"Confused" West Virginia Man Kills New Black Neighbor

[DesertRat]

A man from Barboursville, W.Va., fatally shot his new neighbor and the neighbor’s brother without warning as the two men were inspecting their property, New York's Daily News reports.

Rodney Bruce Black, 62, told authorities that he thought his victims were breaking into a building he owned. However, although the building is on land that once belonged to Black’s family, that was not the case anymore.

One of the victims, Garrick Hopkins, 60, and his wife had just purchased the property next door to Black and were planning to build a house within the next few weeks, Sheriff Tom McComas told the Daily News on Monday. Hopkins invited his brother, Carl, who was 61, to inspect the property with him Saturday afternoon.

Black saw the two men looking into a shed and, allegedly without warning or calling the police, took his rifle and fired at the men. They died at the site. Both men leave behind their wives and children.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/01/_confused_west_virginia_man_kills_new_african_american_neighbor.html

[warrior1]

1. So is this going to be the excuse he's going to give

for murdering two black men? He was "confused"?

[Myrina]

18. Well then, if he's mentally "confused", he shouldn't be able to own a gun ...

Jus' sayin' ....

[bowens43]

2. he was just standing his ground.....

[bigdarryl]

3. This story isn't getting a lot of national attention

[Agschmid]

4. Should be.

[Enthusiast]

31. They seem to be avoiding it on HLN's Nancy Grace.

She is always taking on such subjects. Odd that.

[jsr]

5. It was cold-blooded murder.

[TheMathieu]

6. Well, there should be no confusion.

When they put him UNDER the jail.

Asshole.

[tanyev]

7. When I'm confused about something, I find that asking a few questions works much better

than spraying bullets around.

[unblock]

10. yeah, you'd think the standard is, when you shoot, you HAVE to get it right.

and bear full responsibility for getting it wrong.

sadly, oh, i thought that bag of candy was a gun so i killed him in self-defense seems to work well in some places, at least.

[unblock]

8. hunting season for black neighbors doesn't start until groundhog day. honest mistake.

, in case it's not ridiculously obvious.

this is simply murder, but let's see if he gets a meaningful prison sentence.

[Aristus]

9. If you're 'confused', you hamhock,

DON'T FUCKING SHOOT!

[DesertRat]

11. oh please

Police confiscated a "large amount" of weapons and ammo from Black's home, the Daily News notes.

Although Black is white and his victims were black, McComas told the Daily News that there was no reason to believe that race influenced Black's deadly decision.

[JustAnotherGen]

12. These folks hashed it out here the other day

But still - I'm glad this is posted again.



Here's the thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024396943


Might be a good reference point - they can just copy and paste their comments from a few days ago into this one - makes it easier for them to blame the victims.

[DesertRat]

14. thanks

sorry, I didn't see the other post

[JustAnotherGen]

23. I'm not sorry you didn't see the other post :-)

I'm glad you posted it because you know what?

What this man did is NOT going to go away and it cannot just be explained away.

[lapfog_1]

13. I think he knew damn good and well that the shed wasn't his

and that someone just purchased the land.

And that the purchaser was a black man.

He just figured "Hey, you can kill black men anytime in America and claim "stand your ground" or whatever."

Hell, a black man has a traffic accident and goes to get help late at night and the white cops just murder him, a black kid goes back to the house where he is staying after a trip to the convenience store for snacks and a guy in the neighborhood just shoots him...

so, why not? Shoot the black man and claim trespassing... and then no black neighbors. A tragic accident.

That's what his lawyer is going to claim... mark my words... stand your ground, a tragic accident.

This is a direct result of ALEC and the tea party and the NRA...

[IdaBriggs]

19. His sister said he knew the property was sold.

He just didn't like it.

Families struggling to make sense of shooting
(snip)
The crime scene involved three tracts of land, all of which were initially owned by Rodney Black's parents, Carl Edward and Juanita H. Black. The property was left to Juanita Black upon her husband's death in 2008. Her last will and testament further split the property in July 2010, with Rodney Black receiving the residence while his sister Judy Ranson administered the estate and its remaining tracts of land.

Ranson, who sold both tracts of land Jan. 15, described herself as being in shock Monday morning. She said her brother typically mowed the lawn and cared for the adjacent properties and was aware of, and dissatisfied with, her decision to sell. The land had been on the market since their mother's death.

"I cannot believe this happened," she said. "He knew those lots were up for sale ... I think he thought everything belonged to him, but the property was to be sold to pay off my mother's bills."

(my bold)

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/x238620574/Families-struggle-to-make-sense-of-shooting

[Baitball Blogger]

24. He sounds like a property rights nutcase.

All the signs are there. The mowing and care of the property is one of the benchmarks to establish a claim based on adverse possession. People who don't understand all the prongs use pseudo legal interpretations in a community and before you know it, the insanity spreads. I have seen people use it against their own Associations to take out the common areas. They even go to the extreme of colluding with their neighbors to take over the boards to push their personal agenda.

Not surprised that someone would kill over it. It was just a matter of time.

[Jesus Malverde]

15. Usually someone knows when the property next door has been sold.

This sounds like someone did not like their new neighbors and killed them.

[IdaBriggs]

20. He knew. See my post #19. (nt)

[Jesus Malverde]

25. Thanks for the link.

What a savage sad man. Thanks for the information about the victims.

[onehandle]

16. Gun Nut - 'Inside Black's home, deputies seized many weapons and ammunition'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024394536

[dsc]

17. The only possible defense for this is if the shooter has Alzheimers or a similar disease

which would make this another case of our horrible gun laws run amok. Otherwise this man is a stone cold killer who needs put away for the rest of his life.

[Baitball Blogger]

21. First degree murder. Period.

[Enrique]

22. symbolism in the land ownership aspect

a lot of people haven't adjusted to the fact that they don't own everything anymore. The "I want my country back" people.

[Mopar151]

27. Hillbilly stubborn meets "extralegal remedies"

This is the kind of "government opression" that the 2nd ammendment nuts go on about.

"Confused" knew damm good and well that land was his - he did'nt care what his stupid sister paid some crooked judge to say - if somebody showed up over there, he was goi'n to run 'em off, and that was that. That's why he's been arming up for the Russian invasion since there was gonna be one - so nobody would mess with him *, and he'd shoot anyone who tried. He may well have detailed this plan to his sister, and anyone else who would listen - who dismissed him as "blowing off steam, as usual".

*"Annoy" is not the same thing as "directly threaten the life of" - except to a dumbass old "extra-white" man.

[hughee99]

26. Why is he confused? Did he think it was okay to shoot black people based on recent stories

of this happening and no one going to jail for it?

[Art_from_Ark]

30. That could very well be the source of his confusion

It makes as much sense as anything else

[Faryn Balyncd]

28. How Fox "News" is reporting this story:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024412573

[jsr]

29. +1