Teen Accused of Killing Friend With Bat

PALMDALE, Calif. - A 13-year-old pitcher was accused of clubbing a teenage friend to death with a baseball bat, moments after the friend apparently teased him at a concession stand following his baseball team's first loss of the season.


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Slideshow: Teased Teen Kills Friend with Baseball Bat




The teen attacker, whose name was not released, was arrested Wednesday for investigation of murder and was being held at Antelope Valley Juvenile Hall as authorities prepared to take the case to prosecutors.


He is suspected of killing Jeremy Rourke, 15, after the Tuesday night Pony League game in this desert city about 40 miles northeast of Los Angeles.


The boys had no history of fighting, said Tony Trevino, coach of the Dodgers, which had just defeated the suspect's team, the Angels, when the clubbing took place.


"That's what's so shocking and so appalling," he said. "What happened? What did we miss as a community? What did we miss as parents?"


At the playing field Wednesday night, a family friend read a statement from Rourke's parents, who urged people not to demonize their son's attacker.


He "is not a monster. He's a good boy who made a bad mistake. This is a mistake that will haunt both families for the rest of our lives," the statement said.


The suspect was the starting pitcher when his team was beaten for the first time in eight games by the Dodgers, a team that went into the game with a 1-6 record.


Deputies declined to provide further details of the attack. It occurred during a regular weekday night game that attracts both children and their parents in this community of 116,000.


Ryan Gosporra, 15, said the incident began when Rourke cut in front of the suspect in the snack bar line. Neither he nor Trevino saw the attack that occurred after the last game of the night with about 40 people at the field.


But Trevino, 50, said witnesses told him the two boys teased each other before the suspect pulled a bat from his bag and hit Rourke in the knees, then the head.


After the attack, Trevino saw the suspect standing against a fence with his parents. "He looked scared. He was in shock," the coach said.


League officials said play would be suspended at the field for several days.


"We're really in a state of shock over this whole thing," league President Ken Curtis said. Rourke's father is a past president of the league.


A memorial was held at Highland High School, where Rourke attended classes. Students shared memories, and a bundle of pink and black balloons was released in honor of Rourke.


"He's just a funny kid. He liked to make people smile," Gosporra said. "You could be in the worst mood, and he


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