Instead Of Calling 911 This Teen Took A Selfie With His Dying Friend
After only six hours of deliberation, a Jeannette, Pennsylvania, teen was just found guilty of third-degree murder in the shooting death of "one of his best friends." The bizarre circumstances surrounding this case will make you start a lobby in favor of more gun control.
The New York Daily News reported that back in February 2015, 16-year olds Maxwell Morton and Ryan Mangan were playing with what they believed was an unloaded gun when Morton shot Mangan in the face. While most of us would call 911 to report the accident, Morton decided to take a picture of himself smiling next to his dying friend. An hour later, he sent the photo via Snapchat to another friend in Wisconsin he was playing games with online.
Morton's defense argued that the young man was afraid of what might happen, so he didn't call for help. When called to the stand to testify on his own behalf, Morton was tearful and showed remorse. The now 18-year old explained that they were just playing around. The clip wasn't in the gun and Morton just wanted the gun to "go click" when he pointed the gun at Mangan. "I pulled the trigger and the gun went off," he said.
When asked about taking the selfie instead of using his phone to call for help, Morton said that he knew he needed to do something. Maybe he was in shock. "Something in my head told me to take a picture of what happened," Morton said.
Morton even messaged Mangan's girlfriend Brianna Kelly: "'It's going to be rough. He was my A1. It's not going to be the same without him,'" she said.
All things considered, Morton's lawyer is pleased with the verdict. "It was a difficult case because of what he did afterwards, in terms of the selfie and all of the other stuff," said defense attorney Pat Thomassey. "I give the jury credit. I think they came to a reasonable conclusion based upon all of the evidence they saw."
While the gun was said to belong to Mangan, it should be obvious that neither of them should have been playing with it. It cost a young man his life. When will enough be enough?
