(US) Granny shoots 12 year old; neighbors cheer

southsiderosie

Don't **** with Grandma!

Margaret Matthews gave a simple reason why she shot a 12-year-old boy who threw rocks at her on her South Shore porch Tuesday: "I done had enough."

That's what the 68-year-old widow told pal Frenchie Johnson about the boy who allegedly terrorized her and her neighborhood for a year.

"These kids are out of control --we all done had enough," Johnson said Wednesday as neighbors overwhelmingly rallied in Matthews' support, dubbing her a "hero."

The boy, who was treated at University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital for a bullet wound to his shoulder and spent Wednesday recovering at his home a block from Matthews' house, has been charged with misdemeanor aggravated assault to a senior citizen, as has a 13-year-old friend who was unhurt in the incident. The shot boy's family insists he did nothing to provoke Matthews. But Matthews, who has lived at the coach house in the 7600 block of South Cole for 30 years, won't be charged because she acted in self-defense, police say.

Wearing thick-lensed glasses and her graying hair pulled back, she stood mute behind her son-in-law in her yard Wednesday evening as he described how she'd been "terrified" by a yearlong campaign of harassment led by the boy and his friends.

The boy had previously set fire to a rug and thrown it on her grill, and had broken windows at Matthew's home as recently as last week, friends said.

When Matthews returned home with her groceries Tuesday afternoon, she noticed that two of her windows were broken, saw the boys running away and called police, authorities said.

Minutes later, the boys returned, stood on the roof of a small shed in her yard and shouted at her, neighbor Tnola McCoy said. When she stood on her porch 20 feet away and told them to leave, the boys pelted her with rocks, hitting her in the chest and the knee, McCoy said.

At that point -- around 5:25 p.m. -- Matthews fetched a handgun from the house and started firing three or four shots "to scare them," her stepson Pastor Major Matthews said.

Matthews was questioned by police Tuesday night but was released without charge.

Wednesday morning, a steady stream of well-wishers stopped by Matthews' home to support her, saying the children's parents should have done more to control them.

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I'm not normally an advocate of shooting at children, but I am kind of sympathetic to this woman. People have had it with out of control kids: the cops have bigger fish to fry, and so many parents are MIA. The fact that these kids were targeting an elderly woman only makes it even more obnoxious. That said, given that this happened on the south side of Chicago, she's lucky the 12 year old didn't shoot back. :rolleyes:

Obviously we can't shoot all of our problems away, but I'll bet her neighborhood is a little more peaceful...for the next week or two at least.

PCPhoto

IMO she should be charged- but should get a light sentence

but in regards to society in general - these kids should be taken away from their parents - once they start gaining multiple convictions - if they can get criminal convictions or court appearances in their teens then its obvious the parents are unwilling/unable to control them and dont deserve to keep them ...or the state benefits they get because of them.

send the kids outside the city away from their friends and social circle...give them an opportunity to change their lives - if they dont take the opportunity ....burlap sack !!

sligopark

should have buried them in her garden and avoided jail

TimeToShine

Fúcking scumbags...

KeithM89_old

Reminds me of this classic...

Micky Dolenz

What the hell was her son in law doing about the situation?

RMD

Fairplay to her. There's very little she could have done in this situation than what she had done, she'd already rang the cops, parents obviously aren't good enough to bother complaining to if the kids can cause havoc for such a long time.

I can't wait to see the "think of the kids" bridage come rolling in. When I was 12 I knew what I was doing was bad and what was good, I knew breaking windows, throwing rocks at elder ladies and causing havoc for an OAP's life was the height of scum, and is inexcusable.

not yet

Fair fcuks to her, maybe if more people had that attitude the little cnuts would think twice before driving people to the point of desperation.

karlog

What so she didn't shoot the kid?

How disappointing:(

Jesus Wept

...

JONJO THE MISER

Only In America.

Scuid Mhór

justice was not served in any shape or form here.

southsiderosie

karlog wrote: »

What so she didn't shoot the kid?

How disappointing:(

Sorry, I messed something up when I pasted the story over...edited to make it clear that she DID shoot the boy.

Gummy Panda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKrxl5fXM8E

Feeona

You see this kind of drain on resources in schools all the time. Parents who can't be ars*d to pick their (infant!) children up from school at the end of the day, draining the resources in the school. If the school reports these parents, they become a drain on social services. Something happens to child, parents blame school/public health system/gardaí/neighbours for not doing enough. All the while these parasites blame everyone else for the bad things that happen to their children, despite their refusal to take responsibility for the children they brought into the world :mad:

They take resources and funding from those families who truly need it

karlog

southsiderosie wrote: »

Sorry, I messed something up when I pasted the story over...edited to make it clear that she DID shoot the boy.

That'll teach him.

southsiderosie

karlog wrote: »

That'll teach him.

The sad thing is, it probably won't.

Irish Guitarist

I can't say I blame her but I wouldn't call her a 'hero'. A hero risks their own life for someone else. This was just a woman that was pissed off.

karlog

southsiderosie wrote: »

The sad thing is, it probably won't.

Well at least the Granny wasn't charged. That's justice, something that rarely happens over here. Maybe the yanks aren't as stupid as they say.

southsiderosie

Giant Squid wrote: »

justice was not served in any shape or form here.

Justice for who?

Son Of A Vidic

Please, please, please tell me it was a head shot?

southsiderosie

karlog wrote: »

Well at least the Granny wasn't charged. That's justice, something that rarely happens over here. Maybe the yanks aren't as stupid as they say.

I'm a yank.

Honestly, I don't think she would have gotten away with it if she weren't both a woman a pensioner. If she had been a 40 year old man (i.e. like the son-in-law), I think they would have been charged...although I think the neighbors still would have cheered.

Maybe we should just arm the elderly to restore order to out-of-control neighborhoods.

medicman2009 wrote: »

Please, please, please tell me it was a head shot?

:eek:

starbelgrade

I honestly don't think that shooting children is anything to be applauded. Or a solution to a problem.

onlyrocknroll

southsiderosie wrote: »

I'm not normally an advocate of shooting at children, but ....

That most be the funniest beginning to a thread in boards history.

Falling Down: The OAP version.

starbelgrade

Falling Down 2 ; The Hip Replacement

onlyrocknroll

starbelgrade wrote: »

Falling Down 2 ; The Hip Replacement

Brilliant! :pac:

Tommy_Vercetti

Its like Gran Torino, with a women, no car, no foreigners and she did shot the troublemakers............

Come to think of it its nothing like Gran Torino!

evercloserunion

In all fairness she probably should have been charged and convicted, as "done had enough" != self-defence.

That said, I sympathise with her, who doesn't wanna shoot some of those scumbag kids sometimes.

orourkeda

I find it hugely disappointing that nobody died.

orourkeda

http://www.oddyap.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/granny20gun.jpg