Police: Teen Shot Over Snowball Fight

CBS 3 NEWS ^ | Feb 25, 2008

[Sopater]

A Philadelphia teenager celebrating his 16th birthday is fighting for his life after a shooting over a snowball fight.

Authorities said the Feltonville teen, identified as Tavin Rutledge, was shot in the head at point-blank range while playing with neighborhood friends in the 4800 block of D Street.

Witnesses say the shooting was sparked from a casual snowball fight amongst children.

"Everyone was playing and throwing snowballs and one little boy ran and got his dad. His dad came around with a gun and shot him," said Renay Reeves, Tavin's aunt.

Police said an adult male used a gun to express anger over an errant snowball.

Family and friends celebrating Tavin's birthday heard the gunshots and ran to his side.

"We ran outside and saw Tavin laying on the step," said the victim's friend Mercedes Lebron. "When I picked him up, smoke stared coming out of his head … He still was breathing and we told him keep breathing, calm down."

Tavin was rushed to Temple University hospital where he was placed on life-support. As of Monday morning he remained in critical condition.

"He was a nice boy. He was a very cute boy. Everybody liked him, he was funny," said Reeves.

Philadelphia police detectives said they are actively searching for the gunman and are pursuing several good leads.

[Sopater]

The little kid's dad should have just given him a white-wash or something. That's how we handled "errant" snowballs. Very effective and no-one gets hurt.

[Constitution Day]

Keepin’ it real.

[meyer]

Never EVER Bring a snowball to a gun fight.

[bmwcyle]

I’m not going to say it.

[CindyDawg]

ok... you want to explain “white-wash” to us Southerners?:”)

[Rick.Donaldson]

Wow....

Unless they were trying to pummel the kid to death with ice balls....

[1rudeboy]

The kid probably should’ve thrown his snowballs at police cars, as we did on the S. Side of Chicago. Safer.

[Piquaboy]

You just wait. Someone is going to post you that you made jokes and this is serious stuff.

[wideawake]

I'm not sure what a white-wash is, but there was an older guy in my neighborhood when I was a kid who would go outside and spray kids with a hose when snowballs started hitting his house.

Having your hair and hat soaked with cold water in 40 degree weather inspires you to stop throwing snowballs and get home to dry off.

[ecomcon]

What’s a white-wash? (so.cal. native)

[Sopater]

Ususally resulted in the following condition:

[Dustbunny]

Really odd story. Wonder if there is more to it than what is in this article?

[verum ago]

whitewash.. when I was growing up it meant getting a nice bug chunk of snow in one hand (if the snow was a little damp and good for throwing), then chasing the offender down, restraining their arms your free arm, and smearing their face with the snow. Or, if the snow was too powdery, you’d chase someone down, tackle them, then half push their face in the powder with one hand and lift and smear powder on it with the other.
Reliably not too pleasant a thing to have done to you, but it does beat a hard thrown snowball to the face. Or a bullet for that matter D-:<

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Nothing in Phily surprises me. The mayor will just add this one to his “bad week” routine.

[ClearCase_guy]

I agree that it's an odd story. Here's the oddest part:

one little boy ran and got his dad.

I didn't know you could do that in Philadelphia.

[Don Corleone]

So much for the “City of Brotherly Love”

[CindyDawg]

Ah...a mud bath:’)

[verum ago]

doesn’t last as long as a mud bath, but get enough snow on their bare skin and it will sting mercilessly for a few minutes afterward.

[CindyDawg]

My grandmother saved some snowballs for my boys. She kept them in the freezer. I was a “meanie” for taking them away before the kids seriously hurt each other:’)

[Into the Vortex]

Hmmmmm. Good thing Santa wasn’t packing an UZI in his bag of goodies at that Eagles game then.

[Beelzebubba]

Really odd story. Wonder if there is more to it than what is in this article?

---

I’d have to know more details, like the ages, and other circumstances. For instance, if a 16-year-old built like Barry Bonds was throwing ice-balls at my 7-year old, I might get quite irate.

I grew up in snow country, and can report that not all snowball tossing events are love-fests.

[CindyDawg]

no kidding. We had a 100 year snow (on Christmas day) a few years ago. I hadn’t realized how cold it was. I made gloves out of socks for my grandsons but their hands still got cold.

[Squawk 8888]

A kid throwing a snowball at a cop car these days can expect to be tasered.

[1rudeboy]

I thought of that right after I hit “Post.” :)

[cake_crumb]

Good lord, I hope the poor boy survives.

[umgud]

Guns are just too easy to get and need to be banned!

[Leisler]

Why do I get the feeling that “4800 block of D Street” is not a place you want to go unless you have an up-armored HUMVEE?

[OCCASparky]

Only in KILL-a-delphia.

[Jackson57]

I assume you forgot the sarcasm tag?

[verum ago]

yeah.. if it gets truely, well, wintry, nothing short of purpose built clothing and accessories will stave off hypothermia and extremities going numb. And sometimes it's just too cold even to prevent that. I love skiing, but if not on the slopes or tossing a few snowballs, I most appreciate the beauty of snow from the other side of a window..

[Joe 6-pack]

"I grew up in snow country, and can report that not all snowball tossing events are love-fests."

Yep...I grew up in snow country as well. When properly packed with gravel and/or ice-hardened, a strongly thrown snowball would probably do at least as much damage as a baseball.

[CindyDawg]

Yeah, like did he just walk up and shoot a funny, sweet, innocent kid or did they get into it first? Was the dad threatened? The kid armed?

[cake_crumb]

Possibly not. Some adults have less self control than the average child. There was a story from last year where a man shot some kids with a shotgun for throwing snowballs at his house.

[verum ago]

yeah.. my next door neighbor taught me the hard way that an iceball can feel like a baseball hitting you.. a baseball with jagged edges. Good thing I have two older, bigger brothers :), who ‘convinced’ him that he shouldn’t do it again.

[FrdmLvr]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CindyDawg]

Some place, somewhere there is probably a politician that got “white washed” when he was a child. He is writing a bill, banning snowball fights.

[b4its2late]

So much for the “City of Brotherly Love”

A buddy of mine who is originally from Philly refers to it as the "City of Brother Shove".

[Leisler]

"His dad came around with a gun and shot him"

The article doesn't say what time this happened. Might not of been about snowballs, as much as noise.

In some 'hoods, if there is a 'daddy', de don't be like be'n woken up befo 3pm as de be got bidness late ta da night and all.'

[raygunfan]

Sounds like ‘the bruthas’ are acting like they normally do....

[Balding_Eagle]

Never EVER Bring a snowball to a gun fight.

Uh, I think in this case it's more like "Never EVER bring a gun to a snowball fight.

[dashing doofus]

Even then....wow.

[Little Ray]

After the cops and courts get done with this guy, it going to be “Don’t bring a gun to a snowball fight.”

[umgud]

I assume you forgot the sarcasm tag?

Did I really need it?

[TheThirdRuffian]

I call for a ban of snow, as there is no legitimate reason for civilians to have access to snow.

Snow is the cause of all of this.

[cinives]

Nah. In Philly people get shot when they park in a spot that someone else has shoveled out from a snowdrift.

[em2vn]

An ill thought out statement.

[EEDUDE]

“Nothing in Phily surprises me.”

Me neither.

I had an acquaintance who was shot there while standing on a sidewalk waiting for a cab.

F’ing savages in a concrete jungle.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

They had five shootings a week ago and the best the mayor could come up with was “a bad week.”

[wastedyears]

Shooter should be castrated with no anesthetic.

[meyer]

An ill thought out statement.

Perhaps...

Though I'd consider any fight in Philly to be a gun fight even if guns hadn't been drawn yet.