Why does rap culture glorify the unsafe use and handling of firearms? A more relevant question, why do individuals feel compelled to mimic the highly dangerous and ill-advised behavior often portrayed in rap videos?
Perhaps that latter question should be directed at 22-year-old Rodney Patrick Jr. of Brevard County, Florida, who fatally shot his girlfriend’s brother, 17-year-old Douglas Winslow, while acting out the lyrics of a rap song.
Initially, Patrick denied that he was as at fault, telling 911 dispatcher that the teen was responsible for the shooting.
“He shot himself in the head. I think he’d dead,” Patrick told dispatchers.
However, investigators found the firearm used in the shooting in a hamper and a bullet casing that had been hidden out of sight which, along with the fact that there was no residue or splatter on Winslow’s hands, lead them to the conclusion that there was certainly more to the story.
Eventually, a clearer picture emerged. It appeared that Patrick was playing ‘wannabe rapper’ when he grabbed a loaded firearm and started acting like an idiot.
“We’ve got a gun being waved around. We’ve got the safety being clicked on and off a loaded gun,” Assistant State Attorney Gary Beatty told WFTV. “A reasonable person knows or should know that action can result in someone’s death if the gun discharges.”
Now, Patrick is being charged with manslaughter, tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance.
This story is a cautionary one that needs to be shared with the younger generations. The moral of the story? Don’t be an idiot. Never mimic idiotic behavior. And at the very least learn the basics of firearm safety:
- All guns are always loaded.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
- Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
“We’ve got a gun being waved around. We’ve got the safety being clicked on and off a loaded gun,” Assistant State Attorney Gary Beatty told WFTV. “A reasonable person knows or should know that action can result in someone’s death if the gun discharges.”
The action of clicking a safety on and off won’t discharge the gun… Pulling the trigger will… Also, how does he know the safety was being played with?
Either way, should be charged with 1st degree murder / premeditated because there is no reason why someone should have less of a sentence when doing something so negligent…
I’ve been calling it “rap crap” from the first time I heard the racket!
This incident is typical for the morons that listen to it!
Second the idea of banning “Rap”!! Just my $.02….Now maybe this fool who hid the gun and spent casing, but yet said “dude shot himself”, (still scratching my head on how one hides gun and casing after committing suicide) can “Rap” to everyone else wearing STATE ISSUED PINSTRIPED JUMPSUIT for the rest of his life (on our “dime” of course) while he sits in his cement and steel 6×9 “fully furnished home away from home”
I bet this will effect his relationship with his girlfriend too. You know haw chicks are these days. She’s always gonna be bringing that up……
Sheesh, ya,…. “Women, You can’t live with them, and you can’t live with them”. (Jack Benny 1959)
Wow, Dude! Seriously? With an attitude like that, I wonder if you even have a girlfriend. This will probably DESTROY his relationship with his girlfriend. This is not something you “constantly bring up” like, “Oh, you forgot my birthday.” This is a guy who played with a loaded weapon, while under the influence of who knows what, and killed his girlfriend’s 17 year old brother by being careless and stupid. The very idea that your screenname suggests you own a semi-automatic weapon is scary.
What are you, new?
Don’t think his sense of sarcasm has developed yet.
“Oh woh, woh, Jamie’s cryin!” (Van Halen 1978)
I relate this sad event to a line from Charles Bronson’s Death Wish movie when he was asked by the bad guy, “Do guns scare you?” His reply was, “Guns don’t scare me, but IDIOTS with guns scare me.” Definitely fits here because, you can’t us-say words and you can’t un-shoot a gun.
Ban assault rapping.
Or at least only allow 10 songs per CD
Register CDs with a 10 day background check waiting period.
Where the hell is Bloomberg!
Amen on that!!! Exactly the same thought process and problem solving ability as the anti-gun advocates. Go after the symptom rather than the root of problem. That was a PERFECT comment Russ!
Sorry Greg,
I just couldn’t help but to be sarcastic with this “S.H. BLANNELBERRY Special”
This is officially the funniest comment I have read…… Lol 😹😹😹😹😹
If you violate the 4 rules of firearm safety, this is what can happen.
1.All guns are always loaded.
2.Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3.Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4.Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
Very true indeed
The shooter obviously isn’t too bright in the head, typical of most/many teenagers. He probably wasn’t ever trained in handling a firearm, yet alone ever used one or even held one before. His dancing around with his finger inside the trigger guard made me cringe. Any person educated in arms would never flash or show off a gun, period. If we changed our gun laws to where everyone is required to take gun safety courses, and become familiar with them, perhaps even in Elementary, Jr. and Sr. High School we’d be better off. As it is now there are too many people out there that have no idea about gun safety, and some of them get excited enough when they find one to play with it, as in the case of children. If children were educated they more likely would learn when and when not to even touch one. Never having been around one creates curiosity and can result in a tragedy. My grandson and granddaughter both would never bother to touch or pick up a gun that didn’t belong to them anymore than taking a car out for a joy ride that didn’t belong to them. We try to teach kids about drugs by telling them how bad they are, probably the wrong method, but it does work for a majority, or at least it did in my day. I knew about guns long before the government handed me one and told me to go and use it. I was always impressed how every one of us in my unit (and the majority of units) in Vietnam carried a gun and we never had an incident within the unit. We had large calibers, high capacity magazines, and even explosive devices. Well, actually we had one incident. Someone was replacing the projectiles in some rounds with soap plugs in order to “safely” shoot the large rats that came into the hooch’s at night. One guy got shot in the back end below the waste (his cheek). The shooter got an Article 15 for his stupidity. I would guess negative gun issues in the service where everyone has a weapon are fewer than in the public where the government just tries to make everyone fear them and to ban them. And yes there are criminal activities on occasion in the military involving a gun, again probably fewer than in the public where more criminals have guns than law abiding citizens.
Everyone knows white kids can’t RAP, to bad he wasn’t pointing the gun at his own head. Calls 911 then hide the gun and spent cartridge in the dirty clothes.This kid should be put away even if he didn’t shoot anyone. Just for being that stupid????
Don’t overlook the obvious point that the was also charged with possession (and probably use) of a controlled substance…AKA illegal drugs.
It’s Dumbasses like him that ruin it for the rest of us.. but as long as they keep killing each other, are streets will be safer
It’s an unfortunate fact that there’s not enough jail space in the U.S. to hold all the stupid people who commit stupid lapses of judgment. And, also… this happened Flori-duh, a state which seems to contain a disproportionate share of stupid people.
We’re fortunate when the stupid only kill themselves.
Rap culture seems to glorify idiocrcy and stupidity. Hmm, and they wonder why educated people with commonsence look down on them.
Wow
Very sad, kid is dead because his sister decides to date a douche-bag.
One more thing that everyone should learn:
(c)Rrap is NOT music. It’s *noise*, nothing more.
And I thought I was the only one who calls it (c)rap. Sad, when it is too politically incorrect to be allowed to point out the obvious.
Amen
Wow to bad kids dont realize Rap is part of a entertainment industry (Entertainment being the key word) & most guns portrayed in the videos are fake or unloaded. Please keep the white kids away from the rap culture, society already has enough shootings in the black community.