Key eyewitnesses offer new detailed version of UCF shooting
Check out the latest detail in the Central Florida Future. A very different picture is emerging.
About 10 minutes before UCF alumna Melissa Castora snapped the photo of Jenkins brandishing his weapon and grasping a man - identified as Robert McClintock - a scuffle involving McClintock began near a tent housing a group calling itself the UCF Drinking Team.Read the entire account HERE.
"It looked like a fist fight," the first witness said. The second witness added: "That's why we stopped to watch. Everyone had ... drinking team shirts on."
The fight also involved another person who remains unidentified. Witnesses said Jenkins approached the scene to stop the fight - not to ID students for underage drinking - and that his badge was displayed on a lanyard around his neck the entire time. They said when Jenkins arrived, the student scuffling with McClintock ran away.
Jenkins tried to restrain McClintock, the witnesses said, but he eventually broke free and ran to the Drinking Team's tent. Jenkins followed but encountered resistance there.
"He was overpowered by a group of beer-muscled individuals ..." UCF Sgt. Randy Mingo said during Jenkins' funeral service. The two witnesses agreed, identifying the group Mingo spoke of as wearing UCF Drinking Team shirts.
About five to 10 men began to crowd around Jenkins, the first witness said. "They pushed him down, shoved him and held him back from getting to [McClintock]."
First wtiness: "When he's on the floor he pulls out his gun and stands up. Everyone scattered."
Jenkins faced McClintock and with a gun in his right hand and handcuffs in his left "takes the gun and holds it ... pointing at his forehead, and said, 'you're under arrest,' " the first witness said.
That stopped the crowd for a second, the first witness said, before they swarmed Jenkins and began to "go and grab him from behind" and "pull his arm from behind that ... he was holding a gun with."
The witnesses said McClintock tried to run while people in Drinking Team shirts held Jenkins and yelled "run." Jenkins broke free and began to chase McClintock again. Before he could catch him, a non-student identified as Michael Young, 24, "bear-hugged him from behind," the first witness said.
Jenkins broke free of Young's hold and again tried to apprehend McClintock - his gun drawn the whole time, the witnesses said.
As Jenkins caught up with McClintock, Castora snapped her first photo of the incident showing Jenkins grabbing McClintock's T-shirt and holding the gun beside the left of his head.
Both witnesses say, however, that Jenkins was not aiming the gun at McClintock but rather about to strike him with the weapon.
"As the photo is taken he hits him in the head with the butt of the gun ... grabs him by the back of the neck and shoots up two or three rounds," the first witness said. "[Young] then comes from behind, pulls [Jenkins'] right arm down, which is holding the gun, and tries to take the gun."
The second witness said: "[Young] wasn't stopping. He was just pulling on [Jenkins]. It looked like he was trying to take his gun away."
First witness: "The cop then reacts and shoots him in the stomach."
posted by Pat Campbell @ 6:02 AM
10 comments
10 Comments:
If these events are true...this is a very sad story.. I hope the UCF drinking team has a nice life now that they have murder on their hands. They should all be arrested and charged with homocide. And to think that these people are driving on the roads drunk is even more alarming...
This is a tax supported " educational" institution....with drunken students driving on tax supported roads, and exhibiting drunken behavior at a tax supported
city venue...well I hope they throw the book at these slobs and expel them from school and for punishment send them over to the Sunni Triangle for a week so we can watch them crap in their frat boy drawers!
Wow anonymous, I couldn't have said it any better. Thanks for speaking exactly what is on my mind! Especially the part that these students are then driving home. This is still school, they are still underage drinkers, and it SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED! Arggghhh, people are so stupid. A life lost because of drunken stupidity!
The drinking students did not kill Jenkins. Another police officer (Smith) saw a man wearing no apparent uniform (Jenkins) shooting another man (Young)in the stomach. So Smith shot Jenkins. Not the "drinking team". And Jenkins shot Young, who was himself tackling (what he thought was) an apparent crazed gunman.
If you want to blame anyone for Jenkins' death, blame Jenkins for being an idiot.
Ed, Was the officer an "idiot", or over zealous in prosecuting his mission? The dead can tell no tales. In an effort to diversify the students learning, I suggest sending them to Central Los Angeles. Give them all the spirits they can take, then let's see how many beer muscles it takes to survive the night. It could be considered credit for Foreign Exchange.
Dear Ed... (ignorant Canadian...) Ed described Officer Jenkins as an idiot...
Let's see...
an idiot is someone who goes out everynight knowing it might be their last
an idiot is someone who enters into a business that is being robbed at gunpoint to try to capture the robber
an idiot is someone who works 12 hour shifts every night to protect even those who could care less
an idiot is someone who directs traffic in the pouring rain to keep drivers from colliding into each other
an idiot is someone who walks up to a vehicle not knowing who is behind the wheel
an idiot is someone who walks down a dark alley just to make sure everything is ok
an idiot is someone who goes into a dark building knowing that a dangerous felon could be inside
an idiot is someone who will deal with someone in the public, sometimes hands on, knowing they could have an infectious disease
an idiot is someone that has to wait to be attacked before he can attack
an idiot is someone who is given a set of rules, and expected to follow them, knowing that the other persons has no rules to follow
an idiot is someone that is going to be criticized for everything they do, right or wrong, no matter the outcome
an idiot is someone that does the job in spite of all of the above and the many many other unspoken idiotic things
and yes... I guess an idiot would try to restore chaos in a crowd and subdue the agressors no matter the cost...
all of the above idiotic things are things that law enforcement officers do everyday while you sit and pass judgement
so while people like you, Ed, are calling police officers idiot, the idiots are protecting you regardless... and to me... that has to be the most idiotic thing I can think of... but they do it anyway...
so yeah ed... I guess they're idiots.
walk a day in their shoes... i doubt if you could...
Anonymous:
Jenkins was not doing any of the things that you mention (with the possible exception of "I guess an idiot would try to restore chaos in a crowd and subdue the agressors no matter the cost..."). He was not identifiable as a police officer; to Young and certainly to Officer Smith, he looked like a crazed gunman.
Put yourself in Young's position: you see one guy being chased by a second man; the second man is waving a gun in the air. The second man is not identifiable as a police officer. What do you do?
Now put yourself in officer Smith's position: you see a crazed gunman shoot someone in the stomach. Do you kill the crazed gunman?
Did Jenkins call for backup? Did he even shout "halt! police!"? The report that Pat Campbell links to suggests that neither of those things happened.
Face it, Jenkins acted like an idiot, and he paid for it with his life.
ed... unlike you, I am not even going to pretend to imagine how I would handle that situation as far as Officer Smith's actions... because that would be second guessing... something you are apparently very good at. as far as Young's position, I would not be in a drunken stooper attacking someone, and based on the photos (the facts--- something you apparently have avoided) Officer Jenkins Badge on a lanyard was clearly visible. do yourself a favor, and us... save your opinions until the investigation is closed and stop second guessing the police... when the investigation is closed comment all you want... until then have some respect, something you apparently lack
anonymous, Young tackled Jenkins from behind. The lanyard is not visible from behind; a uniform is. And you feel perfectly comfortable commenting before the investigation is complete, why shouldn't I?
Just for the record, Jenkins was killed by officer Smith, not by some drunken revellers. Based on the report that Pat Campbell linked to, I'd have to say that Smith's actions were logical. Of course, if the subsequent investigation proves that one of the drunken students killed Jenkins, I will establish a different position. Until that time, however, to blame Jenkins' death on the students is absurd.
I am commenting on your comment that a dead police officer that was killed in the line of duty while protecting life is a (your words) idiot... you didn't know the man, you weren't there, you have no clue and your relying on what you read in a two bit college newspaper that has a paid circulation of ZERO and relies on information it gets second hand. if you will notice, I have not commented on the cause of death, Officer Smith's actions or even Young (except to say that I wouldn't be in a drunken stooper), just your comments about a man's character, a man you have never met and will never get the privelage to. I am commenting to facts... photos... you are commenting on opinions that a college newspaper is making... when the investigation is complete, you won't hear me commenting on your comments... sit high on your horse there ed... feel comfort in the fact "idiots" are protecting you... that's what you called him right? here's a comment ed... it sickens me to think that we have men and women that put their lifes on the line everyday just to protect people like you that call them idiots...
Anonymous: I am not painting all police officers with the same brush. I have said that based upon the linked report, I thought that OFFICER Smith's actions were logical.
If I was an undercover officer, and I started chasing after people while waving a gun and then shooting people, I would expect to get shot by uniformed police. Officer Jenkins chose that exact course of action. Is that intelligent?
By the way, is it the same anonymous person I have been arguing with for the last couple of days?
Post a Comment
<< Home