Since the boy was so heavy the girl was suffocated. I have a feeling that if he had been watching a show or cartoon where someone was shot and got back up, that probably gave him the idea or the OK to go ahead and shoot a friend. He probably thought she would get back up and not die like she actually did that day in the hospital. Another tragic story that my mom pointed out in the newspaper was about this teen-ager who was trying a stunt seen on an MTV show and lit himself on fire, injuring himself critically. We all know that shows like this one and the World Wrestling Federation are all done with no one really getting hurt.
Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior.
Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent. It's giving them mixed signals, so the parents should monitor what kids watch on TV, in the movies or on the Internet. The level of violence nowadays is extremely high. It's really unnecessary for kids and teen-agers to be exposed to all of it. The studios are obviously not doing much about the amount of violence shown in children's shows.