Police seize violent games in shooting investigation

Police seize violent games in shooting investigation

Acting on advice of Jack Thompson, sheriff's deputies search home of suspected Louisiana killer and confiscate M-rated games.

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot

Posted Jun 5, 2006 10:06 am PT

Last week, sheriff's deputies conducting an investigation into the murder of a 55-year-old Louisiana man seized a number of games rated M for Mature from the home of a 16-year-old suspect, according to a report in the Baton Rouge paper The Advocate. The action was taken at the suggestion of controversial Florida attorney Jack Thompson.

Thompson told The Advocate that he suggested the sheriffs look for violent games in the youth's house because he felt the killings mirrored a scenario from Grand Theft Auto. The original reports indicated that the victim was beaten to death and shot in the face by the 16-year-old and a 17-year-old accomplice.

"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a video gamer," Thompson told the paper.

While the police did seize the games, it's unclear exactly what role they will play in the investigation. West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Captain Spence Dilworth told the paper, "I think it goes beyond video games, but who's to say?"

It looks like Jack Thompson is up to it again. You have to worry about a person who believes that the only reason someone will shoot someone else in the face is that they play video games or are paid to do it. I mean has this guy even taken a close look at the news over the past 20 years. Suddenly no one can murder anyone without either being linked to the mafia or video games. This is some of the most rediculous propositions that i have ever heard.

All he has so far to support his hypothesis that the games cause the kid to go and murder someone is that the games were in his house. Now if the game had been found on a shrine dedicated to it i might start to believe that this game had some effect on the kid.