A life of gusto cut short

The Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | Sun, Mar. 27, 2011 | Maria Panaritis and Jeff Shields, Inquirer staff writers

[Gondring]

Delco mayor who died skydiving lived fast.

He was a lone-wolf lawyer and freelance conservative crusader with a passion for skydiving, fast cars, motorcycles, and anyone he thought was on the right side of the U.S. Constitution.

As brash on a case as he was brave in the skies, he once called for the arrest of Mayor Nutter over gun control, was nearly ejected from a Philadelphia courtroom in a defamation case, and became known as the go-to guy in heavily Democratic Southeastern Pennsylvania for right-wing legal challenges involving gun rights or free speech.

[...]

Shields, a small-town GOP mayor and criminal defense attorney whose controversial side cases included a court battle that knocked down Philadelphia's effort at enacting gun-control laws, died while skydiving in South Jersey.

His main parachute failed to open, authorities said, and his emergency chute failed to open completely near Cross Keys Airport in Williamstown. An autopsy Saturday found that he died of multiple injuries, said Bernie Weisenfeld, a spokesman for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

[...]

Last year, Shields won a federal appellate court ruling in favor of antiabortion activist Michael Marcavage, who had been arrested in 2007 while protesting on the sidewalk near the Liberty Bell. The court ruled that Marcavage's free-speech rights had been violated.

Also last year, he successfully defended a defamation case in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court against a man who had distributed leaflets claiming that City Councilman Jack Kelly backed a "homosexual agenda which would promote sodomy to our youth." Judge Albert J. Snite Jr. threatened to arrest Shields at one point for disregarding an order during opening statements.

[...]

[Gondring]

A good story that highlights his passion for living life to the fullest. I'm sorry for his family, his neighbors, his friends, and those in need of a conservative legal champion. His letters to the editor and his blog debates will be missed. This is a bad loss.

[knarf]

Did zero inherit the clinton killing machine?

[Carley]

Neither of his parachutes opened.

Inquiring minds........

[apillar]

They’ll probably find out the parachutes were maintained by union workers...

[Steely Tom]

Popular Philadelphia weatherman Jim O'Brien met a similar fate in 1983.

[DarrellZero]

Very sad, but at least he died doing what he loved.

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[glorgau]

Skydivers are like mushroom hunters...

There are some old skydivers,
there are some bold skydivers,
there are no old, bold skydivers.

[gorush]

Sad. R.I.P.

The chute should never not open.

[Vision]

What a tragedy.

This is why I won't skydive.

[Tribune7]

R.I.P. Mayor Shields

[Squantos]

Wonder if he trash packed his chutes ?

[JimRed]

A conservative crusader? Does not sound accidental. Who had access to his ‘chutes?

[blackdog]

With fond memories of Jim O'Brien as well.

I fly planes and you couldn't make me jump out of one unless it was on fire and my seat was the last thing to go up in flames.

[blackdog]

Technically one could argue that he wasn’t doing what he loved, but the result is still unfortunate.

[dennisw]

But he was *passionate* so that makes everything all right. I hope he left a big ol life insurance policy for his three children

[Gondring]

Update: it was reported today that the chutes had not been pulled, so they think he was unconcious. The emergency chute auto-deployed at 750 feet but it was too late.

[gorush]

It’s easy enough to knock heads during relative work, especially when newbies are in the air....

[gorush]

"I fly planes and you couldn't make me jump out of one unless it was on fire and my seat was the last thing to go up in flames."

Adrenaline is a wonderful thing. Here's a closeup of a Cessna 180 in 1975:

[Carley]

I read that online on NJ.com........the last chute wasn’t effective because he was tumbling. Their words.

A shame.