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Chinese-American grandpa fatally shot by security guard while playing Pokemon Go

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Slayer-33

Liverpool-2
I'm a campus security officer.. This is waaaaay out of bounds for that guard and what we can do. Ridiculous.

This is insane. No guard would be expected to pull some shit off like this anywhere in the country. This dude must have been nuts
 

MarionCB

Member
Wow, that story sounds like the most unrealistic bullshit. I hope there's some kind of evidence to show what actually happened, since this guy killed the only other witness, but everyone involved appears determined to let this go.
 
If a van is barreling down on you so quickly that you can't get out of the way, what would shooting the driver even accomplish?

At that point wouldn't the van most likely just keep going forward and hit you anyway?
 

Hakkapell

Neo Member
I do armed security myself and reading this just pissed me off to no ends. My firearm instructor gave me great and important advice when i just started out doing armed security. I don't need a stupid moron doing security to make all security guards look fucking bad.

"Always be fucking sure you can justify what you shoot and only shoot to protect yourself or another life, because when you fire that gun, you can not takethat bullet back"

I have had to deal with people who threatened to kill me, pulled a knife/random weapon on me and cause me hassle while I was doing armed security. But never would i ever pull out my weapon unless I had no other choice as a last fucking resort and I have been lucky to have only pulled out my weapon once when I had some guy try to charge at me with an axe and even then I kept my finger off the trigger and verbally tried to de-escalate the situation. This guard escalated things far more than he should have.

How that guard hasn't been arrested and charged yet is simply beyond belief. It is kinda sad Virginia hasn't really done anything because If that security guard pulled that shit here in California, he would be royally fucked beyond recognition. Shooting an elderly man, violating company and the company's contract policy of having a firearm when he should not have been all that would have gotten him a lot of felonies, charges including murder, and prison time. The company should also be charged because they are the ones who should be making sure their security guards are not breaking contract policies especially when they shouldnt be carrying a fucking gun.

I hope that security guard gets everything thrown at him with no mercy.
 

Hero

Member
I like how they don't even mention that this piece of shit security guard was illegally carrying a fire arm on duty. Like, how the fuck do these shit heads get away with it?
 

BaasRed

Banned
Any details or updates on why the fuck the security guard had a gun? For fuck's sake, any details on why he even shot the guy 3 times with no warning? Fucked up all the way through.
 

Bandini

Member
So the police are still investigating, correct? That statement was from a lawyer retained by the security firm, of course they are gonna spin some bullshit because they could be massively on the hook in a civil lawsuit.
 

turtle553

Member
I like how they don't even mention that this piece of shit security guard was illegally carrying a fire arm on duty. Like, how the fuck do these shit heads get away with it?

Sacks added he didn't feel there was a language barrier during the investigation and aftermath of the Jan. 26 shooting. Sacks told NBC News that he had no comment on the officer in question's employment status at this time, but that Citywide was a private security company licensed by the state of Virginia to provide protection and security services — including armed services.

This may contradict the earlier reports or just saying the company itself allows armed guards, but that may not be armed for that location.
 

see5harp

Member
If it's he said she said, I'm going to need both security guards to be questioned IN PUBLIC. Let's air out this security guard come on this is fucked.
 

Nydius

Gold Member
Update to this story: Security guard is being charged with 2nd degree murder.

Full story:

CHESAPEAKE Va. – The man accused in the shooting death of a 60-year-old man playing Pokemon Go has been charged with murder.

21-year-old Jonathan Cromwell has been charged with second degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a murder.

Police said Cromwell turned himself in to authorities around 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Cromwell is charged for the death of Jiansheng Chen, according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney. Chen’s family attorney said he was playing Pokemon Go at the time of his death.

The incident happened at on January 26 at 11 p.m. near the River Walk Clubhouse.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney said Chen was driving a blue van and turned into the driveway of the clubhouse parking area. After seeing the van turn into the driveway Cromwell confronted Chen by stopping his vehicle in front of Chen’s.

Chen backed up and turned his vehicle around to the point that it was in the entrance of the driveway facing River Walk Parkway when he was shot.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney said Cromwell exited his car and did say “stop” before he fired his weapon.

Since Chen’s death communities have signed petitions and protested, asking that Cromwell be charged with murder.

Attorney Andrew Sacks said the security guard opened fire because he feared for his life.

Sacks said the security company has documentation to prove that Chen and other relatives of his were told on several occasions that they were barred from private property.

Source: WTKR Newschannel 3
 

Nydius

Gold Member
Didn't they say they hired unarmed security? It's in the OP. So why was this guy carrying a gun?

Who knows. I imagine that will come up in court. I'm going to go out on a limb and hypothesize that because he had a gun when he wasn't supposed to is why the Commonwealth's Attorney went from a manslaughter up to a second degree murder charge.
 

MarionCB

Member
Good news. I was worried they were letting this slide. Maybe the community standing up forced them to do their job.

So, backing away from the guard's vehicle to drive away and facing the opposite way when he was shot is at total odds to the "feared for his life" defense the guard was trying to use. Not that it ever made sense.
 

Nydius

Gold Member
Another update: The Housing Authority has terminated the contract with the security contractor, Citywide Protection Services.

WTKR Article said:
CHESAPEAKE, Va. - A boat ramp, and a club house: two areas in the River Walk neighborhood of Chesapeake that used to be heavily patrolled by guards from Citywide Protection Services, until Tuesday night.

According to a spokesperson for the River Walk Community Association, the security contract with Citywide was cancelled late Tuesday night.

This article brings up the issue of the guard being armed.

WTKR Article said:
According to [HOA spokesperson Billy] Rudolph, Citywide was contracted in April 2010, by Associa, a parent company of the River Walk neighborhood. Rudolph says ”uniformed and unarmed guards" were hired to patrol the boat ramp and the River Walk Club House.

However, the attorney representing Citywide, Andrew Sacks, says the contract he has shows Citywide was contracted for armed services.

Meanwhile as the investigation was unfolding, residents of the community posted on social media that they have run into other Citywide security guards who were armed and the latest HOA budget documents don't specify anything regarding the armed/unarmed status of the guards.

chen-9-redacted.jpg

Neither side has provided copies of the security contract to the news agency as of yet so it's now a big case of he said/she said until the case reaches court.

Full article here.
 

Rest

All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
You've gotta be pretty far out there to think that being a security guard gives you the right to execute someone.
Have you met any security guards? They come in two flavors:

1. Fat and lazy, they work as a security guard because it's easy and they don't have to do anything.
2. Crazy cop wannbes. They think they're cops, they think they deserve to be cops, they make excuses for why they couldn't pass the exam and be cops. They want to chase down badguys like they do in the movies, and shoot them too, just like in the movies.

"Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and "Observe and Report" are the same movie, the difference between them is which kind of delusional security guard the guy is. They're pretty accurate, really.
 

S-Wind

Member
UPDATE

Mugshot of alleged murderer:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-a...ath-grandfather-denied-bond-n726481?cid=sm_fb

Security Guard Charged in Death of Grandfather Denied Bond

A Virginia judge denied bond Monday for a security guard accused of fatally shooting an unarmed man who was said to be playing Pokemon Go.

Johnathan Cromwell, 21, appeared at the Monday morning hearing at General District Court in Virginia. He has been charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of murder in the Jan. 26 shooting of 60-year-old Jiansheng Chen in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Cromwell has been in custody since turning himself in on Feb. 16, the day prosecutors announced they had filed charges against him.

At the hearing, defense attorney Emily Munn argued Cromwell wasn't a flight risk, noting that he had remained in the area during the three weeks between the shooting and being charged, according to NBC affiliate WAVY.

She also raised a self-defense claim that an attorney for the security company, Citywide Protection Services, had previously made, the station reported.

The judge, however, denied bond based on the seriousness of the charges and the violence of the alleged crime, according to WAVY.

An NBC News request for comment emailed Monday to Munn was not immediately returned.

WAVY also reported that the Commonwealth's Attorney Office for the City of Chesapeake offered new details in court of the shooting, telling the judge that Cromwell allegedly fired seven shots. The first came through the driver's side window, prosecutors said, according to WAVY. Cromwell then allegedly moved to the left and fired six more times through the windshield, the commonwealth's attorney said.

Chen, who was unarmed, was hit four times in the upper left chest and once in his left upper arm, prosecutors have said. He died at the scene.


The Commonwealth's Attorney Office for the City of Chesapeake could not immediately be reached for comment late Monday afternoon.

Harry Zhang, president of the Eastern Virginia chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, told NBC News between 60 and 70 family members, friends, and supporters of Chen packed the Monday morning hearing.

Among them were Chen's daughter and son, he said, as well as Chen's wife, who lives in New York City.

Chen's daughter and wife broke down in tears, Zhang said, when they saw Cromwell in a prison jumpsuit.

"They just crashed," he said. "It was a very emotional moment."

Zhang also said Chen's brother testified in Mandarin at the hearing. His brother said he lives in fear and worries about his children and employees of the Chinese restaurant he owns, Zhang said.

WAVY spoke with Cromwell's father who said he is confident his son acted in self defense. He added that his family fully supports his son. He also said Citywide Protection Services had not fired Cromwell.

Funeral services for Chen are scheduled for March 12 and March 13 in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Cromwell allegedly confronted Chen, a retiree and immigrant from China, after Chen drove his blue van into the driveway of the River Walk clubhouse parking area, prosecutors said. A Chen family attorney has said Chen went there to play Pokemon Go, a GPS-based virtual reality game.

It was a way for him to bond with his nieces, nephews, and grandchildren, according to the attorney.

Cromwell stopped his own vehicle in front of Chen's, according to a statement from Commonwealth Attorney Nancy G. Parr. Chen then backed up and turned his van around to the entrance of the driveway, which faces River Walk Parkway, prosecutors said.

Cromwell exited his car and said "stop" before allegedly firing his weapon, prosecutors said.

Police have previously said that Chen and Cromwell had had a disagreement. Chen's command of English was "very, very limited," according to Greg Sandler, an attorney who had represented the Chen family.

Sacks, the security company's attorney, has said he didn't "have any information to indicate that the events in this case occurred because of a language barrier."

He also said Cromwell attempted to get out of the way of Chen's car, but "whatever evasive action the security guard tried to take, the van tracked and followed the officer ignoring commands to stop."

"Ultimately, faced with a situation in which he could not safely escape the oncoming van headed straight for him, the security guard, out of total necessity, and in reasonable fear for his life and safety, fired in an effort to stop and repel the threat to his life and safety," Sacks said in a statement in early February.

The River Walk Community Association and Citywide Protection Services have also disagreed about the terms of the contract for guarding the community.

The association maintains it was for unarmed services, but the security company's attorney has said it was for both armed and unarmed services, and that it was up to the company to decide which to provide.

The homeowners' association initially suspended the contract as authorities investigated the shooting, but then terminated it last week after Cromwell was charged, according to a River Walk Community Association spokesman.

Meanwhile, Cromwell's attorneys Monday appealed Judge Stephen Telfeyan's decision not to grant bond, according to WAVY. Another hearing is scheduled for Friday morning.

Zhang said Chen's family is relieved that Cromwell still remains behind bars.

"It's a relief to the family, the community as well, and the public in general because we feel safe," Zhang said.

Let's see how this unfolds...
 

F34R

Member
Kinda nuts that a security company would hire a guy 2 years out of his teenaged years and give him a gun to boot.

Well, technically, 19years old is still a teenager. So... 21 years old, you can be certified to be an armed guard, cop, etc. The flip side, is you can join the military at 18 and carry a full auto rifle. Just sayin'.
 

shira

Member
http://wavy.com/2017/02/27/security-guard-charged-in-fatal-chesapeake-shooting-court-appearance/

Chen backed up his van and Cromwell got out of his car and shouted, “Stop!” Then he apparently shot Chen through the driver’s side window. Next, Cromwell moved to the front of the van and shot at Chen six more times through the windshield, according to authorities. He hit Chen with four shots in the chest. Then minutes later, Cromwell reportedly asked a detective on scene how accurate was his shooting.

Cromwell’s father said Monday that his son has not been fired from the company.

WTF 7 shots, asks cop how accurate his shooting was
 

dohdough

Member
UPDATE

Mugshot of alleged murderer:

Let's see how this unfolds...

Let's not jump to conclusions about this guy's race though. /s

Can the family sue the company?

Pretty sure they can sue the security company and the HOA. The question I have is whether or not they can sue the murderer for wrongful death.

WTF 7 shots, asks cop how accurate his shooting was

Just saw that comment. I'm gonna have me a celebratory drink when this murdering asshole gets locked up.
 
He also said Cromwell attempted to get out of the way of Chen's car, but "whatever evasive action the security guard tried to take, the van tracked and followed the officer ignoring commands to stop."

"Ultimately, faced with a situation in which he could not safely escape the oncoming van headed straight for him, the security guard, out of total necessity, and in reasonable fear for his life and safety, fired in an effort to stop and repel the threat to his life and safety," Sacks said in a statement in early February.

While this is not a new statement, I kind of threw up in my mouth a little. Like, he paints the old guy as some kind of psycho with a possessed van out to exact sweet sweet death and the security guard as the innocent who just couldn't get out of the path of the raging maniac. It's disgusting.
 
Thought he wasn't supposed to have a gun and he was just a flashlight guard and brought his own piece against the rules?

Even so, the company probably has some liability for not monitoring their members of staff properly.

Well, technically, 19years old is still a teenager. So... 21 years old, you can be certified to be an armed guard, cop, etc. The flip side, is you can join the military at 18 and carry a full auto rifle. Just sayin'.

Sure, but joining the police or military in particular gets you a high degree of training. Considering they didn't even know the guy was armed it's highly doubtful this guy had any firearm responsibility or safety training.
 

platocplx

Member
WAVY also reported that the Commonwealth's Attorney Office for the City of Chesapeake offered new details in court of the shooting, telling the judge that Cromwell allegedly fired seven shots. The first came through the driver's side window, prosecutors said, according to WAVY. Cromwell then allegedly moved to the left and fired six more times through the windshield, the commonwealth's attorney said.

WHAT THE FUCK. like they are saying this was self defense how? this motherfucker was just trigger happy. Insane.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
WAVY also reported that the Commonwealth's Attorney Office for the City of Chesapeake offered new details in court of the shooting, telling the judge that Cromwell allegedly fired seven shots. The first came through the driver's side window, prosecutors said, according to WAVY. Cromwell then allegedly moved to the left and fired six more times through the windshield, the commonwealth's attorney said.

What is "the opposite of get out of the way of speeding vehicle" Alex?
 

F34R

Member
This isn't TV.
Even so, the company probably has some liability for not monitoring their members of staff properly.



Sure, but joining the police or military in particular gets you a high degree of training. Considering they didn't even know the guy was armed it's highly doubtful this guy had any firearm responsibility or safety training.
There are some states that don't even require anything more than a high school diploma or equivalent and a firearms qualification while you wait your academy date; i.e. South Carolina.

I can tell you first hand there there's a HUGE difference between sitting at a firing range, with an instructor telling you how many shots to take, where to hit the target, and holding stopwatch, vs. real life on the street.
 
While this is not a new statement, I kind of threw up in my mouth a little. Like, he paints the old guy as some kind of psycho with a possessed van out to exact sweet sweet death and the security guard as the innocent who just couldn't get out of the path of the raging maniac. It's disgusting.
Right? Because we all know how agile vans are.
 
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