Video shows white Milwaukee man shooting black teen as mother watches

[Katashi_itto]

Surveillance video submitted to a court on Tuesday showed a 76-year-old white Milwaukee man fatally shooting his 13-year-old black neighbor in the chest as the teen’s mother watched.

During opening statements in the trial for John Spooner, jurors saw video of 13-year-old Darius Simmons taking the trash bin in from the street on May 31, 2012. Spooner then confronts the teen on a sidewalk between their homes. He points a pistol at the teen, and then at the boy’s mother as she watches from the porch.

Seconds later, he points the gun back at Simmons’ chest and fires. The boy runs away and a second shot misses.


According to The Associated Press, Simmons’ mother, Patricia Larry, testified the jury that Spooner had told her to call 9-1-1 and that he was going to teach the boy a lesson for stealing.

At the time of the shooting, Spooner explained to police that some shotguns and other items had been stolen from his home and he believed Simmons was to blame.

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Judge, lawyer in John Spooner case have family ties

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Wagner and defense lawyer Franklyn Gimbel are two of the major players in this week's high-profile murder case in which a white senior citizen has been charged with gunning down a black teenager.

But Wagner and Gimbel have a personal relationship, too.

Wagner's son, Benjamin, is married to Gimbel's daughter, Rachel. The pair has a young daughter.

Is this a conflict of interest for the judge?

Wagner is presiding over the trial of John Spooner, the Milwaukee man accused of intentionally shooting and killing his unarmed 13-year-old neighbor in May 2012. Gimbel represents Spooner.

An expert on judicial ethics said there's no doubt that Wagner should voluntarily exit the case.

"Normally, I don't like to get involved with this stuff, but this isn't even close," said Frank Tuerkheimer, a University of Wisconsin-Madisonemeritus law professor and former U.S. attorney.

http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/judge-lawyer-in-john-spooner-case-have-family-ties-b9956017z1-215759441.html

[RandiFan1290]

1. Don't forget what the pigs did

When police arrived, Spooner told them he had shot Simmons. However, they questioned Simmons’ mother, Patricia Larry (pictured right), for two hours and searched her home as Simmons’ body was laying in the street,

[Shankapotomus]

2. Found guilty

http://newsone.com/2635789/darius-simmons-john-henry-spooner/