Dr. John E. Warren -Publisher
We wish to add our voice to those questioning the handling of the investigation of the homicide and mass shooting Sunday, April 30th, at a pool side party at the La Jolla Cross Roads Apartments. It is very disturbing that San Diego Police Chief Shelly Zimmerman would rush to announce that the shooting was not a hate crime. It is also disturbing that the media has spent more time talking about the finances and mental stress of the shooting than about the victims with a special emphasis on the young Black woman who was the sole murdered victim.
While it is a known fact that all law enforcement in San Diego County seeks every opportunity to avoid having any act of violence labeled as a “hate crime”, there are some facts that should not be ignored: (1) the shooter was a White male who came to a pool event with a gun; (2) White individuals in interviews after the tragedy said they were told by the shooter to “leave or die”. This was before he started to shoot; (3) while it is reported that the shooter was upset over the recent break up with his girlfriend, reports omitted that she left him for an African American male, and (4) the people at the pool party invited him to join them and even allegedly gave him the beer he was drinking at the time of the shooting. These events, like the church shootings in South Carolina suggest a person with a pre-meditated intent to kill and the fact that he only shot Latinos and African Americans does suggest race when Whites were present at the pool or told by him to “leave or die”.
The shooter has already paid for his crimes with his life, but that does not ease the pain of the loss or injuries suffered. What must be corrected is both the rush to judgment in the police chief’s report from the crime scene where the investigation had not been completed and the media blitz on the finances, businesses and romance problems and the mental state of the shooter above and beyond coverage of the victims.
Perhaps it’s also time for Blacks to be more cautious of lone White individuals with no apparent purpose, if possible, without becoming paranoid. Something to think about.
