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After a loss, her mission

A mother whose 12-year-old son was killed in accidental shooting coproduces a gun safety video in his memory.

By JILL ANN PERRINO
Published April 15, 2006

LARGO - Imagine being told your child was killed by a gunshot.

Imagine it could have been prevented.

A new gun safety awareness video aimed at children, parents and gun owners shocks viewers into understanding the tragedy of unintentional gun accidents - and the simple steps that can be taken to prevent them.

"I wish I could go back and save my son, but I can't," said Jeanne Caroline, who coproduced the film in memory of her son Seanne, 12, who lost his life in an accidental shooting on Sept. 5, 2003. "But I can save others."

Seanne (pronounced Shawn-ee, a nickname for her son, Sean Caroline II) was accidentally shot to death by a classmate.

Titled One Reckless Moment, a Lifetime of Emptiness, the video is dedicated to "all the children we lost to guns," she said.

Gut-wrenching from beginning to end, the movie features pictures of children killed in gun accidents, a father talking about his son's death, and reenactments of Seanne's last moments, Caroline and her husband being told of his death and the actual 911 call made by the boy who shot Seanne.

"I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry," the distraught boy told dispatchers. That boy, Louis Mevec, then 14, was charged with manslaughter. He was sent to a boy's village for several months and has since moved out of state.

The boy's father, also named Louis Mevec, was convicted of culpable negligence and sentenced to nearly three years in prison. The senior Mevec left a loaded handgun under his couch, where his son found it.

The son later brought Seanne, a Largo Middle School seventh-grader, and some other boys to the home. He pulled out and unloaded the gun, but didn't realize one round remained in the gun. Then he pointed the gun at Seanne and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.

Seanne's last words, his mother said, were "I'm not scared. You won't really shoot me."

The video could be a powerful tool in preventing similar incidents, if Friday's screening at Largo City Hall is any indication.

"It really hit home," said Dana Ruffner, red-eyed after the film. "You don't think you're at risk, but that could have been my kid."

Ruffner's son, Nicholas, was a friend of Seanne's and played the role of Seanne's shooter in the film, so she's no stranger to Seanne's tragedy or to gun safety issues.

"A $2 gun lock could have saved these kids," she said. "That blows me away."

Freelance videographer Eammon Kneeshaw, who works for several local news organizations, including the Times, produced, edited and narrated the 20-minute video - without pay.

"Jeanne won me over," Kneeshaw said, explaining why he was willing to put in over 200 hours in editing alone. "We have a product that has the ability to save lives."

To that end, the video clearly lists things kids, parents and gun owners can do to prevent more children from suffering gun tragedies. Plans are under way to have it shown as a teaching tool in classrooms, on local access cable stations and to whoever needs to hear the message.

Still, it can be hard to watch.

In the video, Jim Wallace of Citrus County tells of his sorrow over his 13-year-old son Jay's death in 2004 - and his own role in the tragedy.

"I left my gun unlocked," he said.

Gun-shot survivor Kristina Nielsen, 16, was just hanging out with a bunch of kids when she was accidentally shot in January in Palm Harbor.

"I didn't do anything wrong," the Clearwater High School student said.

And Sean's dad, also called Sean, shares the heartbreak of losing his only child.

"All I have left is a bottle of ashes, and... some memories," he said.

[Last modified April 15, 2006, 00:51:15]