In a tragic story that recalls the death of Trayvon Martin, another unarmed black teenager, 13-year-old Darius Simmons, was shot and killed by a 75-year-old neighbor last Thursday. The shooter, John Henry Spooner, was charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide and use of a dangerous weapon.
According to neighbors, he'd been the target of repeated break-ins, and police are investigating whether there was any history of disagreements between him and Simmons. From the Globe-Gazette:
According to the complaint, Spooner approached Simmons as the boy retrieved a garbage cart from in front of a house Thursday morning. The boy's mother, Patricia Larry, who saw the shooting, said Spooner told her son he "wanted his stuff back and that he wanted his shotguns back," the complaint said.
Simmons and his mother told Spooner they did not have his property. Spooner then pulled a gun, pointed it at Simmons and fired one shot from about five feet away, the complaint said.
Spooner fired a second shot at Simmons as the boy was running away, according to the complaint. An autopsy found the boy suffered a gunshot wound to his chest, and the bullet damaged the ventricles of his heart before exiting his back. Police recovered a weapon as well as two spent casings.
Spooner remained in jail. A phone message left at his home was not immediately returned Friday. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney yet. The case wasn't yet listed in Wisconsin's online court system.
Read more at the Globe Gazette.
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