Lancaster family mourns teen shot during argument
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:12 pm
Lancaster family mourns teen shot during argument
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 95fca.html
Parents tried to keep son out of trouble
10:52 PM CDT on Friday, July 20, 2007
By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News
mgrabell@dallasnews.com
LANCASTER – In somber times like these, the Hardemon family could always depend on Raymond to lift their spirits with a smile or joke.
But Raymond isn't here.
The 14-year-old who was going to be a freshman at Lancaster High School was shot July 7 in an argument that got out of hand.
Raymond's parents say Anthony McMillian, 43, indiscriminately opened fire on a group of teenagers and children. The man's attorney says his client was a Good Samaritan who saw several young men chasing his friends and fired to protect them.
Raymond was shot in the neck and died several days later.
"What is it like to bury a child?" asked his mother, Jacqueline Hardemon. "What is it like to see him lying in a coffin, in this box that's going to be closed over his entire face?
"What is it like for you to walk inside your home and never hear that baby's voice, never hear that baby call, 'Mommy or Dad'? There is no word that I can even give you."
"It starts off when someone makes the bad decision of carrying a weapon to a situation where they think there's going to be trouble," he said. "And a lot of times it doesn't end very well."
Dallas police say it started when Raymond's brother, Orlando Finley, started arguing with his girlfriend, Amber Potts, at their home on Altoona Drive in West Oak Cliff.
She called her mother, who came to pick her up with a friend, Mr. McMillian. An argument ensued over whether the couple's 3-week-old son, Orlando Jr., would go with Ms. Potts or stay with Mr. Finley.
According to the Hardemon family, Mr. Finley didn't think his girlfriend's mother's house was a safe environment for the baby.
The families started fighting over the newborn. According to court records, Raymond charged at Mr. McMillian, who pointed his 9 mm handgun at Raymond and fired.
"It was just a few moments of argument or whatnot, and then the next thing they know, Anthony McMillian just started shooting," said Raymond's father, Jerry Hardemon.
Mr. McMillian declined an interview request made at the Dallas County Jail.
But his attorney, Phillip Hayes, said Mr. McMillian, the manager of an auto parts store, went along to protect the girlfriend's mother. It was late at night and Mr. McMillian heard screaming and saw men running after his friends, Mr. Hayes said.
"He thought the girls were in danger, and he thought he was in danger," he said. "He's not a thug. He's not somebody who's looking for trouble. He made a decision in a split second that, looking back, may not have been the right decision."
Mr. McMillian's criminal record appears clean with the exception of misdemeanors from the 1980s. Sgt. Lewis said Mr. McMillian didn't have a concealed-handgun permit but had filled out paperwork for one. Mr. Hayes, his attorney, said that shouldn't taint his good intentions.
After the shooting, Raymond was rushed to Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
"We left our home – I didn't even have shoes on my feet," Mrs. Hardemon said. "We drove as fast as we could to get to them. I was basically screaming and crying and irate and hysterical."
At first, doctors told her Raymond would be paralyzed, but then fluid began to seep into his lungs.
"We were praying the whole times that God would save our baby," she said.
On the morning of July 10, Raymond died.
The Hardemons say they tried hard to keep Raymond out of trouble. But all it took was a short argument to boil over into tragedy. It's the type of shooting that happens frequently in Dallas – people lose control of their emotions and use guns to solve their problems.
"We're angry that somebody decided to take his life for something that's just so petty," Mrs. Hardemon said.
Dallas police homicide Sgt. Larry Lewis has seen it before.
The Hardemons didn't want Raymond's life to end in violence.
They got him into boxing, basketball and football. Two years ago, they moved into a new five-bedroom house in a Lancaster subdivision with street names like April Showers Lane and Mayflowers Lane.
Raymond never had to be straightened out.
"Whenever you met him, you couldn't feel anything but love and joy and happiness," Mrs. Hardemon said.
Since Raymond's death, several relatives have gotten matching tattoos with Raymond's nickname, "Jay R," and a pair of boxing gloves on their right arms.
The argument has destroyed two families. Mr. Finley no longer dates Ms. Potts, who is caring for the baby. Mr. McMillian faces murder and aggravated assault charges.
And the Hardemons have lost a son.
"Nobody could stay mad at him," Mr. Hardemon said. "He was going to make sure your day was just like the sun – shining. When you think about him, it would bring a smile to you. It would bring laughter to you."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 95fca.html
Parents tried to keep son out of trouble
10:52 PM CDT on Friday, July 20, 2007
By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News
mgrabell@dallasnews.com
LANCASTER – In somber times like these, the Hardemon family could always depend on Raymond to lift their spirits with a smile or joke.
But Raymond isn't here.
The 14-year-old who was going to be a freshman at Lancaster High School was shot July 7 in an argument that got out of hand.
Raymond's parents say Anthony McMillian, 43, indiscriminately opened fire on a group of teenagers and children. The man's attorney says his client was a Good Samaritan who saw several young men chasing his friends and fired to protect them.
Raymond was shot in the neck and died several days later.
"What is it like to bury a child?" asked his mother, Jacqueline Hardemon. "What is it like to see him lying in a coffin, in this box that's going to be closed over his entire face?
"What is it like for you to walk inside your home and never hear that baby's voice, never hear that baby call, 'Mommy or Dad'? There is no word that I can even give you."
"It starts off when someone makes the bad decision of carrying a weapon to a situation where they think there's going to be trouble," he said. "And a lot of times it doesn't end very well."
Dallas police say it started when Raymond's brother, Orlando Finley, started arguing with his girlfriend, Amber Potts, at their home on Altoona Drive in West Oak Cliff.
She called her mother, who came to pick her up with a friend, Mr. McMillian. An argument ensued over whether the couple's 3-week-old son, Orlando Jr., would go with Ms. Potts or stay with Mr. Finley.
According to the Hardemon family, Mr. Finley didn't think his girlfriend's mother's house was a safe environment for the baby.
The families started fighting over the newborn. According to court records, Raymond charged at Mr. McMillian, who pointed his 9 mm handgun at Raymond and fired.
"It was just a few moments of argument or whatnot, and then the next thing they know, Anthony McMillian just started shooting," said Raymond's father, Jerry Hardemon.
Mr. McMillian declined an interview request made at the Dallas County Jail.
But his attorney, Phillip Hayes, said Mr. McMillian, the manager of an auto parts store, went along to protect the girlfriend's mother. It was late at night and Mr. McMillian heard screaming and saw men running after his friends, Mr. Hayes said.
"He thought the girls were in danger, and he thought he was in danger," he said. "He's not a thug. He's not somebody who's looking for trouble. He made a decision in a split second that, looking back, may not have been the right decision."
Mr. McMillian's criminal record appears clean with the exception of misdemeanors from the 1980s. Sgt. Lewis said Mr. McMillian didn't have a concealed-handgun permit but had filled out paperwork for one. Mr. Hayes, his attorney, said that shouldn't taint his good intentions.
After the shooting, Raymond was rushed to Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
"We left our home – I didn't even have shoes on my feet," Mrs. Hardemon said. "We drove as fast as we could to get to them. I was basically screaming and crying and irate and hysterical."
At first, doctors told her Raymond would be paralyzed, but then fluid began to seep into his lungs.
"We were praying the whole times that God would save our baby," she said.
On the morning of July 10, Raymond died.
The Hardemons say they tried hard to keep Raymond out of trouble. But all it took was a short argument to boil over into tragedy. It's the type of shooting that happens frequently in Dallas – people lose control of their emotions and use guns to solve their problems.
"We're angry that somebody decided to take his life for something that's just so petty," Mrs. Hardemon said.
Dallas police homicide Sgt. Larry Lewis has seen it before.
The Hardemons didn't want Raymond's life to end in violence.
They got him into boxing, basketball and football. Two years ago, they moved into a new five-bedroom house in a Lancaster subdivision with street names like April Showers Lane and Mayflowers Lane.
Raymond never had to be straightened out.
"Whenever you met him, you couldn't feel anything but love and joy and happiness," Mrs. Hardemon said.
Since Raymond's death, several relatives have gotten matching tattoos with Raymond's nickname, "Jay R," and a pair of boxing gloves on their right arms.
The argument has destroyed two families. Mr. Finley no longer dates Ms. Potts, who is caring for the baby. Mr. McMillian faces murder and aggravated assault charges.
And the Hardemons have lost a son.
"Nobody could stay mad at him," Mr. Hardemon said. "He was going to make sure your day was just like the sun – shining. When you think about him, it would bring a smile to you. It would bring laughter to you."
I guess we'll find out as the facts come out.
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