Sadly, in 2003, my cousins Bob and Ruth Dolan lost their 14-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, to gun violence.
Elizabeth brought home a few friends after school. Another girl and two boys. Apparently the older boy was playing around with a gun that the younger one had.
He said that he leaned over to hug Elizabeth goodbye. The gun went off and shot Elizabeth in the heart. The girl ran for help, and the two boys ran away. She was pronounced dead at University Hospital.
Eventually the boys were caught. The older boy was charged with manslaughter. He was found guilty.
In the state of Texas, where this happened, the jury decides the punishment. They decided to give him 10 years probation. The judge was not pleased.
My cousins just wanted him to live a productive life. I believe he got in trouble two or three times and spent brief time in jail.
It devastated the whole family to lose their youngest daughter.