Kansas Shoppers Step Over Dying Woman

[Kor37 9]

Kansas Shoppers Step Over Dying Woman

By ROXANA HEGEMAN,AP

Posted: 2007-07-04 09:37:01

Filed Under: Crime News, Nation

WICHITA, Kan. (July 4) - As stabbing victim LaShanda Calloway lay dying on the floor of a convenience store, five shoppers, including one who stopped to take a picture of her with a cell phone, stepped over the woman, police said.

 

The June 23 situation, captured on the store's surveillance video, got scant news coverage until a columnist for The Wichita Eagle disclosed the existence of the video and its contents Tuesday.

 

Police have refused to release the video, saying it is part of their investigation.

 

"It was tragic to watch," police spokesman Gordon Bassham said Tuesday. "The fact that people were more interested in taking a picture with a cell phone and shopping for snacks rather than helping this innocent young woman is, frankly, revolting."

 

The woman was stabbed during an altercation that was not part of a robbery, Bassham said. It took about two minutes for someone to call 911, he said.

 

Calloway, 27, died later at a hospital.

 

Two suspects have been arrested. A 19-year-old woman was charged with first-degree murder. Another suspect who turned himself in had not been charged as of Tuesday, the Sedgwick County prosecutor's office said.

 

The district attorney's office will have to decide whether any of the shoppers could be charged, Bassham said.

 

It was uncertain what law, if any, would be applicable. A state statute for failure to render aid refers only to victims of a car accident.

 

Eagle columnist Mark McCormick told The Associated Press he learned about the video when he called Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams to inquire about a phone call he had received from a reader complaining about a Police Department policy that requires emergency medical personnel to wait until police secure a crime scene before rendering aid. McCormick said Williams then unloaded on him about the shoppers in the stabbing case.

 

"This is just appalling," Williams told the newspaper. "I could continue shopping and not render aid and then take time out to take a picture? That's crazy. What happened to our respect for life?"

 

 

 

What is this world coming to? I can ALMOST believe something like this happening in the inner-city environment....but in our heartland?........really depressing.......

[Gummy 0]

This is sickening. :biggrin:

[bearded ape 0]

i really, really wish you were kidding.

 

this really makes me wonder how many people there are out there that are so desensitized by our media and materialism that are not really people anymore. maybe George Romero is not so far from reality as we would like to think.

[MrPsychic 1]

If no legal action is taken against the onlookers, expect two things to happen. The law will change and the family will take the onlookers to civil court and sue the hell outta them.

[Odie 0]

I have not heard this happen in the inner-city! Those people who just stand-by and did nothing but taking pictures should get sued!

[Theunicornhunter 2]

On what basis would you sue someone? You can't sue someone (ie there is no cause of action) for being a jerk. They didn't stab her - they didn't cause her death - from what I can tell they didn't hinder those that did provide assistance. They simply were callous and indifferent to the sufferings of another human being but there is no law against that. It shocks the human sensibilities but these people didn't break any laws.

 

For those who want the law changed - What law would you change - do you want a law that if someone is being stabbed that you must try to stop the attacker - even at the risk of your own life? When you try to make laws based on rare or isolated (hopefully) events you end up doing more harm because of the far reaching effects on other circumstances. Do you want to go to jail because your cell phone wasn't charged or you went into shock and didn't dial 911 fast enough? Do you want the law to force you to render first aid when you have no idea what communicable disease the victim may have. What if you make a mistake in rendering first aid - then you could really get sued (this latter does bother a lot of people). And even if they change the law they can't make it retroactive to this case.

 

This isn't the first time a story like this has hit the news. The most famous was in NYC in the 60's when Kitty Genovese (sp?) was stabbed to death. There was another a few years ago when a young man watched a child murdered in a casino restroom - he tried to sell his story but was met with public outrage.

 

And it's the lack of public outrage that is really the problem - if children grew up with parents and communities that enforced a basic set of moral standards - then people would know this was wrong. But we live in an age of moral relativity where the mere fact that someone thinks someone is okay - makes it okay. IMO Trying to pass laws to offset the lack of a individual morality is like patching a dam with chewing gum.

 

Now, maybe the prosecutor can get a "tampering with a crime scene" charge against the person who took photos. As for the others that stepped over her - maybe they were trying to find a phone?

[trekz 7]

This really makes me wonder how many people there are out there that are so desensitized by our media and materialism that are not really people anymore.

I think you may have something with the idea of people being desensitized. Much as I and others enjoy crime shows that show horrible crimes being committed and then, ususally solved, I think this can desensitize some people. The desensitizing from watching war footage could also affect some.

 

They simply were callous and indifferent to the sufferings of another human being but there is no law against that. It shocks the human sensibilities but these people didn't break any laws.

 

This isn't the first time a story like this has hit the news. The most famous was in NYC in the 60's when Kitty Genovese (sp?) was stabbed to death. There was another a few years ago when a young man watched a child murdered in a casino restroom - he tried to sell his story but was met with public outrage.

 

And it's the lack of public outrage that is really the problem - if children grew up with parents and communities that enforced a basic set of moral standards - then people would know this was wrong. But we live in an age of moral relativity where the mere fact that someone thinks someone is okay - makes it okay. IMO Trying to pass laws to offset the lack of a individual morality is like patching a dam with chewing gum.

This is indeed shocking. Besides the desensitization, I agree that a decline in moral standards is most likely a contributing factor. In addition to that, imo too many people are only interested in doing what they want to do, when they want to do it. It's indeed a sickening combination.

Edited July 4, 2007 by trekz

[thestupidvulcan 0]

In California there is a Good Samaritan Law. It says if you help someone in need and they die, you aren't liable. The bad part is not enough people know about this law. So I thought maybe that's why they didn't help this poor women. But then i read about the person who took the picture and my theory flew out the window.

 

That woman didn't have to die like that.