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No Charges Filed in Michael Vick Birthday Shooting

By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 7th 2010 3:09PM
Filed under: Football

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No Charges Filed in Michael Vick Birthday Shooting


Police do not plan to file charges over the shooting that took place at birthday party for NFL star Michael Vick.

What's most interesting is that officers are saying that they know who the suspect is. They are not filing charges, primarily because the victim refuses to cooperate with police and witnesses are also reluctant to come forward.


The decision not to press charges was made by the prosecutor's office but it could be reversed if the victim chooses to cooperate. The shooting took place around 2 a.m. on June 25, about a block away from Vick's birthday party.

The victim, according to Vick's attorney, was Quanis Phillips, a co-defendant in Vick's dogfighting trial. He was allegedly not invited to the party.

Vick was not involved in the shooting, according to police.



I've spoken recently about how misguided Vick had to be to even have this party in the first place. If a party was going to take place, it should have had enough security to make sure that uninvited guests were not allowed in.

Also, the fact that Vick has $5.2 million on the line is yet another reason that he should have been more cautious. The more I see of Vick's behavior, the more he makes me believe that he is the one who taught his little brother Marcus how to be so reckless with his personal choices.



There is a broader issue that affects all of us as well. The fact that the police know the identity of the shooter and are choosing not to prosecute is fundamentally wrong. If we know that someone committed a crime, then we should prosecute, even if the victim is refusing to cooperate.


Scenarios like this one send a clear message to every criminal and thug in America that if you intimidate potential witnesses enough, you can get away with just about anything. I don't like that idea at all.




Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.

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