the case of darius simmons; teen gunned down by neighbor |graphic

[Trill Clinton]

A Milwaukee mother couldn't contain her tears yesterday as she described the horrifying moment her white neighbor allegedly shot dead her son, a black 13-year-old, in front of her eyes after he accused the boy of stealing guns from his house.
Patricia Larry testified that John Henry Spooner, 76, warned her son, Darius Simmons, that he'd teach him not to steal before he fired a single shot into the boy's chest, killing him, in May 2012.
The shocking account came in the second day of Spooner's trial as jurors watched footage from the elderly man's own surveillance video, which showed him confronting Simmons on the sidewalk outside their houses, pointing a gun at the teen's chest and firing from just a few feet away.


In the surveillance footage, Spooner emerges from his house that morning and confronts Simmons.
He points a gun at the boy, who quickly moves backward a few steps. Both Spooner and the teen direct their attention toward a porch at Simmons' home, where Simmons' mother is standing.
Moments later, Spooner points the gun back at Simmons and fires, hitting him in the chest.
As the teen stumbles and runs away, Spooner fires a second shot that misses him.
The defense has conceded that Spooner fired the fatal bullet at Simmons as they argued on the sidewalk.





But defense attorney Franklyn Gimbel said the two issues for the jury to decide are whether Spooner intended to kill the boy, and whether Spooner was suffering from mental illness that prevented him from knowing right from wrong at the time.

Richard Martinez, one of the Milwaukee police officers who responded after the shooting, testified that Spooner offered an unsolicited confession upon his arrest. Martinez said he ordered Spooner at gunpoint to drop his weapon and Spooner bent down and laid his handgun on the ground.
Martinez testified that he was handcuffing Spooner when Spooner said, 'Yeah, I shot him,' referring to the teen. Martinez said Spooner had another bullet in his pocket.
Martinez's partner, Michael Urbaniak, testified that he and Martinez placed Spooner in the back of a squad car while they investigated the scene. While being detained, Spooner commented that he had reached his breaking point and that his house had been broken into two days earlier, Urbaniak said.
The officer said Spooner claimed he knew the culprits were the kids who lived next door, and that they were part of a family that recently moved next door and had caused nothing but trouble.
Other police officers who testified included Lori Borchert, who responded to the burglary report two days earlier. She said two windows on Spooner's home were broken and Spooner told her four shotguns were missing.
The day after the burglary, Spooner called Borchert and told her that his surveillance video captured images of the suspects. She said she viewed the video and that it showed two different black teenage males coming from the area of Simmons' home and moving toward Spooner's home.
She said she didn't arrest anyone because there wasn't enough probable cause. She said the faces on the video weren't clear, and the teens didn't appear to be holding any of the missing guns.
Gimbel, who limited his cross-examinations, told jurors during opening statements he intends to raise questions about whether Spooner actually had the requisite intent to commit homicide.



'We will focus on what was Mr. Spooner's intent when he pointed the gun and pulled the trigger,' Gimbel said.

Some have likened the shooting of Simmons as 'vigilantism and rogue police behavior' and similar to the killing in Florida of Trayvon Martin.
In both cases, an older man allegedly killed a black teen because the shooter believed they were suspicious.

Spooner shot Simmons last May after accusing the boy of stealing $3,000 worth of guns from his home.




The teen, who had lived with his mother next door to Spooner for only a month, was taking out the trash around 10 a.m. when Spooner accused the boy of the theft and demanded he return the shotguns.
The teenager was unarmed when he was shot in the street outside their homes.
The boy told Spooner he had not stolen the guns and his mother, Patricia Larry, told the elderly man to go back inside.
Spooner then pulled out a handgun and shot Simmons in the chest from only five feet away, killing the boy. There were at least two witnesses.
'I condemn in the strongest words possible the murder of Darius Simmons,' Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said after the shooting. 'To have a boy who's taking out the garbage at 10 in the morning murdered should shock the conscience of the state.'
If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, Spooner faces life in prison.
At the time, neighbor Toni Johnson said she was watching TV when she heard a commotion outside her door.

‘I looked out the door and saw the mother kneeling over her boy at the curb, screaming, 'my son!' and the old guy was standing right over there by the stop sign with his dog, just waiting,’ Ms. Johnson said.

Neighbor Robert Delatorre said Spooner lived alone with his two dogs and often walked around the block.
Larry said Spooner told her son he 'wanted his stuff back and that he wanted his shotguns back.'

'My son, Darius Simmons, was shot and killed in front of me,' Larry said earlier. 'It's affected me, my friends, my work.'


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2366507/John-Spooner-trial-Darius-Simmonss-mother-describes-watching-neighbour-shoot-dead-black-son.html



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBKogMxbRAU


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/17/article-2366507-1AD9187B000005DC-783_306x506.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/17/article-2366507-1AD4E879000005DC-987_306x505.jpg


inb4 darius is labeled as a thug.

thank God for the suirvellance.

[TeyshaBlue]

I don't think this is anything like the Trayvon/Zimmer case. For starters, there's actual evidence of a crime being committed. There is no SYG component because this was a naked confrontation 2 days after Spooner's house was burgled (I know, that word doesn't look right). This is straight up murder...pre meditated at that.

[DPG21920]

This is nothing like the Trayvon circumstances at all. This is incredibly sad and this guy will serve time. He's pleading insanity FWIW.

[TeyshaBlue]

nothing I've read so far leads me to believe he was anything but stone cold sane and wanted some kind of justice for his house being robbed.

[DPG21920]

Yes - the house was broken into by a black male per the report/surveillance video, but the police obviously did not think it was the neighbor kid. Even if it was, you don't do this. He's going to jail and the system will prevail.

[CosmicCowboy]

The white guy was wrong and deserves to, and will go to jail. Why the hysteria Trill?

/thread

[Trill Clinton]

I don't think this is anything like the Trayvon/Zimmer case. For starters, there's actual evidence of a crime being committed. There is no SYG component because this was a naked confrontation 2 days after Spooner's house was burgled (I know, that word doesn't look right). This is straight up murder...pre meditated at that.

i think they're drawing comparisons of the young men being profiled as suspicious when neither were in the act of committing any crimes. but i hope you're right and they send him to prison for the rest of his life,even though he only has a few years left.

[Trill Clinton]

The white guy was wrong and deserves to, and will go to jail. Why the hysteria Trill?

/thread

quote the hysteria for me

[DisAsTerBot]

seriously? nothing like the zimmerman case and this dude will obviously serve time

[CosmicCowboy]

quote the hysteria for me

Do you start threads on every murder you read about? What was different about this one?

[TeyshaBlue]

There will be a crime if Trill shows up at the gtg and he doesn't look like his avatar.:ihit

[DPG21920]

That video was unbelievable difficult to watch for me. Damn.

[Trill Clinton]

Do you start threads on every murder you read about? What was different about this one?

not hysterical but i'll answer. stay tuned for threads where the suspect is an older white male and the victim is a young black or latino male. i will be posting at least 1 thread per month on the subject.

[CosmicCowboy]

Can we just get past the race shit?

[Trill Clinton]

There will be a crime if Trill shows up at the gtg and he doesn't look like his avatar.:ihit

lmaooooo welp be prepared to be disappointed.:king

[Trill Clinton]

Can we just get past the race shit?

i ask myself this question every day. so sad that a young man can't even take out the garbage or walk home without being accused of committing a crime.

[Leetonidas]

If only we had some footage of the Martin case like this. Pretty sad, dude looks like a pedo too

[KingsFanWithoutName]

Anyone who tries to compare this to the Zimmerman/Martin cause is a fucking retard just looking to stir up racial tensions.

I hope that crazy old fuck is shot on site. No reason for him to see a courtroom.

[KingsFanWithoutName]

And Trill, you're a bit late on this one :lol Where've you been?

[Trill Clinton]

And Trill, you're a bit late on this one :lol Where've you been?

i'm only one man, fam. every 28 hours a black male is murdered by police or vigilantes like this man and zimmerman. its impossible for me to be on top of every case, but if you would like to help bring awareness you can post the stories that i miss. godspeed.

[DPG21920]

i'm only one man, fam. every 28 hours a black male is murdered by police or vigilantes like this man and zimmerman. its impossible for me to be on top of every case, but if you would like to help bring awareness you can post the stories that i miss. godspeed.

Does that every 28 hours include other black men murdering blacks?

[Trill Clinton]

Does that every 28 hours include other black men murdering blacks?

if the police and vigilante is black, yes.

[DPG21920]

if the police and vigilante is black, yes.

I am confused. Of the 91% of murders that happen against blacks being perpetrated by blacks, how many of the 91% are considered police/vigilante and what are the frequency for black on black murders that are not police/vigilante?

[Trill Clinton]

I am confused. Of the 91% of murders that happen against blacks being perpetrated by blacks, how many of the 91% are considered police/vigilante and what are the frequency for black on black murders that are not police/vigilante?

*insert teyshablue's headinhand emoticon*

[Trill Clinton]

dpg, if you are truly interested(i doubt it) pick up this book. it has all the answers to your questions

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jAMfwEdJx7Y/T-8m-y75ThI/AAAAAAAABNw/4facMN7SgsU/s1600/Photo+The+New+Jim+Crow+Mass+Incarceration+in+the+A ge+of+Colorblindness.jpg

[DPG21920]

If you post an incredible stat, it should be expected people have questions want to know more. Why not just answer the damn questions? Makes no sense.

[Trill Clinton]

that stat is indeed incredible and factual. you want to know the names of the victims? the stats of disparity of arrests and black males in prison? nope. read up on institutional racism. thats the foundation of a lot of the issues, we can discuss that. if you want to discuss something else, create a thread.

[DPG21920]

Then why bring up what appears to be a confusing stat if you are not willing to discuss something so incredible? It makes you appear as if you have an agenda. Did I ask a question that didn't make sense or that was offensive? I apologize if that is the case, I was really trying to figure out what that stat was signifying.

[DPG21920]

I will pick up that book though.

[KingsFanWithoutName]

not hysterical but i'll answer. stay tuned for threads where the suspect is an older white male and the victim is a young black or latino male. i will be posting at least 1 thread per month on the subject.

To be fair you should also post threads where the suspect is a black male and the victims are young white and young Latino. You can start with the two black guys who shot that white baby in the face.

[Trill Clinton]

your question had nothing to do with the stat, but i do accept your apology. there is nothing confusing about that stat at all. its pretty cut and dry and if you would like to know the percentages of those males who where armed, how the police justified the shootings, the percentage that were excessive force, the percentage of those victims who had a mental illness and needed psychiatric treatment rather than a policeman, i would happily drop you the lank:toast

[Trill Clinton]

To be fair you should also post threads where the suspect is a black male and the victims are young white and young Latino. You can start with the two black guys who shot that white baby in the face.

naw, you make those threads.

[KingsFanWithoutName]

naw, you make those threads.

C'mon doggie, I ain't got time for that.

[DPG21920]

your question had nothing to do with the stat, but i do accept your apology. there is nothing confusing about that stat at all. its pretty cut and dry and if you would like to know the percentages of those males who where armed, how the police justified the shootings, the percentage that were excessive force, the percentage of those victims who had a mental illness and needed psychiatric treatment rather than a policeman, i would happily drop you the lank:toast

It didn't have to do with the stat? If that stat only included the things you said and 91% of murders are black on black that number has to be staggering compared to the one you posted.

[Trill Clinton]

It didn't have to do with the stat? If that stat only included the things you said and 91% of murders are black on black that number has to be staggering compared to the one you posted.

no it didn't, i think you are more interested in black on black crime and i applaud you for your concern and wish you read up on the long lasting effects of slavery/civil rights/jim crow/ colorblindness/lack of proper education/poverty, etc its a very deep topic and not as simple as many think. if you don't understand the foundation then its pointless having that conversation at this juncture.

dpg, my agenda with this thread and the ones soon to follow, is to bring awareness of young black men who are killed by people who are supposed to serve and protec: law enforcement, security guards and "vigilantes" for doing normal things like taking out the trash and walking home, thats it.

[DPG21920]

I see, that makes more sense in context. Also, I told you I am going to pick up that book. No promises on when (I just started a Sci-Fi book), but I will. My word.

[DPG21920]

One more question and I want you to answer honestly. Would that video of Darius getting shot been any easier for you to watch if the kid was white?

For me, that was brutal and I am still cringing over it.

[Trill Clinton]

i actually recommended the book to creepn a while back but i don't think he ever read it. to the second questions, as i've stated several times, i have a soft spot for children. if that kid was white, asian or hispanic it would still be hard to watch. i have a lot of empathy when it comes to child victims regardless their race.

[spurraider21]

crofl... trill reaching per par. this case is nothing like the Zimmerman/Martin case, and this dude is going to prisonPERIOD. but Trill wants to make everything all about race every goddam time.

here, i'll play along

:cry THE SYSTEM IS RACIST (http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/dry-asparagus-prompts-questions-about-racial-discrimination-in-u-city/article_3e072b32-7aa6-5cf7-bc1b-6f2aac7605f5.html) :cry

[spurraider21]

in all seriousness, its a tragic story. truly. but to use it as political ammunition to drive your agenda is doing a disservice to the kid and his family. i don't see the black community going through these big movements when a black is killed by a black. but as soon as its a non-black responsible, its mass hysteria. stop using tragedies as political ammunition. its disgraceful

[Chief Brody]

A real life Walt Kowalski. {salute}

[boobie4three]

Wisconsin man, 76, guilty in fatal shooting of 13-year-old neighbor

By Dinesh Ramde, The Associated Press

A Milwaukee man was convicted Wednesday of fatally shooting his 13-year-old neighbor, whom he suspected had broken into his home and stolen weapons.
The trial now shifts into a second phase in which the defense will try to prove the 76-year-old defendant was mentally ill at the time of the shooting.
A jury deliberated for about an hour before finding John Henry Spooner guilty of first-degree intentional homicide. Surveillance video from Spooner's own security cameras showed him confronting Darius Simmons in May 2012, pointing a gun at him from about 6 feet away and shooting him in the chest.
Spooner had entered two pleas to the homicide charge: not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. That set up the trial to be conducted in two phases: the first to determine whether he was guilty of the homicide, and if so, a second to determine whether he was mentally competent at the time.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/17/19526519-wisconsin-man-76-guilty-in-fatal-shooting-of-13-year-old-neighbor?lite


This couldn't of happened if Trill hadn't brought it to the attention of the world.

[AntiChrist]

Now THIS is actually a case of a white man murdering a black child.

[Trill Clinton]

crofl... trill reaching per par. this case is nothing like the Zimmerman/Martin case, and this dude is going to prisonPERIOD. but Trill wants to make everything all about race every goddam time.

here, i'll play along

:cry THE SYSTEM IS RACIST (http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/dry-asparagus-prompts-questions-about-racial-discrimination-in-u-city/article_3e072b32-7aa6-5cf7-bc1b-6f2aac7605f5.html) :cry

the author compared trayvon and darrius being profiled as suspicious and both were shot, I don't think that's a reach at all. Trill didn't say they were exactly the same, why u acting so insecure about it, doggie?

[Trill Clinton]

in all seriousness, its a tragic story. truly. but to use it as political ammunition to drive your agenda is doing a disservice to the kid and his family. i don't see the black community going through these big movements when a black is killed by a black. but as soon as its a non-black responsible, its mass hysteria. stop using tragedies as political ammunition. its disgraceful


You don't see it because you ignore it. Next time there is a innocent black life taken in your city, drive to the area and I bet you see makeshift memorials, talk to the residents and ask them yourself. Step away from the tube every once in a while.

[spurraider21]

the author compared trayvon and darrius being profiled as suspicious and both were shot, I don't think that's a reach at all. Trill didn't say they were exactly the same, why u acting so insecure about it, doggie?
yeah, you only enlarged the segment of the text that made the comparison, and it's obvious why you posted it. nothing i posted shows any sort of insecurity tbh

You don't see it because you ignore it. Next time there is a innocent black life taken in your city, drive to the area and I bet you see makeshift memorials, talk to the residents and ask them yourself. Step away from the tube every once in a while.
i live in one of the most liberal areas of the country and attend one of the most liberal universities in the country (UCLA). believe you me, the nationwide gatherings for trayvon trump any memorial held for local deaths that should be more heartfelt through the local community here. you don't see mass pickets demanding justice when its a black shooter

[Trill Clinton]

yeah, you only enlarged the segment of the text that made the comparison, and it's obvious why you posted it. nothing i posted shows any sort of insecurity tbh

i live in one of the most liberal areas of the country and attend one of the most liberal universities in the country (UCLA). believe you me, the nationwide gatherings for trayvon trump any memorial held for local deaths that should be more heartfelt through the local community here. you don't see mass pickets demanding justice when its a black shooter

ummmm...i've posted several stories of black men and other minorities being profiled and shot by law enforcement and vigilantes waaaaay before darius and trayvon. this aint my first rodeo, doggie. also, please give me some credit, i never say the generic phrase "the system...!!" that just tells me you really don't read my post. when i bring up race, its constructive and relevant to whats going on in society. i don't make racist trolling 80% of my posts like some other members who you fail to call out for constantly talking race.

i don't care about conservatives or liberals. liberals do just as much damage to minorities as conservatives, if not more. you still fail to see the big picture. of course there were nationwide gatherings because the media made it so. if the media were to make darius's story a nationwide headliner it would be the same result. we wouldn't know shit about casey anthony or jody arias if it wasn't for the media, so.....

i guarantee you whenever a innocent child is murdered and the suspect is questioned and let go by police and is free to go home with his feet kicked up, there are marches and rallies demanding the killer be locked up and to stand trial. if i'm lying im flyin' and i would love for you to prove me wrong.

[spurraider21]

ummmm...i've posted several stories of black men and other minorities being profiled and shot by law enforcement and vigilantes waaaaay before darius and trayvon. this aint my first rodeo, doggie. also, please give me some credit, i never say the generic phrase "the system...!!" that just tells me you really don't read my post. when i bring up race, its constructive and relevant to whats going on in society. i don't make racist trolling 80% of my posts like some other members who you fail to call out for constantly talking race.

i don't care about conservatives or liberals. liberals do just as much damage to minorities as conservatives, if not more. you still fail to see the big picture. of course there were nationwide gatherings because the media made it so. if the media were to make darius's story a nationwide headliner it would be the same result. we wouldn't know shit about casey anthony or jody arias if it wasn't for the media, so.....

i guarantee you whenever a innocent child is murdered and the suspect is questioned and let go by police and is free to go home with his feet kicked up, there are marches and rallies demanding the killer be locked up and to stand trial. if i'm lying im flyin' and i would love for you to prove me wrong.

when was the last time you posted a story of a black on black murder?

[johnsmith]

Lol....trill and the MSM are trolling everyone with this one.

[johnsmith]

Either that or trill will believe whatever a bunch of white folk at the news outlets will tell him.....hooray racism!!!!
God damn whitey...always being in charge of shit.

[Jacob1983]

This crazy old man will probably die of old age before he is sentenced.