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Man shoots 12-year-old trick or treater
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by Amy Judd | November 1, 2008 at 05:51 pm
577 views | 15 Recommendations | 3 comments
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A man in South Carolina thought he was being robbed last night, on Halloween, when he heard a knock at his door, and ended up gunning down a 12-year-old trick or treater with almost 30 rounds from a rifle, when he was still inside his home.
Quentin Patrick, 22, is accused of killing 12-year-old T.J. Darrisaw on Friday night. T.J.'s 9-year-old brother, Ahmadre Darrisaw, and their father, Freddie Grinnell, were injured but were released after being treated at a hospital.
The family attended a Halloween celebration in downtown Sumter, 45 miles east of Columbia, then stopped at Patrick's house because the porch light was on, police said. Another sibling was with them, but wasn't hurt.
Police said at least two of the boys were wearing ghoulish masks when they knocked on the door. The boys' mother and a toddler stayed in the car nearby.
Patrick emptied his AK-47, shooting at least 29 times through his front door, walls and windows after hearing the knock, Police Chief Patty Patterson said.
He told police he had been robbed and shot in the past year.
"He wasn't going to be robbed again, and he wasn't going to be shot again," Patterson said Saturday at a news conference.
The young boy was fatally shot in the head, and he was only knocking on someone's door to ask for some Halloween candy. Patrick has been charged with murder, three counts of assault and battery and one count of assault with intent to kill.
It has been rumoured that Patrick may have been suffereing from post-traumatic stress disorder after his last break in.
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Albert Milliron
Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 18:04 on November 1st, 2008
amyjudd, this is a tragic story, the man has some serious problems if he is emptying a full magazine through his door.
at 22:38 on November 2nd, 2008
I couldn't even believe it when my husband read this story to me. I have children of my own and i cant imagine what I would have done to this man had that been my child. I dont feel there is even a right punishment. IMO prison isnt enough. Its very tragic.
at 12:03 on November 8th, 2008
Amy, This was shocking. It was sad to hear that a child in our area was killed in this manner. Our church, to minimize issues for Trick or Treaters offers a fall festival so children can come and get candy, play games, and dress up. Many in the community take advantage of this.
In this case, the family had just come from a similar function, but chose to visit a couple of houses as well. My recommendation is for community centers and churches to provide an alternative to door to door visitation on Halloween.
This guy thought he was being robbed as he had something like 6500 dollars in cash and other guns in the house.
I saw him appear in court crying. He has changed this family for ever.