Posted on 06/11/2012 6:04:37 PM PDT by marktwain
Everyone around W. Arrow and S. 20th streets knew John H. Spooner, the older white man who had lived there for decades, much longer than his younger Hispanic and African-American neighbors, and who was always walking his dogs around the block.
And they knew he was upset about a break-in at his house earlier this week, when burglars took some expensive shotguns and other items.
He suspected his new next door neighbor.
According to a criminal complaint filed Friday:
As 13-year-old Darius Simmons was moving a garbage cart from the curb Thursday morning, Spooner, 75, confronted him and demanded the boy give back his stuff and the shotguns.
Darius told him he didn't have his stuff.
The boy's mother chimed in, telling Spooner he should just go back inside. Then suddenly, as the mother watched, Spooner raised a black handgun and shot Darius in the chest from five feet away.
Darius ran around the cor ner and collapsed on Comstock Ave., about 10 feet from a small play area marked "Children's Park." As he ran, Spooner fired a second shot that did not hit the boy.
When police arrived, Spooner was still on the sidewalk, holding the gun. When told to drop the weapon, he placed it on the ground and told police, "Yeah, I shot him."
A second witness, who had been across the street, also told police he saw the shooting.
Spooner is now charged with first degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, and faces life in prison if convicted.
The shooting occurred about 10 a.m.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Apparently you don't know how FR works. I'm not taking up any banner at all. My opinions have already been expressed. If Publius want's to come on and debate he will....I'm just pointing out the obvious....
If he thought he knew who took his guns he should have called the police.
Try actually reading the article.
*************
Once again, I did read the article, AND he should have called the police AGAIN BEFORE HE SHOT THE KID. This is a high crime area and the police are probably short manpower and long on murfers, rapes and drug dealers. I would say those hold more importance than a mans guns gone missing, and Mr Spooner is still alive, even after living in that high crime area for all those years.
Now you can drop your sarcastic attitude and move on.
Great! Then you agree with me. See, it wasn’t that hard to find common ground.
Hehehe. I suggest you go read my posts again....this will be a little harder than you highschool debate class...
You don’t know squat either, you have this kid in a boy scout uniform, hell he could have been a punk who taunted that old man with racist taunts, we simply do not know. But let us for arguments sake and only arguments sake assume that this kid was an anti-white racist who partook in a campaign to make this old mans life hell and the old man having no options whatsoever except a death home just snapped. I would call it a killing not murder, nor would I ride a moral high horse having some snit at people asking questions.
There is already a war on whites going on, and now this will add fuel to the fire. Black mobs yelling “Trayvon” as they attack innocent people will now add this boy’s name. It will be an excuse for more violence. Be very afraid and stay away from large groups of blacks.
Nice straw man. You argue like Obama.
You had the kid in diapers
Does the play-by-play help you?
As to moving on, KMA n00bie.
Have someone read then explain the article to you before posting and you might not get your nose rubbed in your ignorance.
How do you like them apples boy?
re: “I think it would be refreshing for a change to have a crime article on FR that just discusses the facts without tirades on an impending race war.”
Agreed!
The entire community of civilized people, regardless of racist implication, have every right to be dismayed by such lawlessness. It is quite likely that the punk's skin color had nothing to do with it—the old guy would have just as probably shot a Chinese person if he had tape of him breaking in and stealing his crap. Or a Latvian.
8^D
Does it make you feel better to personally attack people here? Makes you feel like a man does it? I have never had time or patience with arrogant know-it-alls, and I have less patience with your condescending attitude, so you can put it where the sun doesn’t shine BOY.
BTW, I’m a female, so who’s ignorant now. If you wished to make me feel stupid, it didn’t work. Have a nice night BOY.
Death penalty case as far as I’m concerned. No excuse for that.
LOL!
I got you to actually read the article which is a service I offer to n00bies. I guess you just aren’t woman enough to admit you were wrong.
As to the phrase, “How do you like them apples boy?” it works equally well on either sex.
See my tagline if you want to continue ‘lil missy.
Just carry an extra mag ...
Got you to reply though didn’t it. My first posts were not replies to you were they, you injected yourself into them. I had since replied to you. I had already read the article (sorry you can’t claim credit) and my remarks stand.
As for you telling a lady to KMA, real class there buddy, but hey if it floats your boat that’s fine with me. As for being a noob, I don’t consider myself one anymore, and if you consider me to be so, then wouldn’t it have been better to approach me with some semblance of politeness and adult give-and-take instead of KMA or other sarcastic remarks, perhaps then I would have noted error, but you got my hackles up. Not a nice way to treat a fellow FReeper is it?
re: “. . . hell he could have been a punk who taunted that old man with racist taunts, we simply do not know.”
I agree - we do not know all the facts yet - just like in the Zimmerman case - so, why conjecture all these race-baiting scenarios? Why not wait for more info?
re: “. . . But let us for arguments sake and only arguments sake assume that this kid was an anti-white racist who partook in a campaign to make this old mans life hell. . .”
Why assume that? Why not assume that the white guy was a minority-hating skin head who couldn’t wait to ice some black guys? That has just as much credibility as your scenario.
re: “. . . and the old man having no options whatsoever except a death home just snapped. I would call it a killing not murder . . .”
If, and I say again, if, the article is accurate, shooting an unarmed person, who was not physically attacking you, at point-blank range square in the chest and attempting to shoot him again in the act of fleeing - that’s murder no matter what thefts this person may have committed against the shooter. It’s murder no matter how frustrated the shooter was. All of that is irrelevant to the act itself - except when it comes to degree or sentencing.
re: “. . . nor would I ride a moral high horse having some snit at people asking questions.”
Questions are one thing, but people making up “what if” assumptions or scenarios of racial conflict between the victim and the shooter in order to justify what the shooter did - that’s exactly the same thing Jessie and Al do to excuse the crimes committed by some blacks - it’s not their fault because of “whitey”. Isn’t that the same thing as it’s not the white guy’s fault because of the possible acts of “the blacks”.
How about we wait for all the facts to come out and leave the conjecturing out of it.
Even if the shooting victim had previously burglarized him, this was murder. Unless his liar lawyer gets him off on an insanity plea.
Note to self: When the neighborhood starts getting hoodie, move.
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