Chicago Criminal lawyer comments on the lack of criminal charges in the shooting of a kid

This Chicago Criminal lawyer recently posted here about Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Now comes news that a 13 year old won't face criminal charges for shooting an 8 year old in the face-- the victim is his sister.

January 25, Niles, Il

Niles police don't plan to charge a local boy or his parents after the boy accidentally shot his sister in the face Sunday with a gun he took from his father's business more than a week ago, authorities said.

"Was anything done with criminal intent? We didn't see that," Niles police Sgt. Tom Davis said. "There's nothing to charge the parents with because they didn't do anything, and the boy -- he didn't do it with intent to hurt his sister."

The girl is expected to be released from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge tonight, Davis said.

Authorities said the 13-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister were playing with a toy gun in the basement of their house in the 8600 block of North Oketo Avenue about 3:40 p.m. Sunday "The girl was pretending to shoot him with a cap gun," and then the boy pulled a semi-automatic pistol from his pocket and shot her, Davis said.

The parents told police they had no knowledge a gun was in the house, Davis said, adding it was later learned the boy took the gun without anyone's knowledge from his father's Chicago business on Jan. 16. The gun was properly registered, police said.

I'm surprised, although pleased, that no intent was found for a 13 year old boy with a gun. I wonder if this will be the beginning of a different approach to crimes involving juveniles.