S.F. burglary victim killed for going to police

[Blue_Tires]

Source: S.F. Chronicle

All Myron Edwards wanted was his stolen dog back. He got it - but it ended up costing him his life.

On Tuesday, San Francisco police arrested a recent parolee in the slaying of the 40-year-old Edwards. They described a tragic chain of events that ended in the recovering addict's shooting death Saturday afternoon in the Western Addition.

Those events began Feb. 4, when Edwards' apartment on Larch Way in the Plaza East public housing development was burglarized. His big-screen television and other valuables were taken. Most important for Edwards, his pit bull puppy, Foxy, was gone.

Edwards called police, then went to get some cigarettes. On the way back, he was confronted and beaten by as many as 15 suspected members of the Eddy Rock gang, apparently for having gone to authorities, investigators say.

Police evidence technicians at his apartment saw Edwards after the beating and asked him to make a police report or point out his attackers. He refused, and that might have been the end of it.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/11/BADA15RGDK.DTL

---

tragic....there has been a sharp surge in burglaries in my city as well...

[mbperrin]

1. I cannot understand why parole was granted to such a violent

criminal.

"Investigators say several witnesses saw the shooting. On Tuesday, police arrested Jonathan Brown, 23, on murder charges. Brown had been paroled from state prison Jan. 17 after serving time for a home invasion robbery in Daly City"

Here's someone who knows people are home, who knows he will have to endanger them to steal some property they own, acts on that. This is a much more dangerous and risk-taking individual than a simple burglar.

Now he's made the simple step of being willing to kill someone to actually doing so.

[slutticus]

36. You've obviously never been to the Bay Area. This is pretty standard.

[wellst0nev0ter]

38. Because He's Not A Non-violent Drug Offender (n/t)

[slackmaster]

2. Bunch of worthles hooligans

I hope the police round them all up.

[WriteDown]

3. Anything strike you as odd in this article?

Big screen TV and living in public housing?

[LostinVA]

4. How do you know it wasn't a gift, or he bought it when he had a good paying job?

WTF? Is this some kind of "Welfare Prince" remark? People on public assistance do not live high on the hog -- THAT is a myth.

[WriteDown]

7. I used to deliver pizzas to the projects....

there are a percentage that live very well. Not the majority, but a percentage. To think otherwise is foolish. I was merely remarking that it probably was not wise to have such a valuable item in that situation. I could care less how he got it.

[LostinVA]

16. I really don't think that's what you were saying

[WriteDown]

17. You can search my posts to see how I feel about robbery...

There are plenty of them. Was robbed last year. I would not want anyone to go through the same thing.

[rrneck]

20. It is unwise

to advocate not owning anything for fear of it being stolen.

[Neecy]

5. not really

The big screen tv's of the 1990's - non-HD, huge and bulky - can be had on craigslist pretty cheaply, and for a song if the jets need adjusting.

[WriteDown]

8. Of course....

And no description of what kind of bigscreen TV it was, but I was just remarking how its unwise to have any such thing in the projects.

[Blue_Tires]

6. not unheard of...

if you are willing to look around, you can find a good deal on them...

[WriteDown]

9. Please see post 8 :) nt.

[slackmaster]

10. There's a family in my neighborhood that lives in Section 8 housing and has a nice TV

Much nicer than mine. It was a gift from the single mom's sister.

I don't begrudge poor people a few creature comforts.

What DOES strike me about the whole situation is that:

1) California law gives local law enforcement officers the power to decide who does and does not deserve a concealed firearms permit, and

2) The fact that the guy was attacked by a group of 15 assailants demonstrates the folly of California's arbitrary magazine capacity limit (i.e. nobody "needs" more than 10 rounds).

An armed citizen has a chance to fight back. The city and county of San Francisco's policy on issuing weapons permits ensures that only bad guys will carry firearms for protection.

[WriteDown]

11. Good points...

I was just remarking that its not wise to have items like big screen TV's in your apt in that location. I know, I've lived in some shady places.

[slackmaster]

13. I kind of agree with you that conspicuous consumption invites theft

But that is also blaming the victim.

[WriteDown]

14. Perhaps...

I just don't want people robbed. I keep the curtains in my front room closed for similar reasons.

On a side note, this is one time where I wish that pitbull had been full grown.

edited to add thought.

[slackmaster]

15. My TV, stereo, and computer systems are not visible from the street

A person would have to climb over one or more fences to get to a point where they could be seen.

Discretion is a good thing.

[WriteDown]

18. Good thinking...

I was robbed last year and it is not a good experience. I've got an Anatolian shepherd now that will make someone think twice the next time.

[pasto76]

24. word

I have a big lab husky mix, rescued him as an young adult. We also got another lab husky mix from a shelter a year later. Im not willing to live in an armed compound. I did that in Iraq and its not fun. if someone has premeditated enough to defeat my two bruisers, then they can have it.

[ConcernedCanuk]

23. "nobody "needs" more than 10 rounds" - it's THREE rounds up here

.
.
.

shotgun, hunting rifle, .22

3 rounds max

we don't "carry" like the USA_states, guns are for target shooters, collectors and hunters -

strict storage procedures - ammunition in a different location than the guns,

guns locked up out of sight

no more guns hanging on the wall unless they are completely disabled.

But that's just us Canucks . .

[slackmaster]

31. Nobody except the highly connected elite (and criminals) carries in SF either

Most US states have objective standards for issuing permits to carry a concealed firearm. California is one of the few that do not.

Oh, and the city of SF tried to ban handguns last year. The .gov got its ass handed back on a platter (only the state can regulate firearms in Cali).

[alcibiades_mystery]

27. You mean to say that if he caps ten guys

The others are gonna keep coming?

Come on, now.

[slackmaster]

30. You have to allow for wingings, and tough ones that require double-taps

:nuke:

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. ROFL

Yeah, gangstas are running into persistent gunfire.

Tell me another one.

[1monster]

21. I've seen really nice big screen television for sale in thrift shops for as little as $350--less

than small screen televions brand new. And the televisions were in perfect working order.

[Butch350]

29. Well...what's your point???

!

[Critters2]

34. I thought this was about the poor man being killed.

Interesting that you aren't concerned about that.


Poor people with material goods only rich people should have...yeah, that's worth the death penalty.

[Wizard777]

12. The war on drugs is really worth all this? Legalize it and make these punks get real jobs!

If only because the next neighborhood these fuedal war lords take over could be yours.

[HillbillyBob]

22. I have been beaten and robbed 3 different times by drug thugs

One time the only valuable I had was a pack of cigs, the other two times it was a silver ring with turquoise and less than 20$ that is not conspicuous consumption.
Then had to live in fear because said drug thugs took up residence right out side my front door. Plus I have had 2 roomies go off on meth and coke jags and rob me, once with me ending up in jail because the bastard clobbered me with big heavy aluminium cooking pot then call the cops and say I had tried to kill him. I might now because of him i have a felony record and did 8 months. he broke my teeth,flattened my nose, cut my face that it should have had at least 20 stitches, and dislodged my Port-a-cath, when I got out of jail I had to have emergency surgery to remove it and gangrenous tissue around it.
Legalise it and fund rehab centers for coke, crack, meth and just make mj legal like cigs and booze. I have seen more violence with alcohol use.
I have never seen anyone killed over some pot, maybe over the last frito, I am sure there has been when someone stole some dealers poundage.
I now live in a house in the woods on some land, "bewarre ye robberes" for I have guns and will not hesitate. As the sheriff said , make that first shot count, cause if I come out and see that you have shot them once they were down......

[Wizard777]

33. I'm so sorry to hear that.

This wouldn't be the first time the police showed up and promptly arrested the victim. I've heard a million of those stories. I debate police corruption with cops and lawyers. The cops always fall back on the old standard. If someone is breaking into your house. Who are you going to call? I always tell them. Certainly not the cops. It's bad enough my house is being broken into. I don't need the cops showing up to arrest me as they watch the burglar walk out the door with my money, Tv, and stereo equiptment.

[L0oniX]

19. Another example of why a CWP can be a good thing.

[rrneck]

25. You can bet

everybody in that neighborhood knows what's up. If they don't have a firearm in the house, some of them will before long. If they can't get one legally, they will get one one illegally. Thus, the need for self defense results in criminalizing the behavior of people who are not criminals.

The article mentions that the victim was a recovering addict. He might have done time for it, making him ineligible for firearms ownership. They offered to move him, but perhaps that was impossible because of the way his life was structured. If he was a member of the working poor a simple thing like a broken down car or irregular child care can wreck one's entire life. A book by David Shipler is very enlightening on the subject. I'm betting he couldn't run, so he had to stand his ground and try to reason with a wild animal. And who knows what happened to the guy that killed him to make him what he was.

This country is full of people who have fallen through the cracks of our social policy. We have left them to their own devices without sufficient resources and when they fail they get it from both sides. The conservatives call them immoral godless heathens and the liberals call them violent gun toting sociopaths. It's a bloody damn shame.

[HillbillyBob]

28. You are on the right tack there, if the 1% had not stolen

all from the rest of us. If the opportunities were a bit better distributed then the desperate poverty might not be so damn bad and a lot of it has to do with racism. That is a fact, and no amount of rpig spew will change that they want to garner all of the proceeds and opportunities for themselves. There has to be a better way. I know I have lived as working poor my whole adult life, no matter what I did or how hard I worked 'for the man' said man would some how cheat me, if it was a boucing paycheck or just with held or outright stolen.
I dont give a fuck what those enabler collaborator spew about so and so working hard and getting ahead, every wealthy person I have met , their wealth came from ill gotten gains in some way, over the backs of 'lesser' people.
The rpigs keep whining about free education or health care being socialist.
Living in a society means a social contract.

[slackmaster]

32. Part of that social contract is not to burglarize, rob, assault, or murder people

:nuke:

[LanternWaste]

26. "Don't Snitch" street code is a killer...

"Don't Snitch" street code is a real killer... no honor amongst thieves, no safety for civilians.

[NashVegas]

35. Cases Like This Put Me In Favor of the Death Penalty

When it's warranted.

Killing someone for going to police to get help, when they've been victimized, works for me.

[EFerrari]

39. There's a gang that keeps trying to move onto our block to sell meth or something.

Their customers roll in and line up in the middle of the street and wait for service. There are about four of us who call the cops when we see them set up for the night in some house one of their grandparent's seem to own that is vacant most of the time. They try it about every three months or so and only stay for a night or two. If the cops catch them, they go away again.

It's frightening. We have to keep calling to deny them the territory but, one of these days, one of us is going to get shot because we were spotted walking a dog or going from a car to a doorway while they're at it.