Seven-Year-Old Boy Mistaken for Trespasser Dies From Gunshot Wound

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Seven-Year-Old Boy Mistaken for Trespasser Dies From Gunshot Wound
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Saturday, May 09, 2009

HOUSTON — A 7-year-old boy who was allegedly shot in the head by a couple who thought he and three other people were trespassing on their property died Saturday, authorities said.

Donald Coffey Jr. died Saturday morning at a Houston hospital, less than two days after the boy was struck in the head by shotgun pellets, Liberty County Sheriff's Cpl. Hugh Bishop said.

Sheila Muhs and her husband, Gayle Muhs, both 45, were charged with second-degree felony counts of aggravated assault in the shootings Thursday. They were being held at Liberty County Jail with bail set at $25,000 each and had not yet retained an attorney, Bishop said.

Bishop said the district attorney could upgrade the charges to murder on Monday, but investigators were "still trying to get the circumstances behind the incident."

The boy, his 5-year-old sister, their father and a family friend were off-roading near a residential area about 40 miles northeast of Houston when they were shot after stopping so the children could go to the bathroom.

Authorities said the couple fired after they mistakenly thought the group was trespassing on their property.

Bishop said the area includes a dirt road, trees and overgrown brush and that it wasn't uncommon for people to go off-roading there. The Houston Chronicle reported that a sign in front of the suspects' home reads: "Trespassers will be shot. Survivers will be reshot!! Smile I will."

Liberty County Chief Deputy Ken DeFoor said Sheila Muhs fired a 12-gauge shotgun once, then handed it to her husband, who also fired once.

DeFoor said Sheila Muhs then called 911 and told the dispatcher: "They're out here tearing up the levee, so I shot them."

DeFoor said the levee belonged to the subdivision and was not private property.

Bishop said there was no indication the unarmed victims did anything threatening toward the Muhs.

Donald Coffey Sr. suffered a pellet wound in his right shoulder and his daughter, Destiny, suffered a wound to the elbow. The family friend, 30-year-old Patrick Cammack, was in serious condition Saturday with a head wound, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center spokeswoman Alex Rodriguez said.
 
I read about this earlier and had not heard that the boy died. Theer is absolutely nothing i can say in defense of the Muhs who have become poster children for the anti-gun side.
 
These people are not poster children for the anti-gun side,,,there are just 100% wrong,.You never just shoot at people,for no reason,,,You only use deadly force when you life is in danger,,,I hope these people go to Jail for a very long time,,,,I just can not beleave they would just shoot at a group of people like that.
 
Their actions are criminal, there is no other way to put it. People like that should be charged with murder. In no way do these crazy people even begin to relate to gun-owners in general. I am disgusted and appalled at these peoples actions, chlorine in the gene pool anyone?:mad:
 
I support the right to own a gun for defense more than most, but this just proves there are many people that do not deserve that right. Maybe there should be some kind of test?

How about a short 3 question test on a gun application.

1. Are you a complete idiot?

2. Are you a complete idiot?

3. Are you a complete idiot?

They can make it a multiple choice answer.

A. Yes
B. No
C. Not sure.

They don't get the gun if they answer A or C.
 
There appears to be a couple of violations of common sense rules. 1) Be sure you know exactly what you're shooting at and 2) Is there a threat of imminent danger?

If they cannot identify whether their targets are children or not, they're not close enough. If they aren't close enough to identify, clearly a threat of imminent danger does not exist. In this case, they should have called the police first to report trespassing rather than resorting to shoot at distant unknowns.

- Ceicei
 
There appears to be a couple of violations of common sense rules. 1) Be sure you know exactly what you're shooting at and 2) Is there a threat of imminent danger?

If they cannot identify whether their targets are children or not, they're not close enough. If they aren't close enough to identify, clearly a threat of imminent danger does not exist. In this case, they should have called the police first to report trespassing rather than resorting to shoot at distant unknowns.

- Ceicei

exactly.. why would some one shoot at something they did not know what it was?? and I am sure they could not have felt like their life was in danger at that point. totally reckless discharge from a firearm.
 
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