Children Hang Kitten After Playing GTA

[Steven Tyler]

Young Boys Hang Kitten with Game Controller Cord After Playing GTA | GamePolitics

2 boys use video game controller wire to hang kitten | PET & ANIMAL NEWS | Local Breaking News from AZFAMILY.COM & KTVK 3TV - Arizona's Family

It's so over-the-top awful that it almost sounds like a parody headline, but that's the report on AZfamily.com.

Apparently a pair of unsupervised boys, six and seven years-old, stoned a kitten and then strung it up following a Grand Theft Auto session. They reportedly used the controller cable in lieu of a rope.

The incident occurred in late October in Mesa, Arizona, but details are just beginning to emerge. Here's more from the AZfamily.com coverage:

The investigation began [when] deputies went to the neighborhood of one of the two boys... and found the kitten hanging by its neck from a backyard tree. The boys had apparently used a wire from the video game controller they were playing, Grand Theft Auto, to hoist up the kitten. The animal's head had been injured by blows from a rock.

[Maricopa County Sheriff Joe] Arpaio questions why these young children were allowed to play such a violent video game.

“This game allows players to kill cops and rape women,” Arpaio says. “It’s little wonder why they perpetrated such violence against that little animal.”

MESA -- Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies and the Sheriff's Animal Crimes Unit have concluded an investigation of two boys, six and seven years old, living in an East Mesa trailer park who admit to stoning and later hanging to death a four month old kitten.

heriff Joe Arpaio says the boys are too young to be charged with animal cruelty and apparently will not be getting help from Child Protective Services.

Deputies say that language and cultural differences made it difficult to persuade both boys’ parents of the urgent need for counseling but ultimately they have agreed to perhaps seek counseling for the boys.

The investigation began with a call to the Sheriff's Office on October 23, 2008 from a neighbor who found a dead cat. Deputies went to the neighborhood of one of the two boys in the 9000 block of Apache Trail in Mesa and found the kitten hanging by its neck from a backyard tree.

The boys had apparently used a wire from the video game controller they were playing, Grand Theft Auto, to hoist up the kitten. The animal's head had been injured by blows from a rock.

Arpaio questions why these young children were allowed to play such a violent video game.

“This game allows players to kill cops and rape women,” Arpaio says. “It’s little wonder why they perpetrated such violence against that little animal.”

The boys will avoid criminal prosecution as state law prohibits charging anyone under the age of eight (8) with a crime. Child Protective Services were contacted by the Sheriff’s deputies but declined getting involved in the case saying the circumstances of the case were outside the criteria required to help the boys and their families.

Arpaio says the Sheriff’s Office child forensic specialist, trained to properly question children, was asked into the case to conduct an interview with the two boys in the presence of their parents.

“The kind of psychological care these boys need to avoid any further acts of violence against animals or people will be very expensive,” Arpaio says. “Both families are likely to be greatly burdened by the medical help required.” Further complicating the family situation is the fact that the mother of the seven-year-old boy is an illegal alien.

The Sheriff is hopeful someone in the counseling community will come forward to offer their services on a volunteer basis. The Sheriff’s deputies have contacted ASU where a new program has begun which specializes in these kinds of cases.

“This level of animal abuse at such a young age could be a predictor of worse violence in the future,” Arpaio says. “Though it is a little unusual for us to get involved in this way, we’re doing whatever we can to find the guidance these two boys need to avoid that.”

Any qualified child counselor who might consider volunteering their services in this case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s case investigator at 602- ***-****

This is just horrible, no seriously. Is this the effects of violent video games on children? I mean, I am not shock that children would act out in such a violent matter on an animal who couldn't even defend itself.

This holiday season, be careful what games you buy for young children. We can not allow children to get their hands on violent video games. You read the effect on violent video games now.

[Dr. Tarrasque]

Watch PETA use this along with Cooking Mama to attack video games.

Edited December 6, 2008 by Boo

[Nightmare]

Holy crap. That is just...terrible. Stupid and terrible.

Why did I never do any of these things when I was a kid? :/

[Kiba]

where these fuckers I want to KILL THEM!!!!!!!

[Steven Tyler]

Watch PETA use this along with Cooking Mama to attack video games.

Yeah. I mean, it's bad enough they used Cooking Mama's images to promote they failed mission, but dammit, you know now they're gonna hop on the "Blame Video Games" bandwagon.

Another thing, who the FUCK allows their children to play GTA? And who the FUCK would leave children alone?!

[Metal Rabbit]

This is oddly similar to that other incident in Canada that was posted here a while ago.

[Steven Tyler]

This is oddly similar to that other incident in Canada that was posted here a while ago.

About the microwaved cat and the boys breaking into people houses? Yes, this is similar. And yet again, the American Parents played their favorite game: "Finger Pointing!"

[Ϲharlie]

This is what happens when parents don't do their job.

[Not Changed by VASM :(]

^That, who the hell let's their kids play GTA, it has a fuckign felony in the title.

Anyway....

WHAT THE FUCK.

As bad as I feel for this cat, this is not goign to be good for games....

I also don't see the need to bring up GTA 10,000 times in the article.

I mean, it's like taking a serial killer then finding out that once he played GTA for five minutes then sayign video games are the cause of serial killing.

I mean my god, you have to be a sick twisted bastard to do things like this, and playing video games, wether it's "Bang the hoes" or fucking "Wii innovate" it has nothing to do with it.

Edited December 6, 2008 by Toa Lord Meowth

[Dr. Tarrasque]

This is what happens when parents don't do their job.

Actually, when parents don't do their job, they get fired and end up being a lazy bum or looking for another job XD.

Parents like to blame anything but themselves.

People like to blame parents.

Don't get me wrong, good parenting definitely helps preventing this sort of shit but instantly blaming the parents isn't too different from the parents blaming anything but themselves. Kids aren't all that innocent.

[Rei]

Though this article doesn't make sense with the controller.

The boys had apparently used a wire from the video game controller they were playing, Grand Theft Auto, to hoist up the kitten

Uh... Grand Theft Auto is in the form of a disc... If anything it's the wire from the controller to the GAME system. But they automatically point to Grand Theft Auto. I don't agree with parents letting children ESPECIALLY THIS YOUNG play games like GTA (I would say highschool+ for M Games). The reason may have not been GTA, hell, the controller could have been the only "rope" they could have found.

I didn't read the links, cause TL;DR, but I don't see how it can be automatically linked to the game. Like, the kitten could have been really pissing off the 7 and 8 year old, and that may have been the reason. Though, the reaction of killing the animal may have been a result to being exposed to things such as GTA.

[Knife]

Things like this are usually caused by other factors, not only GTA. I would actually be fine if my kids play GTA, as long as they don't behave weird.

[Chalis]

ESRB apparently means nothing to useless parents leaving their kids unsupervised. Christ, it was just a game and those are kids who have yet to know true fear.

Blaming everything on 'violent video games' never works because there are way too many factors. I swear, this and what PETA did to Cooking Mama is just jumping the gun.

[Rei]

Well, the kids at my work are introduced to some pretty violent things, and they play pretend guns, and other things. Oh, and they're like 4 years old. And they say some pretty weird things, but I let it go most of the time since it's like when kids used to play cowboys and Indians. Though some of the older kids do say some stuff I don't want to be hearing, especially from a grade-school kid. Of course, these kids have rich parents and probably do play several M games, but it's not my domain to tell them what they can and can't play at home. If the child is mature enough then I wouldn't mind as much, however, most children aren't mature to not change their behavior that was from a show, a movie, or a game. Parents tend to trust their children a little too much in my honest opinion. But anyway, to get back on topic, yes, this could have been several other factors to lead to the children taking the life of a kitten. It just sounds like the blame game to me, unless the kids admitted to the game being the cause, which isn't likely at all.

[Ercdouken]

That is terrible! :o Poor kitten :(

[uguu]

Little kids think doing what they see others do is ok unless they have good parenting. But even then...

What kind of retarded parents would let them play G T Fucking A? Jesus godhell. That's just stupid.

And psychological help my ass. Just get GTA away from them and give them Pokémon dammit.

Just because I'm saying it's the video game's fault doesn't mean that I'm saying all video games are bad btw. 9-12 year olds normally aren't like little kids, and teenagers are fucking cunts either way. But seriously, it's like these parents are buying this shit JUST to get video games banned.

[CGV]

Those bastards hung a kitten! Fuck them!

[Raven]

I believe I was about 8 when I had absolutely nagged my mother to buy me the original GTA. The difference between me and these kids however, is that I knew right from wrong. I knew that I won't let the game influence me into doing things. On that note, my language did get slightly more colourful, but I'd never considered killing an animal, or anything of the like. Those kids are mentally fucked in the head, to put it bluntly.

Edited December 6, 2008 by Raven

[Cynthia]

I didn't read anything in that post that suggests the children blamed it on the game, or said they were imitating the game, but maybe it's in the articles, although I doubt it.

Anyway, if parents can't teach their kids the difference between reality, and a video game, then it's the parents fault. I was playing M rated games at age 8, and I feel no desire to go killing, raping, or abusing things, or committing any other crimes.

It's the parents fault for buying them the game, and not looking at the rating, and it's also their fault for not teaching them that reality is different from a game. That's just saying if it was related to the game, there IS the possibility that the hanging of said cat had NOTHING to do with the game. The fact they played it before hand could be coincidence, and we have no record of these kids behavior prior to the incident. To simply blame the video game and call it a day like the police are doing is called being lazy, and letting the parents off easy.

The parents need to take more responsibility, and the kids obviously need professional help.

Apparently our world needs someone to tell them what is reality, and what isn't anymore. We've gotten to the point where people are mistaking fiction for truth. What's next? Someone claims someone hurt them with a magical spell and blame Harry Potter?

Edited December 6, 2008 by Cynthia

[Rehab]

More bad parenting decisions related to video games whooooooooooooo baby

[Steven Tyler]

pparently our world needs someone to tell them what is reality, and what isn't anymore. We've gotten to the point where people are mistaking fiction for truth. What's next? Someone claims someone hurt them with a magical spell and blame Harry Potter?

Where were you ten years ago? They claim that children was trying to perform magic spells because of Harry Potter when the first book came out, amoung other things like Satanic worship.

You must remember this is the media we're dealing with. The media just throw in "video games" and "GTA" just for the attention and bonus effect. They know what parents want to hear. They know parents think that video games are the tools of the devil. What better way than to play on those parent's blinded eyes?

[Herr Wozzeck]

Honestly, I don't remember any scenes in any games that involved animal cruelty at all. This chalks up to parents being retarded and leaving children to their own devices.

And seriously, these kids need counseling; I was absolutely horrified when I accidentally crushed a lizard at 8 years old (and back then, I was super afraid of those things), so to be able to hang a kitten at 6 and 7 and not feel anything is an instant signal that somebody needs to do a better job parenting their children.

[Rei]

Honestly, I don't remember any scenes in any games that involved animal cruelty at all. This chalks up to parents being retarded and leaving children to their own devices.

And seriously, these kids need counseling; I was absolutely horrified when I accidentally crushed a lizard at 8 years old (and back then, I was super afraid of those things), so to be able to hang a kitten at 6 and 7 and not feel anything is an instant signal that somebody needs to do a better job parenting their children.

No, they're probably basing things off of the violent nature of the game, which they think doing all of this killing would be fun. That's what the people blaming GTA are probably thinking.

[Steven Tyler]

No, they're probably basing things off of the violent nature of the game, which they think doing all of this killing would be fun. That's what the people blaming GTA are probably thinking.

More than likely, yeah, they're bashing off the violence of the game. Remember, this IS the media we're dealing with.

[Not Changed by VASM :(]

This calls for a Macro.

But in all seriousness, it seems as if the media will take any opportunity to blame a terrible crime on "Satan Theft Auto" or "Satan Park" or "Anyone who isn't whiter then Weird Al"

It's like they do everything they can to scare the shit out of us with stuff that we shouldn't be afraid of.

EDIT: Also, am I the only one that thinks animal abuse is less GTA related and more related to Pokemonz?

Edited December 6, 2008 by Toa Lord Meowth