Speaking of Stupid People Doing Stupid Things in Stupid Places

I’ve been harping on about the need to avoid gunfights at all costs for some time. On many occasions I’ve repeated the oft-repeated mantra “avoid stupid people doing stupid things in stupid places.” But rarely do I come across a really good example to illustrate the point. No, not the video above—although you have to wonder about the intelligence of the guy standing at the door as his “friend” fires past him into the club. I refer instead to a story I ripped from the e-pages of leagle.com. While this urban tale plumbs the depths of moronitudeosityness, remember that even slightly stupid people can get you totally killed, and anything you say can be used against you if the other guy’s got a gun . . .

On October 10, 2007, Brandon Sutton, his mother, and Almono McMillan arrived at a South Bend apartment complex. McNeill and several other men were standing outside the apartments and began yelling as the three individuals exited Sutton’s vehicle. McNeill accused McMillan of selling him a defective handgun, and they began arguing. McNeill told Sutton “you [sic] lucky your momma [sic] here, or you would be dead.”

The following day, McMillan returned to the apartments to visit Sutton’s sister. McNeill again argued with McMillan regarding the gun, and McMillan suggested they settle the matter with a fistfight. McNeill replied, “I don’t fight, I shoot.”

McNeill, who was armed with a gun, alerted the occupants of a nearby apartment, and several armed individuals emerged. McMillan also had a gun. He called Sutton, who arrived also armed with a gun. Several individuals, including McNeill, opened fire. Sutton fired several rounds, but ran out of ammunition and attempted to run away.

As Sutton fled the scene with his back to McNeill, Sutton was shot in the back. The injury left Sutton paralyzed below the waist and confined to a wheelchair. The bullet remains in Sutton’s spine because removing the bullet poses risk of additional injury.

McNeill and other individuals left, but later provided statements to the police after learning they were suspects. South Bend Police later recovered from a dumpster a handgun matching descriptions of McNeill’s handgun. They also found, at the scene of the shooting, six casings fired from the handgun matching McNeill’s.