shooter Man is not a cop. He either had a gun on him, or he had one in his car at Rangeview High School. He’s giving a student a ride home. He is putting the clearly loaded, cocked and safety-off weapon into the glove box. He accidentally fires the gun and shoots the poor kid in the leg. He doesn’t call 911. He drives the kid to the hospital. And nobody thinks we should identify Mystery Shooter Man nor charge him with anything. If this guy accidentally had backed his car into this kid and broke his leg because he was in Mystery Shooter Man’s blind spot, are you telling me he wouldn’t get a ticket for careless driving? He better damned well. If Mystery Shooter Man’s gun accidentally went off as he was driving away and the bullet plugged the leg of the School Resource Officer in the car next to him, there would be no charges? Yeah, right. At least if he’d hit a cop the officer could have notified dispatch.
Mystery Shooter Man actually pops a student with his loaded gun in the school parking lot, and there’s no legal consequences to this outrageous level of carelessness? And we’re all OK with this? Well I’m not.
I don’t know if the cops, the school or whoever is so freaked out about Second Amendment rights or NRA goons or whatever that they wouldn’t charge this guy after he shot a kid in the goddam school parking lot, but if there isn’t a law against that, I’m ready to start gunning for one right now. Care to join me?
Reach editor Dave Perry at 303-750-7555 or dperry@aurorasentinel.com
If only they had waited a few weeks on holding the NRA convention, this guy would be a lock for their new president.
You’re telling me he took the victim directly to the hospital? WHAT A MONSTER!
He totally should have had a phone conversation about it first.
I agree with you there. Taking him straight to the hospital seems like the appropriate thing to do. He could’ve called the cops on the way, but again, I agree. That, I believe was perfectly acceptable given the situation.
“He accidentally fires the gun and shoots the poor kid in the leg. He doesn’t call 911. He drives the kid to the hospital. AND NOBODY THINKS WE SHOULD IDENTIFY MYSTERY SHOOTER MAN NOR CHARGE HIM WITH ANYTHING.”
Dude, listen to yourself, or at least have the janitor proof read your articles before you go off on a rant. It was an accident, as YOU mentioned, should the person be charged? Dunno, but without any official report to refer to you can rant on and claim to know what happened, again. The gun was “cocked”, really? Again, no proof, was it a revolver, semi-auto, illegally owned? Any factual evidence other than the poor kid getting shot in the leg? Any investigation on your behalf? No, you must have seen the story on the news ’cause you were no doubt surfing the web looking for more news from the associated press to put in the next addition. Anyway, if it was an “accident” why should the employee be charged if they can’t show he was reckless? And the cops are afraid to charge someone who intentionally fires a weapon at someone else for fear of the NRA? Go fly another kite, I’m sure you can supply the hot air to get it off the ground.
First of all, this was no accident. An accident is when your lid pops of and you spill your drink. This was negligence plain and simple. This “mystery man” was a trained professional. And anyone with half a brain; especially a trained professional, knows better and is trained might I add, to not leave a loaded fully accessible and ready to shoot weapon, in a high school parking lot! 18 or not, if this was my son, I would raise hell and charges would be filed! Additionally, this “mystery man” would never own a weapon again. He could’ve killed that boy! What if it was your son! Rant on Dave! I’m with you! Unacceptable! Negligence, NOT accidental!
Dave, you really should have your mental health checked. These rants really show how unstable you can be.
Bet you wouldn’t feel that way if it was your son!
Couldn’t agree more with you, Dave. Unlike the one comment about your mental stability, I don’t consider what you had to say was ‘ranting’. Obviously that person has no problem with what happened. I DO!!! UN-BE-LIEVABLE!!
Isn’t ‘WHO’ part of a reporters requirement anymore? I was taught a good story would include: who, what, when, where, why and how. I haven’t seen good reporting in a very long time.
I agree. I happen to know that there is an SRO on duty at this school. Why weren’t charges made appropriately? Did the man have a concealed weapons permit? Because without one it IS illegal to have the firearm in his vehicle on school property. Why is no one taking action? Did the man get fired? And WHY is he on paid leave? Shoot a kid and get the rest of the year off for vacation!?
Not to mention… Why was a student getting a ride from him in the first place? Is that even allowed? It seems sketchy to me.