Clean Shoot?

Man shot, killed outside emergency room
Suspect nabbed a few blocks away
Updated: Saturday, 10 Jul 2010, 9:28 AM EDT
Published : Saturday, 10 Jul 2010, 6:50 AM EDT

Newport News, Va. (WAVY) - Newport News police are investigating a deadly shooting that broke out in a hospital parking lot.

Police say it happened late last night in the 3100 block of William Styron Square, next to Sentara Port Warwick. Officers say two men started arguing and one opened fire, shooting the other.

Crews took the victim, 29-year-old Greg Arsenault of Hampton, to Riverside Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police tracked down the suspect a short time later in the nearby Harbours apartment complex and took him into custody.

"There was some type of event going on at the restaurant that's across the street from this parking lot. There were many people around, so we're in the process of talking with as many as those persons as possible so we can get a handle on what happened," said Officer Harold Eley of the Newport News Police Department.

According to the suspect, a 27-year-old Newport News man, Arsenault was the aggressor in a dispute that started in Kelly's Tavern and was seen to have a knife. The suspect also claimed that Arsenault had been kicked out of the restaurant by management for creating a disturbance according to a statement by police.

Outside, witnesses interviewed by police said they observed Arsenault rapidly approaching the suspects car. The suspect then retrieved a handgun from his car and told Arsenault to stop. Arsenault continued to approach the car until the suspect fired several times, striking the victim, according to police reports.

Several witnesses confirmed all or parts of the suspects account of the incident said police spokesman Harold Eley.

Two knives were recovered from Arsenault at the hospital according to Eley.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and the suspect has been released pending a review of the case by the Commonwealth's Attorney.

Anyone with information that could help police is asked to call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

I'm the bouncer at Kelly's Tavern in Hampton. Sounds like a clean shoot to me up until the time he left the scene. Wanna bet one or both of these characters have at least one or more felony convictions? Isn't it strange that the aggressor becomes the victim and the victim becomes the suspect in most, if not all news reports?

Not laying odds on that one...

Do you think they would have let the guy go if he had multiple felony convictions?

Interesting to compare to the Gerald Ung case. Ung shoots in self-defense, sticks around and calls 911 himself but is arrested and charged with multiple crimes including attempted murder. Attacker is frat-boy, probably drunk, with big lawyer daddy. In that case, it was a simple matter of being outnumbered 4 or 5 to 1 or 2, but no knives.

TFred

It would have been perfectly clean if the shooter had been the first one to call 911, and had not fled the scene.

Fleeing the scene and not reporting a self-defense shooting is probably going to be a thorn in his side when (not if) this one goes to trial...

If you have to shoot, dial 911 as soon as the BG stops being a threat. The person who makes the first call in a SD situation is usually treated with much more respect by LE than someone who shoots and then bolts.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a LOT more to this story than the media is reporting. It will all eventually come out in court...

From the Daily Press web site (11:27pm):

Dreamer said:

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a LOT more to this story than the media is reporting. It will all eventually come out in court...

Click to expand...

It will be very interesting to see the end result "after the smoke clears"...

Fleeing the scene

Call the cops ASAP.

That being said, fleeing the scene is often A GOOD IDEA. Cops aren't stupid. They understand "I left because I didn't feel safe. I am at the intersection of A and B. could you please send a unit quickly, I'm afraid."

P.S. - If you have the presence of mind, take the BG gun with you. Else someone could take it after you leave and before the cops arrive. (happens more often than you'd think) I made this mistake, and I think often about what that gun is doing right now. No it wasn't my responsibility, but I had an opportunity and missed it.

simmonsjoe said:

Call the cops ASAP.

That being said, fleeing the scene is often A GOOD IDEA. Cops aren't stupid. They understand "I left because I didn't feel safe. I am at the intersection of A and B. could you please send a unit quickly, I'm afraid."

P.S. - If you have the presence of mind, take the BG gun with you. Else someone could take it after you leave and before the cops arrive. (happens more often than you'd think) I made this mistake, and I think often about what that gun is doing right now. No it wasn't my responsibility, but I had an opportunity and missed it.

Click to expand...

Taking the BG's gun with you could backfire, as in tampering with evidence.

2a4all said:

Taking the BG's gun with you could backfire, as in tampering with evidence.

Click to expand...

No and No. Take the gun.

If someone else takes it, then it is only your word the BG was armed. If one of his buddies says you shot him for dope, you are screwed.

Take the gun.

2a4all said:

Taking the BG's gun with you could backfire, as in tampering with evidence.

Click to expand...

Maybe not if you don't go too far from the "crime scene" and you IMMEDIATELY notify the police.
Tell them then (on the 911 tape) that you took the BG's weapon from the scene to preserve your own life AND prevent the "disappearance" of valuable evidence. That should hold up when they start working on the timeline.
I know my calling 911 right after someone ran me off the road at a 2 lane to 1-lane merge saved my bacon.
I left the scene (actually kept going) because I was afraid the other guy had road rage. He had damage to his car, but my truck had very little. the cops took my report over the phone and suggested I also contact my insurance company. Good thing I did, too... HIS insurace company tried to sue mine. Mine didn't pay a dime; his company ended up dropping him because of a high number of claims in a short period of time.

They suspected him of fraud, but didn't have enough to go to court. They dropped him instead. They had already collected $ on several previous claims. They wouldn't share any details to "protect his privacy", but that clown was probably one of those scumbags that makes a living off frivilous lawsuits.

simmonsjoe said:

No and No. Take the gun.

If someone else takes it, then it is only your word the BG was armed. If one of his buddies says you shot him for dope, you are screwed.

Take the gun.

Click to expand...

Taking the gun to keep one of his buddies from taking it and becoming a second threat might be prudent. Leaving the scene with it might not be.

TFred said:

Do you think they would have let the guy go if he had multiple felony convictions?
TFred

Click to expand...

Yes. If there were collaborating witnesses as stated in the article. There are too many things we don't know. Let's see what happens.

simmonsjoe said:

No and No. Take the gun.

If someone else takes it, then it is only your word the BG was armed. If one of his buddies says you shot him for dope, you are screwed.

Take the gun.

Click to expand...

Agree. Also don't unload it and be careful of destroying prints on it. Also his fingerprints will probably be on the bullits and magazine (if a semiauto) too. Hard to prove it isn't his gun if it has his prints all over it.

Originally Posted by TFred
Do you think they would have let the guy go if he had multiple felony convictions?
TFred

ODA 226 said:

Yes. If there were collaborating witnesses as stated in the article. There are too many things we don't know. Let's see what happens.

Click to expand...

Possession or Transportation of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon is a Class 6 Felony in Virginia

Any person who was previously convicted of a felony within the past 10 years will be sentenced to a minimum mandatory of 2 years imprisonment.

See Virginia Penal laws – § 18.2-308.2

TFred said:

Do you think they would have let the guy go if he had multiple felony convictions?

Click to expand...

ODA 226 said:

Yes. If there were collaborating witnesses as stated in the article. There are too many things we don't know. Let's see what happens.

Click to expand...

WarDragonII said:

Possession or Transportation of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon is a Class 6 Felony in Virginia

Any person who was previously convicted of a felony within the past 10 years will be sentenced to a minimum mandatory of 2 years imprisonment.

See Virginia Penal laws – § 18.2-308.2

Click to expand...

Ah, yes, that one snuck up on me. However, there is apparently case law that in some situations allows a convicted felon to use a firearm to defend him/herself. It's kind of tricky, because they still can't possess one until they find themselves in actual need of it... and I would think that would be the exception and not the rule... makes it harder to believe they would let a convicted felon involved in a self-defense shooting go while they investigate. I would think it more likely that they hold them while they investigate to see if it really was self-defense.

By the way, check out the FAQ entry on using the multiple post quote feature. It's handy.

TFred

From what is being reported. it sounds like a clean shoot to "me". And as for leaving the scene, dang skippy, if the BG had friends or family in the club, things could have gotten really messy really fast.

2a4all said:

Taking the gun to keep one of his buddies from taking it and becoming a second threat might be prudent. Leaving the scene with it might not be.

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Just because you shot someone doesn't mean your not the victim.
You have every right to get the hell out of there.
Hanging around is really stupid.

Pagan said:

From what is being reported. it sounds like a clean shoot to "me". And as for leaving the scene, dang skippy, if the BG had friends or family in the club, things could have gotten really messy really fast.

Click to expand...

The shooting "victim" was my ex brother in law. Their mother thinks nothing they have done is their fault, and Greg had a rap sheet a mile long and had just recently gotten out of prison. They're awful people. How they have this Army of people that think they are saints is beyond me. Once when my husband and I (Greg's brother) were having an argument, he called and threatened me, that him and his "boys" would get me. Good riddance. I'm glad he was acquitted. I left the state to get away from his brother, and had I known about the case at the time I would have testified to their character.

welcome to the forum...

the event described transpired over six years ago and my understanding apparently had quite a few judicial twists and turns, culminating in an acquittal, six years after the fact, for the shooter.

OP, there are a myriad of ways intimate loved ones deal with the untimely death within their familial unit ~ moving on is normally not top on the list!

the hurt, even after six years, expressed in your post is quite obvious and i wish you find the strength to overcome that pain as running away hasn't worked out well for you.

ipse