Shooting at DC zoo

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And here's what I want done about it.

Hunt down the little turdballs and toast them. Slowly. Find out what teenage slight they thought was worth using lethal force over and give them a taste of their own medicine, but slowly. Painfully. Shoot them with .22 WRM hollow points thru the ankles, knees, wrists, elbows, and a few times in the gut and let them bleed out. Video tape it for the benefit of their little gang-banger scummie friends (and a$$hole parents) to watch. Show it in the schools in DC.

Then, find the people they got the guns from and do the same thing to them. Then burn their houses down. Make Algore watch and explain why gun control laws are a better alternative.

Yeah, I'm a bit offended by it all.
M2
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joe Portale:
did anyone else catch the description of the shooters? I heard this on Fox and CNN.

What is the matter with these people, call a thug a thug, don't play it down. I suppose in a few days it will be the fault of the victims for getting in the way of the "Youth Group's" activities....jeeez.

JP
[/quote]

No, it will remain the fault of the evil guns who go off by themselves and the NRA for not doing anything to help keep society safe.
rolleyes.gif


Those poor Youth Group members were just victims themselves, victims of violent video games and violent movies teaching them that they must carry these deadly instruments in order to be cool. Then of course, it couldn't be their fault when they became angered at society as a whole for that glass bottle that leaped out of the hand of one of the members of the other "Youth Group" and unfortunately landed on the head of a member of the other "Youth Group". If there had only been trigger locks on those evil guns this tragedy would not have happened.

Furthermore, if the blackmarket gundealers who sold these young men and women these weapons had only put them throught the Instant Check System, or had seen that they did not have their National Handgun Owner Registration card, then he/she surely would not have sold these guns to these minors. Also, if handguns had been banned for the average citizen in DC this would not have happened, oops, sorry, they are banned in DC. Oh well, there goes my argument.
wink.gif


45er




[This message has been edited by 45er (edited April 24, 2000).]
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike in VA:
And here's what I want done about it.

Hunt down the little turdballs and toast them. Slowly. Find out what teenage slight they thought was worth using lethal force over and give them a taste of their own medicine, but slowly. Painfully.


snip...

Yeah, I'm a bit offended by it all.
M2
[/quote]

Mike in VA,
I have to say I like your style, only air it on national TV during Prime Time, setup TV's in all the crack houses and other places these kind of punks might hang out just so they will be sure to see it.

I read on AltaVista that a glass bottle was thrown from one grang to the other and hit someone in the head, then a firefight erupted.

45er


[This message has been edited by 45er (edited April 25, 2000).]
 
On the 11:00 o'clock news the DC mayor, Anthony Williams, suggested that MD and VA stop sending those guns to DC. Apparantly this mayor believes that the governments in the surrounding jurisdictions are the real problem.
 
MikeK is cloest to "the solution." If we only had a ban on all firearms along the entire eastern seaboard, none of this could (would) have happened.

Don't you see? The ban on weapons really works in DC. The real problem is that anybody can get anything "somewhere" else.

When we shut down the availability of the weapons of mass-destruction everywhere, only then will we all be safe.

It's not DC's problem, that is where the solution works. The problem is the easy availability of weapons elsewhere.
 
Sounds more like Darwin at work here. A
little "natural selection" going on.

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Never do an enemy a minor injury. Machiavelli
"Stay alive with a 45"
 
Seven Wounded in Shooting at National Zoo http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7235-2000Apr24.html
By Martin Weil and Cheryl W. Thompson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday , April 25, 2000 ; A01

Six youths were shot at the National Zoo yesterday when a dispute escalated into gunfire, panicking visitors to one of Washington's premier tourist attractions at the conclusion of a day celebrating the
African American family.

One of the six, an 11-year-old boy, was hit in the back of the head and was brain dead, a police source said. He was being kept on life support at Children's Hospital so his organs could be donated, the
source said. The other youths' wounds were not regarded as life-threatening.

Some of the shots apparently were fired a few hundred feet inside the zoo, possibly near the visitors center, D.C. police said. They said shooting also broke out outside the entrance on Connecticut
Avenue NW, a major thoroughfare that runs through some of the city's most affluent neighborhoods.

No arrest was reported last night, and police said they were looking for one suspect.

No clear motive was immediately identified for the dispute and shootings, which took place on a day when D.C. schools were still on spring recess, and apparently involved two groups of youths. D.C.
Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said he understood zoo security officers were trying to expel unruly youths from the grounds when the shooting began.

Sgt. Joseph Gentile, a police spokesman, said the shootings might have been gang related; if they were, he said, it was not known whether any of the wounded youths had gang involvements. Nor, he
said, was it known if the youths had been involved in the disputes that preceded the shootings.

Police described the suspect they were looking for as a black teenager whose hair might have been plaited. He reportedly was wearing a black jacket and black shirt with baggy bluejeans. Police said he
was last seen headed south on Connecticut Avenue. Gentile said police were not certain whether shots were fired by more than one person.

The zoo will be closed today, officials said.

Connecticut Avenue was closed between Calvert and Macomb streets as police and agents from the Secret Service, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms searched for evidence. One source
said three shell casings had been found outside the zoo.

The wounded youths ranged in age from 11 to 15, Gentile said. Most of them were reported hit in the legs. In addition to the boy shot in the head, a girl and another boy also were taken to Children's
Hospital. Two boys were transported to Georgetown University Hospital and one to Washington Hospital Center.

The youths were not identified immediately. A security supervisor for the D.C. public schools, which reopen today, said his staff was working with police to identify the wounded.

The shootings sent tremors through the city. Ramsey said President Clinton was briefed. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) visited Children's Hospital.
Norton had tears in her eyes when she emerged. Vice President Gore evoked gasps from the audience at a Democratic fundraiser in New York when he announced the incident last night, the Associated
Press reported.

"It's a terrible, terrible tragedy," said zoo spokesman Robert Hoage.

Several visitors reported rowdy disputes and fistfights at the zoo at several times and places earlier in the day. At least one witness said the shootings stemmed from a dispute that had begun earlier and
resumed as the zoo was emptying.

Garrett Rothman, 28, who was walking past the zoo about 6 p.m., said he heard yelling and saw a bottle fly through the air. Next came gunshots.

"Then it was panic. People just flying all over, down the sidewalks. It was chaos," as people &#150; parents and children, some with cheeks still covered with decorative paint from the day's activities
&#150; fled onto the street.

A young woman in a building across the street from the zoo said she heard three gunshots and then saw a youth in a dark sweat shirt lying at the entrance. Everyone was "fleeing in all directions," she
said.

Sirens blaring, lights flashing, police cars and ambulances converged on the scene, and part of Connecticut Avenue, a major commuter artery as well as a prominent shopping and residential street, was
shut down.

The family day for African Americans at the zoo had existed for more than 100 years as an informal community tradition. It began at least partly because blacks felt excluded from the annual Easter egg
roll at the White House, which also is held on the Monday after Easter.

In 1993, the family day was made an official event. A zoo announcement said it was to run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and feature special attractions and educational activities for the city's African American
community. The schedule called for gospel, jazz and other music, as well as storytellers and African drummers. Also part of the festival were Easter egg hunts, an appearance by the Easter bunny, crafts
for children and demonstrations involving zoo animals.

Radio station WOL talk show host Joe Madison said that earlier in the day he had been urging African Americans to recognize the tradition of the day and attend the event at the zoo.

"It has always been a family gathering," he said. "I'm really concerned about the welfare of the young people who were shot. We really have to pray. This clearly speaks to the proliferation of guns in
our community."

Dale Williams, of Capitol Heights, attended the event with her family. She said she saw a fistfight break out between two teenagers near the gorilla exhibit.

She said she moved toward them to intercede. "I was going to ask them, 'Is this worth it?'‚" she said. But before she reached the youths, she said, they were surrounded by a crowd that urged them on
with cries of "Kick 'em!" and "Hit 'em!"

Within moments, she said, "there were so many people [involved in the fight] that you didn't know what was going on." Many people, she said, seemed to be trying to reach over the heads of others to
throw a punch.

"I grabbed my kids and ran into the gorilla house," she said. She said she remained inside, waiting for the combatants to disperse. She learned of the shooting long after it happened.

Joseph Green, of Southeast Washington, who had brought his family to the zoo, said that "throughout the day, kids were running around and yelling, 20 and 40 guys at a time."

He said that they "were just making a whole lot of noise" and that he believed that not enough security personnel were on hand.

Rowdiness had been reported previously in the area around the festival. Last year, police were called to stop a fight that broke out at a nearby fast-food restaurant.

As a result, police said the 2nd Police District assigned two crime-prevention squads to the neighborhood of the zoo for this year's Easter Monday event.

The zoo has its own police department. At least 10 zoo officers were on duty yesterday, according to D.C. police. Witnesses said they had seen zoo police make an arrest earlier in the day.

At Children's Hospital, Norton said that she believed security at the zoo was good and that there was no way officials could have anticipated such an incident. But when asked whether security needed to
be tightened, she said, "I hate to say so, but yes."

The following Washington Post staff writers contributed to coverage of the shootings at the National Zoo: Petula Dvorak, Hamil R. Harris, Spencer S. Hsu, Lyndsey Layton, Cindy Loose, Phuong
Ly, Sylvia Moreno and Arthur Santana.

© 2000 The Washington Post Company
 
This can't be. The city with the toughest gun laws in the nation. Just a bunch of nice minority kids out for a fun afternoon at the zoo. Just because the two groups are wearing differnt colors and bandanas, it can't be gang related. The NAACP offering a reward? Are they finally admitting there may be a problem in the African American community and taking the lead here?
 
The morons in DC are why we got the one gun/month law in VA. Obviously, it really worked well.

After we get done toasting the current bunch of miscreants, their parents and gun suppliers, I think we need to build a wall around the city, mandate that all the congresscritters must live in DC (they should live with their own stupidity) and insititute a leash law for children under 18. I am so sick and tired of these feckless boobs blaming everyone but the parties responsible. Skrew it, nuke 'em all and pave it over. I'm really getting to hate this place.
Still pi$$ed. M2

[This message has been edited by Mike in VA (edited April 25, 2000).]
 
On occassion my work requires temporary help on records administration conversions in DC. After working alongside of them over several years I discovered that most of the female clerical workers we have recruited carry, a majority favoring 9mm handguns, despite the gun control laws there. I was surprised at first, then one woman told me," You would be crazy if you lived up here not to pack a gun. I would rather be busted for breaking their stupid law than raped and killed. All the police got guns and so do all the no goods. Who is going to tell me that I aint got the right to protect myself? No one!"
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joe Portale:
did anyone else catch the description of the shooters? I heard this on Fox and CNN.
"Most of the victims were caught in the cross fire of shots fired by RIVAL YOUTH GROUPS."

JP
[/quote]

I know. Made me think maybe Young Life and B'nai Brith Youth had gotten into a Jihad by the lion's den!
eek.gif


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*quack*

[This message has been edited by duck hunt (edited April 25, 2000).]
 
A 14 day waiting period definitely would've helped prevent this tragedy. yeah right

If Bush was smart, he'd use this to his benefit. Unfortunately, he's a bafoon.
 
Mike, A much better and less bloody solution would be to give the residential areas of DC back to Maryland. They derserve each other, it would get DC out from under federal control, let the residents have real reps in congress and be less of a tax drain on the rest of the US. There should be no one living in the federal city full time and no one should have residency there ever again.
 
The reason I'm so upset is that the first thing out of the idiot mayor's mouth was that it was because of 'easy access to guns', no mention of punk values or sick gangbanger mentaity. Never mind that they think the shooter was someone believed to be between 17-19, everything he did is already against the law. One definiton of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome. It makes me crazy.

I think giving them back to MD is a great idea, partly because they do deserve each other, and partly because the people of DC deserve real elected represetation. Although DC politician do seem above average stupid, they also have the congressional thumb up their butt, and there's no bigger stupidity magnet that the US Congress.

Regardless, I'm still for coming down real hard on the jerk(s) that did the shooting and the people who gave them the guns. NO mercy.
M2
 
Gore put his foot in his mouth this time. This is ideal now that the NRA has taken an offensive position. The NRA can jump all over this as see we were right! There you have a bunch of gun laws that are not enforced. No new gun laws would have prevented this from happening, but enforcing the existing laws in DC would have.
 
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000424/ts/crime_zoo_4.html

Six Children Shot at Washington National Zoo

By Maggie Fox

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Six children aged 11 to 16 were wounded in a
shooting at the National Zoo on Monday after groups of youths clashed in
what police believe may have been gang-related violence.

One of the children, an 11-year-old boy, was shot in the head and was fighting
for his life at a Washington hospital on Monday evening, and a 12-year-old girl
was shot in the chest, police officials told reporters.

They and four others were taken to local hospitals.

Witnesses said the shootings occurred around 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT) after
violent clashes broke out
between groups of youths who were part of a large crowd taking part in the
annual ''African-American
Family Celebration'' at the zoo.

``At this point in time we can confirm six children, six victims of the
shooting,'' Capt. Brian Lee of the
Washington Fire Department told reporters. ``Unfortunately, one is
gravely injured.''

Lee said two other people, one a pregnant woman and one a seizure
patient, also had been taken to hospitals but it was not clear if their
cases were related to the shock of the fights and shootings.

Kellie Peacock, a spokeswoman for Children's Hospital, said the
11-year-old boy with the head injury was in grave condition with a
life-threatening injury. Two other victims -- a girl aged 12 and a boy
aged 14 -- were in serious condition.

``He is in a life-threatening condition from a medical standpoint, and has
very grave injury to the brain
from the bullet wound, but right now is stable and responding to what we're
doing for him,'' Dr. Marty
Eichelberger told reporters.

Two boys aged 13 and 15 were taken to Georgetown University Medical Center
with gunshot wounds
to the legs, but both were treated and released, hospital officials said.

Police said a sixth victim, who is 16, was taken to Washington Hospital
Center, but officials there gave
no details.

Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey said a full investigation was under
way, but no arrests had yet
been made. The police department offered a $1,000 reward for any
information leading to an arrest and
indictment.

Police said they were searching for one suspect, identified as a black male
aged 17 to 19 who was
reportedly seen fleeing the scene wearing a black coat and baggy blue jeans.

``We are investigating the possibility that there may have a confrontation
between two gangs,'' police
spokesman Sgt. Joe Gentile told reporters, adding that there was no
evidence that any of the shooting
victims were gang members.

Zoo Packed With Families

``It's a very, very unfortunate occurrence,'' said spokesman Robert Hoage,
noting that African-American families had been meeting at the zoo the day
after Easter for more than 100 years, even during the days of segregation in
the District of Columbia.

The zoo was packed on Monday, a school holiday for many local children,
with families and children enjoying live music performances, storytellers,
dancers and African drummers.

The incident underscored mounting concerns across the country about gun
violence involving children following a spate of well-publicized school
shootings, and the recent shooting in Michigan by a 6-year-old boy of his
6-year-old classmate.

Vice President Al Gore (news - web sites), in New York for a fund-raising
dinner, said the incident
underscored the need for tougher gun control laws.

``It goes on. What does it take? We've already this year had a six-year-old
first grader killed by a
classmate with a gun,'' Gore said. ``We really have to have mandatory child
safety trigger locks.''


(I sure hope that the rest of the country sees what an ass Gore is making of himself here. As if these thugs would have had trigger locks on their illegally concealed and probably stolen guns? Is that possibly the logic he is using? Is there any logic here?)

Washington Mayor Anthony Williams and Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's
nonvoting delegate
to the U.S. House of Representatives, visited the victims and their
families at Children's Hospital, and
Holmes Norton told reporters she had never seen an 11-year-old child with
such grave injuries.
She
vowed to pressure Congress to pass tougher gun control laws.

(Gee, I thought that 12 children or more were shot a day? If so, she should be seeing kids like this all the time, right?)

Zoo To Remain Closed

Officials at the National Zoo said the facility would be closed on Tuesday
as police continued their
investigation.

Dozens of people, including many small children, continued to stream out of
the zoo an hour after the
shooting. Residents milled about on the streets near the zoo, in northwest
Washington's leafy exclusive
Cleveland Park neighborhood.

The shootings reportedly occurred near the Connecticut Avenue entrance of
the hilly, park-like zoo and
came after the two groups of youths, described by several witnesses as
being about 16 or 17 years old,
clashed several times throughout the day.[/b[

Michael Hatcher, 19, said it was a chaotic situation that appeared to have
escalated.

``It looked like a riot fight ... I saw a lot of people running, jumping,
hitting on each other,'' said Hatcher,
who was visiting the zoo with his girlfriend.

``They weren't doing too much talking. They was just swinging,'' said Dale
Williams, there with her
mother, sons and some friends.

``I saw a man with something in his pocket,'' volunteered one of the boys,
13-year-old Kevin Henry. ``He
said, 'Get out of the way. I am going to shoot someone.' I ran. I was gone.''

``I just thought, 'This couldn't be happening at the zoo with my kid on my
back,''' said 31-year-old Amy
Beckwith, who had her son, 2, in a backpack.


-------------------------------------------------

I love the way they keep using the word "children".

These are not "children". But, this is a classic example of what the gun bigots use as "children". These are hardened street gangsters with long rap sheets who would sooner kill you than look at you, and they CHOSE to be in that situaiton. In my opinion, I don't think that one single "innocent" "victim" was shot.


[This message has been edited by CassandraComplex (edited April 25, 2000).]
 
Tuesday April 25 1:03 PM ET

D.C. Zoo Shooting Leaves 7 Injured


By NANCY ZUCKERBROD, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A running scuffle between two groups of youths erupted into gunfire at the crowded National Zoo, leaving six young people recovering from gunshot wounds.

The popular tourist attraction, which was crowded with thousands of people celebrating black families when the shooting occurred Monday afternoon, was closed today as police continued their investigation.

Although police had said the most severely wounded, an 11-year-old boy, was brain dead, Children's National Medical Center said today his condition had improved and he was responding to care. "Although the child remains in critical condition, a repeat CT scan of the head continues stable," said Dr. Martin R. Eichelberger, director of trauma services at the hospital.

Police Chief Charles Ramsey said today that officers know who they are looking for. A police source who asked not to be identified said there is no evidence that more than one shooter was involved. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People posted a $25,000 reward.

Police said they were investigating whether the shootings were gang related and sought at least one teen-age gunman who fired a handgun into groups of youths after a confrontation escalated to bottle throwing and then shots.

"Whether it's officially a gang activity or not, the fact of the matter is that there were two groups of youth who were scuffling, who were fighting throughout the afternoon, and as all too often happens, had ready access to guns and the results speak for themselves," Mayor Anthony Williams said today on CBS' "The Early Show."

The shooting victims ranged in age from 11 to 16 and were attending a century-old post-Easter gathering celebrating black families.

Police said the seventh victim, a teen-ager, showed up at a hospital overnight for treatment of a gunshot wound to the thumb.

A 12-year-old girl was in serious condition with a wound to the pelvis, a 14-year-old boy was in serious condition with a leg wound, and three other youths were hospitalized with less serious injuries, according to officials at the hospitals where they were treated. Another person in the vicinity of the melee suffered a seizure and a pregnant woman was taken to the hospital after experiencing abdominal pain.

The 111-year-old zoo, a unit of the Smithsonian Institution, is one of the most-visited sites in Washington, drawing 3 million local residents and tourists each year. Nestled on 163 acres in one of Washington's wealthiest neighborhoods, it has seldom experienced violence and was better known for the rare Chinese pandas it
housed for over two decades.

Susanna Wurminen, 20, a zoo volunteer from Sweden, arrived for work this morning to find news crews gathered and a sign alerting visitors that the grounds were closed today. Two bunches of flowers lay on the sidewalk outside the gate.

Wurminen, on a five-week stay in Washington, was surprised to hear of the shootings.

"Nothing like this would happen in Sweden," she said. "That happens in the pubs in Sweden but never in the zoo."

The gunfire broke out shortly after 6 p.m. EDT in broad daylight and stunned visitors.

"I am not bringing them back. These are my grandkids. It is not safe," said Sandra Edwards, who was visiting the zoo with her grandchildren when she heard the shots and saw youths fighting.

Edwards said she thought some of the teen-agers appeared to be gang members, because they wore matching clothing. For instance, she said one group of teens all
wore blue bandanas.


Nakisha Johnson, 17, said she saw one young man open fire after a feud between youths became violent. She said the children who were wounded were caught in the middle of the two groups.

"He was just shooting at the people he was fighting" but struck the children bystanders, Johnson said.

Witnesses said the shooting occurred when a bottle was thrown from one group of youths at some other youths in a crowd near the zoo gate. A piece of glass struck a young woman in the face, and then shots rang out, the witnesses said.

"Everybody started grabbing their babies and running," said Kristyl Nelson, 14.

Vice President Al Gore announced the shootings about an hour after they occurred, while he was attending a Democratic fund-raiser in New York City. The news brought gasps from the audience.

______

Maybe the park security should have noticed that some of the "youth" were wearing gang colors? They could have called the DCPD's gang unit to ask for advice.

I see they're no longer reporting Algore's moronic comments....

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Protect your Right to Keep and Bear Arms!

[This message has been edited by Gorthaur (edited April 25, 2000).]
 
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