Marvin Harrison Shooting: Details conflict with 610 WIP Radio report from Friday

by BigBlueShoe on May 5, 2008 6:00 PM EDT in Bad Journalism

From 18 to 88 (emphasis mine):

A Philadelphia Inquirer Daily News piece now has other discrepancies with the original report broken by a Philly radio reporter on Friday:

On Friday it was reported that the gun fire was exchanged after Harrison chased a man into the parking lot of his bar. Now it appears that the shooting took place several blocks away.

Harrison is now said to have kicked the victim out of his bar 2 weeks ago, and they have been fighting since. Harrison admitted to getting into a fist fight with the man earlier in the day.

It was reported that a girl had been slightly hurt by flying glass. Now it's reported that it was a 2 year old boy.

It was unclear though not inaccurate in previous reports that police cannot confirm that there was a third victim. They received a call from a lawyer saying that he represented a man who was hurt and could finger Harrison. That is not confirmed and as of now, no one has accused Harrison of anything. Police are looking for this alleged victim.

The original victim first told police that he was hurt driving on the freeway, before changing his story. He has not identified Harrison.

The Inquirer is reporting that Harrison turned the weapon in question over to the police. It was reported on Friday that police found it in a bucket outside Harrison's carwash.

So from the original sensationalistic reports on Friday, we had one picture of what happened, now there is a slightly different one. The small detail changes may or may not make any real difference, but they are interesting to note.

So, all the sensationalist crap ESPN reported on Friday (gun found in paint can, gunfire right outside the bar, witnesses identifying Harrison, etc.) seems to be all bunk according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. On top of this is the news that the Philly PD turned this case over to the Philly DA's office because they are too busy to deal with it (ie, it ain't important).

I more I look at this, the more it seems ESPN, Anthony Gargano of 610 WIP Radio in Philadelphia, and irresponsible rumor mongers like Mike Florio and Michael David Smith have made a whole lot of something from a whole lot of nothing, reporting rumor and speculation as if it were facts. Unless Daily News reporters David Gambacorta and Ted Silary are mis-stating or misunderstanding the facts, ESPN and WIP Radio have badly reported this incident. Unlike WIP Radio and ESPN (and Mike Florio), the Philly Daily News is citing actual sources and not unnamed sources. This makes their tale of the facts more credible. Currently, ESPN and Florio have made no attempt to correct the inconsistent facts they reported as truth, even though Florio admits to having read the Philly Daily News article.

We'll see how this plays out, but right now it looks like ESPN and WIP Radio have egg on their faces. We will see. BTW, Pro Football Talk is now insinuating Marvin Harrison wanted to shoot and kill police officers with the gun. Nice, classy outfit over there.

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This just seems wrong

I have a hard time believing that Marvin would shoot anyone an awkward glance let alone bullets in public in the middle of the afternoon. This whole thing is exaggerated and will blow over like the time he choke slammed that kid onto broken glass during the pro bowl. People hear NFL player and gun and immediatly they are a Bengal. Marvin aint shootin nobody. ESPN will report anything these days, where is the integrity? After they fired Salisbury and Michel “Jacked Up” Irvin i was really hoping for the best. Marvin may have ninja like abilities, but he is not shooting people (or so my unnamed sources tell me).

Wu-Tang is for the children

by bobmysterious on May 5, 2008 7:11 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Turning Over the Case

has more to do with the case they are taking. A cop was shot dead in a bank robbery, and they are out for the shooter. This is still a little important, but if it was Bob Smith from Chester, Pensylvania, it probably would make the bottom half of the news.

coltshomer.blogspot.com

by Colts Homer on May 5, 2008 7:17 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Heh, wow.

by KingRichard on May 5, 2008 8:33 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

It's called

Character Assassination. People want to believe that those “goody two shoes” Colts are just like everybody else. They see the behavior of their own team and they NEED to believe that “everybody does it.” They see someone like Marvin Harrison, an upstanding member of his community, a role model on and off the field, and they must tear him down.

Are the Colts perfect? No way. Is Marvin sinless? Nope. But he’s nowhere near the level of some of these scumbags wearing a uniform.

by Picky on May 6, 2008 12:26 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

ESPN Radio

I was listening to ESPN Radio down here in Texas(103.3 FM), and the guy that was on at the time(I don’t know who, but i believe he was on one of the national programs) said that if this was Pacman or Tank Johnson, the media would be blowing this all out of proportion, but since it’s Marvin Harrison, everyone is blowing it off. Really? Then Sal Paolantonio(or however you spell/say his name) came on and said that things are looking bad for Harrison since six shell casings supposedly match a gun that Harrison surrendered. He said that an officer on scene told him this himself. But then he digressed and said that they also told him that Harrison is not a suspect in the shooting. SP was in Philly, so I guess you could call that the latest.

I still couldn’t believe the gall this guy had talking about how Marvin supposedly has a different standard and that it is obviously undeserved. Sounded a lot like those ignorant Cowboys fans at Blogging the Boys who tried to say that the Colts were just as “thugged up” as the Cowgirls are. I myself had to smack a couple down here in the “Chicken Fried Nation”.

P.S. to bobmysterious: Michael Irvin may have gotten fired from ESPN TV, but he has his own midday, 3 hour show on the same ESPN affiliate referenced above. So he is still in their employ. And he is still retarded 90% of the time.

I also blog at Speed Blue Nation

by Bullard47 on May 6, 2008 12:29 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

It would be a big deal for PacMan of Tank Johnson

Because they’ve proven that they are violent dumbasses.

my blog http://shakennbaken.blogspot.com

by shake n bake on May 6, 2008 8:13 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

expalin to me how Johnson

is violent?? He just owns guns like Harrison, so using your logic you’re calling Harrison a violent dumbass as well.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on May 6, 2008 11:30 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Tank

Because, unlike Marvin Harrison (who is not a suspect in this case, nor has he been charged with anything), Tank Johnson was charged, plead guilty to the crime, and sent to jail.

Here’s what he’s done:

“In November 2005, Johnson was arrested at the Excalibur nightclub in Chicago’s Cook County for possession of a handgun in his sport utility vehicle. Illinois law dictates that “It is unlawful to carry or possess any firearm in any vehicle or concealed on or about the person, except on one’s land or in one’s abode or fixed place of business.”[9] Illinois and Wisconsin are the only U.S. states that do not issue Concealed Carry Permits. Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was sentenced to 18 months probation and 40 hours of community service.[10] On February 12, 2006, Johnson, while still on probation, was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest after allegedly verbally threatening a police officer. Johnson was leaving the Level Nightclub on Chicago’s Rush Street when the police officer was ticketing a limousine driver whom Johnson had hired. As Johnson allegedly put up a struggle, he was maced and subdued with the help of other police officers. The charges were eventually dropped.

On December 14, 2006, Lake County police officers searched Johnson’s home in Gurnee, Illinois, and allegedly discovered that he possessed six firearms, including two assault rifles. According to police reports, some of the guns were loaded and there were children in the house. [12] Although Johnson was at football practice during the search, his bodyguard William Posey was arrested from his house for alleged possession of marijuana. Johnson was charged with violation to probation and possessing unlicensed weapons. Bears coach Lovie Smith deactivated Johnson for the following game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers based on this incident.[13]

On December 16, 2006, Johnson’s best friend and bodyguard William Posey was killed in a shooting at the Ice Bar in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Posey was shot after he was allegedly involved in a fight around midnight. Posey was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:30am. Posey’s assailant was not apprehended by the police.[14] On December 28, Chicago Police apprehended Michael Selvie, Posey’s alleged assailant. Selvie, a “reputed gang member” has been implicated in over 30 other crimes. However, Selvie’s defense attorney claims that Selvie does not possess a firearm or any gang affiliations. If found guilty, Selvie will face charges of first degree murder.

...

On February 8, 2007, Johnson entered a guilty plea in Cook County’s Courthouse in Skokie for violating his probation.[19] On February 17, 2007, Johnson’s lawyer contested a Lake County Circuit Court to drop Johnson’s unlicensed weapons charges. His attorney claimed that since Johnson is a resident of Arizona, he does not have to abide to gun registration laws of Illinois.[20] On March 15, 2007, Johnson was sentenced to a 120 days in Cook County Jail and fined $2,500 for violating his probation. [21] Johnson entered a plea of not guilty on 10 counts of possessing a weapon without the proper state-required ID. [22]

On April 30, Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge as part of an arrangement with prosecutors that will keep him from serving additional jail time. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail…”

If you can’t see the difference between this and Marvin Harrison’s case Terry, then there is something wrong with you.

Please make an account and post a diary, add some comments, and make some noise. Accounts are free, and only require an email address.

by BigBlueShoe on May 6, 2008 12:04 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Johnson

Please make an account and post a diary, add some comments, and make some noise. Accounts are free, and only require an email address.

by BigBlueShoe on May 6, 2008 12:05 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

and if you can't see the difference

between Johnson’s behavior as a Bear and as a Cowboy, then there is something wrong with you.

BTW, I wasn’t comparing Harrison to Johnson, just defending Johnson.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on May 7, 2008 5:14 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

actually BBS

if the case was unimportant, the cops wouldn’t be turning it over to the DA’s office, the opposite is true. DA’s get the serious cases for investigation purposes.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on May 6, 2008 11:28 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

so far...

From what i have read about this, Marvin bounced this guy from his bar and two weeks later there is some kind of shooting a few blocks away at a car wash Marvin owns, involving the guy from the car wash and someone with a beef because he was bounced.

How does that mean Marvin was the shooter? How many business owners have a gun to protect their establishment? So someone used the gun, and someone else is claiming to be hurt. This all sounds really vague to me and there is no report of any serious injuries.

Sounds like some dumb ass threatened people at the car wash and shots got fired over it.. Has anyone ever even seen any reports Marvin was even anywhere near the scene of the shooting?

Of course it got sent to the D.A., a gun was involved and a very public figure. I doubt that is really any comment on whether Marvin had anything to do with the actual shooting or how serious it is.

An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing...

by bluegirl on May 6, 2008 12:41 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Well, nobody knows if Marvin was anywhere close, but six shell casings supposedly match those from a gun that Marvin surrendered last week to cops. He still says that as far as he knows, the gun never left his house, and was not involved in the shooting. And he still has not been charged,

I also blog at Speed Blue Nation

by Bullard47 on May 6, 2008 1:05 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Mike Florio

per the link you provided he never insinuated that Harrison was an attempted cop killer, the person who did that was CBS columnist Mike Freeman.

In any event, Harrison is innocent until proven guilty, and so far as I can tell, he isn’t even charged with anything yet. I think the reason this is getting so much coverage has more to do with Harrison than the crime involved. I don’t follow the Colts as closely as any of you, but I suspect I, like the rest of the general NFL public (and I’d imagine many of you) was surprised to hear Marvin Harrison’s name attached to a scandal.

If he did own the gun that’s hardly slamdunk evidence of wrongdoing, but it is interesting nonetheless. Were Colts fans aware of Harrison’s affection for Flemish arms? News to me.

Go register. Or else.

by Skin Patrol on May 6, 2008 2:20 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Harrison

We’d be surprised to hear about anything personal about Marvin. He is really THAT private. I didn’t even know he was from North Philly until I read about this story, and he is one of my favorite football players ever. That is crazy in this day and age.

I also blog at Speed Blue Nation

by Bullard47 on May 6, 2008 6:41 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs