One of the more disastrously misheard lyrics we can think of took place yesterday, when 19-year-old Ambridge, Pennsylvania high school student Travis Clawson missed an optometry appointment, causing the office’s receptionist to call him. He didn’t answer, his voicemail message playing instead, in which Clawson rapped the intro lyrics to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Unfortunately, she critically misheard a sequence in the rap — “chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool and all, shooting some b-ball outside of the school” — hearing instead “shooting some people outside of the school.” She promptly called the police, who then called the school district, and as nobody was quite sure where Clawson was, the whole district was put on lockdown. He was eventually found in his high school’s guidance office, and the confusion was explained, though James Mann, the acting police chief, urged Clawson’s parents to make him change the outgoing message. Clawson’s father was unhappy with the entire ordeal: “An innocent young man was embarrassed. How is he supposed to go back to school and face his classmates?” source
I know most of you who personally know me are in disbelief to hear from media reports that I am suspected of committing such horrendous murders and have taken drastic and shocking actions in the last couple of days. You are saying to yourself that this is completely out of character of the man you knew who always wore a smile wherever he was seen. I know I will be villified by the LAPD and the media. Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil that I do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the LAPD and reclaim my name.
As authorities scoured Southern California for an ex-Los Angeles police officer suspected of shooting three officers, killing one, officials broadened the alert to include the entire state Thursday morning, and authorities in Nevada were warned.
The California Highway Patrol originally issued a “blue alert” for nine Southern California counties, warning that suspect Christoper Jordan Dorner, 33, was considered “armed and extremely dangerous,” early Thursday. Shortly after 9 a.m. that alert was broadened to the include the entire state.
Dorner is also a suspect in a Sunday double homicide that left a young couple dead, one of whom was the daughter of a retired LAPD captain. Dorner also isn’t the only one responsible for injuries on Thursday. Law enforcement officials have confirmed that officers shot two women delivering newspapers in Torrance after they mistook their vehicle for one being driven by Dorner. Both women were taken to area hospitals, and are expected to make a full recovery. Another shooting, for the same reason, did not lead to any injuries. We’ll have more on the story as it’s available.
See our timeline since 1999 HERE.
December 11, 2012. On Tuesday, 22-year-old Jacob Tyler Roberts killed 2 people and himself with a stolen rifle in Clackamas Town Center, Oregon. His motive is unknown.September 27, 2012. Five were shot to death by 36-year-old Andrew Engeldinger at Accent…
It’s been a really hard year with tragedies like these. We’re all hoping for a humble and thankful holiday season, and a new year more peaceful than the last.
He didn’t want to wait the 14 days. So they denied him. The sale did not take place.A law enforcement official • Speaking off the record regarding the Connecticut shooting suspect’s attempted purchase of a ”long gun” rifle earlier this week from a local gun shop. He was turned away because he didn’t want to wait. So … wait. Nobody saw anything suspicious about this encounter?
The media organization will:
• Refuse to promote the identity of an alleged assailant by withholding their name and likeness from all forms of public communication.
• Acknowledge that the prospect of infamy could serve as a partial motivating factor for disturbed individuals to cause the death of innocent victims.
• Concur that individual names and likenesses are irrelevant to media coverage of such acts, where an emphasis should be placed on specific details of the act, alleged assailant’s background, and possible motivations.
• Raise public awareness of the root cause for such acts, as to increase the likelihood of their future prevention.
• Agree that in cases where an alleged assailant is still at large, their name and likeness should be published to aid in the capture and incarceration of this individual. Once incarcerated, the assailant’s name and likeness will be withheld from future communications.
• Recognize that The Alex Teves Challenge is an initial step in the process of eliminating random acts of mass violence. As such, we agree to promote data and analysis from experts in mental health, public safety, and other relevant professions, where this will support further steps in the elimination of this type of criminal behavior.
In a statement on the site, Teves’ father, Tom, makes this point: “If we all don’t stand together to save our children and our friends then we are, by doing nothing, culpable to a certain extent.” Is there room for media organizations to take such a situation seriously? And how does that play into the current situation?
Personal take: I like the heart behind this idea (especially considering the video Anthony posted is so accurate), but I will be the first to admit that there are many challenges to enacting it — one, that media organizations who run this kind of info have a natural encouragement to do so, and two, that social media makes it easier than ever for this sort of info to spread. But is there something to be said for points like this? — Ernie @ SFB
(ht @stastnyisnasty)
(via @BuzzFeedAndrew)
Ryan Lanza, deceased, is the suspect in the Sandy Hook shooting. Various Lanza-centric Facebook pages are popping up left and right, mostly either condemning him or, in some cases, mourning his death. Let’s wait until all of the facts come in before we conclude anything, and let’s not rely on Facebook to get those facts.
A shooting at a famed basketball court: Six people were treated for gunshot wounds last night after a gunman opened fire on a basketball court at Harlem’s famed Rucker Park. During a lull in the game, while players and coaches argued mid-court, a suspect in the crowd pulled a gun and opened fire. Six men were wounded, five on the court and one across the street, but all victims are expected to fully recover from their injuries. No word yet on a motive, and no arrests have been made at this time. (Photo via SportsGrid) source
The Denver Post’s graphic describing the shooting. (Click for full.) Also of note: Investigators plan to enter the apartment at which James Holmes stayed, which is reportedly booby-trapped. CNN has a live stream. (ht pbump for the graphic)
Suspect in Seattle shooting shoots himself
The Seattle Times: A man suspected of shooting five people at a north Seattle cafe shot himself as police closed in on him on a west Seattle sidewalk.
Police are also investigating a second fatal shooting near downtown Seattle. Officials said they do not know whether the two incidents are related.Photo: Seattle police say two are confirmed dead at Cafe Racer Espresso, green building at right, and three other people are wounded (Greg Gilbert/The Seattle Times)
This shooting has some elements in common with a 2009 shooting in Parkland, Wash., outside Tacoma, in which convicted felon Maurice Clemmons walked into a coffee shop and opened fire on police officers working on their laptops. The execution-style shootings, which killed four, took place less than an hour away from Seattle. Clemmons, who had been pardoned by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee years earlier, was shot and killed by police in Seattle two days later.
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In more awful Black Friday news: That stain on the ground in front of this San Leandro, Calif. Wal-Mart is in fact blood. Yes, a guy was shot during a robbery attempt, and is currently in critical but stable condition. Yikes. (Photo by Dean C. Smith/KGO)
» Focusing on the other victims: This time, the charges focus less on Gabrielle Giffords (the only wounded victim still in the hospital or in rehabilitation) and more on those killed or wounded in the attack. Some of the charges include murder charges in the death of a federal judge and congressional aide, as well as charges revolving around causing death or injury at a federally-provided event. Let’s be honest, though. No matter how many charges they nail him for – or at least try to – the fact of the matter is, he’ll be punished severely when he’s convicted.
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