Statement Analysis of Mother of Baby Shot Dead

Analysis Conclusion:  some concerning statements, but not enough sample to conclude.  Analysis is in bold type.

Update:  Police suspicious of mother:  they don't believe her.

New update:   Police arrest two teens

Let's look at the statements that caused police to be suspicious.  There is more to this story.  Someone posted that this same mother lost her 18 year old son to a stabbing a few years back.

Parents of slain baby speak out

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The baby was shot with a handgun, police say
• The mother has a gunshot wound in the leg; her baby was killed
• The shooting took place in a residential neighborhood

Brunswick, Georgia (CNN) -- The case of a 13-month-old boy shot dead in his stroller in this waterfront city in southeast Georgia left authorities groping for more leads Friday as they searched for the killer.

"Right now, we are not ruling anyone or anything out," said Todd Rhodes, a spokesman for the Brunswick Police Department.

Police have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the killer and have received more than 30 leads, he told reporters.

"We are thoroughly investigating this case and we will not, I repeat, will not leave any stone unturned," he said.

The baby was shot with a handgun, which has not been recovered, he said.

Though no one has reported seeing the shooting, several people called 911 after hearing it, he said.

"What we heard was that there were shots that went out in the area," Rhodes said.

Sherry West told reporters that the incident occurred at 9 a.m. Thursday. As she was walking home from the post office, pushing her son Antonio in a stroller, she said, she saw two boys.

"A boy approached me and told me he wanted my money, and I told him I didn't have any money," she said. "And he said, 'Give me your money or I'm going to kill you and I'm going to shoot your baby and kill your baby,' and I said, "I don't have any money and don't kill my baby.'

Note the change of language from "kill you" to "shoot" your baby and "kill" your baby.  Shooting is specific to the baby, not to the mother.  What caused this?

Is it that the shooting of the baby was fatal?

Communicative language:  "told" is strong and is expected in a robbery.  The boy "told" her and she "told" him, which is appropriate.  

Then she switches to, "I said..."  This is a change and to have "said" is not appropriate as it is softer language.  This will cause police to question if she is speaking from experiential memory. 

Note her response:

1.  I don't have any money

2.  Don't kill my baby

"And he tried to grab my purse and I tried to tell him 'I don't have any money' and then he shoved me and he shot me in the ear. It grazed my head," she said, pulling her left ear forward. "And then he shot me in the leg and I didn't feel it. It got numb. I thought it was just a BB gun because it was a small gun."

Note that the word "tried" in the past tense means to attempted and failed.  He "tried" to grab her purse indicating that he was unsuccessful. 

She then "tried" to tell him she didn't have any money.  What caused her to be unable to tell him this, when she had previously told him so?
"It grazed my head" does not specify what grazed her head.  

The sensitivity may be due to not doing more to help her child.  No parent would believe they did enough when a child dies. 

Note that the subject reports what she did not feel and again uses the pronoun "it" without specifying what got numb. 

She continued, "And then, all of a sudden, he walked over and he shot my baby in the face."

Note "all of the sudden" jumps in time.

Note "walked"; we would not think that he was sitting.  This use of body posture is not expected.

Note "my baby" without the baby's name. 

West said she tried to perform CPR on her son and that the police took over when they arrived, but to no avail. "We lost him," she said.

During the incident, the smaller of the two boys was hiding behind the larger one, she said. "I don't know whether it was his brother or a friend."

People should tell us what they do know.  Was she asked about who the other one was?  Why the need to speculate whether it was a brother or a friend?  What difference would it make?

West said she hopes the boys will receive the maximum sentence possible. "If they can use a gun like an adult, then they can be charged like an adult," she said. "I want to see lethal injection or at least life in prison. This child did nothing to him. He was innocent and helpless."

Note that "this child" uses the word "child", which is associated with risk, child abuse, etc. 

. Note that the child was "helpless", that is, without help.  Is the mother saying she did not help the child? 
*this could be guilt for not having done more to save the baby. 

Note that the child's name is not used. This is not expected. 

She described the shooter as an African-American, skinny with "a little bit of protruding eyebrows."

She urged residents to be on the alert. "If you see anybody like that, be careful. That's what I'm saying to everybody out there because he may still be in the area."

Note that the word "because" shows the sensitivity in that she has a need to explain why people should be "careful" begging the question of why would she have the need to explain.  

There are enough indicators in her language to consider her a suspect, and not clear her at this time.  

To make a definitive conclusion, we would need more sample.  

Asked whether people in the neighborhood should fear for their safety, police spokesman Rhodes said they should be alert and report any suspicious activity. "But no, they have no reason to live in fear," he added.

Police clearly doubt the mother's account and are telling the public they do not need to be living in fear of the boy killer. 

After stating that "there is no clear motive right now," Rhodes was asked about the mother's account of having been asked for money.

The mother said that the motive was robbery but here the police say there is no clear motive. 

"That is what the mother said," Rhodes said. "We as law enforcement, we can't go off of what anyone says. We have to thoroughly investigate this case."

He does not believe the mother. 

"This is obviously just a terrible day in the city of Brunswick," Mayor Bryan Thompson told reporters Thursday, "and made even more terrible by the senseless killing of a young child -- and it appears perpetrated by children themselves."

The city's website describes Brunswick, with a population of about 15,000, as "one of the most unique, historic and visually stunning places in the world." It boasts 19th century Victorian-style homes, century-old oaks and magnolia tree-lined streets.