GUNS IN THE NEWS--March 5, 2004

[MrBenchley]

As CO Liberal sez:
Please try to adhere to the following voluntary guidelines, in order that we can have an orderly discussion of gun-related news topics:
1 - Feel free to add any CURRENT stories to this thread by replying to this message. In order to be considered current, stories should have been originally posted on the Internet within the previous 24 hours, or provide follow-up to a story that was previously posted on the J/PS board. On Mondays (since many people do not log in to DU over the weekend), stories can be posted from Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.
2 - Both pro-gun and anti-gun stories, editorials, and press releases are welcome in this thread, as long as they're current. Please do not post links to items from a few years back that support your position.
3 - Bear in mind that any links to extremely right-wing sites (such as Newsmax, CNS, or the Washington Times) or intentionally pro-gun or pro-control sites (such as the NRA or the Brady Campaign) are not considered reliable sources by many DU-ers. If at all possible, try to find a link for your story from a more mainstream source, such as a general-circulation newspaper or magazine site. If you choose to use a slanted site, be prepared for any negative feedback you may receive.
4 - Do not change story titles. In other words, if the Oskosh Gazette's web site runs a story titled "Two Killed in Holdup", the title of your message should read "Two Killed in Holdup". Don't change it to "Gun Owner Kills Two People", or anything else that changes the meaning of the story.
5 - If it's not clear from the title where the story occurred, add the city, state, or country in parentheses after the title.
6 - The person adding a news story to the "GITN" thread is allowed (and encouraged) to comment on that story, indicating their position on the topic being discussed. These comments can appear either at the beginning or end of the post; if possible, place comments in a different typeface so readers can separate the comments from the story. Others who wish to comment on a posted story can do so by replying to that story; this allows other readers to follow the comments by scrolling through the subthread.
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8 - If you object to these guidelines, do everyone else a favor and go to another thread.

[MrBenchley]

1. Police Get More Clues In River Shooting (PA)

"Police hope a tip from a witness will help them find the people or person who shot at boaters on the Susquehanna River in Newberry Township Monday.
Right after the shooting, police recovered about 90 spent bullet casings from an area overlooking the river, but there was no sign of the shooter.
A witness came forward and told police he saw two men in the area and one of them appeared to be carrying a high-powered assault rifle. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040304/lo_wgal/2037226

Maybe the shooters thought those fishermen were going to make them "slaves of the government."

[Wcross]

35. Maybe they just....

Picked a bad place to target shoot? It seems that the fishermen were not a target of some attack just frightened. 90 spent shell casings and no victim?

[pnb]

38. A witness...

Appeared to be carrying a high-powered assault rifle? Some people would see a 22 revolver and consider it a high-powered assault rifle...

[FeebMaster]

40. Well you have to figure,

.22 is close to .223 right? And we all know that .223s go forever.

[MrBenchley]

48. And some people want to pretend

that nobody knows what an assault weapon is...

[pnb]

49. Do you know what one is?

Because somehow I get the feeling that if you were the witness, you'd have seen a high powered assault rifle, regardless of what was actually used.

[MrBenchley]

2. City man indicted in killing of witness, 16, in murder case (MD)

"A 28-year-old man has been indicted in the killing in July of a 16-year-old witness in a murder case that police have said was linked to several other fatal shootings last year, authorities announced yesterday.
Cedric Stancil of the 3400 block of Wabash Ave. was indicted Monday on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Edwin Boyd, 16, of East Baltimore. Stancil is being held without bail at the city jail.
Police said in charging documents that witnesses identified Stancil as the man who shot Boyd several times in the 2300 block of Oliver St. on July 9. Stancil was arrested Feb. 5. "

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/yahoo/bal-md.indict05mar05,0,89711.story?coll=bal-newsaol-headlines

[MrBenchley]

3. Officials find I-580 weapon caliber match (CA)

"Firearms experts have determined that all eight vehicles hit with gunfire last week on Interstate 580 were struck by the same caliber firearm.
Also, investigators of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives involved in the case are using a relatively new tool in the search for a suspect -- a nationwide database that links firearms and crimes that may point them to the I-580 firearm.
Authorities believe the person responsible may have been upset over a personal relationship or with an employer -- "something that caused this person to take his rage out against eight innocent victims during an evening commute," said CHP Sgt. Wayne Ziese."

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/8112621.htm

Wow....how long before the glocksuckers start howling and railing against this new database, do you suppose? Bet AshKKKrroft orders it shut down soon.

[slackmaster]

24. National Integrated Ballistic Information Network Program isn't new

It's been around since 2000, as mentioned in the article.

Wow....how long before the glocksuckers start howling and railing against this new database, do you suppose? Bet AshKKKrroft orders it shut down soon.

Why should anyone rail against a good program started during the Clinton Administration?

I doubt that any of us (or John Ashcroft) have a problem with the feds keeping a database of guns and bullets KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN USED IN CRIMES.

[MrBenchley]

4. Bullets hit man on Durham city bus (NC)

"DURHAM, N.C. - A man was shot on a city bus by two men who opened fire on him in the second bus-related shooting this year, police said.
The shooting Thursday night was the fifth bus shooting in less than a year and was the first time a person was injured by the gunfire.
The bus had stopped on North Miami Boulevard around 7:15 p.m., police said. Four people were inside, including the driver."

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/8113991.htm

[RoeBear]

5. Police Accidentally Shoot Homeowner Mistaken For Burglar

http://www.thewgalchannel.com/news/2898422/detail.html

When troopers arrived, they called out for the owner for several minutes but got no response. When police pulled back a shower curtain, they found a man crouched down and hiding in the shower. As they tried to arrest the man, police said a trooper's gun accidentally discharged, striking the man in the shoulder.

[slackmaster]

6. Bad cop, no donut

Poor trigger control. The trooper should be barred from carrying a weapon until he successfully completes remedial training in gun safety.

[Wcross]

36. Only the police can be trusted with guns?

Bwahaaaaa.

[MrBenchley]

7. Elderly man killed after confrontation with officers (TX)

"BEAUMONT, Texas - A 79-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday as sheriff's deputies responded to a family violence call at his home.
Justice of the Peace Fred Dishongh Jr. said Ernest Randell had five bullet wounds to his chest and one to his wrist, the Houston Chronicle reported in its Friday editions.
Liberty County deputies had responded to the Randell home after Alice Randell called authorities for help. When deputies arrived, they found her outside. She said her husband had attacked her and had weapons.
She also told deputies she feared he might try to shoot an officer, according to the sheriff's department.
Sheriff Greg Arthur told the newspaper he could not say who fired what. He said Randell had two handguns."

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/8109182.htm

[MrBenchley]

8. Spartanburg County Woman Found Dead In Home (SC)

"Detectives said Douglas Matthew Beddingfield, 19, drove 300 miles before stopping at a store in Leeds, Ala., Wednesday, and asked a clerk to call police so he could report his mother's death.
Spartanburg County sheriff's deputies went to the house on Lindsey Ridge Road just outside Lyman Wednesday afternoon. Inside, they found Betty Joyce Beddingfield, 48, dead from a gunshot wound. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=401&ncid=401&e=3&u=/ibsys/20040304/lo_wyff/2035163

[MrBenchley]

9. Nightclub Shooting May Be Accident (TX)

"Houston police think a shooting that killed a north Houston nightclub waitress Thursday night was an accident.
The shooting happened around 10 p.m. in the 5900 block of the North Freeway at the O.K. Corral Nightclub. The shooting occurred in the back entrance of the nightclub and was not open at the time.
The bouncer told police he showed a revolver to the waitress and it accidentally went off. He was taken into police custody because, according to police, revolvers do not accidentally fire on their own. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=320&ncid=320&e=3&u=/ibsys/20040305/lo_kprc/2037715

[MrBenchley]

10. Kindergartners carried knife, pistol onto bus (IN)

"GREENFIELD, Ind. -- Folks were stunned when a kindergartner took a knife to J.B. Stephens Elementary School on Monday. Then another kindergarten student brought a gun on Thursday.
"I'm just in shock," said Candace Van Halen, a 30-year-old mother of three children who attend the school. Her youngest, a daughter, is a kindergartner.
Administrators with Greenfield-Central Schools said they could not remember any similar cases with students so young.
Both incidents, apparently unrelated, occurred on school buses taking kids home from J.B. Stephens."

http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/126614-6080-009.html

[Wcross]

37. Sounds like parents need to start......

Giving a shit about what they brought into this world. A six year old doesn't go out and buy a gun.

[MrBenchley]

11. Two shot at Addison apartment (TX)

"Addison Police are looking for two suspects after a double shooting at the Bent Tree Court Apartments on Sojourn Drive overnight.
Shortly after midnight, police say two armed people showed up at an apartment and confronted the residents, who were also armed.
"We know there was a shotgun in the apartment," said police spokesman David Margulies. "One of the people at the door had a pistol, and that's the person who did the shooting."
Two men were shot and badly injured before the two suspects fled. Both of the shooting victims were taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas for treatment. "

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/040305_wz_addisonshooting.56170c4c.html

[MrBenchley]

12. Men's dispute leads to gunfire on the streets (IN)

"Shots flew Thursday when two men out to put a finish to their ongoing fight crossed paths on the Far Westside.
William Cummins was injured after his green Chevy Suburban was riddled with bullets at close range on Girls School Road. Investigators found a bullet from the morning melee embedded in glass at the nearby ATA building.
Cummins, 25, is the boyfriend of the estranged wife of Floyd McQueen, who detectives say was driving a Dodge Durango on Thursday when he opened fire. McQueen, 37, was in custody late Thursday on preliminary charges of attempted murder, criminal recklessness and illegal possession of a firearm.
After a series of past disputes, the men had been on their way to a meeting planned to settle their differences."

http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/126511-1261-009.html

[RoeBear]

13. Once again...

...several bad things happened recently in the land of 290 million people.

[slackmaster]

14. I have to admit this daily parade of tragedies leaves me unmoved

A lot of bad things happen every day.

[RoeBear]

15. Much like the writer for Newsday...

...it would seem this 'daily dose' is designed to lead people to come to a conclusion without presenting all of the evidence being presented.

[slackmaster]

16. There is a problem with violent crime to be sure

But nobody is proposing any kind of workable solution for it IMO.

[FeebMaster]

21. My solution is cheap and easy.

No one seems to be interested though.

[slackmaster]

22. What, nuclear weapons for every neurotic who wants one?

My Cocoa Puffs Decoder Ring says that's what you guys all want.

:tinfoilhat:

[FeebMaster]

23. Blast!

My secret plans are revealed! You'll rue the day you crossed me slackmaster!

[slackmaster]

25. I've got my Frosted Flakes anti-radiation cloak handy

And it's Grrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

Molon Labe, you glocksucker!

:freak:

[FeebMaster]

27. You'll never get a hold of my lucky charms!

:crazy:

[MrBenchley]

17. And once again we see a member of the RKBA crowd

absolutely unconcerned that "bad things happened" but bent out of shape that the bad things are mentioned aloud.

[slackmaster]

18. I don't see anybody "bent out of shape" here

Just a small group of people in a virtual room having a conversation.

[pnb]

39. No one's bent

Just wondering why anyone would think these articles show anything that we don't already know...crime occurs in this country. That's not news.

[CO Liberal]

43. What These Stories Show....

...is that people get shot and killed every day. And each story involves the use of a gun.

Remember that.

[slackmaster]

44. You're saying every instance where someone is shot and killed

Involves use of a gun.

Check.

:freak:

[MrBenchley]

47. Yeah, we can tell....<snicker>.

[MrBenchley]

19. Man Shot While Pumping Gas (MI)

"A man was reportedly shot as he got out of his car to pump gas on Detroit's west side Thursday night.
The man was at a Citgo gas station located on Plymouth and Greenfield when the shooting occurred around 11 p.m., according to Local 4 reports.
Police are searching for the shooter. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040305/lo_wdiv/2037687

[MrBenchley]

20. Medical Examiner: Dead Men Were Shot In Head (FL)

"The medical examiner says that the two man found dead in a Westside home late Wednesday night were shot in the head.
A friend discovered the bodies of 21-year-old William Barronton and 23-year old Thomas Beverly when he went to the Bernay Avenue home just before midnight.
A dog was also found dead in the house.
Police have not commented on their investigation. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20040305/lo_wjxt/2038302

[MrBenchley]

26. Bicyclist, 34, Shot to Death in Oxnard Alley (CA)

"A 34-year-old man riding a bicycle was shot to death in an alleyway near downtown Oxnard, police said Thursday.
Jeffrey James Haerterich was shot about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday near the 800 block of South Oxnard Boulevard, police said.
A motive for the shooting is unknown, but it does not appear to be gang-related, police said."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oxshoot5mar05,1,7791977.story?coll=la-headlines-california

[MrBenchley]

28. WEST ST. PAUL: Gunfire heightens gang concerns (MN)

Gunfire in a parking lot and a teenage suspect on the loose have revived safety concerns at Covington Court Apartments in West St. Paul.
Giovanni Zelaya, 13, is charged with firing three gunshots at another juvenile on Monday afternoon. No one was hurt. Police say Zelaya fled with an older brother, Alfonso Rafael Escobar, 20. Their parents, Rafael and Consuelo Zelaya, are residents of the complex.
"Residents are really scared, both parents and children," said Carmen Pineda, an educator at nearby Garlough Elementary School. "They feel they have more gang activities going on." "

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/8111036.htm

[MrBenchley]

29. Appeals court throws out sentence in cross-burning case (VA)

Sterling example of a gun owner in action...is THIS a defensive gun use? After all, h says he was provoked....

"RICHMOND, Va. -- A federal appeals court on Thursday threw out a probation sentence given to a North Carolina man convicted of burning a cross near the home of an interracial couple while brandishing a gun, agreeing with prosecutors who said the penalty was too light.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Robert Nelson May to return to a lower court for resentencing. He pleaded guilty last year to racial intimidation for threats made against Anthony Sanders, who is black, and Jacquelette Paige Williams, who is white.
A lower-court judge determined that May deserved a sentence less than the guidelines of 18 months to two years in prison because he had been provoked when one of the victims made an obscene gesture.
May told investigators that he suspected Sanders was responsible for thefts and gunshots in the neighborhood and had threatened his friend, Charles Danny Carpenter, the other man convicted in the cross-burning. Carpenter received no jail time because he cooperated with prosecutors. "

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-cross-burningsentence0304mar04,0,7565739.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia

[MrBenchley]

30. Man's body near dirt road identified (FL)

"Orange County deputies and homicide detectives were investigating the shooting death of a Vero Beach man whose body was discovered Thursday near a dirt road in the Pine Hills area.
The body of Chad Wilder, 30, was found near an unpaved walkway near Dorscher Road and Blair Drive."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/yahoo/orl-bk-orangebody030504,0,1929358.story?coll=orl-newsaol-headlines

[MrBenchley]

31. Driver said he was mad over prank, fired gun in air, Holmes official says

Detective testifies in shooting trial
"MILLERSBURG - A man told authorities that he was enraged after pranksters hidden in a cornfield struck his car with tomatoes, so he got a shotgun and fired it in the air, a detective testified Thursday.
Steven L. Keim, 23, of Apple Creek, was shot and killed on Labor Day. He was in a group of people throwing tomatoes at passing vehicles, an annual prank in the Holmes-Wayne County area that has the largest Amish settlement in the world.
Marion Weaver, 58, of Benton, could get 18 years to life in prison if convicted of a murder charge in Holmes County Common Pleas Court."

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/local/8112147.htm

[MrBenchley]

32. Jury awards $5 million in slaying (MO)

"A Jackson County jury on Thursday awarded $5 million to the parents of a 17-year-old Kansas City girl shot dead at a dance.
Yntell C. Duley,19, faces eight criminal counts, including a second-degree murder charge, for allegedly firing the handgun that killed the victim. He also faces three counts of first-degree assault for allegedly wounding three other teens that night.
Police and anti-drug officials repeatedly had asked Troostwood owner and company officer John Haynes Jr. not to allow such youth gatherings, plaintiff's lawyer Michael Fletcher said Thursday in closing arguments.
He told jurors to remember that police had been called to the two square blocks around the banquet hall 200 times in the past two years, often for serious crimes that included rape and assault.
On the night of the dance, the only security was provided by two guards in a parking lot, Fletcher said. He asked for $1 million to $5 million in damages."

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/8109229.htm

[MrBenchley]

33. Trial in Nan Wyatt killing remains on track (MO)

Another responsible gun owner...


"Plans to put Thomas J. Erbland Jr. on trial this month in the murder of his wife, KMOX radio personality Nan Wyatt, remained on track Thursday after he withdrew requests for a new lawyer.
Also Thursday, a judge ruled that Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan did not have to provide the defense with his notes of an interview in which Erbland confessed.
Wyatt, 44, was fatally shot in a bedroom of her home over what officials said was a domestic disagreement. Testimony at a hearing last month showed that in the 18 hours after the shooting, Erbland had confessed to a police dispatcher, the arresting officer, two police detectives, a judge in open court and McClellan. "

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+%2F+County/0CE06816117216A686256E4E0019F9F5?OpenDocument&Headline=Trial+in+Nan+Wyatt+killing+remains+on+track

[MrBenchley]

34. Four Shot, Two Fatally, Near Nashville

"SPRINGFIELD, Tenn. - Two people were shot to death and two others were wounded Friday at four separate sites in this town near Nashville.
Springfield police Chief Mike Wilhoit said investigators were looking for a link between the shootings.
"I can't say they're connected but certainly we're going to look at them as if they are," Wilhoit told WKRN-TV of Nashville. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040305/ap_on_re_us/tennessee_shootings_1

[pnb]

41. G-MAN GUNS DOWN ROBBER

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/19863.htm

March 5, 2004 -- A gun-wielding robber got his comeuppance from one of his victims last night - a federal agent who gunned him down during a robbery attempt on the Lower East Side, cops said.

The unidentified agent was confronted by the robber on the first floor of an Avenue D building around 11:30 p.m.

[morbid_king]

42. assault weapons

no assault weapons
but we need more awb laws

[NorthernSpy]

45. Famous singer arrested for gun, knife, and drug possession

from http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/06/david.crosby.arrested/ :


NEW YORK (CNN) -- Singer David Crosby was arrested early Saturday, charged with criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana found in his luggage, police said.

The 62-year-old founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash was arrested at 1 a.m. in a Times Square hotel after police found a loaded .45-caliber handgun and a small quantity of marijuana, a police report said.

(...)

Crosby spent a year in Texas jails after a conviction on drug-related weapons charges landed him there in 1985. The Texas Supreme Court, however, overturned the conviction.



from http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-03-06-crosby-arrested_x.htm :

Crosby, dressed in black jeans and a T-shirt, was brought to the courtroom shortly before 1 p.m. for his initial appearance. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a felony.

He was also charged with illegal possession of a hunting knife and illegal possession of ammunition — he had three magazines with a total of 26 rounds — and illegal possession of about one ounce of marijuana, which was found in a wooden box. He faces up to seven years on the gun charge if convicted.

(...)

Crosby made a celebrated comeback in the mid-1980s after beating a 20-year drug addiction, detoxing during a stint in a Texas prison for drug possession. He was paroled in August 1986.

In the years prior, Crosby was arrested several times on drug, weapon and other charges.




Mary

[FeebMaster]

46. Well, I feel safer

knowing this dangerous criminal is off the streets.