I don't get it....

[tigerlily11]

I read this this evening with horror.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/ 6959562.stm
What on earth is happening to this country? Where did this come from or have we always been like this?
Was this sort of thing always happening, its just now we have the media reporting it more often than before?
I feel so for all the poor souls lost to this current gun and knife craze.
God help us all. ;(

[Gromit]

Well, from the reports it does not sound like mistaken identity and that this boy (or his friends) were deliberately targeted. We can only guess at possible motives, but the fact that a 14 y.o. is able to access illegal firearms is alarming.

[Kromovaracun]

It's a terrible story, but unfortunately I do think that this has always been happening, but it's just being reported by the media more (which in a way is a good thing as it inspires people to want to do more about it).

[Reverandfunk]

He probably dissed his trainers. It comes as no surprise to me, its the underclass rearing its head again and it's only going to get worse.

[amonty1144]

It is quite amazing, the government thought that gun crime would stop when they banned hand guns, strange that gun crime is actually increasing, where do they get them from?

I live in rural Scotland, I miss some amenities of the city but wouldn't go back to live there for anything.

[puddicat]

Have to make a comment here, this is just around the corner from my sister, i have been in turmoil all night at work as this young boy who was shot could have been my nephew, thank god it wasnt him, but my nephew knows him and is really devastated!, my other nephew thinks that the sods that did this were actually targeting cars in the car park and sadly that young lad got caught by a bullet, i am sure the truth will come out in the near future,abers believe me this is a affluent area of liverpool not the ghettos!its the largest private housing estate in europe!the least likely place you would think this would happen, my nephew says that he thinks that it was done by middle class louts who were bored and were trying to look hard to there peers!, my thoughts are with that lads family, who would think that a young lad coming home from football training would die in these circumstances!!!

[boojp]

Hi puddicat, if they were indeed trying to target parked cars, I feel it somehow makes it so much worse. The idea that they could view such a weapon almost as a toy and to take someone's life as a result of their actions makes my blood run cold.
I wonder really how safe the majority of our streets are , especially in light of the fact that this happened in a middle class housing estate, as you stated. It seems like this could happen almost anywhere.
How on earth did these boys get their hands on guns? How could they have had so little regard for human life? How could this unsuspecting and innocent boy who was out playing football on a lovely evening meet his end in this way? I am deeply saddened by this story and cannot imagine what it must be like for the boy's family. My thoughts go out to them.