US Authorities have stated that an eight year old boy has killed his Grandmother after playing GTA IV. The town of Slaughter, Louisiana, is in shock after hearing the news of the child acquiring the families gun and then proceeding to shooting the elderly woman in the head.
The woman, who was helping to look after the boy, was pronounced dead at the scene at the Country Breeze Mobile Home Park. Although no motive has been discovered by deputies in the area, they pointed out that the child had been playing video games before the shooting.
The game, which is rated “M” for mature audiences and is recommended for ages 17 and above. The Grand Theft Auto series has always been associated with violence and awards points to players for killing people. The child answered to investigators that he was playing with the gun when he shot her. But evidence has led to believe that the child intentionally shot her in the back of the head as she watched TV.
Johnnie Scott, a Neighbour, came out to say:
“Where did she have the gun? Where did he see the gun, was it in his eyesight? That’s the thought that goes through my head.”
Child psychologist Kristopher Kaliebe said access to a violent video game such as Grand Theft Auto IV may encourage aggressive behaviour. He said the following:
“From a behaviour therapy perspective, I would say that’s practising. So if you have a video game where someone shoots at a target, that’s sort of practising shooting at a target. When you have a video game that is shooting at a human being, that is practising shooting at a human being”.
The child is being looked after by his parents. The authorities are treating the shooting as a “homicide”.
The boy cannot be charged for the homicide of this murder as the Louisiana law states:
“Those who have not reached the age of 10 years are exempt from criminal responsibility.”
Seeing news like this is never nice but yet again it puts video games on the firing line. The fact that the child openly came out stating that he was ‘Playing’ with the gun was an immediate problem. Why should he have access to a gun in the house when the parents should keep it out of his reach? I think there is more to this story than meets the eye.
So what do you think of this tragic homicide? Do you think the game is to blame or the parents are to blame for letting the child playing a highly rated game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.