cuchulainn
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from the Phily Daily News
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/5371422.htm
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/5371422.htm
Posted on Wed, Mar. 12, 2003
Monster handgun used in
wounding of sleeping boy
By CATHERINE LUCEY & GLORIA CAMPISI
It's a big, bad lethal piece - the shiny, chrome .50-caliber Desert Eagle handgun which makers proudly brag was used in an episode of "The Sopranos."
But watch what happens with the gun in real life in Philly.
This weekend that same firearm was likely used to shoot 12-year-old Jonathan Quintana who was sleeping in a van in North Philadelphia. The force was so powerful that the bullet ripped through the vehicle and into Jonathan's back.
The pricey Israeli-made semi-automatic is unusual on the city's streets, police said.
Still, it might be the new weapon of choice for thugs.
"That's a nasty gun," said Capt. Len Ditchkofsky, of East Detectives. "We get our share of weapons down here - everything from machine guns to handguns. Never seen a handgun that big."
The weapon was used early Sunday, when gunfire broke out on a North Philadelphia corner. Police say the shootout was over drugs.
When this happened, Jonathan was sleeping in a van on the street, while his father unloaded supplies from a birthday party. The boy was hit by a stray slug. He is now in hospital awaiting surgery.
A second victim, Israel Perez, 19, was in the street during the gunfire and was struck in the hip. He was treated and released.
Cops say two men are responsible for the shooting.
James G. Hendricks, 21, was arrested yesterday and charged with attempted murder.
Police are still looking for Joan Vazquez, 26, who they say owned the weapon that shot Jonathan. Police found two handguns, a .50-caliber and a .45-caliber, in Vazquez's apartment on Pale-
thorp Street near Berks. A source said he has a lengthy record and a prior murder arrest.
The .50-caliber handgun they found fits the description of the hefty Desert Eagle, which weighs about five pounds and is the most powerful and one of the most expensive pistols on the market today. It typically costs between $1,100 and $1,800.
The makers, Magnum Research Inc., market it as a cool, sexy weapon.
President John Risdahl said in a 1994 interview, "This is what we think a neat-looking gun should look like. Movie Directors, rappers, hunters, shooters happen to agree with us, I think in that, we have distinctive looking gun."
When they first debuted on the market about a decade ago, gun proponents said the Desert Eagle wouldn't be a problem in inner cities because of its size and cost.
But gun control advocates disagree, and this weekend's shooting proves their point.
"There's little attention paid to the real world effect of putting these guns in the marketplace," said Josh Sugermann, the executive director of the Violence Policy Center. "There is an appeal to having the largest weapon you can buy."
Sugarmann's group advocates a ban on handguns, so that events like this would no longer happen.
Gun rights groups say a ban is not the answer.
"I don't think anybody wants to see innocent children being shot down in the street. Nobody is advocating the right of the drug dealer to have guns," said Jon S. Mirowitz, a lawyer who represented Keystone Citizens for the Preservation of Rights on a state committee that stiffened penalties for the illegal use of firearms in the mid-90s.
He said pro-gun groups advocate "responsible gun ownership."
Still, Sugermann said, "If you live in an apartment in Philadelphia, the last thing you want is your neighbor to own a Desert Eagle for self defense. The bullet is going to pass right through your wall."
Staff writer Regina Medina contributed to this report.
