While one would think that the most important part of this story was that a man who was standing in the road was firing a gun at vehicles, many news articles on this event focused on the shooter just pointing his gun at people or firing his gun into the air. Some headlines even go so far as describing the attacker as a “shooting victim” (see also here). The audio of 911 calls is available here.
The article below also appeared in USA Today.
A Grand Rapids-area man was killed Monday after firing a handgun into the air and at vehicles on Saginaw Highway, police said.
The Eaton County Sheriff’s Office had received several reports that the man, 26, had been walking and firing his gun on Saginaw Highway at about 8:25 a.m. Monday, Sheriff Tom Reich said.
A Delta Township man, 22, stopped in the left eastbound lane on Saginaw, just west of Creyts Road. The Grand Rapids-area man walked in front of the vehicle and pointed the handgun at the driver, Reich said.
The driver, who has a concealed pistol license, fired from his vehicle at the man, who died at the scene, Reich said. Police have not released the 26-year-old’s name but said his last known address was in Walker, near Grand Rapids. The man who was killed is Black and the driver is white, police said. . . .
Kara Berg, “Police: Walker man killed by CPL holder after firing gun into air, at vehicles on Saginaw Hwy,” Lansing State Journal, June 15, 2020. The article also appeared in USA Today
Why does the race of the two shooters matter?? Are you TRYING to start riots again?
That is the newspaper article, not me.
I did ask an attorney once why newspapers were generally identifying the racial color of criminals except when they were white. I was constantly seeing “hispanic” or “black” but never “white”. So, where it might say “…suspect, 36, male…” it would say “…suspect, 36, black male…” or suspect, 36, black, male…” The attorney couldn’t answer me but noted that he had not noticed the differences until I mentioned it. Attorney, black male. Me, white male.