Self Defense Story. - Again with the media slant

[Lars]

Police: Shooting Was Self-Defense
Earl Springer, Dazmond Turner Shot To Death

POSTED: 4:13 pm EDT June 4, 2008
UPDATED: 6:20 pm EDT June 4, 2008


LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Two teens are dead, but police aren't charging the man who shot them with a crime.


The shooting happened Tuesday at a house in west Louisville.

"For sure, there's not a doubt in my mind, my wife and I would be dead if I didn't do what I did," said property owner Billy Jackson.

Jackson said he was sprucing up an apartment in the house he owns at 3517 West Broadway when two masked men forced their way inside. He said one had a large gun, and threatened to kill him and his wife.

"I figured I was going to die and they were going to die, too," said Jackson. "I faked a heart attack; shot him in the side."

The coroner released the names of the alleged intruders late Wednesday afternoon. They are Earl Springer and Dazmond Turner, both 19.

"It just seems like I'm going to lay down, wake up and this is not happening," said Stephanie Roach, Turner's great aunt.

She said Turner's death doesn't seem real. She said he once had dreams of NBA stardom, but she never dreamed he would be accused of invading a home.

"It's just something that he wouldn't do and it's been eating at me all night long. It's like, no, that's not Daz," she said. "I don't know if he was forced into doing it, but that is not my nephew."

"At least one of the suspects was armed with a handgun," said Metro Police Detective Phil Russell. "The property owner was assaulted. He sustained minor injuries."

Police said Springer died at the scene, while Turner died early Wednesday morning at University Hospital.

"They will confer with the commonwealth attorney's office in order to determine if charges need to be placed," Russell said. "At this time in the investigation, it looks as though this was self-defense."

Family members said Turner was once a star point guard for Valley High School who was working toward getting his GED while preparing to be a first-time father this summer.

Roach said family members thought Turner was out of town at the time of the shooting. Now they wish he would have followed through on those plans.

"That's what's shocking everybody. He was supposed to be in Florida to reunite with his mother and his sisters," Roach said. "Now, they're on their way to bury him."

It couldn't be my nephew! He'd never do anything like that.
Blah blah blah.....

Home owner: 2
Bad Guys: 0

 

[Bill of Rights]

It couldn't be my nephew! He'd never do anything like that.
Blah blah blah.....

Home owner: 2
Bad Guys: 0

I can see why denial would kick in-no one wants to believe that their loved one who may be kind, gentle, etc. around them is capable of being a cold-hearted and disrespectful punk-@$$ criminal. I'm not excusing her words or his actions at all, I just think I see where she's coming from. I've never watched The Sopranos, so I don't know if this is an apt comparison, but the impression I've gotten is that Tony Soprano is a different person with his family than he is when he's doing "business".

All that said, the media slant is certainly there:

"Two teens are dead..." Saying they're teens is true, but it sensationalizes their deaths, as if having "teen" at the end of the number that is your age makes your death worse or your crime less severe.

"...but police aren't charging the man who shot them with a crime" This implies that he committed one for which he's not being charged and also reinforces the fact that the two criminals were "teens" while the law-abiding citizen is a "man".

"...one had a large gun..." The size of the frame makes a difference? What, they were going to pistol-whip him?

Much of the rest of it reads like an obituary, though with credit where credit's due, they did quote where he was in fear of his and his wife's lives and quoted the detective saying that he was assaulted and injured.

Sure, "the media's at it again", but all in all, I have to say I've seen worse, as I'm sure we all have. Self-defense is what it is, and a more clear-cut case of it I can't imagine. I'm sorry that the property owner has to know that he was forced to shoot and kill these two, but though I'm reasonably certain he will, I hope he doesn't lose much sleep over it. They wouldn't have over killing either him or his wife.

Blessings,
B

 

[Nathan]

sounds to me like a textbook case of self defence, no matter how the media manipulates it. that's what our consitution is all about. media wants us to just lay down and take crime and get killed, but when a good guy wins, it's like.....oh, no, murderer!!! he killed a teenager!!!

 

[sparkyfender]

Some "teens" need to be killed. A simple fact of life, no matter how good a high school basketball player he was or who he knocked up in the last few months.

 

[Scutter01]

Some "teens" need to be killed. A simple fact of life, no matter how good a high school basketball player he was or who he knocked up in the last few months.

Didn't you know? Proficiency in sports automatically translates into strength of character!

Because no NBA or NFL star has ever been involved in a violent cri....wait a minute...

 

[Soundslikejosh]

She said he once had dreams of NBA stardom
What young athlete doesnt?

Family members said Turner was once a star point guard for Valley High School
high school "stars" often get real jobs just like the rest of us (instead of being theives)

who was working toward getting his GED what ever happened to high school diplomas?

while preparing to be a first-time father this summer. This is just too easy to attack. Contraceptives? I don't mean to be a hater, but this reporter makes this guy sound like Leave it to Beaver, the perfect American dream ruined by a homeowner who murdered the highschool drop-out who can't afford or use condoms. Ok the bold is killing me, sorry. I know its important not to jump to stereotypes, but this reporter obviously has no regard for truthful journalism (does that exist?) and only seeks to defend the criminal by polishing his character. Wouldn't the facts have been sufficient to discern what happened? Instead we need someone else to put a shine on the story? Please.

Roach said family members thought Turner was out of town at the time of the shooting. Now they wish he would have followed through on those plans. So does the homeowner! Anybody thought about him and his wife? Forget the aspirations of the criminal. He threatened the life of this guy. Good riddance.

 

[Lars]

How this article should have read.......

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Two thugs killed in Home invasion.


The shooting happened Tuesday at a house in west Louisville.

"For sure, there's not a doubt in my mind, my wife and I would be dead if I didn't do what I did," said property owner Billy Jackson.

Jackson said he was sprucing up an apartment in the house he owns at 3517 West Broadway when two masked men forced their way inside. He said one had a large gun, and threatened to kill him and his wife.

"I figured I was going to die and they were going to die, too," said Jackson. "I faked a heart attack; shot him in the side."

The coroner released the names of the alleged intruders late Wednesday afternoon. They are Earl Springer and Dazmond Turner, both 19.

"At least one of the suspects was armed with a handgun," said Metro Police Detective Phil Russell. "The property owner was assaulted. He sustained minor injuries."

Police said Springer died at the scene, while Turner died early Wednesday morning at University Hospital.

Russell said. "At this time in the investigation, it looks as though this was self-defense."

 

[ryanmercer]

Family members said Turner was once a star point guard for Valley High School who was working toward getting his GED while preparing to be a first-time father this summer.

Who gives a flying ^!@$ the kid tried to rob someone with a firearm, in that someone's house... boo-hoo pitty the poor robber. I hate the media.

 

[ryanmercer]

How this article should have read.......

I like it better that way

 

[Scutter01]

Who gives a flying ^!@$ the kid tried to rob someone with a firearm, in that someone's house... boo-hoo pitty the poor robber. I hate the media.

Don't forget: "working towards a GED" means "was a high school dropout".

 

[ryanmercer]

Don't forget: "working towards a GED" means "was a high school dropout".

And what is there to work towards... you go in, you take the test. Ta da done.

I switched high schools senior year and the new one tried to tell me they wouldn't honor half of the classes I had taken and that I"d have to go back a grade. I dropped out... took the GED test, had it finished inside of 20 minutes. The lady said "oh sweety was it too hard" I said "no ma'am, I'm done"

Ok so yeah everyone isn't as sharp as me, but still... 'working towards a ged' it was mostly 6th grade level questions...

Again, I hate the press. 'pitty this poor fellow who couldn't make it through school, forget the fact he broke into someones residence with a firearm'

 

[Bill of Rights]

I like it better that way

Me too.

Don't forget: "working towards a GED" means "was a high school dropout".

Although I'm told that most high school grads can't pass the GED because it's tougher than actually, you know, going to school and graduating.:rolleyesedit:

Blessings,
B

 

[Scutter01]

And what is there to work towards... you go in, you take the test. Ta da done.

Exactly. If you're "working towards a GED", then you're going to be digging ditches.

There's nothing wrong with a GED, people get them for a variety of reasons, but if you don't have one because you can't pass the test, then I guess you shouldn't have relied on being a star point guard for Valley High School to get you into the NBA.

 

[Lars]

VIDEO INTERVIEW with the man who defended himself.
Video

 

[DocGlock86]

She said he once had dreams of NBA stardom
What young athlete doesnt?

Family members said Turner was once a star point guard for Valley High School
high school "stars" often get real jobs just like the rest of us (instead of being theives)

who was working toward getting his GED what ever happened to high school diplomas?

while preparing to be a first-time father this summer. This is just too easy to attack. Contraceptives? I don't mean to be a hater, but this reporter makes this guy sound like Leave it to Beaver, the perfect American dream ruined by a homeowner who murdered the highschool drop-out who can't afford or use condoms. Ok the bold is killing me, sorry. I know its important not to jump to stereotypes, but this reporter obviously has no regard for truthful journalism (does that exist?) and only seeks to defend the criminal by polishing his character. Wouldn't the facts have been sufficient to discern what happened? Instead we need someone else to put a shine on the story? Please.

Roach said family members thought Turner was out of town at the time of the shooting. Now they wish he would have followed through on those plans. So does the homeowner! Anybody thought about him and his wife? Forget the aspirations of the criminal. He threatened the life of this guy. Good riddance.

I like how you mentioned the GED part. She made it sound like he was a perfect student Straight A's team captian of the basketball team blah blah. Now I'm not knocking people with GED's because I myself has one but I'm pretty sure if you get a GED usually means you've dropped out of school you are not going to the NBA and you prolly wasn't a straight A student.

 

[brainslushy]

Cities breed liberals. The liberal media breeds aspiring liberal reporters. Guns will always be bad. Killing black teenagers will always be bad.

Liberal bias in the media: It's not going to get better....only worse.

 

[indyjoe]

The Courier Journal seemed to have a much better balanced article, covering the criminal history of the intruders.