former nba player jayson williams shot someone by accident (1 Viewer)

[TonyD]

ALEXANDRIA TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Former New Jersey Nets star Jayson Williams was playfully tinkering with a loaded shotgun while giving friends a tour of his home early Thursday when the weapon accidentally went off, killing a limousine driver, law enforcement sources told the Newark Star-Ledger on Friday

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i don't understand why someone would be playing with a loaded gun, or playfully tinkering. and what does playfully tinkering mean?

 

[MickeS]

And no matter what he did, he shouldn't have pointed it at someone, which he obviously must have done (if he was indeed the one firing the gun). What an idiot, I hope they put him in jail. I've had it with all these accidental deaths due to morons who shouldn't own a gun in the first place.

/Mike

 

[Brian Perry]

I have a feeling there is more to this. Williams originally claimed it was a suicide; only after the coroner classified it as "suspicious" did Williams change his story.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Wow, that's horrible!

Strangely, I don't follow basketball at all, and recently I saw some TV show that featured Williams. It was one of those MTV shows that basically shows how athletes waste their money on stupid shit... and it showed Williams along side all these other guys. Everyone was showing off their Rolls Royces and Closets the size of my house; Williams showed off his "pride and joy" Mack dump truck and his skeet range.

Again, not being a B-ball fan I had never heard of Williams- but from the few interviews I've downloaded (and that MTV show)- he seemed like a hell of a nice guy, and very very genuine. He did have a soft spot for guns, and it sounds like he maybe didn't treat them with the respect necessary.

Seriously, this is really odd for me as I was just talking about Williams last night with a friend (even talking about his skeet range shown on MTV): saying how he was one of the cooler people I'd seen on those MTV money exploitation shows-- and seemed like a guy I'd like to hang with. Heck, I didn't even remember his name- just was struck at how he seemed like a down to earth dude along side these players with 400 pairs of shoes...

From what I had read he was even a net geek like the rest of us, and was known to hang on some forums related to dump truck clubs.

-Vince

 

[Jon_B]

I am a big basketball fan and I have the same impression of Jayson Williams as you. He is a nice guy (a little high strung, but nice). He was an excellent basketball player before his body started giving up on him. If he was responsible, I sincerely hope it was an accident.

Jon

 

[Brian Perry]

Williams' lawyer is now saying that his client did not handle the gun in question, either purposefully or recklessly. In other words, it must have been one of the other guests (there were 10 or 12 people in the house at the time). My question is this: since suicide was ruled out by the coroner, can the prosecutor charge everyone present with homicide so that someone will turn in the person responsible? It sounds as though everyone is going to deny any responsibility for the act, even if it was potentially an accident. I'd hate to see an Enron-like case in which something terrible happened and no one accepted any of the blame.

 

[Frank_W]

Didn't Williams almost kill Chrebet of the Jets one
time with a gun and just missing him? I'll do a search
for an article on this.
EDIT: Found the article story

In "Loose Balls," Williams said he almost shot Chrebet while they took target practice along with New York Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn, the New York Post reported Thursday. It was not clear when the incident took place.
"We were taking turns shooting the .50-caliber Desert Eagle, the most powerful handgun in the world," Williams wrote. It said Williams got distracted and turned around while firing the gun.
"What I didn't realize was that Wayne (Chrebet) was right in front of me, kneeling down to pick up one of the cartridges," Williams wrote. "So when I fired the gun, it must have been just a few inches from Wayne's face, 'cause the noise knocked him out. Cold."
He said he found Chrebet "lying there with gunpowder all over his face."

 

[BrettB]

I've heard on the radio today that it's now been clasified as a homicide.

 

[Mark Lee]

Looks like Jayson's probably gonna be going away for a while....
http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2002/0222/1339034.html

 

[Jon_B]

Not looking good for Jayson.
:frowning:

 

[Marvin]

Looks like Jayson's probably gonna be going away for a while....

Not so fast...never underestimate the capabilities of an expensive lawyer, especially one representing a celebrity.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I'm an expensive lawyer, and I wouldn't want his case. An article said he was "twirling the shotgun like a baton". I cannot imagine handling any of my guns that way.

 

[Brian Perry]

"The death of Mr. Christofi was a tragic accident but it was an accident," Williams' attorney Joseph Hayden said. "We are very confident that after a full, fair and thorough exploration of all the facts it will be clear that Mr. Williams is innocent of recklessness and innocent of any criminal conduct."

As with the Winona Ryder case, I find myself seething at the lawyers' statements. While many facts are still unknown, we do know the following:

* Somebody accidentally (or intentionally) shot Mr. Christofi. It was most likely Mr. Williams since he was the one arrested.

* Mr. Williams and his friends initially claimed the death was a suicide and may have delayed calling for medical attention. (Their story was changed only after the coroner said it couldn't be a suicide.)

Forget about Williams' troubled history with firearms. I would just like the attorney to explain what circumstances could exist under which Mr. Williams' actions would not be considered at least "reckless." (Assuming all of these published reports are true, of course.) While he may argue that Williams is not criminally liable, saying that his client is innocent of even mere recklessness is offensive and an insult to the family of Mr. Christofi.

In the Winona thread, a couple people suggested that it is a lawyer's and client's civic duty to fight for their position regardless of guilt (and regardless of how ridiculous the claims of innocence are), and that forcing the prosecution to build and win their case makes the system stronger and protects everyone's rights. I see the logic, but in a case like this I wonder who is there to protect the rights of Mr. Christofi.

My philosophical question is this: if Williams knows he is guilty of reckless manslaughter (or worse) but yet knows he can go free because the witnesses and forensics can't or won't convict him, is his moral obligation to confess, or to fight every charge tooth and nail with the lofty goal of "protecting" our legal system?

It will be interesting to hear their side of the story.

 

[CharlesD]

I'm amazed that he would "twirl" a shotgun around like that! Guns are leathal weapons and should always be treated as such, even if you are 100% certain that it is not loaded, you should always treat it as if it is, other wise stupid shit like this happens.

 

[Brian Mansure]

My question is this: since suicide was ruled out by the coroner, can the prosecutor charge everyone present with homicide so that someone will turn in the person responsible?

Absolutely, a prosecuter could charge everyone present with homicide but it would most likely only be used as a pressure tatic as you stated.
IMO, none of it would really hold up in court but if you want to "scare the truth" out of someone, jail time would be one effective way of doing it.
I certainly hope that the story is cleared up and whomever responsible gets prosecuted and pays the price for the crime, accident or not.
At the very least the first thing that should come of this is Jayson Williams should never be able to own or handle any gun ever again.
Brian

 

[DarrinH]

"The death of Mr. Christofi was a tragic accident but it was an accident," Williams' attorney Joseph Hayden said. "We are very confident that after a full, fair and thorough exploration of all the facts it will be clear that Mr. Williams is innocent of recklessness and innocent of any criminal conduct."

As a handgun owner and a concealed permit holder all I can say is...what an irresponsible idiot!!!!
This uneducated, spoiled fool in no way should be put even in the same breadth as a normal gun owner in this country!
Another thing... a TRAGIC ACCIDENT!!!! An accident maybe but tragic... NO WAY! FOOLISH, foolish accident.This guy deserves every bit of punishment he gets! Anyone with even a drop of common sense never carrys a loaded weapon without extreme care around other people.
Unless of course that person is breaking in your home in the middle of the night with you present.
PEOPLE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS!

 

[ChrisMatson]

From CNN:

Former NBA player Jayson Williams was indicted on manslaughter charges Wednesday [TODAY] in the shooting death of a limousine driver at his estate.

Williams also was indicted on a series of other charges including aggravated assault and witness and evidence tampering. He could face more than 24 years in prison, and remains free on $270,000 bail.

 

[Brian Perry]

I predict that he will argue that he did kill Christofi accidentally but that he is not responsible for the ensuing coverup (which eliminated any chance of the poor guy surviving) because his judgment was impaired by alcohol.

I really don't see any other scenario. He pulled the trigger and covered it up in front of witnesses. What more can there be?

 

[MickeS]

He's got enough money that he'll get away with a slap on the hand. Of course, there'll inevitably be a multi-million dollar civil case following it.

 

[ChrisMatson]

I think he'll see some jail time--maybe in a plea bargain.