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April 13, 2001, Cranston RI
- Three boys, avert a potential tragedy by calling police immediately
when they found a loaded handgun near a playground.
Ryan Hyatt, age 7, his 10 year old brother Robert,
and Christopher Assanti age 9 of Cranston were exploring a creek near a
playground in their neighborhood when a submerged plastic bag in the water
caught their attention. The boys
used sticks to fish the bundle from the muddy water, hoping it might contain
video games. Opening the bag
using sticks, they knew what to do when they saw its contents , a 9 mm
semiautomatic pistol. Instantly recognizing the deadly nature of their discovery,
they dropped the sticks, letting the package sink back into the creek. They ran to a nearby house, and called the police, who responded
immediately.
Cranston police officers recovered the gun and found it was
loaded with hollow point bullets, the safety was off and the hammer was cocked.
It was reported that only thing preventing the gun from going off,
was one of the bullets had become jammed in the chamber.
Cranston and Providence police are investigating, to determine if the gun
was involved in a crime. The boys
actions earned high praise from their parents and the police.
The Hyatt boys’ mother said, “They are my special heroes.”
Mrs. Assanti agreed, saying “I never thought I had to tell them
anything like, ‘And don’t touch a gun if you find one.’”
The world would be a better and safer place if more people
had the common sense and acted as responsibly as these three young heroes, Ryan,
Robert and Christopher.
This synopsis is based on a story that appeared in the
Providence Journal Thursday, April 19, 2001
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