Today, Brandon McInerney, who admitted to executing Lawrence King three years ago, will spend the majority of the next 21 years in state prison. Lawrence King, who was openly gay, was shot 2 times in the head, execution-style by McInerney, who was 14 at the time. Fourteen. King was 15 at the time of his death.
McInerney, who is straight, hit a breaking point after King had allegedly hit on him and a couple other straight boys. So, instead of confronting King about this, telling him that you disapproved of his advances and wanted him to stop, you aimed a gun at his head and pulled the trigger. Twice.
This is a tragedy for all parties. It goes without saying that life will never be the same for the family and friends of Lawrence King. His life was snuffed out after only 15 years. Intolerance. Hatred. Lack of understanding. At the same time, Brandon McInerney's family also lost their son on that day. He will spend a good part of his early adulthood in a prison cell. When he returns to society, he will not be the same person. So, in effect, two young lives ended that day.
I'm not suggesting sympathy for Brandon by any stretch of the imagination. He most certainly deserved to be punished severely for the crime he committed. Zero tolerance. What I am suggesting, however, is something I've been saying all along. The real issue is with the adults in Brandon's life when he was 14 years old. Where did he learn to hate at that level? Or, at all!!?? Where were the school administrators when this tension was intensifying? Where was the intervention? Where on Earth did 14-year-old Brandon McInerney get a loaded gun from? Sadly, if these simple questions could've been answered 3 years ago, Lawrence King would be in college right now. And, Brandon McInerney wouldn't be heading off to a world unlike anything he's ever known.
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