Former NYPD Detective Stephen Anderson Says Drug Charges Often Fabricated by "Flaking" of Innocent People to Meet Arrest Quotas

Stephen Anderson, Ex-NYPD detective says fabricating drug charges against innocent people using "flaking" a common practice used to meet arrest quotas.

Stephen Anderson, a former New York Police Department detective dropped a bombshell during his testimony in a false arrest scandal engulfing New York City, saying it was common practice to fabricate drug charges against innocent people to meet arrest quotas. The practice of planting cocaine on innocent people is called "flaking." This was first public account of the sick culture behind false arrests practices in Brooklyn South and Queens narcotics squads. The scandal has led to the arrests of eight cops.

Anderson, testifying under a cooperation agreement with prosecutors, was busted for planting cocaine, a practice known as "flaking," on four men in a Queens bar in 2008 to help out fellow cop Henry Tavarez, whose buy-and-bust activity had been low.

"Tavarez was ... was worried about getting sent back [to patrol] and, you know, the supervisors getting on his case," he recounted at the corruption trial of Brooklyn South narcotics Detective Jason Arbeeny.

"I had decided to give him [Tavarez] the drugs to help him out so that he could say he had a buy," Anderson testified last week in Brooklyn Supreme Court. Source

People often wonder why blacks have such a deep-rooted distrust of the police, well, this is one of the reasons why. I would venture to say more blacks were arrested in these two divisions than whites. The justice system in this country is very flawed and "flaking" doesn't help. If this is going on in New York City, imagine how many other police departments across the U.S. similar practices are being utilized!

Drunken Off-Duty NYPD Officer Luis Arnao Facing Vehicular Manslaughter & DUI After Hitting Tyre Chisholm on Bronx Street

Drunken off-duty NYPD officer Luis Arnao is facing murder charges after killing Tyre Chisholm with his sedan as Chisholm crossed White Plains Road in the Wakefield at East 241st Street in the Bronx early Wednesday. When will people learn that drinking and driving is a deadly combination? I used to live near 241st Street eons ago, so I am very familiar with the area. On onlooker said the young man was hit so hard, "he flew up in the air, his shoes flew off with his socks still in them." Dang, that was a hard blow.

Officer Arnao was charged with vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. His blood-alcohol level was .07, the New York Daily News said. Arnao, who was released on $20,000 bond, was immediately suspended. He hasn't been a cop for very long, having been sworn in in July 2010. He was assigned to Patrol Borough Bronx.

Andrew Kelly, Former NYPD Officer, Pleads Guilty to Vehicular Homicide in Death of Vionique Valnord

So, I guess the life of Vionique Valnord is worth 90 days behind bar for the officer who mowed her down in the street. That's what former NYPD officer Andrew Kelly got for his unspeakable act of driving under the influence. Last September he struck and killed Valnord as she was hailing a cab in Brooklyn, NY. The family has given their blessings and are okay with the sentence, but what message has this sent to drunk drivers who happen to be police officers? Say the right things and the family will forgive you and ask for a lenient sentence for you.

It's not so much that Kelly is remorseful. It's what he did in the aftermath of the accident. He was off-duty and driving home with police officer friend Michael Downs after a night of drinking when he ran over Ms. Valnord on September 27, 2009. He refused to take a Breathalyzer test and the blood test was done seven hours after the accident. By then, Kelly's system was alcohol-free. Talk about a cover-up by the brotherhood of blue uniforms! It should be noted that an Internal Affairs investigation into a possible cover-up led to the suspension of three officers, including Downs for fleeing the scene of an accident. There's more. Officer Robert McGinn, who gave Kelly chewing gum and two bottles of water, was also suspended. Sorry, they should be fired.

These officers, including Kelly, had little regard for Ms. Valnord. If they cared, they would not have left the scene and would not have tried to cover their tracks. On that basis, Andrew Kelly should have received a longer sentence than 90 days in prison. Some lesson to his children. Under a plea deal worked out with prosecutors and Volnard's kin, he agreed to undergo alcoholism treatment and will be barred from driving for a year, according to the New York Daily News. Valnord's family sued Kelly and the NYPD in March, alleging that police officers deliberately delayed a blood-alcohol test to give Kelly time to sober up. If there's any consolation, his admission in court today is a big step forward for the family in their civil lawsuit.

NYPD Fatally Shoots Teen Dashawn Vasconcellos 11 Times After Ignored Repeated Orders to Drop His 9MM Weapon

NYPD officers fatally shot Queens teen Dashawn Vasconcellos Saturday night after he ignored orders to drop his weapon. Vasconcellos, 18, reportedly pointed a loaded semiautomatic at them and the cops responded by hitting him will 11 bullets. The teen and two friends were leaving Bayswater State Park in Far Rockaway at about  11:30 p.m. Saturday night when four cops from the gang unit spotted them. Sorry, but if you are in a closed park that time of the night, it's safe to say you were up to no good.

The youths all tried to flee, but one of the cops was able to grab two of them, police said. Vasconcellos managed to run away. The other three officers chased the teen, who suddenly spun around and aimed the 9mm weapon at them, according to police. When Vasconcellos ignored repeated orders to drop his gun, the cops opened fire, police said. Three bullets struck him in the back, one in the chest, one in the right arm and the rest in the legs. Vasconcellos was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital about 45 minutes later. Police said he had an arrest record for robbery and trespassing and that his gun was recovered at the scene.

Vasconcellos' mother was too distraught to talk to reporters yesterday at a vigil near the entrance to the Beach 41st Street Houses, where he lived. Family friend Arleaner Cannon said, "He was a good kid. He would not pull a gun at cops. If he had a gun, it was for protection. He's not crazy." "He's not the kind of person who would point a gun at anyone," the neighbor said. "Why would you do something crazy, almost suicidal?" Source: NY Post

I will concede that 11 shots sound excessive, but the cops have to protect themselves as well. It's amazing that people will say that the victim was a good kid, but refuse to state why he was in the park, which was closed, at that time or why he had a semiautomatic gun? What reason could he possibly need to have a gun to protect himself, unless he was engaged in questionable behavior. I hope an autopsy will be performed to see if this young man was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol that could have impaired his behavior.

Andrew Kelly, Off-Duty NYPD Officer, Arrested & Charged with Manslaughter, DWI for Death of Vionique Valnord, Officer Michael Downs, Fled Scene of Accident

NY Police Officer Andrew Kelly was charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence in the death of Vionique Valnord, 32, as she hailed a cab in Old Mill Basin, Brooklyn, at 12:41 a.m. Sunday. What is equally reprehensible is the fact that it took authorities more than seven hours to draw blood from Kelly, who struck the preacher's daughter while driving back to a bar for more alcohol. According to the NY Daily News, the time lag was partly the fault of a doctor who thought the officer's consent was necessary before he could draw the blood. That is problematic because it can have an adverse effect on the prosecutor's ability to convict this man.

Kelly and one of his three passengers, Officer Michael Downs, worked overtime at the Yankees-Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Bronx and then drove back to Brooklyn. Kelly told cops he went to one bar, where he drank an unspecified amount. He then went to another, where he downed six to eight beers, police and other sources said. Sources said one of the bars was the Third & Seventh in Marine Park, where last night plainclothes officers were seen examining security footage.

Kelly refused to take a Breathalyzer test and, while reeking of booze and slurring his speech, told responding officers there was no way they were going to draw his blood. "I'm not going to let that happen," he said, one source briefed on the incident said. "You're going to have to tie me down." Kelly's obstinance, the source said, caused the first delay, and the Brooklyn district attorney's office was not notified until 1:54 a.m.

The next three hours went as planned, the source said, with investigators doing the required interviews. Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Joseph Gubbay granted the warrant about 5:30a.m., after prosecutors called him at home, the Office of Court Administration said. When Kelly, 30, arrived at Kings County Hospital at 5:52 a.m., he refused to consent to give blood. A doctor there mistakenly believed consent was necessary and would not draw blood, two sources said. After a flurry of phone calls involving Internal Affairs and prosecutors, Kelly's blood was taken about 8 a.m. - seven hours and 20 minutes after the accident. Source: NY Daily News

What happened to this woman was a disgrace and what is also troubling is the fact that it took seven hours and 20 minutes to draw his blood. He should be dismissed immediately from the police force. His friend Michael Downs, a four-year veteran from Brooklyn's 70th Precinct should also be terminated for leaving the scene of an accident. He claims a responding officer told him to leave the scene. If that's true, that officer should face departmental charges. This reeks of a cover-up on the part of the officers who were at the scene of the crime. These men are scum, as far as I am concerned. As the woman lay dying in the street, these men did not stop to help her, instead they fled. According to the NY Daily News, she was bleeding from her aorta and suffered multiple fractures.

UPDATE#1:  Why am I not surprised that the blood alcohol test found no booze in the system of an accused drunken cop charged with mowing down a preacher's daughter. We'll see how this case will be prosecuted and what the verdict will be. It is quite clear that the delay in doing the blood tests favored this officer. That's a shame.

Photo credits: Officer Kelly, Iudici for News & Vionique Valnord, Gabel for News

Omar Edwards, Black NYPD Rookie Officer, Shot and Killed by White Officer, Andrew Dunton, As He Pursued Suspect

UPDATE

A new controversy is brewing, thanks to Rep. Charlie Rangel. He made a snide remark earlier today in which he suggested that even President Obama was at risk on the streets of Harlem after Edwards was slain by a white colleague. He was asked what advice he would offer Obama for the president's Saturday night visit to the city. "Make certain he doesn't run around in East Harlem unidentified," Rangel shot back while leaving a public appearance. Let's see who runs with this. More to come....

I was appalled to learn that an off-duty rookie cop, Omar Edwards, 25, who was chasing a suspected car thief in East Harlem with his gun drawn was shot and killed Thursday night when Officer Andrew Dunton, an officer mistook him for a criminal. The problem wll be magnified because it was a white cop who mistook the black cop for a criminal. Ouch. "Police! Stop! Drop it!" cops from the 25th Precinct shouted at Edwards. According to the NY Daily News, as he started to turn toward him - the gun still in his hand - an officer opened fire. I must point out that it is being reported that Edwards had no visible NYPD identification on him, nor is it clear if he identified himself. I worry about the fallout from this senseless killing and a potential cover-up by the cops involved. This is always the fear of a black cop on any police force -- being mistaken for a criminal because of the color of one's skin. This is a senseless tragedy and I cannot understand why it happened. If the guy was not firing or pointing a gun at the cops, then why did they kill him?

One dejected cop said Edwards "just became a new father. He took some personal time so he could take the baby to North Carolina to meet his folks." Edwards' mother, Natalia Harding, said her son had just married his girlfriend, Danielle Glen, last month at City Hall. They have two kids - 11/2-year-old Xavier and 7-month-old Keanua.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Edwards, who had been on the force less than two years and worked out of a Manhattan housing unit, had left work about 10:30 p.m. He was in street clothes as he walked toward his car parked about a block away on Second Ave. between E. 124th and E. 125th St., where he saw Miguel Santiago rummaging through the vehicle. The driver's side window was busted out. Edwards grabbed Santiago, who managed to slip out of his sweater and escape Edwards' grip, Kelly said. Gun drawn, Edwards gave chase.

At the same time, three plainclothes officers in an unmarked car saw Edwards running down the street. The car made a U-turn, and one of the officers, a white cop with more than four years on the job, got out and fired six shots - hitting Edwards twice, once in the left arm and once in the chest, Kelly said. Edwards did not fire his weapon. Cops discovered Edwards was one of them when rescue crews cut open his shirt to treat the bleeding and saw a police academy shirt. They then searched his pockets and found his shield, sources said. Source: NY Daily News

The second issue for me, besides race, deals with the departmental procedures in place involving communications among plainclothes officers — particularly those in different units. There must be a way in which these cops can identify one another instead of resorting to firing their weapons. I hope some positive changes will come out of this tragedy. Mr. Kelly identified the officer who fired the shots only as a four-year veteran of the department, and said he had fired six rounds from his 9-millimeter Glock. Two bullets struck Officer Edwards.

This shooting death speaks volumes to the issue many black men have with law enforcement being trigger-happy. My father was pulled over and threatened by a NYPD officer a few years ago for no other reason but racial profiling. How many other black men have had similar run-ins with law enforcement? They cannot just make an assumption that because this man is black he is automatically a suspect of some type. Shameful and just plain wrong. I cannot imagine that this shooting death will help race relations in New York City, which has been hanging by a thread between blacks and the NYPD. It is my hope that the truth will prevail and there won't be a cover-up. A thorough investigation must be launched and arrests must be made.

Cecil Ramsey, Retired NYPD officer, Fires at Wife, Dady Belfort, Her Friend Edwin Chittick, in Jealous Rage before Shooting Himself on Long Island

The gun violence continues. Cecil Ramsey, a retired NYPD officer, shot and killed himself yesterday, but not before, in a fit of rage, opening fire on his wife, Dady Belfort and her friend Edwin Chittick, who thankfully survived. Ramsay, 51, reportedly confronted his wife and her friend inside their home, accusing them of being more than pals. The drama played out in the street. He pumped three shots into his wife's Mercedes after she and her friend left the home. Shortly thereafter, three construction workers said a dejected Ramsey put the gun to his head and fired.

Ramsay, who police said had a heart condition and was waiting for a transplant, died instantly. His body lay in the driveway for hours while investigators pieced together the tragedy.

"He was pushed over the edge," Ramsay's sister, Brenda, 58, said after rushing to his home. "She drove him to this." Brenda Ramsey said her brother's marriage had been on the rocks for years, and he had become convinced Belfort and Chittick were lovers.

"He would call me and say this man is right in my house," Brenda Ramsay said. After a heated fight on Valentine's Day, Ramsay moved in with his sister temporarily and left some of his things at her place, including two guns. Cecil Ramsay returned two weeks ago to reclaim his weapons, his sister said. "He said, 'This guy's a cop, and he's in my house - I need to protect myself,'" Brenda Ramsay said. Ramsay's relatives said he filed for divorce two weeks ago, citing Belfort's alleged infidelity.

Ramsay and Belfort wed more than 10 years ago, but had been sleeping in separate bedrooms for several years, his relatives said. They have a 9-year-old son. Ramsay, a former stockbroker and National Guardsman, retired from the NYPD in 2001 due to health issues, relatives said. He leaves behind seven children. Belfort has been with the NYPD since 1989. She spent 15 years in Brooklyn's 69th Precinct working in community affairs. Source: NY Daily News.

This is a shame and it is also unconscionable that this man felt he had no other way out but to kill himself. Nobody has won in this mess, with the greatest loser being the couple's nine-year old son, who will know that his father committed suicide. If this woman was cheating on her husband in plain view, then that's a real shame, considering the man had medical issues.

Study: Blacks and Latinos Make up about 80% Stopped and Questioned by NYPD

Once again, New York's Finest, the NYPD is in the news. The NYPD is on pace to have stopped and frisked 500,000 people -- 80% of them black or Latino. The Center for Constitutional Rights, citing NYPD data obtained in a suit, said the vast majority of those stopped and questioned in 2005 through June 2008 weren't charged with any crime.

In 2007, for instance, the last complete year of data, cops arrested only 5.8% of the 472,096 people they stopped (27,632). "The New York City Police Department continues to prey on African-American and Latino communities in New York City," Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said. The center obtained half of the 2008 data but projected that 543,982 people will be stopped in the entire year if the NYPD maintained its pace. Cops made fewer than 400,000 stops in 2005.
"The problem actually is getting worse," CCR lawyer Darius Charney said. Commissioner Paul Browne, the NYPD's chief spokesman, said the number of minorities who were singled out under the policy is consistent with overall descriptions by race provided by victims and surviving witnesses of crime.

He pointed to a RAND Corp. study that found no racial profiling in its examination, "and warned against the kind of simplistic comparisons made by the center." "Their assertions do not constitute a study of the data, but a restatement of accusations in its lawsuit," he added. Source: NY Daily News

The statistics are pretty damning and go beyond the notion of happenstance. It seems that the NYPD has a penchant for picking on blacks and Latinos, for no other reason, but the automatic assumption that they are up to no good. Commissioner Paul Browne points to another study, but if you ask many black and Latinos males in New York City, they will tell you they were pulled over or stopped by a NYPD officer, for no other than profiling. Let me end by saying that this disturbing pattern of racial profiling is not representative of every police officer in the NYPD or across this country. There are many decent, hardworking police officers who do not engage in racial profiling or racist behavior.

Study: Blacks and Latinos Make up about 80% Stopped and Questioned by NYPD

Once again, New York's Finest, the NYPD is in the news. The NYPD is on pace to have stopped and frisked 500,000 people -- 80% of them black or Latino. The Center for Constitutional Rights, citing NYPD data obtained in a suit, said the vast majority of those stopped and questioned in 2005 through June 2008 weren't charged with any crime.

In 2007, for instance, the last complete year of data, cops arrested only 5.8% of the 472,096 people they stopped (27,632). "The New York City Police Department continues to prey on African-American and Latino communities in New York City," Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said. The center obtained half of the 2008 data but projected that 543,982 people will be stopped in the entire year if the NYPD maintained its pace. Cops made fewer than 400,000 stops in 2005.
"The problem actually is getting worse," CCR lawyer Darius Charney said. Commissioner Paul Browne, the NYPD's chief spokesman, said the number of minorities who were singled out under the policy is consistent with overall descriptions by race provided by victims and surviving witnesses of crime.

He pointed to a RAND Corp. study that found no racial profiling in its examination, "and warned against the kind of simplistic comparisons made by the center." "Their assertions do not constitute a study of the data, but a restatement of accusations in its lawsuit," he added. Source: NY Daily News

The statistics are pretty damning and go beyond the notion of happenstance. It seems that the NYPD has a penchant for picking on blacks and Latinos, for no other reason, but the automatic assumption that they are up to no good. Commissioner Paul Browne points to another study, but if you ask many black and Latinos males in New York City, they will tell you they were pulled over or stopped by a NYPD officer, for no other than profiling. Let me end by saying that this disturbing pattern of racial profiling is not representative of every police officer in the NYPD or across this country. There are many decent, hardworking police officers who do not engage in racial profiling or racist behavior.

New York Police Francis Cole Murders Wife, Elana Cole, Daughter Tried to Intervene, Was Struck in the Face

New York's Finest is in the news again. NYPD Lt. Francis Cole gunned down his wife, Elana, and then killed himself on Monday at their Long Island home. According to the NY Daily News, Cole, 48, who worked out of Brooklyn's 68th Precinct, stabbed his wife in the chest with a kitchen knife before shooting her in the head at their home in Centereach. He then shot himself in the head.

Detective Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick said that Cole's 18-year-old daughter tried to intervene before her parents' fight turned deadly, but was struck in the face. The daughter called 911 at 12:35 p.m. to report her father had shot her mother, Fitzpatrick said. They had been going through a divorce.

Cole and his wife were found in the upstairs bedroom of their two-story house. He was still alive when cops found him and rushed him to the hospital, where he later died. Besides the couple's teenage daughter, Elana Coles's 81-year-old mother was in the house at the time, Fitzpatrick said. The couple is also survived by three sons, all in their 20s.

This cop is no stranger to controversy. According to the NY Daily News, in 2005, he was named in a racial discrimination suit filed by a black female officer in the 68th Precinct. The officer accused Cole of running an "old-boys club" within the NYPD that prevented her from being promoted. He was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. I hope his daughter will get counselling for witnessing her father shooting her mother. There is always something in the news about New York City's Finest and it seems that they have a penchant for breaking the same law they are supposed to uphold. It is shameful that more psychological counseling isn't being done. They need more sensitivity training, without a doubt.

New York Police Francis Cole Murders Wife, Elana Cole, Daughter Tried to Intervene, Was Struck in the Face

New York's Finest is in the news again. NYPD Lt. Francis Cole gunned down his wife, Elana, and then killed himself on Monday at their Long Island home. According to the NY Daily News, Cole, 48, who worked out of Brooklyn's 68th Precinct, stabbed his wife in the chest with a kitchen knife before shooting her in the head at their home in Centereach. He then shot himself in the head.

Detective Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick said that Cole's 18-year-old daughter tried to intervene before her parents' fight turned deadly, but was struck in the face. The daughter called 911 at 12:35 p.m. to report her father had shot her mother, Fitzpatrick said. They had been going through a divorce.

Cole and his wife were found in the upstairs bedroom of their two-story house. He was still alive when cops found him and rushed him to the hospital, where he later died. Besides the couple's teenage daughter, Elana Coles's 81-year-old mother was in the house at the time, Fitzpatrick said. The couple is also survived by three sons, all in their 20s.

This cop is no stranger to controversy. According to the NY Daily News, in 2005, he was named in a racial discrimination suit filed by a black female officer in the 68th Precinct. The officer accused Cole of running an "old-boys club" within the NYPD that prevented her from being promoted. He was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. I hope his daughter will get counselling for witnessing her father shooting her mother. There is always something in the news about New York City's Finest and it seems that they have a penchant for breaking the same law they are supposed to uphold. It is shameful that more psychological counseling isn't being done. They need more sensitivity training, without a doubt.

Barbara Sheehan Shoots Cross-Dressing Husband Retired NYPD Sgt. Raymond Sheehan to Death

New York's Finest just can't stay out of the news. Barbara Sheehan shot her husband, retired NYPD Sgt. Raymond Sheehan and her lawyer said that he was a "self-loathing" sexual deviant who liked transvestite hookers and wearing lingerie. According to the NY Daily News, Barbara Sheehan, admitted pumping him full of bullets from his guns in their Howard Beach, Queens, home Feb. 18, was a "very sick man."

"Here was a person engaged in self-loathing, remorse and an Irish sense of guilt," Michael Dowd, her lawyer said of the 49-year-old cop's alleged dalliances with "shemales.""There's no question that his violence preceded any of his out-of-the-mainstream sexual activities. But these activities seem to have exacerbated to some degree what was going on. They seemed to increase and send him into a rage."

Dowd said he has "significant evidence" of Sheehan's dark side - including the skimpy lingerie set he forced his wife to watch him wear and the address of a transvestite brothel near Albany that was found in the GPS in his car. A private investigator found the transvestite whom Sheehan visited upstate, shortly after pushing his wife out of the car and disappearing from a football game they were supposed to attend, Dowd said. Dowd said he also knows of e-mails between the 20-year-veteran police officer - who retired in 2002 - and his transvestite consorts. Source: NY Daily News

Okay. So the man is a scumbag, but what gave her the right to shoot him to death? Barbara Sheehan, 46, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. The school secretary and mother of two used her husband's guns - a Glock and a .35-caliber pistol - to pump 11 rounds at his back. I don't know what was her breaking point, but there is no justification for shooting him to death.

Barbara Sheehan Shoots Cross-Dressing Husband Retired NYPD Sgt. Raymond Sheehan to Death

New York's Finest just can't stay out of the news. Barbara Sheehan shot her husband, retired NYPD Sgt. Raymond Sheehan and her lawyer said that he was a "self-loathing" sexual deviant who liked transvestite hookers and wearing lingerie. According to the NY Daily News, Barbara Sheehan, admitted pumping him full of bullets from his guns in their Howard Beach, Queens, home Feb. 18, was a "very sick man."

"Here was a person engaged in self-loathing, remorse and an Irish sense of guilt," Michael Dowd, her lawyer said of the 49-year-old cop's alleged dalliances with "shemales.""There's no question that his violence preceded any of his out-of-the-mainstream sexual activities. But these activities seem to have exacerbated to some degree what was going on. They seemed to increase and send him into a rage."

Dowd said he has "significant evidence" of Sheehan's dark side - including the skimpy lingerie set he forced his wife to watch him wear and the address of a transvestite brothel near Albany that was found in the GPS in his car. A private investigator found the transvestite whom Sheehan visited upstate, shortly after pushing his wife out of the car and disappearing from a football game they were supposed to attend, Dowd said. Dowd said he also knows of e-mails between the 20-year-veteran police officer - who retired in 2002 - and his transvestite consorts. Source: NY Daily News

Okay. So the man is a scumbag, but what gave her the right to shoot him to death? Barbara Sheehan, 46, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. The school secretary and mother of two used her husband's guns - a Glock and a .35-caliber pistol - to pump 11 rounds at his back. I don't know what was her breaking point, but there is no justification for shooting him to death.

NY Giants Plaxico Burress Turns Himself in Over Charges Stemming from Shooting Himself Accidentally with Illegal Weapon

Why these young "ballers" love guns is beyond me. The problem is that being wealthy is no guarantee of happiness. We have seen repeatedly many young people who become rich almost overnight, struggle emotionally as well as wrestle with the responsibility that comes with such new found wealth and fame. You have to leave your old lifestyle behind, especially if it was a troubled one. Well, according to the NY Daily News, troubled Giants star Plaxico Burress turned himself into a Manhattan precinct Monday morning where he is expected to be charged after accidentally shooting himself in the right thigh while drinking at a Midtown nightclub.

Walking with no sign of a limp from the bullet wound, Burress stepped out of a black Cadillac Escalade in front of the NYPD's 17th Precinct just after 8 a.m. Wearing dark jeans, a white collared shirt and a black jacket, he stared straight ahead as he walked and ignored shouts from an assembled group of reporters and fans. His lawyer said the wide receiver would be arraigned at 1 p.m. at Central Booking and would plead not guilty to charges of criminal possession of a weapon.

"He's standing tall," said attorney Benjamin Brafman. "He's a mature adult handling this very well, I think, under the circumstances.""He...has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from people who I think understand that he's a fundamentally decent man in a difficult situation," Brafman said. Standing tall, really? He has no choice but to turn himself in for this stupid little sideshow. He had an illegal weapon which was loaded. That's a crime in New York state punishable from a one-year sentence to a mandatory minimum 3 1/2-year sentence. To think that young kids look up to these athletes is amazing. Call Tiger Woods what you want, you have never heard of this young man mixed up with the wrong crowd or exhibiting criminal behavior.

Burress, 31, was partying at the Latin Quarter nightclub with teammates after midnight Saturday when he fumbled with the gun tucked in his waistband, accidentally firing a single round that ripped through his right thigh.

Burress, who signed a $35-million contract extension in the wake of the Super Bowl win, has been a season-long distraction to the Giants and his Big Blue bosses hinted before yesterday's game that the receiver's tenure in the Meadowlands may be coming to an end.

I don't blame the management of the NY Giants to make an example out of him. You can't expect to get away with bad behavior repeatedly. Does Michael Vick ring a bell? I am pretty sure when he has been released from prison, the Falcons will reinstate him as their quarterback.

Burress armed himself because he was afraid that he would get held up for the flashy bling he wore, he told employees at the Latin Quarter nightclub. After the shooting, he initially refused to let his pals call 911 after the shooting, but relented two hours later, and went with his wife, Tiffany, and a friend to New York Presbyterian-Hospital Weill Cornell at 2a.m., sources said. He was released hours later.

Teammate, Antonio Pierce, 30, who was with Burress, initially stashed the gun for his pal, police sources said, but it is believed he later gave it to Burress' wife. The gun was handed over the NYPD late Sunday.

This reminds me of the show the "Three Stooges." To think this guy considers himself a role model for kids. People need to stop putting these athletes on a pedestal. He's no better than the person in the street running around and doing the wrong thing. Money doesn't suddenly change one into a paragon of virtue. One has to make that choice and live up the those ideals. You have to change your lifestyle and surround yourself with the right people who want to uplift you, not tear you down.Burress joins a long list of athletes who have engaged in bad behavior: Mike Tyson, Ron Artest, Jose Canseco, Jayson Williams, Todd Bertuzzi, Brett Myers, Darryl Strawberry, Rae Carruth, Pete Rose, Michael Vick, Maurice Clarett, Tank Johnson, Mark Gastineau and with the most famous of them all, O.J. Simpson, among others. Plaxico Burress, come to your senses, that is not the club you want to be a member of.

NY Giants Plaxico Burress Turns Himself in Over Charges Stemming from Shooting Himself Accidentally with Illegal Weapon

Why these young "ballers" love guns is beyond me. The problem is that being wealthy is no guarantee of happiness. We have seen repeatedly many young people who become rich almost overnight, struggle emotionally as well as wrestle with the responsibility that comes with such new found wealth and fame. You have to leave your old lifestyle behind, especially if it was a troubled one. Well, according to the NY Daily News, troubled Giants star Plaxico Burress turned himself into a Manhattan precinct Monday morning where he is expected to be charged after accidentally shooting himself in the right thigh while drinking at a Midtown nightclub.

Walking with no sign of a limp from the bullet wound, Burress stepped out of a black Cadillac Escalade in front of the NYPD's 17th Precinct just after 8 a.m. Wearing dark jeans, a white collared shirt and a black jacket, he stared straight ahead as he walked and ignored shouts from an assembled group of reporters and fans. His lawyer said the wide receiver would be arraigned at 1 p.m. at Central Booking and would plead not guilty to charges of criminal possession of a weapon.

"He's standing tall," said attorney Benjamin Brafman. "He's a mature adult handling this very well, I think, under the circumstances.""He...has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from people who I think understand that he's a fundamentally decent man in a difficult situation," Brafman said. Standing tall, really? He has no choice but to turn himself in for this stupid little sideshow. He had an illegal weapon which was loaded. That's a crime in New York state punishable from a one-year sentence to a mandatory minimum 3 1/2-year sentence. To think that young kids look up to these athletes is amazing. Call Tiger Woods what you want, you have never heard of this young man mixed up with the wrong crowd or exhibiting criminal behavior.

Burress, 31, was partying at the Latin Quarter nightclub with teammates after midnight Saturday when he fumbled with the gun tucked in his waistband, accidentally firing a single round that ripped through his right thigh.

Burress, who signed a $35-million contract extension in the wake of the Super Bowl win, has been a season-long distraction to the Giants and his Big Blue bosses hinted before yesterday's game that the receiver's tenure in the Meadowlands may be coming to an end.

I don't blame the management of the NY Giants to make an example out of him. You can't expect to get away with bad behavior repeatedly. Does Michael Vick ring a bell? I am pretty sure when he has been released from prison, the Falcons will reinstate him as their quarterback.

Burress armed himself because he was afraid that he would get held up for the flashy bling he wore, he told employees at the Latin Quarter nightclub. After the shooting, he initially refused to let his pals call 911 after the shooting, but relented two hours later, and went with his wife, Tiffany, and a friend to New York Presbyterian-Hospital Weill Cornell at 2a.m., sources said. He was released hours later.

Teammate, Antonio Pierce, 30, who was with Burress, initially stashed the gun for his pal, police sources said, but it is believed he later gave it to Burress' wife. The gun was handed over the NYPD late Sunday.

This reminds me of the show the "Three Stooges." To think this guy considers himself a role model for kids. People need to stop putting these athletes on a pedestal. He's no better than the person in the street running around and doing the wrong thing. Money doesn't suddenly change one into a paragon of virtue. One has to make that choice and live up the those ideals. You have to change your lifestyle and surround yourself with the right people who want to uplift you, not tear you down.Burress joins a long list of athletes who have engaged in bad behavior: Mike Tyson, Ron Artest, Jose Canseco, Jayson Williams, Todd Bertuzzi, Brett Myers, Darryl Strawberry, Rae Carruth, Pete Rose, Michael Vick, Maurice Clarett, Tank Johnson, Mark Gastineau and with the most famous of them all, O.J. Simpson, among others. Plaxico Burress, come to your senses, that is not the club you want to be a member of.