Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL)

Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
PO. Box 513, Newington, VA 22122 • 804-639-0600 • 703-372-3285 • 757-271-3705 • 540-446-5783

06/10/10 - VCDL Update 6/10/10 - Part 2

From roanoke.com: http://tinyurl.com/25o6xh2 Convenience store worker slain in Henry County stickup; coworker critical Masked killers escape on foot The Roanoke Times Friday, May 28, 2010 A Henry County convenience store worker was shot to death and a fellow = employee was critically wounded in a closing-time stickup committed by = three masked robbers this morning, the sheriff's office said. The three men, one armed with a rifle, escaped the 12:07 a.m. crime scene at B.G.'s Express market on Chatham Heights Road in Martinsville, the Henry County Sheriff's Office said today in a statement. The men stole 'several items' of unknown value, the sheriff = said. A store worker about 55 years old whose name was withheld by the sheriff until his family is notified was shot several times and was declared dead at the scene. William David Thomas, 78, was shot at least twice, the sheriff said. He was in the critical care unit at Martinsville Memorial Hospital. The three robbers entered the market as Thomas and his coworker were preparing to close, the sheriff said. At least one of the robbers opened fire with a rifle. The trio escaped on foot after stealing items from the store. Investigators recovered 'video evidence at the scene,' the sheriff's statement said. The sheriff gave this description of the suspects: Suspect 1: Light-skinned male of unknown race, long curly hair, wearing a dark hoodie, dark-colored bandanna over his face, white gloves, faded jeans, solid-white tennis shoes. Suspect 2: Armed with a rifle. Black male, wearing a dark, possibly charcoal-gray hoodie with white letters on the chest area, dark pants, = white tennis shoes, dark-colored bandanna on his face. Suspect 3: Black male, wearing long-sleeved black T-shirt, dark gloves, dark-colored bandanna on his face, ball cap with white letters = on the front, dark pants and dark shoes. Investigators also are seeking a customer driving a black SUV who made = a purchase just before the holdup. 'We would like to speak to this individual to see what he may have witnessed,' the sheriff's statement = said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Henry County Sheriff's Office at 276-638-8751. ************************************************** 15. Virginia GOP's Boucher/Perriello ad backfires ************************************************** If you are going to attack someone politically, you had best do your homework and be sure your attack is justified. From huffingtonpost.com: http://tinyurl.com/2wm9m2v [SNIP] The Virginia GOP got all red in the face when Mexican President Felipe = Calderon came to give a speech to Congress and recommended a ban on assault weapons, which subsequently led to Congressional Democrats breaking into spontaneous applause. And so they cut a couple of ads, attacking Representatives Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Tom Perreillo (D- Va.) for their approval of Calderon's remarks. 'Call Tom Perriello/ Rick Boucher and ask him if he stood up for Felipe Calderon...or if he = stands for the Second Amendment,' suggests the ad. Well, L.A. Times 'Top Of The Ticket' blogger Jimmy Orr decided why not, so he called them up and found out that the answer was 'they oppose a ban on assault weapons.'......... 'I did not attend the speech,' Rep. Boucher told The Ticket. 'I oppose = gun control. And my opposition to gun control has resulted in the National Rifle Assn. endorsing my reelection.' And then Perriello's press secretary furnished Orr with a letter Perriello wrote to President Obama opposing any 'plan to reinstate the = assault weapons ban.' ************************************************** 16. Hamilton Police shooting video ************************************************** Jay Minsky emailed me this: -- Phillip: At the VCDL meeting last week in Annandale you discussed your training class. I thought you might be interested in seeing this police video of a routine DUI traffic stop in Montana that turns ugly. When my friend forwarded this video to me she supplied the comments below about what happened. Listen for the first 'click' as the suspect fires his .41 magnum revolver about two inches from the officer's nose. The 'click' is the hammer dropping on an expended round in the cylinder. The second round = was live, but Officer Jessop had since recovered and made a strategic move to the rear of the vehicle, buying more time and a much more advantageous position for a firefight. He tossed his flashlight so he could use both hands for better gun control, and opened fire on the suspect as he sped away. His aim looked very controlled, and was obviously very much = in the ballpark. The suspect was hit at least once, crashed into a power pole, and was declared dead at the scene. Don't know what the officer was carrying, but he fired 14 rounds in return and they were bigger than a 9mm. Probably Glock .40s. And then he casually picked his flashlight up as he was returning to his car and notifying dispatch. While you can always Monday morning quarterback someone's technique, how many of us would have done this well under these circumstances? All things considered, this officer did the basics, did them fast, and did them well. I'd ride with him anytime. Final score: Officer Ross Jessop, 1; Raymond Thane Davis, 0 Jay Minsky From billigsgazette.com: http://tinyurl.com/y5o585f ************************************************** 17. Attempted burglary in Fairfax County ************************************************** Michael Soh emailed me this: -- Hey Philip I just got a press release from the Fairfax Country Police Department about an attempted burglary in Fairfax County. I usually don't actively carry in the house. I have guns strategically placed so that I can grab one if need be. But this announcement, among with the others you have shared, has me thinking again. From fairfaxcounty.gov: http://tinyurl.com/2focrpf Fairfax County Police Department Public Information Office 4100 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Va. 22030 703-246-2253. TTY 703-204-2264. Fax 703-246-4253 FCPD-PIO*fairfaxcounty.gov www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police News Release: 10/143/0258/sb/(6) May 24, 2010 Attempted Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling Franconia Police District - Police are investigating an attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling that occurred on Sunday, May 23. Around 10:38 p.m. police were called to a home in the 6100 block of Frontier Drive. An investigation determined the residents, a 28-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, answered a knock at their front door. They encountered a man who tried to force his way inside. The suspect, armed with a Taser-type weapon, forced his arm into the house as the male victim tried to shut the door. Eventually the suspect was able free himself and fled. The victims did not require medical treatment. The suspect was described as Hispanic, 25 to 30 years old. = He was about 5 feet 1 inch tall and 140 pounds. He was wearing a gray hoodie sweater, black sunglasses and was clean-shaven. ************************************************** 18. Virginia governor gives NRA monopoly on teaching gun safety to kids ************************************************** From rawstory.com: http://tinyurl.com/2cg3ymg Virginia governor gives NRA monopoly on teaching gun safety to kids By John Byrne Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 The Republican governor of Virginia has quietly changed a state law last month that would teach gun safety to elementary school students, mandating that it use a gun safety program run by the NRA. The National Rifle Association exerts considerable influence in American politics, and has recently won a series of victories in the US Congress. Democratic leaders have been reluctant to challenge the powerful lobbying group, in part because they rely on a more conservative bloc of Democrats for their control of the legislative branch. Now, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has delivered the NRA another coup: a = monopoly on teaching gun safety to schoolchildren from kindergarten to = fifth grade. With the stroke of a pen -- or a keyboard -- the governor eliminated a = provision in a new law allowing gun safety classes which would have given educators the power to choose between an NRA-sponsored program and one offered by the group that promotes McGruff the Crime Dog. The liberal blog ThinkProgress caught the governor's move in a blog post, which was reported by the Associated Press in April. ThinkProgress' Amanda Terkel writes: Earlier this year, the Virginia legislature passed a bill allowing public schools to 'offer gun-safety education to students in kindergarten through fifth grade.' Included in the legislation was a provision directing these gun safety programs to use materials from the National Crime Prevention Center as well as the NRA: The curriculum guidelines shall incorporate, among other principles of = firearm safety, accident prevention and the rules upon which the Eddie = Eagle Gunsafe Program offered by the National Rifle Association or the = program of the National Crime Prevention Center is based. There is no National Crime Prevention Center. However, there is a National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) - the group behind McGruff the Crime Dog. But when McDonnell signed the legislation, he didn't insert the NCPC's name. Instead he offered this change: Strike or the program of the National Crime Prevention Center. A spokesman for the governor, when announcing that he was striking the = provision allowing the NRA to operate the state's sole elementary school gun safety class, said that he'd deleted reference to the other = group because 'the council doesn't have a current stand-alone gun- safety program.' The spokesman also referenced the fact that the name of the non-NRA group was incorrect in the bill. The liberal anti-gun Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence protested McDonnell's move in a little-noticed blog posting earlier this month, ThinkProgress notes. A 'study published in the late 1990s by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) noted that Eddie Eagle was like 'Joe Camel with feathers,' pointing out that: 'The primary goal of the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle program is not to safeguard children, but to = protect the interests of the NRA and the firearms industry by making guns more acceptable to children and youth... The hoped-for result is new customers for the industry and new members for the NRA.'' The mother of a Virginia woman who survived the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre told Fox News in April that the move was a 'freebie' to a 'special interest group.' 'I personally don't think firearm safety has a place in the schools,' Lori Haas, who is also a spokeswoman for Virginia's Center for Public Safety, told the network. 'That's up to the parents to teach that at home.' 'For the general assembly and governor to dictate to the board of education in writing curriculum is not their area,' she added. It's a 'freebie to a special interest group.' The website for the NRA child gun safety program says their goal 'isn't to teach whether guns are good or bad, but rather to promote the protection and safety of children.' ************************************************** 19. Va. Beach Sword-attack right by police substation ************************************************** Kurt Malmgren emailed me this: -- The article below is not telling the readers that the 7-11 Store is actually attached to a Police sub-station at the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach ['Who needs a gun at the VA Beach Oceanfront?,' VA- ALERT 5/25/2010]. This actually happened right in front of the sub- station. Funny how the real details never get out. Thought you'd find that interesting. http://tinyurl.com/295m69f hamptonroads.com By Jen Caffery May 18, 2010 VIRGINIA BEACH - Police are searching for an assailant who attacked a man near the Oceanfront with a sword Sunday night. The victim was walking across Pacific Avenue near the intersection of 24th Street when he was attacked from behind by a man with a 'samurai- type sword,' said Officer Jimmy Barnes, a police spokesman. The incident was reported about 8:20 p.m. 'I don't think this guy even knew what hit him,' Barnes said. The victim, who was heading to a 7-Eleven, suffered wounds to the back = of his shoulders and one hand, Barnes said. The injuries were not life-threatening, and the victim was treated at a hospital. It was not the first sword attack in the city. In June 2007, a 15-year- old's arm was nearly severed in a sword attack in the 5100 block of Rugby Road. ************************************************** 20. Ranger says: Violence is nothing new to the Blue Ridge Parkway. ************************************************** 'As if park rangers didn't already have enough problems, this year anew law loosened gun restrictions along the Blue Ridge Parkway.' Oh, baloney. Gee, it's just horrible that people might be able to defend themselves if they get attacked like some of the other people in this article. Board member Bruce Jackson emailed me this: -- From nationalparkstraveler.com: http://tinyurl.com/27u45v9 Ask A Ranger. Violence Is Nothing New To The Blue Ridge Parkway. Submitted by haunted hiker on May 30, 2010 Editor's note: If comparing per capita crime rate of cities to per visitor crime rate in parks accurately reflects the relative crime rate in a park, then the national parks are some of least violent places to be in the United States. But it would be unrealistic to assume crime doesn't occur in them, and irresponsible to ignore it. The following story from the Blue Ridge Parkway reads, unfortunately, like a crime blotter. We run it not for sensationalism, but to acknowledge the realities that exist. Wayward bears addicted to Kentucky Fried Chicken are the least of a park ranger's worries. Just ask Bruce Bytnar, who worked at the Blue Ridge Parkway for 27 years before he retired in 2008. In his book, A Park Ranger's Life: Thirty-Two Years of Protecting Our National Parks, Mr. Bytnar tells the real story behind what it is like = to patrol a 469-mile long park through some of the best scenery the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina have to offer. 'Dealing with real-world life and death were not what I considered when I became a national park ranger,' he writes. 'Little did I know that I would repeatedly respond to human fatalities, murders, and scenes of child abuse.' At times Mr. Bytnar's misadventures with wily fugitives, inept sheriffs, and park managers who make rattlesnakes seem cuddly are hilarious for us to read. Although these events must have seemed less funny at the time Mr. Bytnar was experiencing them. 'Living in a national park is not the ideal situation that most people envision,' the veteran park ranger tells us. 'You end up living with your job 24 hours a day.' With his modest and articulate voice, Mr. Bytnar epitomizes what we would like our park rangers to be. Sturdy, good-humored, and fearless, = he is a real-life Dudley Do-right who adores his family and pays for the apple coveted by a hungry but penniless boy inside a country store. But even for the likes of Mr. Bytnar something has to give. Eventually, the heart-breaking tragedies, the ungodly long hours, the unsympathetic taxpayers, and the politics played by clueless park managers eventually take their toll on the park ranger. 'At times,' Mr. Bytnar concludes, 'it becomes hard for an idealist to learn how things are done in the real world.' And in the real world people get shot at Rock Point Overlook and a park ranger is 12 times more likely to die on the job than is a Special Agent with the FBI. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, our national = parks are 'extremely safe.' Yet an Internet search of the words 'Blue Ridge Parkway' with 'murder' turns up lots of bodies. In 1994 a Swedish man was found shot to death near Deep Gap. In June 1997, a 24-year-old woman and her 5-year-old son were brutally stabbed = before their bodies were dumped inside the park. Then, in the summer of 1998, a shirtless man seen sitting at a Big Witch Overlook picnic table with a rifle in one hand and a beer in the other shot and killed = park Ranger Joe Kolodski. In March 2004, park rangers found the head, arms, and legs of a murdered cattle farmer scattered along the roadside. Two years after that grisly discovery, in April 2006, the body of male homicide victim appeared six months before rangers found the remains of a 22-year-old graduate student murdered by a serial killer who drove the dead woman's car to Florida before he took his own life during a police standoff. The park's 75th anniversary year appears to be off to a particularly violent start. In February 2010 authorities recovered the remains of another murdered man two months before newspapers published reports that a crazed gunman had pointed a shotgun at a couple enjoying the view at the Rock Point Overlook, killing a disc jokey and wounding his = 18-year-old female companion. Of these nine murders, only three of the killings are known to have occurred inside the parkway's boundaries. Chief Ranger Steve Stinnett reports that the amount of violence occurring on the Blue Ridge Parkway is small when you take into consideration the crime rates of local communities. He says the bodies found on the parkway are more often discovered near urban areas like Asheville. Yet when the locations of the above crime scenes are plotted on a map, = it appears that less than half were found in immediate vicinity of towns. Seventeen million people recreate in the park each year and many roads access the parkway along its 469-mile length. Perhaps the easy access to remote locations makes the parkway convenient for murderers looking for a place to dump bodies or take their victims. Perhaps, as Chief Ranger Stinnett believes, a surprising number of bodies are found along the parkway only because more people are hiking = in the area. As if park rangers didn't already have enough problems, this year a new law loosened gun restrictions along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Today anyone who can legally carry loaded firearms under federal and state law can now possess those firearms while visiting a national park. Mr. = Bytnar says this new law makes protecting the public an increasingly tricky and dangerous business for park rangers. Those assigned to the parkway now must enforce the confusing and conflicting gun laws of two = states and 29 counties. Both sides of the right-to-carry debate claimed the recent shooting on = the Blue Ridge Parkway as evidence supporting their positions. Meanwhile, park rangers like Mr. Bytnar know that violence is, and always has been, an unfortunate reality in our national parks. And to learn how far back the landscape's bloody history goes all you have to = do is read the signs at the overlooks. For example, at milepost 264.4 a wooden sign highlights the saga of a brutal murder immortalized by the Kingston Trio's 'Ballad of Tom Dooley.' Behind the sign, you can climb a hill locals call 'the Lump.' = From the top of the Lump you can peer down into a shady valley where, = in 1866, a former Confederate soldier named Tom Dula allegedly resolved a complicated love triangle by stabbing his pregnant girlfriend multiple times with a large knife before burying her body in a shallow grave on a hill above Reedy Branch. You won't read what follows in any park service brochure but, 143 years later, history appeared to have repeated itself. On a crisp fall = morning in 2009, a hiker found the naked and burned body of a 21-year- old woman near Glenn Gap. An autopsy revealed that the woman was pregnant. Cause of death? Blunt force trauma to the head. Family members told the press the young woman had recently made up with her former boyfriend before she was found dead along the roadside. To date = her murder remains unsolved. Andrea Lankford is a former park ranger and the author of Ranger Confidential: Living, Working and Dying in the National Parks. For the = real stories behind the scenery visit www.andrealankford.com. ************************************************** 21. Reader: Example of why I carry [VIDEO] ************************************************** Doug Compton emailed me this: -- This is disgusting and vile and a great example of why I carry my firearm as much as I can. The most disturbing part is the quote from the police spokesman 'This is especially brutal because we believe the = suspects regard attacks like this as sport,' said Capt. Paul Starks, a = Montgomery County Police Dept. spokesman. Sport? Disgusting and vile. Be sure to watch the video its very disturbing and the young father is lucky he was not more seriously injured. From wusa9.com: http://tinyurl.com/268zvov [VIDEO] Victim Remembers 'Pack Robbery' Attack Written by Scott Broom & Alex Trevino ASPEN HILL, Md. (WUSA) -- One victim of a 'pack robbery' attack tells 9NEWS NOW, 'I feel like they were going to kill me. When I go to sleep, I still remember when the guy wanted to attack me. Maybe the guys needed money.' The attack, caught on surveillence video, was in a stairwell at the Aspen Hill apartments in the 13000 block of Georgia Ave. at 10:05 p.m. = on May 5th. Montgomery County Police have charged three teens after a pair of 'pack robbery' attacks, including one that was caught on an apartment complex security camera. An investigation is underway to identify at least two other people who = are participating in the vicious beating. 'This is especially brutal because we believe the suspects regard attacks like this as sport,' said Capt. Paul Starks, a Montgomery County Police Dept. spokesman. One suspect approaches the 32-year-old victim and engages him in a conversation. In a matter of seconds, the man is surrounded by four more attackers who begin a brutal beating that includes punching and stomping. The victim, a Spanish speaking father of two from El Salvador, said the first teen who approached him seemed friendly. 'Si tenia cinco dolares, les dije que no.' The victim said he asked for $5, but he didn't have any money to give. The attackers fled after stealing the victim's cell phone. The victim suffered injuries including broken ribs and severe bruising. Police say the victim was terrorized by the incident and is a reluctant witness. Three suspects were arrested after a second attack that occurred at the intersection of Georgia Ave. and Connecticut Ave. in Aspen Hill on = May 15th. Police matched the suspects to the video of the previous attack. The suspects now charged in the case are: Kirkland Hall Jr., 18, of Rockville: 2 counts of robbery and first- degree assault. Tjay Joseph, 16, of Silver Spring; 2 counts of robbery and first degree. Darrell Boyd-Brothers, 17, of Silver Spring: 1 count of robbery and first degree assault. All are charged as adults. Police continue the search for at least 2 additional suspects seen in the video. ************************************************** 22. Chicago: 22 shot, 1 dead in different shootings on Saturday alone ************************************************** EM Matt Gottshalk emailed me this: -- How's that gun control working out for you Chicago? From chicagobreakingnews.com: http://tinyurl.com/2bocpug At least 22 shot in separate shootings, 1 dead May 30, 2010 By Deanese Williams-Harris At least 22 people were wounded in separate shootings around the city roughly between noon Saturday and noon Sunday, including a man who died this morning after he was shot in the head, Chicago police said. At a news conference this morning, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said = that nearly half of the shootings appear to be gang-related, including = the fatal incident. Weis added that at least two of the other victims have refused to cooperate with police, 'which makes the job of our detectives ... far more difficult.' One of the shootings was particularly disturbing because one of the female victims was eight months pregnant, the superintendent said. No one in custody for any of the incidents. The most recent incident happened in the 8000 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue just after noon today, Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak said. A man at the location was shot in the hand. Four people were shot about 3:15 a.m. today in the 9100 block of South = Marshfield Avenue, police said. The victims -- two women, ages 32 and 30, and two men, ages 40 and 41 -- were sitting in a vehicle when a dark four-door sedan approached, a man got out and opened fire. The older woman and the younger man were taken to local hospitals in serious conditions, police said. The other victims suffered only minor = injuries. About 2 a.m. in the 10800 block of South Racine Avenue, two people were shot while they sat in a parked vehicle, police said. One victim, = a 43-year-old man, was shot in the chest and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition. The other victim, 22, was shot in the shoulder and was listed in 'stable' condition at Roseland Community Hospital. Police said the 22-year-old is gang-affiliated. The men were shot by a passenger of a gold four- door car, police said. About 12:45 a.m., a 16-year-old boy was shot in the 1500 block of East = 67th Street. He was taken in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm. About 12:30 a.m., a 28-year-old man was shot in the Roseland neighborhood in the 10500 block of South Corliss Avenue, police said. He was taken to Roseland Community Hospital with a gunshot wound to his right calf and was described as in 'stable' condition. At the same time on the Southeast Side, three more people were shot as = they sat on a porch in the 9200 block of South Blackstone Avenue, Kubiak said. One victim, a 25-year-old man, was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. An 18-year- old man was taken in 'stable' condition to Advocate Trinity Hospital. Another victim, 27, was treated and released from Trinity with a graze = wound to his arm, police said. The 18-year-old and 27-year-old have gang affiliations, Kubiak said. About 12:28 a.m., a 19-year-old man was shot in the head in the 5100 block of South Laflin Street, police said. A spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office identifed the man as Darius Murphy of = the 5300 block of South Bishop Street. On the West Side about 12:15 a.m., two people were shot in the 3900 block of West Gladys Avenue, police said. A 24-year-old man was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in 'stable' condition with a graze wound to his head. A 19-year-old woman also was taken to the same hospital. She was = listed in 'stable' condition with a gunshot wound to her neck. About 8:10 p.m. Saturday in the 2900 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood, a 47-year-old man was shot in one arm in what police believe was a drive-by shooting. The victim was taken to Norwegian-American Hospital and was listed in good condition. Roughly 20 minutes earlier in the Ashburn neighborhood, a man, 19, was = wounded in the leg in the 3900 block of West 79th Street outside Bogan = Computer Technical High School. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and was listed in critical condition. The victim has gang affiliations and was not being cooperative in the police investigation, Kubiak said. About 7:30 p.m., a 17-year-old boy was standing on the sidewalk on the = 7400 block of South Evans Avenue when he heard shots and felt pain. He = was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the upper right side. Two people were shot about 6:45 p.m. in the 8400 block of South Muskegon Avenue but both told conflicting stories, said Kubiak. An 18-year-old gang-affiliated man suffered a graze wound but refused treatment. He said he was walking in the 8400 block of South Escanaba Avenue when a suspect walked up and shot him, police said. The other victim, 19, told a different story. He said he was driving when someone pulled up and began shouting gang slogans and shot into his car, police said. He drove himself to Advocate Trinity Hospital where he was treated and released. Police could not locate either victims for interviews after the shootings, Kubiak said. One of the shootings happened about 3 p.m. in the 6200 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Woodlawn neighborhood. A 56-year-old man was standing on the corner when a passing car fired in his direction, police said. He fell to the ground in pain and discovered he was shot in his calf. He was taken to an area hospital and listed in good condition. Earlier Saturday about 11 a.m., a 25-year-old man was shot on the 5300 = block of South Laflin Street. He was wounded in the arm and hospitalized. Police said the Laflin shooting appeared to be gang- related, but witnesses were giving conflicting accounts of the event. No one is in custody for any of the shootings. Calumet Area, Harrison Area and Wentworth Area detectives are investigating. ************************************************** 23. Daley's gun ban emboldens thugs ************************************************** Stephen Wenger emailed me this: