Evolution of a Shooting, via News Stories...

[ELB]

14 Dec 06

Man Shot At San Jose Apt. Dies At Hospital
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A shooting Wednesday at the Williamsburg Village apartments on Old Kings Road South left one man dead.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a call that came in at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday of a person shot in the 7100 block of Old Kings Road South, in the San Jose area.

Lt. Pat Ivey with JSO said the victim was driven to the hospital by either a friend or family member. Police said he died at the hospital.

Police said they interviewed witnesses at the scene. No one is in custody in connection with the incident.

The victim’s identity has not been released.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/10530407/detail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

14 Dec 06

Police: Jealous Boyfriend Kills Man, Shoots At Father
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 33-year-old man was charged with murder and attempted murder on Thursday in connection with shootings outside an Old Kings Road apartment Wednesday night that killed one man and targeted the victim's father.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Shedrick Cosby saw 41-year-old Shelly Banks IV and his father, Shelly Banks Jr., 69, leaving the Williamsburg Commons apartment of Cosby's girlfriend about 8:30 p.m. Believing his girlfriend was cheating on him, Cosby shot the younger Banks, detectives said.

Police said the older victim pulled a knife and cut Cosby in the face and neck, and Cosby shot at him while running away.

Banks Jr. drove himself and his son to the hospital, where the younger man died.

According to the arrest report, Cosby later turned himself in and admitted to killing Banks.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/10535671/detail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

29 Aug 07

Jury acquits murder suspect; man killed in self-defense
by Steve Patterson

A Jacksonville man facing a life sentence in prison was found innocent Wednesday of murdering a man during a struggle outside his girlfriend's apartment.

Shedrick Cosby, 34, was arrested in December after the shooting death of Shelly Banks. Police charged that Cosby shot in a jealous rage after seeing two men leaving his girlfriend's apartment on Old Kings Road South in the Southside.

Cosby, whose face and neck were severely cut with a knife, testified he shot in self-defense after someone jumped him from behind and held him in a headlock. Cosby was a security guard at Forrest High School and had a permit to carry a concealed firearm, said Assistant Public Defender Debra Billard.

Billard said Cosby fired two shots blindly, and that evidence showed one bullet passed through a door before hitting Banks. The other bullet struck the apartment building's second story, she said.

She said the fact that just two bullets and two casings were recovered also contradicted testimony by prosecution witnesses, who described a larger number of shots being fired.

The six-person jury deliberated about three hours.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/s ... 2472.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Fangs]

Wow, huge difference.

[bdickens]

Thus illustrating the folly of either jumping to convict or acquit someone based on initial news reports.

[bryang]

Wow, that is very enlightening. Thanks for posting the complete story.

-geo

[joe817]

Wow, that is very enlightening. Thanks for posting the complete story.

-geo

That was a great read ELB. Thanks for following up and posting.

[ELB]

It's odd what comes up sometimes, if you follow up. In the case above, the father and son were Shelly Banks Jr. and Shelly Banks IV of Jacksonville FL (don't know what happened to Shelly Banks III). In mid May there was a story that the grandson (but not another Shelly Banks) of a Shelly Banks Jr. of Jacksonville drowned trying to save a friend. Don't know if it was the same guy, but sure sounds like it. Been a bad year for him and his kin.

In another case, a "classic" case: at home, burglar breaking in, holed up in the bedroom, wife called 911, burglar forced way in, bang bang. Guy was rock solid middle class hero, CHL holder, school teacher, wife couple kids, member of community organizations, went above and beyond at school.... except a few weeks later it was found the "beyond" included fooling around with some 14 year old girls at school. The shooting was perfectly justifiable, etc, just turns out not to be a poster boy for CHL, or much of anything else.

It is still the case that the vast majority of CHL shootings that I have read, the defender is never charged with anything, is rarely even arrested, and the cops seem to figure out who is who pretty fast. I can only remember one incident that specifically mentioned the defender had a lawyer right after the shooting -- and the lawyer was described as an "attorney and friend" who was the contact for the press.