http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2010/08/young_female_murder_suspect_ca.htmlThe 14-year-old girl charged with fatally shooting a man during a robbery attempt earlier this month fired her gun when one of the victims laughed at her because she was so young, according to police charging documents filed this morning.
Prosecutors, in seeking the young suspect be held without bail, described Arteesha Holt (left) in court papers as a "flight risk and a danger to the citizens of Baltimore." The young girl is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, using a handgun in the commission of a violent crime and several other offenses.
The victims, both the robbery victims and the murder victim, were Hispanic. I have overheard enough talk on the street to get the impression that Afroamerican-Hispanic tensions are heating up. Rivalry for employment seems to be the issue. Afroamerican unemployment rates are rising, and in a few hot-spots they are very high.
Some people are saying that the media is making it worse by making inflammatory statements. Some people say they're doing it to help Obama in the elections. I don't know, and haven't committed to an opinion. I suggest watching the situation for signs of trouble. If enough of these incidents occur and are heavily covered in the media, it could spark bigger incidents like riots.
I don't want to sound like I am blaming the victim because I am not: this is totally the perpetrator's crime. Things might have gone better for him if he had taken the gun seriously. Women are less likely to commit high-risk (to themselves) or impulsive crimes, but once one has a gun in your face, that's a good indication that she is gutsy enough and impulsive enough to pull the trigger.
