Posted on 10/10/2008 7:06:08 AM PDT by KeyLargo
'I didn't want to shoot anybody'
A CREST HILL MAN WAS PREPARED FOR 35 YEARS FOR A DAY HE HOPED WOULD NEVER COME.
October 10, 2008 From Staff Reports
CREST HILL -- The same six bullets sat in the cylinder of the man's .38 special for 35 years until he fired four of them at someone who crashed through his bedroom window Wednesday.
"I often wondered if I could pick it up and pull the trigger," the shaken and emotional man said Thursday morning, hours after he gunned down an intruder in his basement apartment.
The apparent housebreaker, 34-year-old Demetrious Groves, a downstate man who moved a block away from the apartment about three months ago, was taken to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center. He died about an hour after he arrived.
The apartment's resident, a 68-year-old man, said he was watching the news on television when he got up and went into his bedroom about 6 p.m.
Because the man has not been charged with any crime, The Herald News is not identifying him.
"When I got to the door, I heard a loud thump at my window," said the retired electronic technician who served aboard an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War.
"I took a few steps to my window, and this big black guy threw himself through my window," he said.
The intruder hit the floor, he said, rolled and popped up. The resident grabbed the .38 from his night table and squeezed off four shots.
"I think the last shot, I must have hit him pretty good and he fell down," he said. "He was talking to me. He said, 'A black guy was chasing me so I went through your window.' I said, 'Why did you go through my window? Why didn't you go around the building?'"
Police Chief Dwayne Wilkerson said detectives were "still investigating all facets of the case." If Groves was being chased, his pursuers have not been identified.
The resident called the police. When they arrived, he was ordered to the ground, handcuffed and taken to the police station. A detective interviewed him before he returned home.
"Before I left, they told me he had died," he said of Groves.
Investigation continues Charles B. Pelkie, the spokesman for State's Attorney James Glasgow, said the incident remains under investigation and noted that the resident was cooperating with the police.
The man said he did not know where the bullets hit Groves. Deputy Coroner Bob Brenczewski said his office would not release that information. Coroner Patrick O'Neil said only that Groves suffered "multiple gunshot wounds."
The man said he bought the never-before-fired gun for protection decades ago.
"I live here by myself in a garden apartment, and the neighborhood down the street's getting kind of rough," he explained.
He called his reaction to the man coming through his window "instinct."
"I don't know what else to call it, just instinct," he said. "I've had the gun sitting on my night stand for years, loaded. I didn't want to shoot anybody. I was hoping I'd never have to use it."
The morning after Groves' death, he said he was visited by a man who asked, "Did you shoot my brother?"
"He was nice," the resident said. "He wasn't agitated or mad or anything. He said he wanted to see where he was shot."
He said he brought the man into his bedroom, which was splattered with Groves' blood.
"I told him I was sorry," he said. "He just shook my hand or hugged me, or whatever. He cried a little bit, and he left."
He said, ‘A black guy was chasing me so I went through your window.
How racist!..................../s
Ummm... How is that racist when the deceased individual was black? I knew him personally. Please, don’t turn this into a racial matter. There’s enough of that in the world already. Demetrious just made a bad mistake. Let him rest in peace.
Sad story. The dead mans brother who wanted to see where his brother died really touched me. The whole story is just sad.
Do you not know what “/s” means?..............
What do you know about being real. To say that you would have shot him to is funny to me as you hide behind your compute screen using phony names and id’s Eaker. You will have your day as well and remember the words that you said to me about my brother. No need to respond
bump
Kiss my ass and if it really is your brother I say one less scumbag walking the streets.
BTW, Eaker is my real name ya douchebag. I ain’t the one hiding.
Looks like you and TaNiquaGroves are buddies.
Small world huh?
You are simply ignorant, he was actually from Central Illinois where he was employed and raising his family. He had been in the area for over a year and worked for Bobcat Logistics. No prison’s sorry try again.
This story, as told by the Drive-by-Media is exquisitely lacking in detail - marital status, priors, time of day, job history, education, age, known proclivities, weather, neighborhood crime levels, etc.
Any ignorance is from lack of specifics supplied by the "story". No Specifics ---> Speculation. Take it up with the Drive-bys.
"read the article. it gives absolutely no indication of what happened. and quite honestly, my dear, why dont you take issue with the black guys who were chasing your brother? they are the ones who ultimately caused your brothers death.
your brother and the homeowner were the victims. the homeowner acted lawfully based on the circumstances. you probably blame the homeowner, the police, and everyone else.
but the fact is, if your brother was as law-abiding as you say he was, he should have been able to carry a gun and defend himself against thugs like the ones chasing him. but thanks to the liberal politicians, the only people who can carry guns in those neighborhoods are the cops and the criminals. good people are defenseless against an armed thug and it took your borthers life.
sucks, doesnt it?"
Uh, Excerpt = Whole “Story”, as published.
A former cop told me about another cop who planted some drugs on a guy. He said, “He might not have drugs on him tonight. But I guarantee he had some on him last week.”
Not judging anything. Just tellin’ the story.
either some guy they grew up with who is a total d!ck ended up being a cop or the last cop who pulled them over for going 40 miles over the limit wasn't very nice to them.
or, like your story, they heard about a dirty cop from a friend of a friend who used to know a cop's wife's ex-roommate.
no one does that for any other job i have ever heard of. evidently every other profession is filled with angels.
I didn’t say anything bad about your profession. Though, like most people, I’ve run into a lot of cops on power trips. I actually was a cop for a very short time. Hated it.
On the previous post, the guy who told me the story? His name is Young and he worked for HPD for about 8 years. So it wasn’t a friend of a friend. It was a former cop who told me that. He thought it was bad that the guy did it. I thought it was funny as hell ‘cause the cop was probably right.
From TaNiquaGroves | 10/22/2008 9:55:57 AM PDT read Confirm with Crest Hill police there was nothing in his pocket he was unarmed. Sorry try again, he was not a criminal........
And sorry about your brother, but my post didn't say he was armed, or that he was a criminal.
if they manage to throw the drugs down the sewer before you get there, no biggie. they'll be right back in the spot tomorrow. just be better and you'll get 'em.
I see it is still possible to cultivate new friendships on FR. LOL
Jumping through peoples windows is not a strategy for a long and healthy life.
Black, white, green, or orange anyone violently entering my home is going to end up dead very quickly.
Race has nothing to do with it.
L
There's always lawyers and used car salesman.
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