Alphonso Simmons Jr., who was shot and killed by police early Sunday, probably sold drugs, his family said.
But his sister, 22-year-old Shardel Simmons, wanted to make one thing clear: Her little brother didn't deal drugs so he could buy the latest fashions or seem cool.
After losing at least a couple of jobs, 20-year-old Alphonso, known by family members as "Al Boogie," sold drugs to help support his young children, Shardel said.
"Times is hard right now," Shardel said. "He's got four kids."
Alphonso's arrest record in Rowan County is short. He was scheduled to appear in court Oct. 31 for driving without a license in August. He had no history of drug arrests here, according to records in the Rowan County Courthouse.
Alphonso and three other unidentified men were suspects in a robbery at the McDonald's/Rushco station on Jake Alexander Boulevard Sunday morning, police have said.
A woman called 911 a little after 2 a.m. and said she had been robbed at gunpoint while pumping gas there.
The woman gave a description of the car in which the four suspects were riding, and police soon found the car at the Civic Apartments off Brenner Avenue.
Police knocked on the door of an apartment, and a man, later identified as Alphonso, left through the back door, police have said.
After passing by one officer stationed at the back of the apartment, he encountered two police officers and a sheriff's deputy who were standing at the side of the building. Police say he fired at them, and they shot back, killing him.
"The robbery was about drugs, it had to have been," Shardel said.
Alphonso's stepfather, James Jones, agreed.
"It was a drug thing," he said.
Salisbury Police have not released a possible motive in the robbery. Authorities are trying to find the man and woman who reported the robbery that morning.
Simmons lived with his mother, Tamie Jones, and his stepfather at 801 Grace St. in Salisbury.
His children are 3, 2, 1 and 10 months, Shardel said.
"Fatherhood came kind of early for him," Jones said.
Alphonso did the best he could in terms of being a father, Shardel said. Jones was the only father figure in his life.
"He didn't ever have no father," Shardel said.
She said Alphonso attended Granite Quarry Elementary and Knox Middle School. She's not sure if he ever enrolled in high school.
Shardel said she dropped out in the ninth grade, and Alphonso followed in the footsteps of his older sister.
But Alphonso had enrolled in the GED program at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and had dreams of opening a barber shop, she said.
He was a talented athlete — the family has pictures of young Alphonso playing football — and liked to hang out with his friends, the family said.
"Everybody liked Al," Shardel said. "He was a churchgoing person."
Her brother attended church in Salisbury every Sunday, Shardel said.
Alphonso apparently had a spotty job history. He wasn't working outside the home when he died, Shardel said.
He had worked at Subway on Jake Alexander Boulevard for a few months, but the job ended about three months ago, Jones said.
Before that, he said, Alphonso had worked at the Food Lion warehouse.
Money was tight. Jones said Alphonso didn't own a car.
"Poverty, I guess, led him to do the things he did," Jones said.
Jones said Alphonso left the Grace Street house around 2 p.m. Saturday. He was going to spend some time with his girlfriend.
That was the last time Jones saw his stepson.
Alphonso had planned to get his 3-year-old son, Damarrion, for the weekend, Jones said. He was also waiting for a call from his grandfather about a church band rehearsal.
Her brother was musical, Shardel said. He played the drums and the keyboard.
Jones and Shardel said they don't know well the other three men suspected in the robbery. But the men hung out together often, they said.
Shardel got a phone call early that morning saying her brother had been shot by law enforcement officers.
Jones said Alphonso owned a 9mm pistol, but it didn't work. Alphonso had tried to fire it the day before, Jones said, and it blew up in his hand.
"He was just totin' it around," Jones said. "It was more or less a scare tactic."
Jones said Salisbury Police have said Alphonso shot at officers with a 380mm gun, a type of weapon Jones said Alphonso did not own.
Salisbury Police have not identified the weapon they say Alphonso used to shoot at the officers. The State Bureau of Investigation, which is looking into the case, has also not released that information.
Shardel said her brother probably knew people who lived at the Civic Apartments. Jones lived there until about four years ago.
Jones said police came to the Grace Street home about six months ago looking for Alphonso. They had heard Alphonso was carrying a gun, Jones said.
The officer said then if he saw that gun, he was going to "lay him down," Jones said of Alphonso.
Jones said he wonders if that incident had anything to do with Alphonso's death this week.
He and Shardel said they think police could have apprehended Alphonso without shooting him.
"I'm just devastated by the whole situation, because I know there was a better solution," Shardel said.
She said the family is struggling to find enough money to bury her brother.
The NAACP contacted the family this week about the shooting, Jones said.
Shardel said she worries about Alphonso's children.
"They don't know," she said. "But when they get older, they're going to know ... and it's going to hurt."
Vote???? Different blog- Tasers & pepper Spray here
Topic: Tasers & Pepper Spray : Monday, October 20, 2008 5:16 PM
What does voting have anything to do with how parents should discipline their children? Keep the presidential race out of it. History will repeat itself no matter who gets in office. That will be the "change you will see" and not be lied to about "change you can believe in". That is another topic in another article. The focus of this conversation is tasing and pepper spraying children when they don't listen to someone with authority. Think about the things that used to be in our schools (saying prayer & pledge of alegience & God). Our young adults and children today are being arrested at very early ages for crimes they souldn't know anything about. My brother-in-law is a Salisbury Police officer, I commend him and law enforcement officers for what they do on a daily basis. Thank you for protecting our community.
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r u registered to vote?
Go out & VOTE!!! : Monday, October 20, 2008 12:05 PM
I hope & pray that everyone here is as involved in the state & national issues as they are this incident. The only way to prevent history from repeating itself is to change the way things are done.(Voting) In other words, someone needs to focus and the children. Educate, support, & encourage them so that they will not continue this vicious cycle. Obama '08 CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!!!
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Tess
Church and the Sinner : Sunday, October 19, 2008 7:30 PM
Jesus died on the cross to pay our sin debt. All we have to do is confess our sins to God and ask Him for His forgiveness. The only sin that God will not forgive is unconfessed sin. If we are truly a Child of God, then we are not so quick to commit a sin. I find it sad that Al could have went to church as much as eveybody says he did, and still continue to commit such horrible acts.
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ccfj
Shooting Victim? : Sunday, October 19, 2008 4:47 PM
I am incredulous that the Salisbury Post would refer to Alphonso Simmons as the shooting victim. Alphonso pointed a gun and shot at the cops. The three officers are the victims in this incident. They are victims of a felonious assault. Alphonso, is the offender.
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Bell
education is the answer : Sunday, October 19, 2008 9:13 AM
There is no charge for public schools. If he had stayed in school, hopefully he would have learned sex education, how to be a responsible person, and how to live in our society. These can all be learned in church, also (except maybe the sex education). So he had plenty of opportunity to learn to be a law-abiding part of society, but chose not to learn, or practice these values. We all need help, but you have to want to help yourself in order to change your life. Way too many children are being brought into this world in poverty - it's a very sad thing. It can easily be avoided. I'm sure the county health department provides birth control - people need to make use of this if they can't afford it themselves. And if a mistake happens, their are options - adoption, abortion. That would prevent all of us worrying about the children not having a father. It doesn't matter if children have one or two parents, if they are born into poverty, it is a very sad situation.
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Sky
in response : Sunday, October 19, 2008 1:40 AM
In response to the person with the Muslim name. The remark about the church being accountable was made because you and so many others made a point of saying Al went to church. You said “He believed in the basic principles of the Bible” It seems we are being ask to overlook Mr. Simmons actions because he went to church. As I have said before, no one is totally evil. Everyone has at least one redeeming quality. Jesus loves all, including those who society considers to be lower than the lowest. He does not want them to do harm to themselves by harming others. As sad as it is for any life to be lost under tragic circumstances, I can not make Mr. Simmons to be a hero in this scenario. His family and the officers involved need our prayers. Neither one deserves to be at the heart of unrest in our community.
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I have a muslim name so you might think Im a terrorist b/c you are that ignorant
in response to the last posting : Friday, October 17, 2008 10:36 PM
This is what you all fail to realize, this is not something you would expect Al to do, for those that know him. Because they said he goes to church you want to blame his church? Thats ridiculous of course the church is not teaching people to be robbers. You are all fools if you believe that a place of worship is teaching people to rob one another. It is not a matter of the wrong path it is a matter of a couple of bad decisions. NO YOUR BIBLE DOES NOT TEACH YOU THESE THINGS thanks for letting us know that captain obvious. You are clearly making assumptions that you know nothing about. So please delve deeper into things before you assume. You can not blame an entire church for someone else's faults. He committed his crime's and unfortunately he payed a price alot higher than he or anyone probably ever thought he would.
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mrofficer
Unanimous Decision : Friday, October 17, 2008 9:04 PM
Ok. Its obvious from the posted comments that the Salisbury community unanimously agree that 1. the shooting was justified due to Al's poor decision, and 2. The 2 family members on the video are incredibly ignorant. Just one more thing to address to ignorant comments posted by people saying "police could have just shot him in the knee" Ha! These people have no idea how police train. They are trained to shoot at center mass to stop the threat. Sometimes that means they have to keep shooting until the threat is stopped. This is not a Hollywood movie. In real life people dont always go down with 1,2,6, etc. shots. Sometimes a head shot is the only sure way. In any case, you need to consider being in the cops shoes. If you and 3 of your partners are in the midst of a gunman firing at all of you, all of you will fire. There is no guarantee that any of your partners will successfully stop the threat. So you help make sure of it. And try to shoot a moving target only in the knee. Now, see how stupid that sounds?
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Sky
His church is responsible for his behavior : Friday, October 17, 2008 5:14 PM
A shot to the knee or shoulder? Is this where Mr. Simmons was aiming when he open fired on the police? The basic principles of my Bible do not include the use and distribution of illegal drugs, robbing people, shooting at people, intimidating others by pointing a gun, or by neglecting to teach your children right from wrong. I will admit no one is totally evil and without at least one redeeming quality. Mr. Simmons would be no exception. I am sure he must have had a good quality maybe more, but he was not a hero, or someone I would want the children of the community to emulate. What if someone were giving the drugs he sold to his young children? I certainly hope no church in our community is teaching the young people to steal, attempt to kill, sell drugs, and in general follow a lifestyle that is a down hill spiral. His behavior and attitudes I have seen here supporting his behavior is what makes people bitter and draws the line in the sand. If you want to blame someone for his reprehensible behavior, blame his church. Aren’t they the ones who are willing to help those in need? If everyone around him could see him going down the wrong path then surely the church members could see and offer to help. I find it extremely hard to believe any church would turn a blind eye to someone who steals and sells drugs, and not offer assistance.
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I have a muslim name so you might think Im a terrorist b/c you are that ignorant
Why are people so ignorant and degrading : Friday, October 17, 2008 2:34 PM
Look at what our society has came to! There are people leaving comments like this man was a born criminal. NO he wasnt! I grew up with Al and I got to know him better as an adult. Al did attend church to all those ignorant people responding who do not know anything about this young man. He believed in the basic principles of the Bible. Yes he has four kids, yes he robbed someone, and yes he sold drugs! I am not ignoring those facts. The simple fact is a shot to the knee and the shoulder would have taken him down. This is a lack of training on the part of Salisbury's police. How dare you people sit here and talk about him like he was someone who constantly stayed in the system. Because he wasnt. The fact that you can imply and come out your mouths to say these illegitimate statements about a man you dont know is ridiculous. The school system and Salisbury's social system is not built for everyone. You people turn your nose up at him and would not give him a job. Is it because you are scared. If I were you I would educate myself, instead of criticizing the way he was raised or his family members. Given the way they system is created it requires money for you to go places, and people to believe in you. It takes a community to change someone, and those same people in those community can not belittle others. Fortunately I graduated from high school and well into my junior year in college, the same place Al could have been, but it's not for everybody. I encourage you all who leave such condescending comments to look at it from his perspective. You could not survive his life for one day! You never know what goes on outside your microscopic minds until you open your eyes and realize the bull that people like Al had to put up with on a daily basis. Yes, we all have it hard nowadays but it gets no easier for the people who are less fortunate than you when you look down on them like peasants. Open up your minds people and do not indulge in the ignorance presented to you. the Salisbury police department is corrupt and I would not depend on them for anything ever, and never have.
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Alink
This is so pathetic. : Friday, October 17, 2008 8:26 AM
I just watched this video. Did you notice how as the tape went on the police got worse and worse. How dare they shoot a person for just selling drugs to support his four children. An innocent profession. Never mind the fact that those kids are being supported by welfare. This is so pathetic. I bet the SPD are receiving death threats for this. Everyone needs to pray for the police who deal with this crap everyday. It is running rampant out here. And yes, we need to pray for these four children, also, that they will not grow up like their father. God help us!!
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honestly speaking
where were the tasers you ask : Friday, October 17, 2008 8:04 AM
I watched the video and can not believe that the family does not see that the police used deadly force because Al used deadly force first... you don't taser someone shooting a gun. If he had stopped running when he saw the other officers none of this would have ever happened. They returned fire. case closed.
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Puzzled? Again
Did you see the sister laughing and smiling? : Friday, October 17, 2008 7:19 AM
For someone so devasted the sister was smiling and laughing while the step dad was speaking. It seems to me that they probably expected this to happen on day and it is a shame that not one in his family wanted to help him. Please spare me the "good kid" senario. He knew and they knew what he was doing was wrong. He could have easily hurt someone else. What about the poor lady that was robbed with this so called gun that didn't work?
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Warren
KARMA : Thursday, October 16, 2008 9:38 PM
Tough break for the kids involved. Perhaps birth control should have been discussed by his parents, who evidently went along with doing whatever he wanted to do to get by.. even it if meant selling drugs, stealing, and shooting at police officers. HOW can they expect him to turn out any better when it is evident that he had absolutely NO upbringing? People reap what they sow, and in this case it was much better that the CRIMINAL got killed than the police officers who ACTUALLY had a job and were working to provide for their families. I am sick and tired of people expecting handouts to live on. And forgive me IF I do not believe the story about going to church every Sunday. I GO to church every Sunday, and have NEVER seen nor heard a sermon condoning this type behavior. I am quiet sure that society will continue to pay for the upbringing of the children. Hopefully they will grow up with a little more common sense than their father had. And I would like to ask the parents, IF they were being shot at.. what would they suggest being done.. other than firing back.. Also, why is it not being mentioned that he was underage to have possession of a gun in the first place.. YES, KARMA is a -----..
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granny
Support Kids??? : Thursday, October 16, 2008 7:37 PM
The question is why did he keep having kids if he couldn't support them. There is no excuse for robbing people. As far as going to church it sure looks like it had no effect on him.
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RLS
Give me a break : Thursday, October 16, 2008 7:03 PM
He leads a life that is sure to take one to a dead end and his family has the gall to preach at the response of he officers . Thank god the officers are better at gun control than "AL" . People living this type of lifestyle need to take this as an example to what this path will do to you . If people take account of what they are doing and change the paths they are on then AL did not die in vain . But , if the NAACP or Al Sharpton decend on this city the "thug" lifestyle will be glorified and nothing good will come out of this .
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Theresa Pickler
: Thursday, October 16, 2008 6:51 PM
Yes, there was a better solution! You DO NOT support your children by selling drugs. I support our officers in their action. They were doing their job--they were defending themselves and all the citizens of our community.
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Matthew
Shooting : Thursday, October 16, 2008 5:34 PM
The family of the deceased, not the victim, speaks of police training. They are trained to first and most importantly stay alive. This is so that they can return to the same neighborhood and protect those who are criticizing their actions last weekend. The man fired a gun at police. No explanation needed. Whether there was 1, 2, or 30 police officers there. Someone fires at police, they will return fire. If this was not the policy, criminals would be more likely to assault police and in turn we would lose many more. If the family has a problem with the use of force, they should think about how their lives in that neighborhood would be if police did not have the right to use deadly force. The tasers that police carry have a range of about 25-30 feet. I was not at the shooting and have not seen police reports. I bet the lack of range is a reason why a taser was not used. Just like the disclaimer every person who posts here as said, "I feel horrible for the children" as do I. I was raised by two parents and could not imagine it any other way. However, this was an man who had no high school education, had a small criminal record, and at the time of his death, while being searched for robbing a woman, was selling drugs. I feel bad for the children, but not the fact that they lose that influence in their lives. Hopefully the mother of the children will realize the environment she is raising her children and move on. For those of who would argue the mother has no choice but to stay where she is: The economy is doing poorly right now, but there are jobs for people who are willing to swallow their pride and get their hands dirty. If worse came to worse, she could collect federal aide some place else. The truth is that no one, including the sister who believes she is making a case for murder, can realistically believe what the police did here was wrong. The second you take away an officers right to protect him or herself, you will lose every police officer to the fire department.
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FedUpinNC
My Two Cents.......Part 1 : Thursday, October 16, 2008 5:09 PM
The issues are there when the child is very young, but it takes community, family, school all working TOGETHER! WAKE up people, we are failing our youth. ISSUE 1: It starts with the choice we make to be a parent, which goes beyond bringing a child into this world. Being a parent requires being emotionally, spiritually, financially and physically stable. ONE LINK MISSING AND YOU'VE GOT PROBLEMS. We take having children lightly, raising children is a job AND it's THE HARDEST JOB YOU'LL EVER HAVE! MARRIED OR NOT.....THINK ABOUT IT.....Why keep having children when you already can't take care of the one(s) you have? For those who are in the welfare system, if the government is already supporting the children you have, the government shouldn't let you have anymore! Instead, the government provides programs for birth control, provides program for education or job training, but then turns around and provides medicaid that pays for you to keep having children. SO YOU AND YOUR CHILD are likely to STAY in the system. Take responsibility of YOUR OWN LIFE! WAKE UP PEOPLE, WAKE UP. "IF YOU KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS DONE, YOU'LL KEEP GETTING WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS GOTTEN". NOW FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO CRITICIZE AL for having so many children at such a young age (and this is to those to whom this applies), IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HADN'T KNOCKED UP THE ONES THEY HAD IN THE OVEN you/they would probably have more running around too! Al's issues started years ago and WE ALL failed HIM just as we have so many others. PEACE!
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salisbury resident
Choices : Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:50 PM
As everyone else has stated, I do hate what has happened to this family. It deeply saddens me to know that they are struggling even to bury their dead son, brother, father. All that aside, what happened to Al resulted from CHOICES. Choices he made to have 4 kids by the age of twenty, to drop out of school in 9th grade, to not get a job, to steal and sell drugs, and finally to try to injure or kill police. This whole ordeal is certainly a tragedy, but all could have been prevented had Al acted more responsibly and made better choices.
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*-*
shut up please : Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:33 PM
To the previous comments: Thank you for stating the obvious. OK, he was a young father, him selling drugs was no excuse for not having a legitimate job, and OUR tax money helped raise his kids. WE KNOW THIS. What we don't know is how did we as a society let this young man (and his sister) slip through the cracks at such an early age. My guess is the majority of the people leaving negative comments are the type who has NO IDEA what Mr. Simmons struggled with daily. I couldn't even ask you to put yourself in his shoes because you just couldn't. So if you don't have any suggestions on how to break this terrible cycle that ends in early death or imprisonment for our young black men, shut up please.
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AJ
Justice Served : Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:00 PM
While society often times deals it's members a tough hand, we all must make choices that control our everyday lives. When choosing between robbing, illegally carrying a firearm, dealing drugs, and running from the police; versus getting a job, raising your children with morals and values, and being a productive citizen in society, the choice, and yes it is a CHOICE, is obviously difficult. This man was dangerous. And, I for one, am thankful that no police officers were killed during this justified incident. What about law enforcement's duty to society? These men were doing their job and only took measures of deadly force upon this criminal when necessary. After being shot at these officers did what any normal person would do, self-defense. They don't bring tasers to gun fights. I suspect no one in his right mind, with bullets whizzing by his head, would stand idly by without returning fire. To Serve and Protect. That is the motto of law enforcement. If these officers did not do everything in their power to stop this man who robbed a civilian, ran from the police, and aimed to kill sworn officers, then they would not be fulfilling their duties. As unfortunate as it is for the family to lose a loved one, the truth of the matter is, if you choose to break the law...justice will be served.
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gooseman
how sad : Thursday, October 16, 2008 3:18 PM
I just watched the video of the family talking about this young man. The most amazing thing I see in it is the fact that the man, I guess his step-father, says he came home with a bloody hand from where he had been trying to shoot the gun just the day before!!! So, this man knew his son was not old enough to own a gun, yet he talks about it like it was a bb gun. And how do they think the victims felt at the hands of this guy. They did not know the gun wasn't load or didn't work. And finally, all he had to do was come to the door with his arms up and let the police take him in for questioning and get his little slap on the wrist, but he chose to run, or at least attempt too. Now we will have this big long story of how a poor black younth in the streets of Salisbury was shot down by the white mean cops. Get a grip people, this is bad for everyone, and the father and mother should really look at times they may have made a difference with this young man by putting some rules and restrictions in place. Four children under the age of 4, truely he had no sense of what life is about.
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Lee
"He's got kids" : Thursday, October 16, 2008 10:33 AM
I do not wish to belittle your loss---but please do not excuse the fact that he was involved in an illegal activity to "support his kids".. Yes, times are tough for everyone, but he could have been collecting aluminum cans that are found everywhere to turn in for cash...offered to do odd jobs for the seniors in his area, wash a friends car--little things can turn in to plenty of cash--there is also assistance available in the county--nothing will excuse an act that is illegal. If someone feels that things are so bad that they must turn to an illegal act to find relief, please--ask for help before it goes too far....
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B.L.L.
HELP ME UNDERSTAND!!!! : Thursday, October 16, 2008 9:54 AM
IF YOU ARE GOING TO SELL DRUGS, CARRYING A GUN, WHY DON'T YOU HAVE LIFE INSURANCE.
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V St Lawrence
God Bless the Children : Thursday, October 16, 2008 8:58 AM
It sure seems to me like Alphonso should have put a lock on his zipper, 4 kids at 20 years old. I'll just bet we, the taxpayers,are supporting those kids. Maybe if he had gone to school he would not have found himself in the situation that he was in. There is something to be said for following the rules and an education. If he went to church every Sunday, what was he getting out of it, nothing apparently.......
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JohnQPublic
Poor Choices and No Responsibility : Thursday, October 16, 2008 8:40 AM
I feel bad for the four kids Alphonse had. Looks like he chose to be a bad dad. Lost jobs, carrying a gun, driving without a license, robbery, running from and shooting at authorities. Poor choices that alphonse made. Poverty didn't lead Alphonse to make bad choices, neither did drugs. Those are excuses. He did not take responsibility for himself or his family. Alphonse could have surrendered, but he chose to run. He could have laid down his weapon and raised his hands. He chose to shoot. And family members who really didn't know all that Alphonse was up to are not to blame. Just Alphonse for using bad judgement. He may have gone to church every Sunday, but he lived his life in opposition to words such as , "Thou shalt not steal". God bless him.
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Jackson 5
"Sold drugs to support his kids"??? : Thursday, October 16, 2008 8:06 AM
A poster child for "Just Say NO"! We teach our children in school that bad things happen when you mess with drugs. This man's family admits his drug activity, but I guess that it is justified because it is "for the kids". And four kids in four years. I am sure that they all have the same mother. But I guess that if you don't understand that drugs are bad, why would you believe that birth control is the proper thing to do? What lesson is taught to these young children when the family justifys his lifestyle of selling drugs, as long as it is for the kids? Who's children besides his own is he hurting by selling drugs? "Everybody loved Al" because he went to church every Sunday just to go out and then sell drugs, carry guns, rob people and shoot at police. How can anybody try to justify these actions? Sure people make mistakes, but you should learn from your mistakes and not repeat them. It looks like he never learned and it cost him his life. No, I am not judging Al, I am just observing his lifestyle. So many young black children admire this 'thug' lifestyle and accept it as glamourous. Only when the results become tragic, then does the community try to justify the actions and try to pass blame on others.It is up to the black community to change this. But when family members try to justify it, what lesson is being taught? Thank God we aren't burying police officers from this incident. We are responsible for our on actions. If the results of your actions turn out bad, nobody is to blame except yourself. Accept responsibility, don't pass blame. What do we learn from this? Al ain't gonna rob nobody else, he ain't gonna sell nobody no more drugs, he ain't gonna shoot at no more police, and now we, as society, will have to pay to raise his children (which we were probably already doing). Everybody loses, (except his future victims).
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Ryan Jordan
You must be kidding : Thursday, October 16, 2008 8:04 AM
How about an article about the officers family and children. Let's talk about how they were working to protect and serve and, just by shear luck, they came home the next morning. This criminal asked for it, and he got it. Quit wasteing ink trying to make him out to be a saint. Thank you to our law enforcement officers for your dedication to our protection!
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A citizen
I feel bad for the family : Thursday, October 16, 2008 8:01 AM
I feel bad for the family losing a child and brother, and I know his kids are to young to realize what happened and now there going to grow up with out a dad. But he should have thought about them before he shot at the police. And even though he was having a hard time finding a job thats no reason to sell drugs and rob honest hard working people.
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JT
There it is...... : Thursday, October 16, 2008 7:19 AM
So he was selling drugs and had a habit of "tot'in a gun" as a scare tatic ?
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puzzled?
Sad story : Thursday, October 16, 2008 7:10 AM
I can't help but my heart goes out for the children who will never get to know their father but on the other hand he was selling drugs, what kind of role model is that for the children? People have been down and out and you do what you have to such as get multiple jobs but not sell drugs and rob people. I can tell by the story that the family knew of what was going on and that is a shame. But to say you knew he didn't have that type of gun is just crazy because who knows what he had been getting himself into. It is a sad situation all the way around for the woman that was robbed, the police men who took those measures, for Al and for his kids. If you are going to go around the law to make ends meet what else can you expect.
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Uncommon Sense
The real sadness of the choices people make : Thursday, October 16, 2008 7:00 AM
The real tragedy in this situation is the fact that 4 young, innocent children lost their father. But... This aspect of the tragedy raises more questions that only go to show the issues within the system as a WHOLE. And I'm not talking about government assistance, or lack thereof. You could spread blame to a government and economic system that did not cater to this young man's needs, allowing him to earn an honest living to support these four children. That, however, would be a cop-out to place blame there. In the end, it is still the choices we make in our lives. 4 children at 22 years of age? Fatherhood did come early for Alphonso. Even middle income families struggle to support four children. With a spotty job record and not even a GED, I'm sure that he was struggling to support even just ONE of those children. The choice was made, however, to have more. Who made that choice? Alphonso also chose to drop out of school in the ninth grade. Who made that choice? For what reasons did he lose those various jobs? Food Lion and Subway aren't laying people off. That naturally leads one to believe he may have been fired. If he was selling drugs, what is the probability he was taking them as well? While it's a stretch, it's a valid speculation as to why he may have lost employment if he was fired. Finally, I doubt that anyone forced Alphonso to start selling drugs. He may have felt that was the easiest solution for the tough situation he had dug himself into, but it certainly was not the only solution nor was it the best. Who made that choice? And, tragically, for whatever reason, he pulled a gun (functional or not) on police and aimed it at them. Because a series of unfortunate and tragic choices by a young man, 4 young children were brought into this world and left without a father. People are dealt bad hands in the card game that is life, and it is unfortunate, but its the choices we make in how to play those cards that make a difference.
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MP
Shooting victim's family says drugs likely involved in robbery : Thursday, October 16, 2008 6:23 AM
Ohhhh, Ok....so dealing drugs to support kids is ok.....COOL!!!!
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Fed Up
Amazing... : Thursday, October 16, 2008 6:03 AM
I truly feel for the family of the young man who was shot by police. I can only imagine the emotional freight train that hits you when a loved one is taken by violence. I do; however, take exception to some of the statements made in the this story. 1) This young man chose not to take advantage of the education provided to him 2) He had a spotty employment history...why? There are a lot of people who are unemployed right now and he left his employment for what reason? Selling drugs was a better option for him? 3) He is 20 years old and has produced four children in the past 3 or 4 years that he obviously wasn't supporting. 4) His family knew he was selling drugs and owned a gun...and they did nothing about it? 5) He shot at police and the family thinks it could have been resolved in a different way. Sure, the police could have let him shoot them or maybe just a couple of them. Then, they could have tackled him to the ground and put him on trial for capital murder so he could have spent the rest of his life in prison or have been sentenced to death. Then, the police officer's families...you know, the ones they were supporting by going out and getting jobs, would have been without fathers and husbands. And these police officers don't have high paying jobs or jobs where they get a lot of thanks, but jobs where gun toting, high school drop outs who breed like wild animals and sell drugs to further lower themselves and burden society shoot at you...and then his family blames you and claims HE was the victim. Yeah, those jobs. At what point did being poor become an excuse to live your life like this? I grew up poor. I'm not talking about the kind of poor where your family gets a welfare check and food stamps. I'm talking about the kind of poor where your father is working a full time job and supporting three children and a wife. The kind of poor where you eat pinto beans your mom made on Sunday all week long. The kind of poor where Pepsi is a rare treat and eating out is saved for anniversaries. I have a full time job. I never sold drugs. I paid my way through college by WORKING. Maybe if more members of our society got off their butts and tried to help themselves instead of blaming everyone else for their circumstances and taking the easy way out these types of situations would happen less. What ever happened to personal responsibility. And yes, you shoot at me and I'm going to shoot back too.
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Confused
Oh well : Thursday, October 16, 2008 5:27 AM
This is what happens in a society with no morals, family values, or respect for human life. Why are people even wasting time discussing this? He pulled a gun on the police and they shot him. What did anyone expect would happen?
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TK
"Times is hard", "Fatherhood came early", "Poverty made him do it" : Thursday, October 16, 2008 5:15 AM
Had Alphonso "Boogie" lived through this ordeal, would those explanations have excused his criminal behavior? NOT.
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Holden
excuses! : Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:40 AM
Times are tough for a lot of people, But it's no reason to take what you didn't work for. There is a church on every corner. Did he go to a church and ask for help. I bet there was a form of goverment helping him. There should be more PERSONAL acountability for everyones actions. In my oppinion he was dirt. No one should ever make a martyr out of someone who trys to take what is not thier's or pump drugs into people who are trash. WAKE UP! Stop making these people loook like DECENT HUMANS. I'll pray for his family. Just don't try to paint me a picture of a nice Loving, thieving, robbing piece of trash. I'm not buying!
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L. T.
Do Better With Your Life : Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:21 AM
I truely feel sorry for these small children, I just hope they don't follow in their dad's footsteps. We can only do so much in raising our children, and then sit back and hope when they are adults, that they will live life the correct way. I believe the SPD and RCSO did their jobs the correct way, he should have just surrender to the cops and things would be a different story right now. I will pray for those kids and their mother.
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My Opinion
Whatever. : Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:02 AM
You know, I am so sorry this family has lost a son, a brother and a father. I am so sorry that there are children that will have to grow up without their father. I had to make a comment - as that no church I have ever attended would support stealing and killing (because had one of his bullets could have killed someone too) - And, if he was such a dedicated "church man", why didn't he practice these ideas? TRUST ME - there are many ways of supporting a family - even in HARD TIMES - that do not include robbing people, selling drugs, and shooting at police. By the way- just a reminder- He wasn't 21 - wasn't old enough for a hand gun - Add that to the list, too. If his family is so devastated now, maybe they should have tried to stop the gun handling and "playing with guns" before. Was his broken down car the only one in the family? I've had to help family members often get to work when their car was down. And- come on - let's drop the crap about the Police handling it in a different way. Al Boogie CHOOSE the way the police would handle it when he ran, and then fired the first shots. I'm sorry you've lost him- but it was because of choices HE made - not the police.
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28146
it's a shame : Thursday, October 16, 2008 1:57 AM
i feel bad for all involved, but maybe he should have thought about birth control. he sold drugs to support his kids, and i'm sure my tax money is going to support his kids.
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