I was in 'Nam!
Posted on 12/08/2005 12:21:37 PM PST by Rennes Templar
A passenger on Flight 924 gives his account of the shooting and says Rigoberto Alpizar never claimed to have a bomb
By SIOBHAN MORRISSEY/MIAMI
At least one passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 924 maintains the federal air marshals were a little too quick on the draw when they shot and killed Rigoberto Alpizar as he frantically attempted to run off the airplane shortly before take-off.
"I don't think they needed to use deadly force with the guy," says John McAlhany, a 44-year-old construction worker from Sebastian, Fla. "He was getting off the plane." McAlhany also maintains that Alpizar never mentioned having a bomb.
"I never heard the word 'bomb' on the plane," McAlhany told TIME in a telephone interview. "I never heard the word bomb until the FBI asked me did you hear the word bomb. That is ridiculous." Even the authorities didn't come out and say bomb, McAlhany says. "They asked, 'Did you hear anything about the b-word?'" he says. "That's what they called it."
When the incident began McAlhany was in seat 24C, in the middle of the plane. "[Alpizar] was in the back," McAlhany says, "a few seats from the back bathroom. He sat down." Then, McAlhany says, "I heard an argument with his wife. He was saying 'I have to get off the plane.' She said, 'Calm down.'"
Alpizar took off running down the aisle, with his wife close behind him. "She was running behind him saying, 'He's sick. He's sick. He's ill. He's got a disorder," McAlhany recalls. "I don't know if she said bipolar disorder [as one witness has alleged]. She was trying to explain to the marshals that he was ill. He just wanted to get off the plane."
McAlhany described Alpizar as carrying a big backpack and wearing a fanny pack in front. He says it would have been impossible for Alpizar to lie flat on the floor of the plane, as marshals ordered him to do, with the fanny pack on. "You can't get on the ground with a fanny pack," he says. "You have to move it to the side."
By the time Alpizar made it to the front of the airplane, the crew had ordered the rest of the passengers to get down between the seats. "I didn't see him get shot," he says. "They kept telling me to get down. I heard about five shots."
McAlhany says he tried to see what was happening just in case he needed to take evasive action. "I wanted to make sure if anything was coming toward me and they were killing passengers I would have a chance to break somebody's neck," he says. "I was looking through the seats because I wanted to see what was coming.
"I was on the phone with my brother. Somebody came down the aisle and put a shotgun to the back of my head and said put your hands on the seat in front of you. I got my cell phone karate chopped out of my hand. Then I realized it was an official."
In the ensuing events, many of the passengers began crying in fear, he recalls. "They were pointing the guns directly at us instead of pointing them to the ground," he says "One little girl was crying. There was a lady crying all the way to the hotel."
McAlhany said he saw Alpizar before the flight and is absolutely stunned by what unfolded on the airplane. He says he saw Alpizar eating a sandwich in the boarding area before getting on the plane. He looked normal at that time, McAlhany says. He thinks the whole thing was a mistake: "I don't believe he should be dead right now."
I noticed big signs at the Newark airport a couple weeks ago claiming it is a crime to talk or joke about bombs, weapons, etc. while boarding or at the gate.
Oh, well, since this guy never heard the word, I guess we've got to immediately assume the marshalls are the ones terrorizing women and children. < \John Kerry>
I also heard there were 2 marshalls on board and later heard on an ABC interview that when marshalls are on board, they are usually not alone.
I would think we could cover more plans if each had one armed marshall, not two?
I always wonder if Brian could possibly be as dumb as he acts on tv. I suppose it's just his schtick.
susie
This does not mean the shooting was unjustified.
But, I reckoned the "he claimed to have a bomb" stuff was B.S.
| "I wanted to make sure if anything was coming toward me and they were killing passengers I would have a chance to break somebody's neck," he says. Well since this guy didn't break the neck of an armed man sticking a shotgun in his neck, just who was he planning on breaking the neck of? A grandmother or something? This guy sounds like a loser. |
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I agree. If the guy had a bomb, and it denonated people would be saying "the marshalls aren't properly trained. it's because of bush's tax cuts, there isn't enough funding. bush should apologize for his failure."
Well said!!!
"I think that's a damn lie."
It sounds to me like this guy was definitely NOT following the instructions of the officers, was instead doing exactly what they told him NOT to do (studying their procedures, talking on a cell phone), and he got their instructions explained to him in a more direct fashion.
The officers had a serious job to do, and they had to do it fast. From this guy's description of the events, it appears as if he was making a problem of himself.
And now we have an eyewitness who says the government agents are wrong about whether the dead man said the word "bomb." Aren't you at least curious about what really happened?
Boy, the kneejerk approval by some Freepers of this deadly shooting is surprising, to say the least.
"He was getting off the plane..."
Like the bomb could only do damage on the plane?
I am not military, but... there is no such thing as "shoot to wound", am I right about this? You'd flippin' miss and then where would you be. Plus, if you think he's got a bomb you have to get a head shot anyway so he hopefully can't detonate, though that's probably a fairly faint hope if he's really fingering the plunger.
I promise you, If my wife had a panic-attack and the plane door was still open, she'd be running for the door too.
He was an honors student.
Even if he was quiet they should have taken him out if was behaving erratically, opening a backpack and refusing to obey officers to get down. Bad choice on his part.
So I would say to McAlhany:
What makes you a reliable witness? Why should we believe you?
If the guy had set off a bomb, he would have bitched that not enough had been done...oh wait...no he wouldn't have....
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