Shooting on Harvard campus

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/05/shooting_report.html

A person was shot this evening at the entrance of a Harvard University residence hall, police said. It was not immediately clear whether the male victim was a student.

The Cambridge and Harvard police departments were still searching in around Kirkland House, one of Harvard's 12 undergraduate houses, for the assailant, according to a message sent to the Harvard community. University officials asked students to remain where they are and report unusual activity to the Harvard Police Department.
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They need to add "Seriously, we're not joking." to the "No guns on campus" rule. That ought to make the difference. They should have asked me, I would have been glad to help.
Prayers for the victim.
 
I'm thinking maybe we could use a few more laws. Crazed a$$holes intent on using a gun for nefarious purposes just aren't getting the message that schools are safe places. [rolleyes]

Think Harvard will ever allow students the right to defend their lives? Nope.
 
Not possible. That's illegal.

What they need to do is pass some kind of law making it illegal to break laws about shooting people and THEN pass another law making it illegal to break the law about breaking the laws.

Only then can we all truly FEEL like we actually feel like we feel safe.
 
Apparently the invisible bulletproof forcefield that one of the Harvard geniuses created was finally tested today in a Gun Free Zone: FAIL.

It just proves once again, there is no substitute for the real thing. [wink]
 
Fox 25 News had some footage of the police response. They had cops searching for evidence on the ground, standing pretty much shoulder-to-shoulder. Had to be at least 30 cops there on one section of sidewalk.

I guess when a shooting threatens some of the Commonwealth's more "special" residents, the police show up in droves to try and something about it.
 
This is the perfect reason why all guns should be outlawed. If no guns were available to anyone, then this would not have happened. If we can save just one life it would be worth it. Just think, we could make some laws that would require everyone to turn in their guns, and then they would all be destroyed. Then, there would be no more gun violence anywhere.




[rolleyes]
 
What they need to do is institute a:

"WE REALLY MEAN IT THIS TIME, OR ELSE! GUN FREE ZONE"
(violators will be prosecuted, and we mean it!)

That should end all of this scary stuff.
 
SteelShooter said:
This is the perfect reason why all guns should be outlawed. If no guns were available to anyone, then this would not have happened. If we can save just one life it would be worth it. Just think, we could make some laws that would require everyone to turn in their guns, and then they would all be destroyed. Then, there would be no more gun violence anywhere. [rolleyes]
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Yeah, exactly, I mean it worked in the UK didn't it? And in Australia, and Toronto is much safer now that they banned guns. I don't see what the problem is! [rofl][rofl]

excuse me while I adjust my holster!!!!!!![rolleyes][rolleyes]
 
SteelShooter said:
This is the perfect reason why all guns should be outlawed. If no guns were available to anyone, then this would not have happened. If we can save just one life it would be worth it. Just think, we could make some laws that would require everyone to turn in their guns, and then they would all be destroyed. Then, there would be no more gun violence anywhere.




[rolleyes]
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Unfortunately there are idiots out there that actually think like this.

Guns haven't been around since the dawn of man but violence and war has.

Hmmm[hmmm][thinking]
 
I'm no History Prof, but I am pretty sure that people somehow found a way to kill each other before the invention of the firearm.

It amazes me the way some people think.
 
Blitz1 said:
Unfortunately there are idiots out there that actually think like this.

Guns haven't been around since the dawn of man but violence and war has.

Hmmm[hmmm][thinking]
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Oh come on! War never solved ANYTHING! (besides ending Slavery, Fascism, Nazism, Communism, and Genocide.)
 
Harvard slaying victim identified as Salem State student
May 19, 2009 02:32 PM

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A 21-year-old Cambridge man died today after being shot on Monday inside an entrance of a Harvard University residence hall, and his mother said she has no idea why he would have been targeted in violence that jolted the quiet campus.

Justin Cosby died early this morning at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center after being shot once in the abdomen, according to his mother, Denise Cosby. In an interview today at her Cambridge home, Denise Cosby said that she last saw her son Monday afternoon with his longtime girlfriend. He left and said he'd be back soon, but it wasn't until 8 p.m. that the mother learned that her son had been shot.

"It's just so strange. He was fine, healthy yesterday," Cosby said. "I just can't believe my son is not here today. Inside I'm just torn up, I feel like someone has murdered me."

Middlesex District Attorney Gerald T. Leone Jr. said today that investigators want to speak to everyone near Kirkland House residence hall at the time of the shooting. Authorities are optimistic that they will be able to gather the evidence to capture the people responsible for the killing.

"We feel extremely bad for Justin's family," Leone said at a press conference at Cambridge police headquarters.

Denise Cosby said she had no idea why her son, a 2005 graduate of Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School who was currently attending Salem State College, was at Harvard University on Monday afternoon or why someone would target him.

"This is the worst day of my life," said Cosby, who has a daughter who is coming in from Atlanta to be with the family.

Neighbors described Cosby as a tall, smiling helpful presence in their neighborhood and they were shocked that he had been murdered.

"I just can't believe that anyone would find it in their heart... to intentionally try to hurt him,'' said Isabelle Jackson. "He was just an angel."

Police were still searching for several suspects in the shooting at Kirkland House, which shattered the calm of campus as students studied for finals.

Officials have not released details about the shooting. Harvard residence halls are locked, and a key card is normally required for entry.

After authorities were alerted about 4:50 p.m., they found the victim on Dunster Street, where he had made his way, outside Kirkland, one of Harvard's 12 undergraduate houses.

Kathleen Breeden, a senior who lives on the top floor of Kirkland House, said she heard three muffled gunshots Monday afternoon in quick succession and was too afraid to go outside her room.

"We didn't know what was going on," she said.

"A lot of people were calling and checking on us to see if we were all OK," she said. ". . . It is actually kind of shocking."
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From Boston.com:

A 20-year-old New York City man surrendered to Cambridge police this evening and will now be charged with murdering a Cambridge man inside a Harvard University residence hall Monday afternoon, Middlesex prosecutors said tonight.

The man was identified as Jabrai Jordan Copney and he is expected to be arraigned in Cambridge District Court on Friday in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Justin Cosby, according to a statement released by Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone, Jr.

Cosby was shot inside the J-entry way of Kirkland House around 5 p.m. After being shot he ran up Dunster street to Mt. Auburn street where he collapsed. He died Tuesday morning in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Copney is not a Harvard University student, but investigators were probing whether Cosby was selling marijuana to Harvard students as they sought his killer

Prosecutors said in the statement that they learned Copney "was visiting friends at the campus. It is alleged that the defendant, along with others, confronted Cosby in a common area inside the Kirkland House. During the course of the confrontation, multiple shots were fired. One of those shots struck Cosby, resulting in his death. It is believed that the defendant and Cosby were known to one another.''

Cosby's death has led some students to rethink their stance on illegal drugs being sold or consumed, students said today.

"Since the shooting was tied to something going on with Harvard undergraduates, it's become a Harvard problem, and the university is going to have to address it properly," said Timothy Turner, a senior. "There were students put in danger. That is something the university has to pay attention to. You don't want this to continue to expand and become a larger problem in the future."

The Harvard Crimson reported today that a Harvard student, whose identity was withheld by the student newspaper, had revealed to the paper two text messages traced back to a cell phone registered to Cosby's mother. The messages make explicit references to popular strains of marijuana.

University officials yesterday would not answer questions about drugs on campus and directed all questions about the shooting investigation to the Middlesex District Attorney's office. Investigators are still searching for the perpetrators.

According to court records, Cosby had at least one minor brush with law enforcement when he was arrested by Cambridge police in 2007 and charged with possession of marijuana after a small plastic bag and two marijuana cigarettes were found inside his car. The drug possession charge was continued without a finding and then dismissed in June 2008 because Cosby had no new arrests during that time, records show.

Cosby's mother, Denise Cosby,did not return calls to her hometoday, but the family issued a statement defending the reputation of the 2005 graduate of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

"We are still in disbelief of the horror and shock of Justin’s murder. He was not a 'hoodlum' or 'gangster' -- people actually laugh at the thought of him being referred to in that manner,'' the family said. "Justin was a fashion trendsetter, basketball player, student and self-admitted 'mama’s boy.' He was looking forward to picking up new studies, furthering his aspirations to become successful and marrying his long-time girlfriend."

A private wake and funeral service will be held for Cosby tomorrow.

Nearly a dozen Harvard students interviewed yesterday said they do not believe drugs are a pervasive problem on campus, just a fact woven into the fabric of undergraduate life and something non-users could easily ignore -- until this week.

"People make personal choices and as long as they don't harm other people, they can do whatever they want," said Alan Ibrahim, cq a Harvard sophomore and a Kirkland resident who attended high school with Cosby but did not know him. "But to actually see something go bad, it's really frightening."

A Harvard professor and a house master at a different residence hall who did not want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the investigation said the university has a zero-tolerance policy toward drugs. Those caught using drugs are usually disciplined internally, including the possibility of expulsion.

"This is of tremendous concern," the house master said. "Events like this underscore the issues of both physical security and the fact that drug abuse is occurring within the undergraduate population to some degree and we have to remain vigilant about it."

Other students underscored the fact that Harvard is not an ivy-ensconced sanctuary. and its students are not perfect.

"We have this terrible stigma that just because we go to Harvard we must be immaculate," said sophomore Brad Paraszczak, who also lives in Kirkland. "Harvard is not in a bubble. We have problems as well, and this
could have happened anywhere."
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