Double shooting on Mass. Ave.
Channel 4 has the initial details on the shooting at 470 Mass. Ave., which left one dead.
Props to Channel 4 for being the first with the most on the story. I went to them as soon as I fired my browser up at work, after listening to Carl Stevens report on WBZ-AM on the shooting.
Once, you might've gone to Channel 5 for more details. But they had only a short squib on it, as their second item in that revolving-news box (behind a fire at some long abandoned state hospital in Taunton, which I'm sure is of vital interest to roughly five people besides the firefighters who had to put it out).
Boston.com? They have a small teaser at the top of the home page:
BREAKING NEWS: At least one person is reported dead and another injured in a shooting on Massachusetts Avenue in Roxbury this morning, according to broadcast reports.
bostonherald.com? Their logo still has shamrocks on it; the "latest news" ticker is all about BC and BU sports teams.
Channel 4 was the first with the most - with details and video - although the video did mis-identify the location as Back Bay.
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I am confused, though: CBS4
I am confused, though: CBS4 lists 470 Mass Av. as near the Medical Center, but when I Mapquest it, the address is between Columbus and Tremont, which I guess in one sense is "near" BMC, not how you'd commonly refer to the area.
And is this going to provoke another flare-up of the South End v. Roxbury debate?
Yeah, the BMC thing was, um, interesting
Good point (deduct that point from Channel 4). You could just as easily say "a shooting near the Prudential Center," since it's just as close to the Pru. Maybe news organizations need more editors and reporters who actually live in Boston?
It was on Mass. Ave between
It was on Mass. Ave between Columbus and Tremont, which is really not near the BU Medical Center, but 1 1/2 blocks from the Mass. Ave. T station. Also, it -is- in the Roxbury police district, which covers the South End as well as Roxbury proper, which is why all South End shootings are reported as being in Roxbury (because that's how they're reported on the police scanner/blotter, I guess).
If someone is getting shot,
If someone is getting shot, Mass Ave is in Roxbury. If it is a $600,000 condo, Mass Ave is in the South End. If it is Mass Ave in Cambridge, the headline would read "Dorchester Man Causes Self to Be Shot on Mass Ave".
HEE!
>If it is Mass Ave in Cambridge, the headline would read "Dorchester
>Man Causes Self to Be Shot on Mass Ave".
*giggle*
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
See today's Globe
Not that bad, but today's Globe has an article about a shooting in Cambridge. Both in the article and on page B1, it specifies that the person shot was a Boston man.
Yeah, it's so much better because it's not random
Any time people hear about a shooting or crime, they want to know, well, was it random or was there a reason, as if it's better if it's related to something, like drugs or domestic violence.
"It is not a random shooting, as we understand it," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said.
To me, it doesn't matter. Crime is crime. A gun going off, whatever the cause, is disturbing.
Other people can sleep better, knowing that people are shooting people, but for a reason.
The press always quotes people who seem kind of weird, too.
"It is so sad when you see something like this, especially this early in the morning and kids are on their way to school, the first day of spring," Dunham said.
Yeah, it wouldn't be so bad, if it didn't happen on the first day of spring. Like, why couldn't he have shot her, tomorrow, instead?
Re: Yeah, it's so much better ....
Right. Tomorrow. Maybe when the kids are at recess instead of on their way to school. That'd be better, I'll bet.
Avoid Being Shot By Avoiding Crime
Most people involved in shootings are involved in other crimes. Mostly drugs. (Of course there are some innocent victims.)
People
want to know it wasn't random because they want reassurance that they
can avoid being shot by staying out of criminal activity.
Usually, they can.