January 1, 2007
Denver Bronco Shot and Killed Overnight
Dagny and I were stunned this morning when Google News included a Hawaii Channel.com story headlined Denver Bronco Williams Dies in Drive-By Shooting. I didn't immediately realize who "Williams" was since it's a common surname. I opened the link expecting to read about a backup player we knew little about. Instead I received a second shock when I read the murdered Bronco was starting cornerback Darrent Williams. Darrent has been something of a phenomenon in Denver over the last two seasons and was a fan favorite.
Another report hints at a possible motive for the outrage:
Authorities say that prior to the shooting Williams, Javon Walker and a few other players were at a club when an alteration [sic] broke out with other patrons inside the bar. Williams and his friends decided to leave and the shooting took place moments later.
ESPN reports that "In December, Williams spoke of his desire to return to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, this offseason to talk to kids about staying out of gangs." [...] "When he was younger, he always gravitated to the wrong crowd," said Criss, who coached Williams for three seasons at O.D. Wyatt High in Fort Worth and continued to speak regularly with Williams.
It's too early to tell if Darrent's troubled youth was to blame in the altercation, but the kind of reckless disregard for the law and for human life displayed by the shooter is typical of urban "gangstas." The only good news in these reports is that there seem to be plenty of leads to identify the murderer.
Sports Posted by JohnGalt at January 1, 2007 11:38 AM
Sad stuff. I was looking to tease the NFC segment of our blog with some gag about the Broncos staying home with a 9-7 record, while the Giants get a wild card slot at 8-8.
I saw the headline and thought that you had beaten me to the punch. Troubled youth or not, let's clearly place the culpability on the thug (or thugs) who pulled the trigger.
Posted by: jk at January 1, 2007 12:19 PMYou have to hope this was truly something random, or the work of some disgruntled fan and not caused by Williams' lifestyle (whatever it may have been)
Posted by: TrekMedic251 at January 1, 2007 1:01 PMI just watched a live Denver PD news conference on myfoxcolorado.com. We learned that the other two injured passengers were not Broncos, though there were other uninjured passengers who could have been Broncos. The suspect vehicle is a white Chevy Suburban. The weapon was a handgun of unspecified caliber. We didn't hear whether a license plate number was observed.
By "Darrent's troubled youth to blame" I meant one of several possibilities: Darrent partying with gang members who clashed with a rival gang leading to the shooting; or Darrent's group encountering a gang group and Darrent or a friend provoking (or egging on) the gang, which led to the shooting.
Obviously there is no amount of taunting that justifies murder. Only the shooter(s) are to blame. However, gang membership teaches young men to provoke confrontation rather than diffuse it.
Posted by: johngalt at January 1, 2007 2:21 PMIt's a fine line between dangerous and deserved but it must be preserved. I am not guessing that Mr. Williams was leaving choir practice on his way to morning vespers. Any party involving basketball players has to be viewed with suspicion.
And yet, the girl in the short skirt does not deserve rape and the guy at the raucous party does not deserve to be shot.
At the risk of flippancy, jg, I am trying to reconcile your appreciation for diffusing confrontation with your "Albums of the Year" selection of "Stuck Mojo." Am I missing some subtleties?
Posted by: jk at January 2, 2007 12:29 PMThe fact that you consider the differences "subtleties" makes me wonder if you've dismissed them for some reason:
"Trash talk" doesn't equal mass murder.
Answering the bravado of a bar room bully with more of the same is foolish.
Defending your self, your family, your home, and your "'hood" from murderous thugs is valorous.
Please remember that all of my comments as regard this particular tragedy were purely speculative.
Posted by: johngalt at January 2, 2007 10:28 PMI agree that the thread of this topic has left the tragic death of young Mr. Williams. I will continue it in a new post. I think we all agree on the tragedy.
Posted by: jk at January 3, 2007 11:01 AM | What do you think? [6]