A homeless woman was murdered today in Phoenix in what appears to be a hate crime.
A gunman opened fire on a 39-year-old woman and her friend early Saturday morning in what Phoenix police are calling a possible hate crime.
The woman, whose name wasn't released, was shot dead. Her friend, Jeffrey Wellmaker, 48, told police he and the woman were walking in Palma Park, on 12th Street and Dunlap Avenue around 1:30 a.m. when a heavily tattooed, bald White man confronted them.
Wellmaker, who is Black, said the tattooed man yelled, "What are you doing with that White woman," said Detective James Holmes, a Phoenix police spokesman. The friends, who are homeless, didn't respond and kept walking, Holmes said. Investigators don't know why the couple was in the park, police said.
The tattooed man followed the pair for a couple blocks. By the time the couple reached 4th Street and Puget Avenue, Wellmaker saw a white four-door newer model sedan with tinted windows drive past them, Holmes said. In the passenger seat was the tattooed man.
That's when Wellmaker said the passenger pulled out a shotgun and shot two blasts at the couple, Holmes said.
For some reason, probably a weird mix of racism, misogyny and misplaced jealousy, nothing seems to set off white racists like a white woman with a black man. Although these folks are against all interracial dating the reverse doesn't seem to set them off as quickly. Whether it is because of our President or what, they seem to be coming more out into the open lately.
Clearly this is a hate crime, and clearly this murderer is a menace as he tries to enforce his own views of marriage on everyone else by means of murder. Let's hope he gets caught quickly.
A murder was committed, that's true.
ReplyDeleteBut until they catch the guy you don't know what the motivation was. Maybe he knew the woman and he wanted to get the man to go away so he could beat her up or rape her or kidnap her himself. For one thing it is interesting that he shot her, and not the guy. Usually when a black man is with a white woman it's the black man that racists target, not the white woman (or at least not right away.)
Obviously he's a murderer and they need to get him off the streets but your jumping to conclusions by saying its a hate crime.
Anonymous (or whatever your name is),
ReplyDeleteThis was most assuredly a hate crime. To deny that is to deny all the facts in the case thus far.
Eli is dead on and absolutely NOT jumping to conclusions. This quote alone is a dead give away: "Wellmaker, who is Black, said the tattooed man yelled, "What are you doing with that White woman," "
Eli is exactly right in his conclusion, a fact that is now supported by the police: http://www.azcentral.com/community/northvalley/articles/2009/10/06/20091006shotgun1006-ON.html
"Phoenix police: Shooting death of woman racially motivated"
They are not quite calling it a "hate crime yet" but will soon as it can be classified as nothing else but a hate crime.
Eli, keep up the great work!
I don't see how it isn't a hate crime.
ReplyDeleteHe specifically said, "what are you doing with that WHITE woman?"
He was using a shotgun, it's not that hard to imagine that he was firing at both of them and hit her.