Breakthrough in shooting of Aussie baseballer Chris Lane in US

[Judi Lynn]

Source: The Australian

Breakthrough in shooting of Aussie baseballer Chris Lane in US
From: AAP
August 20, 2013 7:11AM


THE grieving girlfriend of murdered Australian baseball player Chris Lane has visited the site where he was shot in the back in a random drive-by shooting.

"I'm numb," Sarah Harper told AAP near the makeshift roadside memorial of flowers and an Australian flag that has been erected on Country Club Rd in Duncan, Oklahoma.

"It's hard to believe it is real."

As Ms Harper and Mr Lane's family in Melbourne grieve and the parents of the boys accused of the killing deal with the prospect of their young sons never being released from prison, the Duncan Police Department made what they believe was a major breakthrough.

The oldest of the accused trio, a 17-year-old, allegedly confessed he drove the car during the drive-by shooting and his 16-year-old accomplice pulled the trigger on a handgun, Duncan Police Chief Danny Ford said.


Read more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/our-boys-didnt-kill-baseballer-chris-lane-say-parents-of-accused/story-e6frg6so-1226700268781

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[center]

Chris Lane, girlfriend, Sarah Harper[/center]

[PennyK]

1. Welcome to America

Where a jogger has fewer rights than someone with a gun.

[RZM]

21. What?

You don't have a right to shoot random people. And given that the perps were minors, they most likely were not in legal possession of the firearm either.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Adding a link

Juveniles arrested in shooting death of Australian national
http://duncanbanner.com/local/x31526155/Juveniles-arrested-in-shooting-death-of-Australian-national

I've never been to Duncan, Oklahoma, but it doesn't sound like a place where you would think that this would happen. Then you read the other headlines, and it sounds like DC or northern Virginia.

Duncan doctor held in non-fatal shooting
http://duncanbanner.com/local/x865757195/Duncan-doctor-held-in-non-fatal-shooting

Is there anyplace left where you can get away from this?

[dawn frenzy adams]

24. Why?

Because it is 90% white? This is the same kind of " I can't believe it happen here" line we've heard for the past 20 years. There is no doubt it was said when Tim McVeigh blew up the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. The same was said about Sandy Hook.

[jberryhill]

27. ...or Columbine...

...or any of the other exurban and rural places where these things happen.

[Sunlei]

3. so sad. horrible that packs of kids drive around criminal 'wilding' & parents have no responsibility

[lebkuchen]

29. In Germany parents are held responsible to repay damages

and that is why most sensible Germans, and expats, carry a special insurance, to cover such liabilities. The US needs to implement the same concept. Parents must be held responsible. Carry extra insurance if you have doubts about your nuclear family. Meanwhile, a family grieves, but the taxpayers foot the bill. No, parents should do so.

[Blue_Tires]

4. What the fucking hell??

[rurallib]

5. to think he came from a country that has pretty much put an end to this crap.

thrill killing I think the tabloids called it in the 50s and 60s.

ETA - the NRA will probably use this to push people to buy more guns.

[kag]

6. Handguns were made for killin'

Ain't no good for nuthin' else.
...
So why don't we dump 'em, people?
To the bottom of the sea?



I can't say it any better than Ronnie.

[geek tragedy]

7. the psychopathic monsters killed him because they were bored and

thought it would be entertaining.

Don't care how old they are, lock them up for life, no parole.

[busterbrown]

8. Where did hey get the fucking gun???

Dad’s? Friend’s dad,? stolen from neighbor?..Where did they get the fucking gun?

[geek tragedy]

17. It's the US, everyone knows someone who can get them a gun nt

[dawn frenzy adams]

25. Who knows?

But I'm thinking the NRA has its mind on cereal boxes next.

[SoapBox]

9. Makes me sick.

...horrible.

America needs mental help.

[Ash_F]

10. Where did these kids get the gun? /nt

[tabasco]

11. Beware the well-regulated militia

Last edited Tue Aug 20, 2013, 03:48 PM - Edit history (1)

when traveling in America.

[Paladin]

13. I wonder if the Aussies will issue a travel warning.....

....like what Japan did a few years ago, after that innocent kid was gunned down in Louisiana. I think such a warning would be fully justified.

[oberliner]

12. Do you think race was a factor?

Do you think his being white had anything to do with why they chose to kill him?

[closeupready]

14. Huh??? No reason to think that.

[oberliner]

15. Why do you think they chose to murder this guy?

What could have been a possible motive?

[closeupready]

18. The media is reporting they stated why they murdered him -

They were bored, allegedly, so it was a kind of thrill kill. Has nothing to do with race.

[oberliner]

19. They saw Christopher go by, and one of them said: 'There's our target,'

What was it about Christopher that made them choose him as their target?

That's what I'm trying to figure out. You don't think it could have had anything to do with race?

[closeupready]

20. In theory, the murder could have seemed auspicious astrologically, and

that could have had something to do with it. Maybe they consulted the Great Spirit. Maybe "God" told them to do it...?

Someone like you or I can posit that one motive out of countless millions of different motives COULD have had something to do with the murder, but so what.

In order to prove one motive is likelier than others, you need to do more than pull one out of a hat filled with millions of slips of paper, representing all the different possible motives. In addition to positing a motive, you need to have facts that demonstrate a likelihood that your motive is more likely than other less likely motives.

Not sure why you chose to focus on race to the exclusion of, for example, drugs, money, gang initiations, contract killing, or as I said before, some kind of insanity/group hysteria?

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting you don't have a right to have a gut feeling that race was the motive, and you are 100% entitled to your own opinions. I respect that. Just confused as to WHY you suspect race was part of it.

[oberliner]

22. I think race impacts people's behavior more than astrology

Of course, I could be wrong about that!

If there was some sort of link posited between the murder victim and the murderer - than I can see thinking that it might have to do with the other motives you listed, but the very apparent randomness of it makes me inquire about other explanations.

This is all speculation - but I just wonder if it played a role. Especially considering that they didn't appear to know the victim and, as reports said, just killed out of boredom. I would have the same question if a white person killed a black person and said the reason for the killing was boredom.

I would, however, point out that at no time did I say that I had a "gut feeling that race was the motive" - I am just asking if folks think it played any role in what happened.

[closeupready]

23. Okay, no problem.

[jberryhill]

28. Well, it's tough to find white people in Oklahoma, so maybe he stood out

[oberliner]

33. This town was predominantly white

In fact, I believe well over 90 percent.

[Hugabear]

30. Um, they had a white friend helping them

So I don't think that race was primarily the factor in this killing.

I know that Drudge wants to turn this into a race issue - he never misses a chance to promote the Scary Black Male headline. But in this case, I don't see it.

[oberliner]

34. Certainy don't think it was "primarily" the factor

I was just asking if people thought it was any factor at all.

[Judi Lynn]

35. No. Why do you ask? n/t

[oberliner]

36. The circumstances of the killing seem very unusual

Trying to get a sense of what factors could have motivated it.

[iandhr]

16. Another victim of senseless violence.

Its just tragic.

[skeewee08]

26. This makes me mad

RIP Christopher Lane my thoughts and prayers to your family & friends . I don't care how young they are they took an innocent mans life who was jogging. They need life in prison with out the possibility of parole.

[NeoConsSuck]

31. Someone understands the problem:

Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer criticized the National Rifle Association and asked Australians to avoid the U.S. as a way to force its Congress to act on gun control.

"Tourists thinking of going to the USA should think twice," Fischer told the Herald Sun. "This is the bitter harvest and legacy of the policies of the NRA that even blocked background checks for people buying guns at gunshows. People should take this into account before going to the United States. I am deeply angry about this because of the callous attitude of the three teenagers (but) it's a sign of the proliferation of guns on the ground in the USA. There is a gun for almost every American."

Too bad American politicians don't have the courage to take on the NRA.

[christx30]

32. Put them in solitary for the next

three years. Then we'll see how the feel about boredom.

[panzerfaust]

37. More responsible gun-owners

[hack89]

40. They were too young to be legal gun owners.

Irresponsible criminals is the phrase you are looking for.