Justice and Mercy- Mother shoots son. Tragic Accident

1. 76

   realtalk247posted 9 years ago

   11 Alive News Reported: "According to College Park Master Sgt. Jeff Hightower, a fight among both juveniles and adults broke out at around 8 p.m. on Godby Road. After being struck in the face, 33-year-old Latoya Tilson, a mother of one of the juveniles, retrieved a .25 caliber handgun and fired several rounds into the crowd. A 17-year-old boy was hit in the buttocks, and Tilson's son was struck in the back of the head. Tilson was charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault, family violence act, reckless conduct, cruelty to children and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony."
   
   Pierre Tilson was killed as a result of a shot fired from his mother's gun when she attempted to break up a fight. I remember a television judge who always expressed his need to temper justice with mercy. The district attorney can upgrade charges now that Pierre Tilson was pronounced dead. Latoya Tilson has been reportedly on suicide watch according to the father of Pierre Tilson.  This entire story was a tragedy. I think this woman needs more psychological help than anything else but I don't think years of jail time will supersede the fact that she was the cause of her son's death. 
   
   My question to you: Do you think it is enough punishment for a woman to live with the fact that she inadvertently shot her son in the back of the head and she was the cause of his death? 
   Isn't that punishment enough to live with your child's blood on your hands as a parent? 
   Would you give this woman jail time?
   

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   1. 89

      GA Andersonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      What if she didn't care that she shot him?
      
      Or what if after a period of time she could just close the book on that portion of her life and move on as if it never happened?
      
      I know first instinct is to attribute what we see as normal reaction - any parent would give their life for their children, but what if she doesn't feel that way?
      
      Is the question the same if as a person she wouldn't suffer from the thought of killing her son?
      
      GA

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   2. 89

      IslandBitesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Isn't that punishment enough to live with your child's blood on your hands as a parent?  No.
      Would you give this woman jail time? Yes.
      
      If the dead boy wasn't hers, would anyone consider no jail time for her? I guess that's the answer.

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2. 75

   wildove5posted 9 years ago

   While my first instinct is that she has suffered enough, the logical part of my brain says maybe she'd feel she deserved jail. Perhaps jail would be a safer place than alone inside her head! At least some sort of supervision whether in a prison or mental facility would seem warranted. As a mother myself, I can only imagine her remorse and turmoil, very sad.

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   1. 76

      realtalk247posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Wildove5. I thought psychological assistance would be the best situation for her. So sad.

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3. 94

   wildernessposted 9 years ago

   I'm not sure about the punishment end of it, but I am VERY sure that we do not want a woman that thinks shooting into a crowd of kids is the way to break up a squabble, roaming the same streets we walk.

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4. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

   She shot a lethal weapon into a crowd, the normal penalties should apply.  Shooting at people and hitting some of them is not an "accident".
   
   Her son's life was a life like any other not just some narrow object lesson for her.

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5. 71

   word55posted 9 years ago

   Let the jury decide. They'll see and hear what happened. They'll see the reaction of the mother. They'll see whether or not the mother saw her son in the crowd and etc.

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