Brooklyn teen killed over an iPod

We try hard not to buy into all the hysteria over iPod thefts and mugging, but this is just completely and totally tragic: police in NYC have arrested two Brooklyn teens suspected of killing a 15-year-old boy while attempting to steal his friend's iPod. Apparently the two suspects were part of a group that approached the boys and demanded the iPod; the boys refused and there was some sort of scuffle that resulted in Christopher Rose being stabbed in the heart twice.

[acura @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

THATS REALLY SAD :(

[acura @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

THATS REALLY SAD :(

[acura @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

the white color of the headphone might have play a hand in this...

[OPIIIEEE @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

wow, this is terrible. It is one of those things that makes u step back and look at your own life 2 realize how lucky u are....Rest In Peace Chris, Rest In Peace

[Daryl @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

im sure if the kid had any other type of device, lets say PSP, or even pulled out his wallet he would have been killed also. The teens that did that probably didnt care what type of device he had. They just wanted to take it from him.

This is sad, very sad, but just because it was an ipod that triggered his death it is making news, which is even sadder.

[Sara @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

iMurder.

[Jackdaniels @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

This kind of thing used to happen all the time with Air Jordan shoes. It still does from what I can tell, though ipods seem to be getting all the press now.

These scumbags will never go away, you just have to be very aware of your surroundings when walking around with your things.

[Ste @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

iMurder?? Why u say tht, is it supposed 2 sound evil, cos it does to me

[Noonas @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

In a university in Gothenburg, Sweden where there is a Media subject beigh taught. Students are being told not to show their laptops and other tools they use to study and to keep pda's and phones conceild since there are people waiting around the corner to rob them knowing that they probably will have expesive toys on them.

[JC Lopez @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

From Bolivia, my deepest condolences to Chris' family.

[semi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

thats just sick,

hope the whole group of thugs are put behind bars,

[Diggiti @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Every summer people get killed in New York for the HOTTEST NEW ITEM. I remember it was Cazal Glasses ($100) British Walker Shoes ($75)
I hate this city

[Spectre @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I protect my iPod with my i45... I will gladly pass on a few to the soon to be deceased mugger compliments of my Heckler & Koch USPf :)

"Say hello to my little freinds...."

[Alexander @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

This is why all citizens should be required by law to take self-defence classes, or to take gun safety and training. Albeit, a gun is only useful when you have it pointed at someone... Its still a good deterrent to crime. Ohio (where I live) just passed a concealed weapon law, where it is legal to carry firearms around with you provided you pass a test and take some time out at the range. Just think: If you went in to rob a bank, and there was 10 people in the bank. Just think if 5 of them had a gun. One vs Five? That's not including the tellers, or security that's supposed to be there anyway. I'm not saying this would have helped in this situation (the kid was 15--too young to be carrying a gun.) but I think it would deter a lot of the small-time crimes from happening.

"If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will carry guns."

If everyone is armed--and trained--then the criminals will have to step up their stuff as well. But we have an advantage over the criminals: There stupid, we are not. We also have numbers, and the law on our side.

[Kcrockett @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I hate to say this but it seems we are only hearing about this stuff from NYC. I havn't seen any other news about muggings and murders or anything like that anywhere else involving iPods.

[Christopher Bridge @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Only NYC?
here's a few tales on bbc news:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4583327.stm

Tip: Replace the white ear buds with some less flashy looking ones.

[Jon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I don't know what is the bigger crime.

The fact that juvenile delinquints would feel it necessary to steal an ipod - a device which I totally think is the worst cult icon since the Iron Cross, or, the fact that these pieces of shit cost upwards of $200 which pretty much keeps people in lower income brackets from being able to afford them.

And another thing, I remember a while back when a crime happened involving Ipods and Engadget reported on it pondering when a person would actually get killed over one.

I think it is dispicable for journalists, bloggers and the news media to use this as a high profile marketing campaign for Apple.
Hopefully, these dumbass parents will be smart enough to take a look at this situation and keep their children clear from Ipods.

I work in Best Buy as Store Manager and it really upsets me how well Ipods sell, how much crime is related to them and how dependant on them the cult followers have become.

[Jon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

IPOD theft occurs anyplace IPODS are sold.

Firstly, they cost so much that they make an excellent Item to steal and sell on Ebay. Thats why most major retailers, including my BEST BUY chain have so much trouble with internal theft related to these damn things. all someone has to do is steal one box of IPOD MINI 6GB and we just lost over $2000.

Secondly, joggers, train riders, bus riders and random pedestrians are a target of Ipod theft in major cities. Ipods have surpassed even CELL PHONES in relation to thefts and muggings. Someone getting killed for one was only a matter of time. I'm suprised people haven't been getting clipped for their PSP's except for the fact that you carry an IPOD on you a larger amount of time than a PSP.

Don't forget that in the past people have been killed for sneakers, watches, jewelry, and even for reckless eye balling.

The problem here is the sickness within mankind.

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Wow...leave it to some asshole to make a political issue out of someone else's misery. I don't see how a 15 year old should be carrying a concealed weapon, but that isn't the point.

This stuff happens everywhere I'm sure, it just goes to show you that you need be more careful, less carefree, and stop advertising your possessions to potential thefts.

[mini-me @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

It's sad that this happened, but I don't get it.
I saw it on the TV news yesterday and everyone with an iPod (or cellphone) parades it around on their belt, strap or arm (with the use of an armband).

Why don't people conceal their gadgets? They are just begging for them to be stolen! If you are getting a gadget as a fashion statement -- well then you are just asking for it parading it around!

Maybe it's just my background - when travelling on public buses I always keep my wallet and gadgets out of sight, out of reach after my grandfather's wallet was stolen.

[Calibur @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

My condolences to the family.

On another note, it is really discouraging that we as gadget lovers love to use our gadgets and have to fear or not use them for their purposes of portability or convienience. I know it is the way the world goes now a days but its really sad and something needs to be done. I live in NYC and i think it is highly stereo typed. It is one of, if not the most famous city in the world. These terrible things happen all over the world and NYC gets the wrap because of its popularity. I just don't want a city i love to be made the epitomy of crime. You get your news mostly from a media focused on popular stories and what sells which is primarily in big cities. Well I just wanted to drop my 2 cents in. Take care all, i appreciate your time :-)

[jc @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

It makes me very sad to see people die for no reason.

No piece of gadget/material possesion is worth dying for.

Peace Christopher.

[Phantom Bantam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

a kid was just shot and killed in providence (14 years old) over $10 in broad datlight.

[r3mixer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

well ipod mugging isnt only in the NYC also out here in california. And its the niggers that are taking them. (when i say the n word i mean the black people that go around acting like thugs, and go around stealing things cuz they cant afford it.)this is not acceptable because it gives hard working black people like myself the bad names and the hate people have for black people. once these "thugs" tried to jack my psp.... luckily i had my friends there to back me up we ended up fighting and my psp hit the concrete. but luckiy the handstrap loop only broke and some scratches on the back. this was on the last day to so i couldnt go back the next day and fight again. well its just sad how much people will do just to get a electronic device. you can always wait to buy something but you cant buy life back.

[narco @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Yes, this happens everywhere and with anything, as people have already stated above. I don't think the city should require self-deffense classes -- that's up to the person to do. I realize the government should be looking out for us, but that doesn't mean everyone should depend on them.

This stuff happens all the time; it took a gadget site and a popular music player for people to feel sorry for this one kid.

Fishes,
narco.

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

In other news.. a crackhead is gunned down in Compton, California for a cheeseburger.

Apple had no comment.

Welcome to the United States of America. Seriously... this is not an iPod story, it's a North America story.

[Man @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I live close to where this happened, the victim was holding the ipod in his hand, he was not from NYC, he tried to find a bag for it but couldn't.
His killers were 10-15 gang members strong. Those gangs made famous by wearing colors were the ones who did this.
Everyone knew that he was killed less for the ipod and more because he was not from the neighborhood and didn't "pay respect" to these low-life gangs.
The victim's mom said "...if he didn't have an ipod the would grab his sneakers or a bag of soda, they just wanted to hurt my son & his freinds".

[Kodiak @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

#18 glad to see the trolls are still awake.

Theft will always happen to things other than iPods as well, so get over yourself.

[Amy Rose @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I got cheap headphones, have a hoodie with a zipable pocket, and don't pull it out to change the song- I know the keys and just do it in my pocket. It's that simple- i've never been robbed.

My condolences to the family.

[Zell @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

This is so tragic. I have a friend here in NYC as well who was lucky. He at least walked away only bloody and bruised after two guys took his iPod and cell phone.

I've heard stories of people snatching them and bolting through the closing doors of a subway car. I usually keep my iPod in a zippered compartment inside my bag and use the remote. At least it's a bit harder for someone to just grab 'n go.

Really a shame that often you can't use your gadgets without fear.

[tripoddeathrays @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I've heard people losing fingers, arms and yeah lives too. And for something worth less than an iPod. When you feel your life is threatened, it may be best to just give up the goods instead of fighting, and its probably wise to ask a local about what or where to avoid if you just arrived to a new place...

[oneighturbo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

"There were like 15 or 20 of them...." this is just sad. complete cowards having to gang up on these kids.

"The suspects then took the iPod, Kenneth's cellphone and Christopher's sneakers before running off."

they even took the kids shoes after stabbing him. WTF!!!!!!!!!

$80 gazillion spent on war and we have these type of actions going on in our own country and of all places this happens in NY.

This is really sad when the children of today resort to this behavior over a superficial icon of todays culture. They need the $ help!

I wonder if Apple will step up in anyway for the family..?

[Dawn @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

When did it come to teenagers killing over iPods? It's absolutely sick.

[J-ay @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

R.I.P chris

[knayte @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

"Seriously... this is not an iPod story, it's a North America story."

Um...baloney.

I live in Frankfurt, Germany, and kids get robbed here all the time for iPods and other electronics. A friend of my younger brother had his nose broken over a Gameboy.

Sure, the white earbuds hanging out of your head make you an easy target, which sucks. I can't even go on a jog or take the train alone with my iPod. Which means if I want to leave the house with it, I have to be with a group of people (which is pointless) or I have to stay inside, where I rarely listen to it.

Granted, nobody has been murdered here for one, and I think that's because most Germans won't put up a fight with an attacker. Maybe that's for the best; what's the point of getting seriously injured over an iPod? In this case, crime seems to be paying...big.

[Stuart Pomerantz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Saddest part is how hard the parents tried to protect their kid from this by sending him to school in PA at great hardship to themselves. One exception, so they could go the wedding... and their kid got iced. Reminds me of that scene in Boyz in the Hood. Tragic - maybe if the parents hadn't cloistered him away in PA, he would have had the streetsmarts to survive. On the other hand, maybe he only lived that long because what his parents did. Just bad luck.
Gang dynamics create such sick behavior - one-on-crime is usually fueled by drugs, but this is just horrible human nature at work.

[tpp @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

#33, the kid was killed by a group of 10 - 15 gang members. It was a gang killing, not an iPod killing. He just happened to be carrying an iPod.

He would've been stabbed no matter what he was carrying, if it wasn't electronics, it would've been his sneakers, or his jacket. Or maybe they would've killed him just for sport to brag about within the gang.

And that's no baloney. Read the story.

[chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

"This is why all citizens should be required by law to take self-defence classes, or to take gun safety and training" - #15, Alexander

I think you are COMPLETELY wrong about this. In my mind there would be nothing worse than having a thief come into a bank with a gun and 5 people pull out their own concealed weapons. This can only lead to bloodshed and useless killing. The stance you're taking essentially is one that condemns even the pettiest thief to death except in the most ideal of circumstances, which I can assure you would generally not occur.

In any case, I would say this isn't the place to bring up your own personal political beliefs... something I'm now guilty of too, but I can try to excuse myself because someone else did it first. I feel terrible that this happened, and the loss of innocent (or guilty) life saddens me. Hopefully publicity will decrease gang-related violence, maybe.

[IK-47 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

To all iPod - PSP - Zen owners:

THE HEADPHONES THAT COME WITH A PRODUCT ARE CRAP, AND CAN LEAD TO YOU GETTING MUGGED!

Don't be penny-wise / dollar-foolish. invest at least $30 on some non-white headphones of your choice.

Peace,
IK-47.

[Martin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

This is truly sad. I think people should lobby Apple to get them to develop some anti-theft device for the iPods. For example, having some included device that must be used with the iPod to unlock it for every 24/48 hours in order to continue to make it operational. Similar to a car stereo device but obviously removable so it can't be taken with the user. Hopefully that would deter people from trying to steal these devices.

[sharedferret @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

This is terrible.

I'm using a $10 pair of Panasonic earbuds with my iPod, they sound pretty good and are a lot more comfortable than the stock iPod earbuds.

[Ralph @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

This stuff happens because of the damned television media. They hype the dumbest things so much that they become more than what they are. They are the creators of panic and all the problems that exist in the world today. Turn off the nightly news and read a paper where you can selectively read the articles you think are important.

[joe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

the people who did this should be gutted and burned

R.I.P. chris

[chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

and now we are going to have the 'smart ones' who will blame it on the fact that it was the ipod, and not any other electronic.

[arpad @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

#15 - you're absolutely right. Even though Germany is fun as hell and the crime rate is ridiculously low here, there have been a few times when I wished I had my s&w 360 or at least my kahr pm9.

"An armed society is a polite society."
-Robert A. Heinlein

[stoner @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

R.I.P. chris. Too bad your death will bring no change.

[Topmounter @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

What a bunch of losers some of you are trying to blame an Ipod for this kid's death.

Read up, this is not unique to the Ipod.

Pitiful.

[hussein @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

My heart sincerely goes out to the family and friends of little Christopher Rose. This is what has happened to today's society and youth that they have to resort to MURDERING another person just so that they can get to their beongings. I have to confess, that i carry my iPod around on my arm albeit with an armband but after todays article i am going to have to re-evaluate how much i value my life over some piece of consumer electronics. It is not that i live in an area which is crime laden, but i will give it much more thought. and the parents of the criminals, what type of children have they brought up? someone answer that one!

[Jaime @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Thats terrible....That really sucks that this happened to him...

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

from what I read the iPod wasn't even his, but one of his friends

if the other kid would of were better earphones, it might of not happen, but I doubt it