Man shot, killed while trying to rob Five Pts. AA meeting

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - One man is dead after a shooting in Columbia's Five Points. Police say it happened when the man tried to rob people in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

Blue lights and sirens are common in Columbia's Five Points on a Saturday night, but it's not usually because someone was killed.

"This is a very nice area, you know it's mostly college kids and all that, you never see that kind of trouble so yeah that was different," said a witness who does not want to be identified. "Yeah because I go there for meetings and from what I heard the guy went in there to rob somebody."

Police say just before 11pm Saturday 18-year-old Kayson Helms, of Edison, N.J., walked into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at the ACOA Club, pulled out a handgun and demanded money.

That's when an AA member pulled out a gun of his own and shot first.


http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=10169294&nav=menu157_2

[yay]

1. Wasn't this already posted?

I think so

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x215129

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

4. My fault I must have missed it.

[tularetom]

2. Drunks with guns

Worked out OK this time but in the long run that's bound to cause some problems.

[NMDemDist2]

3. well, technically, if they are at an AA meeting

chances are, they are sober

:shrug:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

5. Isn't it illegal otherwise? CCW permit holders cannot carry if they are drunk in my state.

[NMDemDist2]

8. i dunno about CCW but you don't HAVE to be sober to be at an AA meeting

but it is strongly recommended

:rofl:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. I have a pastor friend who had a man who routinely came to church drunk.

Wonders never cease.

David

[emilyg]

14. Assume much?

[tularetom]

15. Nah, I try NEVER to assume

It makes an ass... well you know the rest.

And yes I now what you are referring to. A person who has had addiction/compulsion issues in their past should not be carrying a gun to something as emotionally charged as an AA meeting. Normally nothing good could possibly come of it.

And I'm not in favor of banning guns in any form to anyone. Guns at an AA meeting simply appears to me like a recipe for disaster.

[jmg257]

19. Are AA meetings that 'bad'? Why would they be part of 'a recipe for disaster'?

[MADem]

6. Bet the guy had a steady hand, too.

How stupid could that robber be? I mean, really. That's Darwin Dumb.

First of all, you're in a locale where people pack heat. And you're robbing ex-drunks. That's so...lame.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

7. One would have to wonder how much money could have been had.

[NMDemDist2]

9. some Alanon clubs have cafes and book stores

maybe $500 around or more.....

[MADem]

10. That's my thought, too.

I mean, you want money, that doesn't seem to me like a primo place to get it.

[dysfunctional press]

11. he's gonna have to learn who holds sway over the five points...

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

13. That was a fantastic movie.

Too bad the critics gave it bad reviews.

David

[rrneck]

21. Ah, Paradise Square

Things down here are always lively of the evenin'.

:rofl:

[Tim01]

16. Scratch one repeat offender.

I wonder how many people are NOT going to have to learn what it is like to be robbed at gun point or worse.
I hope all the AA folks are OK after such a traumatic event.

[raccoon]

17. I used to go to meetings there.

:scared:


Well, hopefully that will be a deterrent to any other skuzzballs trying to rob that particular meeting.

[Pullo]

18. Sheriff: Trained, armed citizens are 'helping us out'

"We've got a violent society. Times have changed. It's not the 60s and the 70s, when you didn't have people with guns. You have bad guys now and they all have guns. They're committing more serious crimes against people. So I think the fact that we've got law enforcement being assisted by citizens who are properly trained and armed, are helping us out," said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.


http://www.wistv.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3648077&h1=Lott%3A%20Trained%2C%20armed%20citizens%20are%20%27helping%20us%20out.%27%20Jack%20Kuenzie%20reports&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=147333&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&rnd=35772657">Video

[Kajsa]

20. It's not a good idea to

mess with people in various stages of
withdrawal/recovery!