Nothing good happens after midnight, especially when adding alcohol into the mix. Just that happened last weekend in Champaign (that's "downstate" for Chicagoland residents). A large group of people began tussling in downtown Champaign's entertainment district at about 1:30am. Entertainment really means bar district, for those leading sheltered lives. The crowd became violent and soon, somebody pulled out a pistol and fired a bunch of rounds into the air.
Obviously, people called 911 and a couple of minutes later, one of Champaign's finest arrested Malcolm K. Comer, Aged old enough to know better (42).
Mr. Comer fit the description of the suspect firing the shots and witnesses identified him, according to police. His appearance, judging from his booking photo, wasn't at all distinctive. (That's sarcasm.) To everyone's surprise, not only did this "person" have a FOID card, but he also had a concealed carry license. Had being the operant word. Police described him as "highly intoxicated".
Business owners are justifiably upset. From the News-Gazette:
Blind Pig owner Chris Knight, who also has a business on North Walnut Street, shared with The News-Gazette an email he sent to Mayor Deb Feinen and Champaign Deputy Chief Jon Swenson.
"Many of us have worked very hard for decades to make downtown Champaign a pleasant, welcoming and entertaining destination zone. Random shootings do nothing to help, and, quite aside from the obvious tragedy it will visit upon the victims, shootings will most certainly destroy the renaissance of downtown."
Trust me…. Business owners aren't the only ones angry. Plenty of us in GSL's leadership share white-hot anger at the suspect.
Dear Mr. Comer: A lot of us worked hard to bring concealed carry to Illinois. Jackasses like you are precisely what Suzy Soccermoms fear when they think of CCW holders. I have no idea if you think this sort of Chicago-style behavior is acceptable or proper, but I assure you that outside of Chicago, people don't tolerate this crap. I might well have shot you dead if I'd been there, and plenty of other decent people might have done the same in fearing for their lives.
The good news here is that the Illinois State Police will make sure this guy won't ever legally carry a handgun again.
Hopefully, to send a message to other idiots, the Champaign County State's Attorney will grow a pair and charge this jackwagon with something besides jaywalking and ask for more than a $1 fine. And maybe Judge Thomas Difanis will see it in his heart to sentence Mr. Comer to real time in prison upon his conviction. It's bad enough that Difanis set bond at only $25,000 for this clown. $2500 gets him out of jail.
Mr. Comer could have just as easily shot and killed another recent graduate with a promising life ahead of him. And who knows, if he gets a 7 year sentence and is out in 10 months, he might indeed do just that, sort of like the Steak-N-Shake shooter.
Photos via News-Gazette.
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