The family of a 16-year-old young man who was fatally shot while attempting to rob a clothing store last Monday near Dayton, Ohio, are blaming the company the teen was keeping for his death.
Isiah Haggins Jr. had acquired some new friends over the past month or so that family members immediately became worried about.
“There was something about him and the other boy that he was with that did not sit well with me,” said Carrie Gober, the teen’s grandmother to WDTN. “Isiah just met these guys only 3 weeks ago at the most.”
It was these suspicious guys that family members believe convinced Haggins Jr. to rob a Step-N-Style, an urban clothing store.
Isiah Haggins Jr., pictured as a toddler. Family members described him as “fun-loving,” saying that he had dreams of becoming a musician. (Photo: WDTN)
Two of the boy’s uncles also came forward and testified to his character as a good, upstanding young man who just got involved with the wrong crowd.
“He wasn’t a villain. He was a good kid and kids have problems,” said Rod Brooks, one of the uncles.
“That was not my nephew,” said the other uncle, Bruce Talbott. “He was not that kind of person and I don’t want the world to think that. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. What made him do that?”
While it appears that the store owners who killed Haggins Jr. acted in self-defense, an investigation is ongoing. Meanwhile, a second suspect who was with Haggins Jr. during the robbery is still at large.
Dayton police Sgt. Paul Saunders echoed the sentiment that poor choices on who one pals around with can lead to poor results.
“(Haggins) is an example of someone who has gone down the wrong path, made some horrible decision and it’s had a horrible result,” Saunders told local media.
Play stupid games win stupid prizes
I don’t fall for that crap of hang with the wrong crowd. For one my parents always insisted to know who my friends were and always met with them before we could go any where. My parents also raised me to think for myself. Simply said, I was to ask myself before I did anything if my parents were with me would I still do whatever or would I not. If I wouldnt do something with my parents around then I shouldn’t do it. That simple question kept out of trouble as a kid. I’m so tired of parents blaming others for they’re kids actions. If he were such the good person he is made out to be then he wouldn’t have broken the law to begin with.
My mother used to say “tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are”, which is very true. I passed that on to my grandson and hopefully it gives him something to think about…
I blame the parents. When I was being raised, my parents would not have allowed me to be friends with someone they thought would be a bad influence on me. That’s called PARENTING. I was also raised to know in my heart and be convicted of my beliefs enough to know never to commit a crime like robbing a store or person. It’s a tragedy that children are not brought up better, that’s the real problem.
It is so simple and makes perfect sense! But now if you spank your child when they are bad, the parents are shamed and punished? Sounds kinda @$$ backwards to me…
It’s a truly sad thing when a young life is lost and often young people don’t understand the gravity of these situations they decide to enter into. they don’t realize that people are willing to defend what’s theirs, often times by using lethal force. By all accounts, this was a good kid who made a fatal error and lapse in judgment. I hope the family can find peace and I hope they get to the bottom of this through the legal process.