| September
25, 2003 |
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| Man
Facing Firearms Charge After Child's Death |
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| A Morganton man has been charged with failing to
properly store a firearm in connection to
the death of a seven-year-old
boy, who was reportedly accidentally shot by a twelve-year-old. The
District Attorney's Office has declined to pursue charges against the juvenile
who fired the fatal shot, according to detectives. |
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| Buddy Harris, 47, was cited by a criminal
summons and will have a district court appearance on October 22nd. |
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| On September 14th, seven-year-old James Dean
Patton was transported to Grace Hospital by emergency medical personnel shortly
after he was shot in the right arm and abdomen. He was pronounced dead at the
hospital approximately one hour and a half later. |
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| Deputies had responded to the 2615 Hartland
Trail home of Harris at 2:10 p.m. to investigate a report of a shooting,
according to Burke County Criminal Investigations Lieutenant John Suttle.
|
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| "Mr. Harris nor his wife were at home at the
time of the shooting," Suttle said. "Their thirteen-year-old son was there
alone when a twelve-year-old friend came over to visit," Suttle
said. |
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| Suttle said the twelve-year-old , who's name is
being withheld because of his age, lived with the Patton child at a nearby
home. |
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| James Patton came to the Harris home
approximately twenty minutes later, according to Suttle. |
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| "The Harris boy was in the living room using a
computer and James was standing beside of him," Suttle said. "The
twelve-year-old went into a bedroom and picked up a twenty gauge shotgun, which
Buddy Harris forgot to put back inside a locked closet before he left
home." |
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| Investigators believe Harris had taken the
shotgun out of the closet earlier to ward off dogs that had been attacking his
chickens. |
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| Suttle said the twelve-year-old came into the
living room with the shotgun while the other two boys were viewing the
computer, and somehow the weapon discharged, striking James Patton. |
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| "Neither James or the Harris boy knew the
twelve-year-old boy had the shotgun," said Suttle. "They didn't realize it
until the weapon was fired." |
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| Upon arrival at Grace Hospital, doctors were
making preparations to have James airlifted to a trauma center, but he died at
3:45, Suttle said. |
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| "At this point, it looks like an unfortunate
accident due to negligence because someone failed to properly store a firearm,"
Suttle said. "It seems these type of cases are on the increase in spite of
education methods and media awareness concerning the dangers of unsecured
weapons." |
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