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Thread: Divine Chambliss (31) was shot to death possibly by his 2 year old son

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    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Divine Chambliss (31) was shot to death possibly by his 2 year old son

    A 31-year-old man was found dead and police in a Birmingham, Alabama, suburb say the man's 2-year-old son may have accidentally shot him.

    A woman told police she came home Tuesday and discovered her husband dead of a gunshot wound to the head inside their apartment, Hoover police detective Gregg Rector said.

    "I can't completely go out on a limb and say it was accidental or how he was shot, but the mother of the child called us and said she discovered him and thinks their son may have shot him," Rector said. "We don't have any indications of an intruder or any indication that the gunshot was self-inflicted."

    The man, who Rector identified as 31-year-old Divine Vaniah Chambliss, and the boy "were possibly the only two individuals who were present when the incident occurred," a police press release said.

    In an email Wednesday to CNN, Rector said: "This is not going to be a suicide and so far there is no evidence of an intruder or any other third person involved. I can't, with certainty, rule out other possibilities at this time, but this is looking more and more like a horrible, accidental shooting by a child who found a handgun in the home."

    Earlier, Rector told CNN, "The gun was owned by the victim; not sure who it was registered to."

    An autopsy will be conducted, but Rector wasn't sure when the results would be released.

    "This investigation is still in its very early stages and detectives are not completely ruling out other possibilities," the press release said.
    http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/18/us/ala...hot/index.html
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    Senior Member Queena's Avatar
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    https://m.facebook.com/divine.chambl...ne.chambliss.7

    His Facebook is pretty much locked down. He was a big guy, and I don't believe that a 2 year old did this. Someone got away with murder.

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    I think if he was shot in the leg/torso then maybe but a 2 year old shooting him in the head sounds like a bit of a stretch.

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    Senior Member Queena's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hazydaze View Post
    I think if he was shot in the leg/torso then maybe but a 2 year old shooting him in the head sounds like a bit of a stretch.
    Right! I wonder which part of the head? Did the 2 year old sneak up on him? Was he sleeping?



    I found this article, maybe the toddler did it. I feel bad for the child, what a horrific memory to live with.


    A man shot to death, likely in a tragic accident at the hands of his toddler son, loved his family and died doing one of the things he treasured most – spending time with his kids, family members said.

    The parents of 31-year-old Divine Vaniah Chambliss believe he was taking a nap with his 2-year-old son when the boy found the semi-automatic handgun and pulled the trigger. Chambliss was found dead in the bed from a single gunshot wound to the head just after 3 p.m. Tuesday in a Hoover apartment where he had been watching his son while the boy's mother was at work.

    "We've talked with the detective, we've talked with the coroner and everything is pointing to the baby,'' said the victim's father, Larry Chambliss. "I just can't comprehend it."

    Larry Chambliss and his wife, Marilyn, said they are praying their grandson won't remember what happened, but said he already knows something is amiss. "I hurt my Dad,'' the boy told his mother.

    The nightmare began to unfold Tuesday afternoon when Hoover police were called to The Cliffs at Rocky Ridge apartments just after 3 p.m. The mother of two of Chambliss' children called 911 and told police she had just returned home from work to find Chambliss dead.

    Police and medics arrived on the scene at 3:11 p.m. and found Chambliss on a bed. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 3:20 p.m.

    The toddler and his father were believed to be the only two people home when the incident occurred. The mother of Chambliss' children was at work, and their daughter was at school. There was no sign of forced entry. Chambliss lived in southwest Birmingham, but authorities said it was common for him to go to the Hoover apartment to keep the children during the day while their mother was at work.

    The Jefferson County Coroner's Office has not yet released its official ruling on the deadly shooting, but family members and police say all evidence leads them to believe it was a tragic accident.

    Hoover police on Wednesday evening released this statement: "Detectives have spent the past 24 hours collecting and analyzing evidence, interviewing numerous individuals and constructing a meticulous timeline of events. Detectives have considered every possible scenario in an attempt to determine who shot the victim. There is still no indication that an intruder or any third person was involved in this incident. Physical evidence has also helped us determine that the victim could not have shot himself. All indications at this point still lead us to believe the child found the loaded handgun and accidentally shot his father."

    "Detectives have left no stone unturned in their efforts to determine exactly what happened in this case. There's never a good scenario when it involves a tragic death but it appears that this case may represent the unthinkable,'' Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector told AL.com. "It's just an absolute horrible tragedy. Our hearts go out for Mr. Chambliss' family and friends. They're going through a rough time right now and they need prayers and support."

    Chambliss was one of seven children in his family, and the father of seven of his own children (six sons and one daughter) plus two stepchildren. His parents, siblings, and friends gathered at the family's Wenonah Road Wednesday afternoon to remember better times.

    Chambliss attended Wenonah High School where he played the drums in the high school band, and later went on to play in the band at Miles College. He and all of siblings grew up in a deeply religious home and attended Mt. Canaan Full Gospel Church. He worked for some time with the Labor Local Union 559, then had a stint as a furniture salesman at a Hoover store.

    Most recently, he was a self-employed landscaper, family said, who was active as an usher and security guard at Christ Temple Deliverance Church. "He loved life,'' said his older sister, Lakesia Chambliss Johnson. "He loved his family, and children."

    "The footsteps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." - Larry Chambliss
    They described Chambliss as funny, outgoing, and a snappy dresser. "Like his father,'' Larry Chambliss said with a small chuckle.

    He was a motorcycle enthusiast, and a member of a motorcycle club. "He called his motorcycle his baby,'' said his mother. "He loved music and he loved art. He could draw anything."

    Chambliss visited his parents every weekend. "He was coming to see his mother every Sunday after church,'' his father said. "He'd come for dinner and always ask if she had cooked banana pudding."

    "He was an inspirational person, a peacekeeper, a motivator,'' Larry Chambliss said. "I would say he was a good child."

    His family said Chambliss always had his gun with him in a side holster, even on Sundays because of his security work at the church. It wasn't something his parents encouraged or allowed growing up. "We did not let our boys play with guns or play cops and robbers, or our grandkids either,'' Larry Chambliss said. "They weren't little gunslingers."

    They said Chambliss always had his gun safety on. They can only surmise that their grandson woke up while their dad was still napping, possibly found the gun from beneath a pillow and started to play with it. "It's just 24 hours later and it's still unbelievable,'' Larry Chambliss said. "There's an emptiness, a part of me that's missing."

    "It was a bad way for him to go,'' his mother said.

    The family said they still don't understand how such a young child could fire the weapon, but other cases nationwide show it's not uncommon.

    Veronica Rutledge, 29, was shot in the head and died instantly in December after her 2-year-old son reached into her purse while in a shopping cart and got a hold of a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun during a shopping trip in Idaho. Then, in February of this year, a 3-year-old New Mexico boy found a handgun in his mother's purse and fired just one shot that wounded both his parents at an Albuquerque motel . The toddler apparently reached for an iPod but found the loaded weapon. The bullet first struck his father in the buttock and then hit the right shoulder of his mother, who is eight months pregnant, police said. His 2-year-old sister was present but unhurt.

    Just this week, a southwest Georgia woman was critically wounded after being shot in the head by her 4-year-old son. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the shooting happened Sunday night as the woman and her son were sitting in a car parked in front of their home near Douglas. The GBI says the boy found the gun, picked it up and pulled the trigger.

    "It's inconceivable to me,'' Larry Chambliss said.

    Family members said Chambliss' death is still fresh, and it hasn't totally hit them. They will, they said, rely on their faith and each other to get them through the grief. "I thank God for the 31 years I had him,'' his mother said.

    "There's a time for all of us,'' his father said. "The footsteps of a good man are ordered by the Lord."

    http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/in...elated_stories
    Last edited by Queena; 08-20-2015 at 04:03 AM.

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    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hazydaze View Post
    I think if he was shot in the leg/torso then maybe but a 2 year old shooting him in the head sounds like a bit of a stretch.
    Why? You pull a trigger, the bullet exits the gun and will travel hundreds of feet (until something stops it) in the direction the gun was pointed. Baby finds Daddy's gun on the bedside table on under a pillow, reaches for it and blam. I suspect that this isn't (kid finding gun and firing it) isn't rare at all. Most of the time, it scares the crap out of someone but no one gets hurt. We patch up the ceiling, or not, and don't talk or even think about how close our right to arm toddlers came to killing someone. It's just when we have an inconvenient body laying around and people are asking awkward questions that you rear about it.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
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    I guess it does depend on where he was at the time and where exactly he was hit. The head isn't the biggest target, that's pretty fuckin unlucky.

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    Moderator Bewitchingstorm's Avatar
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    How sad. I agree with puzzld and think it is plausible that a 2-year-old could do this...especially given the story shared about him laying in bed with his father.

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    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hazydaze View Post
    I guess it does depend on where he was at the time and where exactly he was hit. The head isn't the biggest target, that's pretty fuckin unlucky.
    Yeah. But doesn't that describe a lot of our people? Most kids don't drown in a swimming pool, or maybe one does, but 3? who the hell dies from doing CPR? Most airplanes make it to their destinations. Even most black people manage to go from home to work without getting shot by a cop. Bad luck plays a huge role in everything.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
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    Senior Member kevansvault's Avatar
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    Just exactly how hard is it to keep your guns away from your little kids? Seriously? This is equal parts saddening and infuriating. Sad because Mr. Chambliss is dead, but absolutely infuriating because it was completely unneccesary/preventable. Not to mention it's just by sheer luck that we're not talking about the death of a two year old in this thread.

    An unsecured, loaded weapon is an invitation to a child. It says "hey, I'm shiny and metal and heavy but I look cool, want to pick me up?" And that's when all the bad shit happens.
    Don't like what I have to say? I respect that. Go fuck yourself.

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    Senior Member Bellaboo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevansvault View Post
    Just exactly how hard is it to keep your guns away from your little kids? Seriously? This is equal parts saddening and infuriating. Sad because Mr. Chambliss is dead, but absolutely infuriating because it was completely unneccesary/preventable. Not to mention it's just by sheer luck that we're not talking about the death of a two year old in this thread.

    An unsecured, loaded weapon is an invitation to a child. It says "hey, I'm shiny and metal and heavy but I look cool, want to pick me up?" And that's when all the bad shit happens.
    This. Totally.

    "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves" .. Confucius
    "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation " ...... Henry David Thoreau

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    Senior Member animosity's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by songbirdsong View Post
    "Say, you know who could handle this penis? MY MOTHER."

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    Senior Member Queena's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevansvault View Post
    Just exactly how hard is it to keep your guns away from your little kids? Seriously? This is equal parts saddening and infuriating. Sad because Mr. Chambliss is dead, but absolutely infuriating because it was completely unneccesary/preventable. Not to mention it's just by sheer luck that we're not talking about the death of a two year old in this thread.

    An unsecured, loaded weapon is an invitation to a child. It says "hey, I'm shiny and metal and heavy but I look cool, want to pick me up?" And that's when all the bad shit happens.
    What you said! This is the perfect case for teaching gun safety. From what I hear, there are locks for the trigger, not to mention safes for the gun. RIP Divine, but honeychile, you should've been a more responsible gun owner.

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    Moderator bowieluva's Avatar
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    I love this story from the child murderer to the man named Divine.

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    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    I love this story from the child murderer to the man named Divine.
    Was just going to comment on that. Divine sounds like a girl's name to me.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

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    Senior Member Queena's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    Was just going to comment on that. Divine sounds like a girl's name to me.
    I wrote a long comment about the name Divine, but erased it. I'm working on my pettiness.

    I'll work on it later, his entire name is messed up. Divine Vaniah Chambliss? Not really a boy's name...the only man I've ever heard of name Divine was The Divine. RIP Divine, or rest in Divine paradise.

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    NOT SAME CAT Fleta's Avatar
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    I assumed it was a chick.

    I also make lots of assumptions about people who pack 24/7, down to having their gun under the pillow (which is STUPID STUPID STUPID, kids or not). I'm not exactly the picture of perfect safety, but I would never ever EVER be stupid enough to sleep with a fucking gun rattling around 3 inches from my head. That's why god made night stands, and mattresses for the super paranoid.

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    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Queena View Post
    I wrote a long comment about the name Divine, but erased it. I'm working on my pettiness.

    I'll work on it later, his entire name is messed up. Divine Vaniah Chambliss? Not really a boy's name...the only man I've ever heard of name Divine was The Divine. RIP Divine, or rest in Divine paradise.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

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    Moderator bowieluva's Avatar
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    I mean, it can be both

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    Bowieluva, I immediately thought of that Divine too. Lol. I think it's possible the kid did it. Look at all the stuff that kids are exposed to on t.v., movies, video games and such. Kids emulate what they see, and at his age he doesn't know right from wrong yet. Just a sad, sad, situation. Hopefully the kid won't remember, and everyone in the family will not hold it over him for his entire life.

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    Certified Grumple Bottoms Ron_NYC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by puzzld View Post
    Why? You pull a trigger, the bullet exits the gun and will travel hundreds of feet (until something stops it) in the direction the gun was pointed. Baby finds Daddy's gun on the bedside table on under a pillow, reaches for it and blam. I suspect that this isn't (kid finding gun and firing it) isn't rare at all. Most of the time, it scares the crap out of someone but no one gets hurt. We patch up the ceiling, or not, and don't talk or even think about how close our right to arm toddlers came to killing someone. It's just when we have an inconvenient body laying around and people are asking awkward questions that you rear about it.
    You people are insane.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Ron was the best part, hands down.

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    Certified Grumple Bottoms Ron_NYC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fleta View Post
    I assumed it was a chick.

    I also make lots of assumptions about people who pack 24/7, down to having their gun under the pillow (which is STUPID STUPID STUPID, kids or not). I'm not exactly the picture of perfect safety, but I would never ever EVER be stupid enough to sleep with a fucking gun rattling around 3 inches from my head. That's why god made night stands, and mattresses for the super paranoid.
    People in witness relocation aren't that paranoid. And that's not even paranoia for a parson like that, it's safety. People are literally looking for you. FUck these 24/7 nutjobs, unless it's PTSD related, and even then, fuck them if their paranoia gets someone killed.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Ron was the best part, hands down.

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