First up - an example that you never know when or where violence can happen. Friends get together, go out and enjoy themselves and drop off the victim behind a restaurant to get his car.
“He and some friends got there Saturday night and went to a nearby restaurant,” Bedford police Lt. Kirk Roberts said Monday. “They all left but they came back and dropped him off.”
The parking lot is used by a nearby office building, police said.
“As he was about to put the key in his vehicle, someone yelled “Hey man”,” Roberts said.
That’s when the man turned and the assault started, police said.
I know that area, it is part of a small row of restaurants and shops...not a bad neighborhood.
A Euless man was knocked unconscious and lay in a parking lot for several hours early Sunday after robbers repeatedly kicked and punched him during a holdup, police said Monday.
At one point, the 29-year-old man who police did not identify pleaded for his life when one of the bandits pulled a pistol out, but the victim passed out before any shots were fired, police said.
Notice that even when the thugs had what they wanted, his life was still in danger. So much for just giving them what they want and you won't be hurt, eh?
Next, in another local city a violent death that didn't use a firearm. I am surprised it even made the newspaper. Guess Fort Worth is small enough they still have to print some non-firearm related crime.
FORT WORTH -- Police are investigating the slaying of a 30-year-old man found dead in his front yard early Sunday.
Officers discovered the body of Mitchell Batie shortly after 1 a.m. after being summoned to the 5600 block of Birchman Avenue on a report of a man lying in a front yard.
The Tarrant County medical examiner's office has ruled Batie died from blunt force trauma to the head.
I'll try to follow the story to see how it works out. Remember to be careful around your home, most crime does happen within a mile of your residence.
Now a little good news from yet a third local city. The police make an arrest an a recent murder.
ARLINGTON -- Police have arrested a man in the shooting death of 19-year-old Grand Prairie man at an east Arlington apartment complex.
Jason Armahn Bernard, 22, of Mansfield was taken into custody shortly before 11 a.m. Monday. He faces a charge of murder, Arlington police said.
Bernard is being held at the Arlington jail on bail of $100,000.
I wonder if the person who committed this murder was a legal, law abiding gun owner as is so often claimed.
Bernard has a criminal history including felon charges in Illinois and Louisiana, according to the arrest warrant.
Oops, guess he wasn't a choir boy after all. Felony convictions means that he lost his right to keep and bear arms. It doesn't say if the firearm used was carried concealed or not, but I would assume it was. Since you can't get a concealed carry permit with a felony conviction, that would have been another crime.
So, was this just an ordinary citizen being victimized or was there a reason for the crime?
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Bernard, also known as “JDUB”, shot Devion Harris multiple times in the chest with a .357 Magnum on June 15 after Harris and his friends attempted to rob him of cash and ecstasy pills.Drug related crime-- maybe instead of trying to restrict the flow of firearms the nation can try to restrict this flow of illegal drugs. If only there was a decades long effort to eradicate the problem of illegal drugs, we might not have these problems today.
Harris was armed with a .22-caliber handgun during robbery attempt, according to the affidavit.
One of Harris’ friends had known Bernard through previous drug transactions, according to the affidavit.
From today's crime report, we learn the importance of situational awareness and the insanity of forcing people to disarm if they are in bars. In Texas, if an establishment derives 51% of its income from alcohol sold to be consumed on premise, it is illegal to carry concealed in that establishment. Even if you aren't drinking, you can't carry.
We also learn that contrary to some people's ideas, crime can happen at home. It pays to be prepared.
And lastly, we learn that criminal aren't going to obey the laws.
Shouldn't we focus our efforts on stopping the criminals instead of the tools? 1 crime was non-firearm, a firearm was used to threaten in the second -- but not to assault the man and in the third the thug wasn't in legal possession of a firearm. Stop the criminal, not the inanimate object
4 comments:
If an establishment earns 51% of it's income (or more) from alcohol sales, I bet I can find a place nearby where my non-carrying friends can sit at the same table as I am and they can get a beer or a glass of wine and that serves Chicken Fried Steak with white gravy and I'll have an iced tea, unsweet.
These places often have as good of live music on weekends as the 51% places and I've never seen a fight in any of them.
Thomas' version of situational awareness starts with what situations you even enter. I was young and spent much time in 51% or better places once. Not worth the liability until they fix that 51% law. I like unsweet tea just fine.
While we're at it, they need to fix the anti-carry-in-church law, as churches/synagogues seem to have become targets recently as they tend to be "gun free" other than some pastors I know at their own churches.
FWIW:
Same Thomas, I just forgot I was logged into my mostly spam filled gmail account I use for purposes of when giving email might cause spam.
Same Thomas.
YES, I did watch too much Monty Python as a youth, and if you don't like the alternate nick, I shall nail your head to the floor!
Regards,
Same Thomas as always
I'm a close friend of Mitchell Batie. The man in the 'non-firearm' story. He was killed by a man he knew and recently hooked the guy up with a job where he worked. They were hanging out all day Saturday. At some point saturday night they got into a fight and Mitchell did a number on the guy. So in retiliation the guy came back with a friend and jumped Mitchell. Beating him in the head with a pipe and left him for dead. He leaves behind two boys ages 5 and 3. Our kids are the same age and played together all the time. It was my stepfather that found his body around 1am sunday morning. He was a close friend of the family and will be greatly missed. Great father and good all around person. He always tried to see the good in people no matter how screwed up they may be.
Tamyka,
Thanks for commenting and filling in the background on the story.
I am sorry fhat this happened to Mitchell.
Thomas,
Unless a church is properly posted, it is legal to carry in that church. I think it should be up to the congregation to decide. I personally wouldn't worship with a congregation that decided everyone should disarm.
You are right about starting by choosing where to go. My point is that it doesn't make any sense. I had a friend that had to disarm at a concert in Dallas because the beer sales half way through the concert became greater then 51% of the revenue. 15 or 20 people had to walk out of the Starplex, go to their cars and disarm...think anyone could have been watching and noting who did that?
I often tend not to drink anymore and be the designated driver when we go out. Why should those who aren't drinking have to disarm?
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