the Goetz case

[Clayton...@optilink.optilink.dsccc.com]

In case any of you missed Mike Royko's column about the Goetz case,
the end of the article provides some interesting information about
the other three people that Goetz shot:

Why didn't the other three guys who were shot by Goetz sue.
They surely experienced pain and suffering.

The answer is that one of them -- James Ramseur -- recovered
from his wound and is now doing a prison stretch of up to
25 years for a brutal rape-robbery.

Another, Barry Allen, recovered from his wound and recently
finished a prison sentence for the robbery of an elderly
diabetic.

A third, Troy Cantry, recovered from his wound, and had a
career as a thief and crack user, before dropping out of
sight.

With their rap sheets and not being in wheelchairs, they
might not have stirred $43 million worth of sympathy in a
jury.

And you can say this for Darrell Cabey, who got the award:
He hasn't been in any trouble with the law since he
encountered Goetz.

I guess they don't make wheelchairs fast enough for a
getaway.

I am aware that some will argue that the three who didn't end
up in a wheelchair were forced into a life of crime by the
trauma of being shot while politely asking Mr. Goetz for $5.
The rest of the world can see that Goetz sized up the nature
of his attackers and their intent correctly. That the other
three didn't learn from their experience to stop being
predators suggests that they aren't capable of learning.