Dumb people doing dumb things, Not thier fault!.

Darus Grey · 09-07-2003

NEW YORK (Sept. 6) - The family of a slain motorist has filed suit against the maker of a video game that two teens claim inspired them to shoot at passing cars on a Tennessee highway.

Grand Theft Auto, a video game that allows players to "fire" on people and cars in realistic, shoot-'em-up fashion, is a cash cow that propelled manufacturer TAKE2interactive to the top of the video game industry. For the middle and high school students who play the game for hours on end, it's a means of escaping the monotony of teenage life.

But for two stepbrothers, 16-year-old William and 14-year-old Joshua Buckner, that escape turned deadly this summer. They told police they were emulating Grand Theft Auto on the night of June 25 when they took shotguns to Interstate 40, near their Newport, Tenn., home, and opened fire on vehicles.

A Bullet Through the Window

The boys told police they did not mean to hit people, but the results were catastrophic.

"I have eight bullet fragments all in my body," said 19-year-old Kimberly Bede, of Moneta, Va., who was hit in the pelvis as she rode in the passenger seat of her boyfriend's car. "The bullet entered my hip and I'm still receiving medical treatment."

Aaron Hamel, a 45-year-old registered nurse from Knoxville, Tenn., traveling in a separate car, was killed.

"We had a beautiful day in the mountains, and we were heading back home to Knoxville," said Hamel's cousin, Denise Deneau on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America Friday.

"We were talking, laughing, listening to music and all of a sudden my cousin told me to look at the beautiful flowers. And as I did that, my glass shattered and I felt heat across my face," she said.

When Deneuau saw the glass and blood she thought she had been shot, but when she realized the car was out of control, she looked at Hamel. "He had a large bullet hole at the side of his head," Deneuau said.

After the car made it across the highway, passing oncoming traffic, it stopped at the guard rail.

Deneuau said she knew her cousin would die quickly from the nature of the injury. "I reassured him that I was OK and that I would take care of his pets and I told him that I loved him," she said.

Family members say the nature of Hamel's death is especially ironic because he had volunteered to work at a Tennessee facility for wayward teens shortly before the shooting.

Teens Plead Guilty, Lawsuit Filed

The teenage shooters, who each pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, will be held at a state juvenile detention center until they turn 19. The law in Tennessee allows them to remain in the custody of the state Department of Children's Services until they are 19, but no longer.

In written statements, the boys expressed remorse for their actions.

"I will always hate myself for what I did. I am so sorry," wrote William Buckner.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone," wrote Joshua Buckner. "This will be with me the rest of my life."

The Hamel family hired attorney Jack Thompson and filed suit Thursday against TAKE2interactive, the video game maker. Thompson says it's time to send a message to the video game makers.

"We want to send a message with a huge verdict to Sony and TAKE2interactive and the entire video game industry that if they're going to continue to market adult-rated games to children with these horrific consequence, then we're going to take their blood money from them and send a message to their boards that they have to stop this practice or there will be other suits on behalf of other people, killed by these games," Thompson said.

TAKE2interactive declined to comment to Good Morning America about the incident.

Are Parents the Gatekeepers?

It's not the first time the game Grand Theft Auto has been linked to bouts of real-life violence.

A gang of teenagers in California, charged with plotting carjackings and murder, say their actions were inspired by playing Grand Theft Auto, morning, noon, and night.

In Oakland, Calif., a group of young people who called themselves the "Nut Cases" told police they played violent video games before going out and robbing and killing random victims on the street. They said their favorite was Grand Theft Auto. The five men and one woman are facing charges in dozens of robberies and five killings that took place in 2002 and early 2003.

The Entertainment Software Association, which represents the video game industry, pointed to research showing that youth crime has gone down even as video games have proliferated. The games are rated for violence, and ultimately, parents make the decisions about what games they bring into their homes, the association said in a statement.

"Parents are present at and involved in the purchase or rental of games 83 percent of the time, according to a September 2000 Federal Trade Commission report," the association said.

Family members of those killed in video game-related shooting sprees say it is time to take Grand Theft Auto off the market, before more lives are lost.

Bede, who says she will never fully recover from the incident that left bullet fragments in her body, isn't satisfied with the sentence the Buckner boys received. "I really don't think they got what they deserve," she said.

Copyright 2003 ABC News.* All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribute

Cronuus · 09-07-2003

Blame video games, blame movies, blame TV, blame media or blame fucking the planets' alignments, BUT FFS do not blame the parents or the dumbshits who actually did this!~~ It can't possibly be their fault right?

09-07-2003

09-07-2003

and people dont see a problem with our court system.

i hate this flood thing i have to wait 60 seconds between posts

09-07-2003

once again. ive said it before and ill say it again: "people dont like taking responsibility for thier actions". and when i say this im not specifically blaming the kids. Im blaming the piece of shit parents that werent raising thier kids and instead spending thier time doing other things. Thats why i believe the parents should be held somewhat responsible and sent to prison for 10 years or so for accessory to murder. This will send a strong message to people that having kids is serious and not just something to be taken lightly like buying a dog.

Prezto · 09-07-2003

Yeah. I bought my 2 year old son some dinosaur toys from Playskool. I have already warned him about the dangers of paleogenetic engineering.

I pray to God that he doesn't create a whorde of ravenous, flesh eating dinosaurs that go kill a bunch of people who's children play violent games and raze highschools with AK 47's and explosives.

COUNTER TERRORISTS WIN!

09-07-2003

I keep hearing about this game, I need to try it, it must be frickin awesome!

I hope Im not highly impressionable.

Master Damoiel Mindbend
Retired Enchanter of the 60th Season

KiradureAtani · 09-07-2003

Quote:

COUNTER TERRORISTS WIN!

Made my day.

Talari · 09-07-2003

rush bombsite!!

Willgatus Airslasher · 09-08-2003

Next thing you know, there will be a lawsuit against Sony because some kid tried to entirely imitate his EQ diet of water and muffins, which led him to die of scurvy after a while.

That, or someone will jump off a cliff after playing Lemmings...

Seriously, these folks are fucked up in the head to begin with. I mean I'm far more bloodthirsty than the average person (who needs the beneficial traits in Fallout games? Bloody Mess > all), and I've played Vice City for a few days (it gets boring pretty quickly). Have I killed anything yet IRL? Only time and roaches.

09-07-2003	#1
Darus Grey Dominatus Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 205 vCash: 1000	Dumb people doing dumb things, Not thier fault!. NEW YORK (Sept. 6) - The family of a slain motorist has filed suit against the maker of a video game that two teens claim inspired them to shoot at passing cars on a Tennessee highway. Grand Theft Auto, a video game that allows players to "fire" on people and cars in realistic, shoot-'em-up fashion, is a cash cow that propelled manufacturer TAKE2interactive to the top of the video game industry. For the middle and high school students who play the game for hours on end, it's a means of escaping the monotony of teenage life. But for two stepbrothers, 16-year-old William and 14-year-old Joshua Buckner, that escape turned deadly this summer. They told police they were emulating Grand Theft Auto on the night of June 25 when they took shotguns to Interstate 40, near their Newport, Tenn., home, and opened fire on vehicles. A Bullet Through the Window The boys told police they did not mean to hit people, but the results were catastrophic. "I have eight bullet fragments all in my body," said 19-year-old Kimberly Bede, of Moneta, Va., who was hit in the pelvis as she rode in the passenger seat of her boyfriend's car. "The bullet entered my hip and I'm still receiving medical treatment." Aaron Hamel, a 45-year-old registered nurse from Knoxville, Tenn., traveling in a separate car, was killed. "We had a beautiful day in the mountains, and we were heading back home to Knoxville," said Hamel's cousin, Denise Deneau on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America Friday. "We were talking, laughing, listening to music and all of a sudden my cousin told me to look at the beautiful flowers. And as I did that, my glass shattered and I felt heat across my face," she said. When Deneuau saw the glass and blood she thought she had been shot, but when she realized the car was out of control, she looked at Hamel. "He had a large bullet hole at the side of his head," Deneuau said. After the car made it across the highway, passing oncoming traffic, it stopped at the guard rail. Deneuau said she knew her cousin would die quickly from the nature of the injury. "I reassured him that I was OK and that I would take care of his pets and I told him that I loved him," she said. Family members say the nature of Hamel's death is especially ironic because he had volunteered to work at a Tennessee facility for wayward teens shortly before the shooting. Teens Plead Guilty, Lawsuit Filed The teenage shooters, who each pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, will be held at a state juvenile detention center until they turn 19. The law in Tennessee allows them to remain in the custody of the state Department of Children's Services until they are 19, but no longer. In written statements, the boys expressed remorse for their actions. "I will always hate myself for what I did. I am so sorry," wrote William Buckner. "I didn't want to hurt anyone," wrote Joshua Buckner. "This will be with me the rest of my life." The Hamel family hired attorney Jack Thompson and filed suit Thursday against TAKE2interactive, the video game maker. Thompson says it's time to send a message to the video game makers. "We want to send a message with a huge verdict to Sony and TAKE2interactive and the entire video game industry that if they're going to continue to market adult-rated games to children with these horrific consequence, then we're going to take their blood money from them and send a message to their boards that they have to stop this practice or there will be other suits on behalf of other people, killed by these games," Thompson said. TAKE2interactive declined to comment to Good Morning America about the incident. Are Parents the Gatekeepers? It's not the first time the game Grand Theft Auto has been linked to bouts of real-life violence. A gang of teenagers in California, charged with plotting carjackings and murder, say their actions were inspired by playing Grand Theft Auto, morning, noon, and night. In Oakland, Calif., a group of young people who called themselves the "Nut Cases" told police they played violent video games before going out and robbing and killing random victims on the street. They said their favorite was Grand Theft Auto. The five men and one woman are facing charges in dozens of robberies and five killings that took place in 2002 and early 2003. The Entertainment Software Association, which represents the video game industry, pointed to research showing that youth crime has gone down even as video games have proliferated. The games are rated for violence, and ultimately, parents make the decisions about what games they bring into their homes, the association said in a statement. "Parents are present at and involved in the purchase or rental of games 83 percent of the time, according to a September 2000 Federal Trade Commission report," the association said. Family members of those killed in video game-related shooting sprees say it is time to take Grand Theft Auto off the market, before more lives are lost. Bede, who says she will never fully recover from the incident that left bullet fragments in her body, isn't satisfied with the sentence the Buckner boys received. "I really don't think they got what they deserve," she said. Copyright 2003 ABC News.* All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribute

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09-07-2003	#2
Cronuus Cacophonous Chimp Joined: Sep 2001 Location: I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA Posts: 69 vCash: 1000	Blame video games, blame movies, blame TV, blame media or blame fucking the planets' alignments, BUT FFS do not blame the parents or the dumbshits who actually did this!~~ It can't possibly be their fault right?

09-07-2003	#4
zenrkscallytail Guest Joined: Posts: n/a vCash:	and people dont see a problem with our court system. i hate this flood thing i have to wait 60 seconds between posts

09-07-2003	#5
Boneskin Guest Joined: Posts: n/a vCash:	once again. ive said it before and ill say it again: "people dont like taking responsibility for thier actions". and when i say this im not specifically blaming the kids. Im blaming the piece of shit parents that werent raising thier kids and instead spending thier time doing other things. Thats why i believe the parents should be held somewhat responsible and sent to prison for 10 years or so for accessory to murder. This will send a strong message to people that having kids is serious and not just something to be taken lightly like buying a dog.

09-07-2003	#6
Prezto Diabolical Neophyte Joined: Apr 2002 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 303 vCash: 1000	Yeah. I bought my 2 year old son some dinosaur toys from Playskool. I have already warned him about the dangers of paleogenetic engineering. I pray to God that he doesn't create a whorde of ravenous, flesh eating dinosaurs that go kill a bunch of people who's children play violent games and raze highschools with AK 47's and explosives. COUNTER TERRORISTS WIN!

09-07-2003	#7
Slant Earthshaker Guest Joined: Posts: n/a vCash:	I keep hearing about this game, I need to try it, it must be frickin awesome! I hope Im not highly impressionable. Master Damoiel Mindbend Retired Enchanter of the 60th Season

09-07-2003	#9
Talari Diabolical Neophyte Joined: Nov 2001 Posts: 242 vCash: 1000	rush bombsite!!

09-08-2003	#10
Willgatus Airslasher Propagandistic Anarchist Joined: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 350 vCash: 1000	Next thing you know, there will be a lawsuit against Sony because some kid tried to entirely imitate his EQ diet of water and muffins, which led him to die of scurvy after a while. That, or someone will jump off a cliff after playing Lemmings... Seriously, these folks are fucked up in the head to begin with. I mean I'm far more bloodthirsty than the average person (who needs the beneficial traits in Fallout games? Bloody Mess > all), and I've played Vice City for a few days (it gets boring pretty quickly). Have I killed anything yet IRL? Only time and roaches.

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