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^I C ^ "'^hILL ^ ^X^" DAVIS LIBRARY P O BOX BBS© CHAPEL BILL 9 • - 0 0 @ 1 anc^on JJlfejS^^ VOLUME 98 - NUMBER 34 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2019 TELEPHONE 919-682-2913 PRICE 50 CENTS After Over 24 Years Imprisoned, Dontae Sharpe Freed By Al Mesurely And Cash Michaels Contributing writers GREENVILLE - A black man, wrongly tried U.S. Senator, D-California was the keynote speaker for the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People Fonder’s Banquet Aug. 24 at the Civil Center. (Photo by Ronald Parker - Artije Photography) 4 students shot at block party near Clark Atlanta University By Jeff Martin ATLANTA (AP) - Four college students were wounded when a gunman opened fire into a crowd of 200 people outside a library near Clark Atlanta Univer sity and then escaped in the chaos, authorities said. All four injured women were in stable condition af ter the gunfire, which hap pened shortly after 10:30 p.m. Aug. 21. None of their injuries were life-threaten ing, Atlanta police said. The shooter had not yet been apprehended Aug. 21. The four students were shot outside a library that serves Clark Atlanta and other nearby historically black colleges. The block party, held the night before the first day of classes, was celebrating the end of orientation for new students. “Parents should send their kids away and think they’re OK,” Clark Atlanta junior Brooklyn Scott told The Atlanta Journal-Con stitution . Scott said the shooting underscores the need for more campus police offi cers and security measures. “Anyone can get on this campus,” sophomore Jas mine Phelps told the news paper. . and convicted at age 19 of a murder 25 years ago he did not commit, was finally released from prison last week, thanks to the tireless On Aug. 20, there was a heavy security presence on campus and in front of the library. A couple of Atlanta police officers stood on a corner across the street. Investigators on Aug. 20 were checking surveillance cameras in the area, Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos told The Associ ated Press. Police wouldn’t say what the cameras might have captured. The gunshots began af ter an argument broke out between two parties and someone opened fire, in vestigators said. Video aired by WXIA-TV shows dozens of students running frantically after the gun- shots were heard. “It appears there were two separate groups that were targeting each other, and these people were just caught in the crossfire,” At lanta police Capt. William Ricker told reporters. Two of the victims are 17-year-old and 18-year- old students at Spelman College, a nearby all- women’s school. Investiga tors believe the other two women are 18-year-old and 19-year-old Clark Atlanta students, police said. Clark Atlanta’s Office of Religious Life announced a prayer vigil for Wednesday and convicted at age 19 of a murder 25 years ago he did not commit, was finally released from prison las (Contined On Page 2) evening (Aug. 20). “Evil will not have its way on our campus,” it said on social media. Some students Aug. ’20 discussed the shooting among themselves as they walked past the library. Se curity guards did not per mit interviews with the stu dents in front of the library, which is private property. “We are asking our fac ulty to be aware and pre pared to support those students experiencing the effects of this incident, Lu cille Mauge, Clark Atlanta’s interim president, said in a message to students. Atlanta police routinely work with Clark Atlanta’s police department, as they do with campus police at other schools in the city such as Georgia State Uni versity and the Georgia In stitute of Technology. “We’re always very much aware when school is open at the campuses inside the city of Atlanta and we do make a concerted effort to work closely with the cam pus police, and make sure we properly patrol our ar eas,” Campos said. Register to Vote Dontae Sharpe celebrates his freedom with his mother. (Photo by Cash Michaels) Florida man convicted in parking lot shooting of black man By Terry Spencer and Mike Schneider (AP) -A white Florida man who told detectives he had a "pet peeve” about illegal park ing in handicapped spots was convicted late Aug. 23 of man slaughter for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man outside a convenience store. Six jurors deliberated for six hours in Clearwater before con victing Michael Drejka for the July 19, 2018, death of Markeis McGlockton. Drejka, who could get 30 years, looked down after the verdict was read then wiped his brow with a blue handker chief. The 49-year-old Drejka was ordered held without bond until his sentencing in October. He stared straight ahead as he was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom. The verdict came about a half-hour after jurors sent out a note saying they were confused by the state’s self-defense law. Circuit Judge Joseph Bulone told them all he could do is reread it for them. The lengthy statute generally says a shooting is justified if a reasonable person under those circumstances would believe they are in danger of death or great bodily harm. .But it also says the shooter could not have instigated the altercation. Members of McGlockton’s family wept as the verdict was read and hugged and shook hands with the prosecutors after court was adjourned. "This conviction doesn’t bring our son back, but it does give us some sense of justice be cause far too often the criminal justice system fails us by allow ing people who take the lives of unarmed Black people to walk free as though their lives meant nothing,” McGlockton’s moth er, Moriica Robinson, said in a statement. "We are hopeful that this conviction will be a brick in the road to changing the culture of racism here in Florida.” Theresa Jean-Pierre Coy, one of Drejka’s attorneys, told re porters outside the courthouse that she respected the verdict , but her team would likely file an appeal. She expressed her condolences to the McGlockton family and said that while she was disappointed in the verdict, she was "happy they received the justice they were seeking.” Drejka had confronted Mc Glockton’s girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, for parking in a handi capped space while McGlockton went inside a convenience store with his 5-year-old son. Secu rity video recorded McGlockton leaving the store and shoving Drejka to the ground. Seconds later, Drejka pulled out a hand gun and shot McGlockton, 28, as he backed away. McGlockton ran inside the store, where he collapsed and died in front ofhis son. The video was played multi ple times for the jury of five men and a woman. Drejka didn’t testify on his behalf, although jurors were played a video of his interview with detectives. Drejka had a concealed weapons permit for 25 years and told detectives he "always” carried his gun. Drejka told the detectives he has a "pet peeve” about illegal parking in handicapped spots and often walks around such cars looking for handicapped stickers and placards, sometimes taking photographs. He said he often sees people illegally parked in the handicapped spot at that con venience store, but the owner doesn’t do anything about it. Drejka said he saw McGlock ton’s car in the handicapped spot in July 2018, so he went to its back and front, looking for stick ers, which store security video shows. He said the car’s win dows were tinted, so he didn’t know anyone was inside. Jacobs, who was sitting with the couple’s two younger chil dren, partially put down her window and asked what he was doing. He said he told her it was "not very polite” to park in the spot and "she took that as an af front.” He said that sparked an argument that got heated, with Jacobs saying "Do I have to get my man?” Jacobs testified that Drejka had started pointing and yell ing at her. She said she cracked the window to hear what he was saying and a screaming match ensued. Prosecutor Scott Rosenwas- ser said during closing argu ments earlier Aug. 23 that Drejka provoked McGlockton to shove him by yelling at Jacobs instead of calling the police if he felt so strongly about her being parked in the handicapped spot. Testi mony showed he had confronted a septic truck driver for parking in the same spot months earlier, leading to an argument. "He is a parking lot vigilan te,” Rosenwasser said. Defense attorney John Treve- na told the jurors such comments are ridiculous. Drejka retired in his 30s from his tree-trimming job because of health problems. "Does he look like Charles Bronson in 'Death Wish’?” he asked, referring to the 1974 ac tion movie. "This isn’t a vigi lante.” Drejka, the son of a police of ficer, had no record before the shooting. Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Schnei der from Orlando, Florida. Register to Vote
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