I am writing in response to Derrick Z. Jackson’s Jan. 19 op-ed “Are all shootings equal?” I wanted to add one more witness to plead for peace. I am a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital. When I was a medical student, I took care of a 15-year-old boy who was killed from crossfire while standing on his lawn.
He was the first person I saw die. It was horrible. We did everything in our power to save him, including cutting into his chest to manually pump his heart, only to find that he had no blood left to pump.
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I agree--witnessing death is terrible; as is death to an innocent brought about by laws stripping him of the ability to CHOOSE whether he wants to protect himself effectively.
One small question--was it not possible to determine that he was bloodless before he was cut open?
I am absolutely positive the "crossfire" that occured was not the result of legal gun owners exchanging fire.
For those of you who would like to engage in the incredibly stupid argument of "if there were not guns....blah, blah, blah", keep dreaming. Guns are both an offensive and defensive weapon. In the right hands they are used to protect ourselves from criminals such as the ones who shot this innocent boy. The right hands are not always wearing a uniform when time is of the essence.
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