Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Lamar A. Williams, R.I.P.

Shannon Murphy of The Flint Journal reports:
"A 44-year-old Flint man was charged in the Friday shooting death of Lamar A. Williams.

"Police said Anthony Allen got into an argument with Williams, 31, on Ridgeway Avenue near Dupont Street. Allen allegedly grabbed William's gun, shooting and killing him, before barricading himself in a nearby house, police said.

"Allen was charged with open murder, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and felon in possession of a firearm. Flint police Sgt. Jeff Fray said the cooperation of witnesses in the neighborhood led to the charges.

"A third man who is believed to have witnessed the fight also is being sought for questioning. Anyone with information can call Fray at (810) 237-6907."

The Flint Murder Map tracks homicides in The Vehicle City throughout the year.



10 comments:

  1. Gordie,
    Nice job leading in with a couple of warm and fuzzy items before getting to the latest homicide.

    I've noticed that a few of the bloggers have commented on the negative impact of reporting the latest murder mixed in with recalling fond memories of a better time.

    Unfortunately it seems that Flint has always been associated with good times and memories and the harsh reality of human nature thrown in the mix.

    I grew up on the west side in a relatively Beaver Cleaver type neighborhood. But I recall when I was about six there was a shooting on my block....in fact my uncle found the woman in her front yard bleeding profusely after having been shot 5 times, remarkably she lived. The cause of the shooting; alchol, drugs, and a bad relationship...and that was in the sixties.

    That experience taught me at a very early age that in the midst of Beaver Cleaver-dom the sad reality of humanity exists and that it can happen in the blink of an eye sometimes without warning.

    As the tracking map seems to point out, these murders tend to happen more in certain areas and are those kids forming the fond memories we did....probably not.

    The other real crime is that the kids in those areas are having their shot at childhood stolen from them. For lack of a better term they grow up much more quickly and become street smart at a much earlier age. While they may not mature earlier.....they certainly grow up earlier and what will their blog look like 30-40 years from now ??? Will they have fond memories or only memories of how they survived the streets??

    ReplyDelete
  2. Slick,
    I always appreciate your comments. You sum things up in a sensible manner. Although I have an emotional reaction to the murder postings, I believe it has its importance. If I didn't have a reaction, something would be wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This whole incident is a very convincing reason not to own a gun in the first place...the ol' "someone might use it against you" scenario really does happen.

    Kathy W.

    ReplyDelete
  4. i grew up with the man... the dude that killed him had been in jail since highschool... didn't know the rules... You not suppsoed to touch somebody like Lamar... thta was years ago... But... R.I.P. L.A.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been away from Flint for a while now and I'm just finding out what happened. It's sad that this had to happen to Lamar, knew him almost my whole life and he will be greatly missed....R.I.P. L.A...always in my heart.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i miss u daddy from:son

    ReplyDelete
  7. 'i miss you L.A, you were the coolest adult cousin i ever had, besides lavale but i love you. rest in paradise, your cousin latroya.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the comment. Sorry for your loss.

    ReplyDelete
  9. as yhu can see lots of people loved my daddy but i dont kno y a stranger would take someone else daddy

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rip...LA I think about you everyday big bro..as time goes on these feelings stay the same I never can forget 8/8/08 it seems like yesterday we where just riding around listening 2 the music we had just did recently & out playing 500 with out grown butt's with the football...lol...i just seen yo son the other day...ha ha...now he looks just like you...infact I see the other one pretty often at bro house...LOVE YOU BIG BRO...R.I.P

    Lil bro Boo Boo

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.