RIP: Solomon Bell, unlucky blackjack player
Jim Geary
> DETROIT (January 27, 2000 5:31 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) -
> After losing thousands of dollars during a day of gambling at
> Detroit's brand-new casinos, off-duty police Sgt. Solomon Bell tried
> one last high-stakes hand of blackjack.
>
> He lost.
>
> The decorated officer abruptly stood up from the table, cried out
> "Noooooo!," drew his gun and put a bullet in head as other gamblers
> scrambled for safety.
>
> At MotorCity, spokesman Jack Barthwell said, Bell tried various
> blackjack tables in the high-stakes VIP room before losing roughly
> $4,000 on a single hand at a $100-minimum game.
>
> Bell then pulled his gun and fired a shot into his temple so abruptly
> the few players and about 20 casino workers on the fourth floor had no
> time to intervene, Barthwell said.
>
> As his body lay on the floor near the table, gamblers on lower floors
> continued playing. The VIP room where Bell died reopened five hours
> later.
>
> "We felt it was important to get it opened and return things to
> normal," Barthwell said.
>
> The above excerpt is copyrighted by the Associated Press. For the
> full article, see:
>
> http://www.nandotimes.com/nation/story/0,1038,500160043-500200424-500893892-0,00.html
>
David M
>>
>> As his body lay on the floor near the table, gamblers on lower floors
>> continued playing. The VIP room where Bell died reopened five hours
>> later.
>>
>> "We felt it was important to get it opened and return things to
>> normal," Barthwell said.
>>
I wonder why they felt it was important.
Chuck Reid
>
> Forwarded from alt.obituaries. Figure it's moderately ontopic.
>
> > DETROIT (January 27, 2000 5:31 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) -
> > After losing thousands of dollars during a day of gambling at
> > Detroit's brand-new casinos, off-duty police Sgt. Solomon Bell tried
> > one last high-stakes hand of blackjack.
> >
> > He lost.
> >
> > The decorated officer abruptly stood up from the table, cried out
> > "Noooooo!," drew his gun and put a bullet in head as other gamblers
> > scrambled for safety.
What are they doing letting armed players (police officer or not)
into the casino at all, let alone the gaming areas. When I play,
I'm hard pressed to walk around with a beer in my hand ("Sorry Sir,
no drinks outside the gaming area") but they turn a blind eye
to those packing a gun?
This guy took his own life .. how many would have been killed in
the shoot out with casino security if this person had decided
instead to stick the place up and try to take back what he had lost.
Simply amazing! I will be interested to see if the casino
implements a "no guns and knives" policy for their customers.
Good idea ... obviously, way late.
I guess I am glad I play in Canada.
Chuck Reid.
Harvey Jay Cohen
<jay...@primenet.com> wrote:
-> Forwarded from alt.obituaries. Figure it's moderately ontopic.
->
It is unfortuate it *is* on topic.
->> DETROIT (January 27, 2000 5:31 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) -
->> After losing thousands of dollars during a day of gambling at
->> Detroit's brand-new casinos, off-duty police Sgt. Solomon Bell tried
->> one last high-stakes hand of blackjack.
->>
->> He lost.
->>
->> The decorated officer abruptly stood up from the table, cried out
->> "Noooooo!," drew his gun and put a bullet in head as other gamblers
->> scrambled for safety.
->>
->> At MotorCity, spokesman Jack Barthwell said, Bell tried various
->> blackjack tables in the high-stakes VIP room before losing roughly
->> $4,000 on a single hand at a $100-minimum game.
->>
->> Bell then pulled his gun and fired a shot into his temple so abruptly
->> the few players and about 20 casino workers on the fourth floor had no
->> time to intervene, Barthwell said.
->>
->> As his body lay on the floor near the table, gamblers on lower floors
->> continued playing. The VIP room where Bell died reopened five hours
->> later.
->>
At the risk of making light of such a tradegy, this is reminiscent of
the scene the first Star Wars film where Han Solo kills a bounty
hunter and the entire Cantina stares at the murder for a few
seconds and goes back to what ever aliens do in spaceports.
I can't imagine how that casino area opened up so quickly. The
police investigation usually takes many hours.
->> "We felt it was important to get it opened and return things to
->> normal," Barthwell said.
->>
They also felt it important to get those profits rolling in
quickly.
--
Harvey J. Cohen, Ph. D.
-------
God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh.
- Mark Twain
russ...@collegeclub.com
I'm quite positive that the casino didn't "let" the unfortunate man carry a
weapon inside the casino. Officers who are off duty, as was Mr. Solomon, if
they decide to carry, carry their weapon concealed. That is the rule in
every police department I know of. I'm not suprised the casino didn't know
he was armed. After all, he's used to carrying a concealed weapon.
At the riverboats I gamble at, the boats are considered bars (taverns) and
there's signs all over about how carrying a firearm is a felony, etc, etc,
etc. The law is murky as to whether a police officer can carry his weapon
in such an establishment while visiting it strictly for non-work-related
functions. As a general rule, I don't carry my weapon (I'm an officer) in a
place like that; but I'm quite sure I could and not be discovered by any of
the security personnel.
I wouldn't put any of the blame for the availability of the gun on the
casino. The amount of the loss, or his level of intoxication (if any),
stuff like that, well, I guess that's up for debate.
As for that fireman....simply classless. A joke like that in the very area
where a fellow civil-servant killed himself is simply crass.