Two men shot dead while tailgating at NC State game

[Sportcat]

http://www.thecarolinachannel.com/news/3707846/detail.html

Two Men Fatally Shot At College Tailgate Party
Police Search For Gunman

POSTED: 6:31 am EDT September 5, 2004
UPDATED: 6:35 am EDT September 5, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The search is under way in North Carolina for two suspects blamed for killing two young men at a college football game tailgate party.

The shooting happened at North Carolina State University's season-opening football game. The victims include a Marine Corps officer.

Kevin McCann, 23, of Chicago, Ill., died at the scene. 2nd Lt. Brett Harmon, 23, of Park Ridge, Ill., died at later at a hospital.

One victim was shot in the head, the other in the neck according to authorities. Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said neither were N.C. State students.

A witness said the men had been tossing a football when a car drove recklessly in a parking lot packed with football fans.

He said the men pulled the driver from his car and beat him, pushing his head into the dirt. The driver is said is to have returned with a gun and opened fire.

Witnesses, including Tommy Rodwell, said a fight took place about an hour before the shooting.

"We were standing there and this girl came up. She was covered, splattered by blood because their friend had just been shot," Samantha Mitchell said.

The shooting happened after the North Carolina State Wolfpack kicked off its season home opener against the Richmond Spiders.

 

[Sportcat]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/09/05/game.shooting.ap/index.html

Two men fatally shot before college football game
Sunday, September 5, 2004 Posted: 8:35 AM EDT (1235 GMT)



Football fans watch police officers investigate at the scene of the shootings.

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) -- Two young men -- one a Marine Corps officer -- were shot to death Saturday at a tailgate party before a college football game, and authorities were searching for two suspects.

Witnesses said a fistfight preceded the shootings. One victim was dead at the scene; the other died at a hospital. Neither was a student at the university.

The victims, identified as Kevin M. McCann, 23, of Chicago, and 2nd Lt. Brett Johnson Harman, 23, of Park Ridge, Illinois, were tailgating before North Carolina State University's season-opening football game against Richmond.

A witness, Brian Smith, 31, said the men had been tossing a football when a car drove recklessly in a parking lot packed with football fans. He said the men pulled the blond-haired driver from his car and beat him, pushing his head into the dirt.

The blond man left in his car, shouting curses and threatening revenge, Smith said. He returned later and asked Smith where to find the men who had beaten him, saying he had "a .38 Smith & Wesson for them."

Smith, who said the man appeared intoxicated, pointed in the direction of the victims and heard gunshots a short time later.

Smith ran to the shooting scene and found one victim wounded in the face, the other in the upper torso.

"My reaction is that I got two guys killed," Smith said.

The second suspect drove the gunman from the scene, Smith said.

"I saw the two guys, and they weren't sprinting out of there. They were all nonchalant jogging out of there," said another witness, Jason Seaton.

Seaton, 32, said he found the two victims on the ground and used two of his shirts to try to stop the bleeding. But it was too late for one of them.

"I saw him gasp three times, and he was dead." Seaton said. "When I get out of here, when nobody's looking, I'm gonna cry about this."

Investigators said they were searching for two brothers who were wanted for questioning. They were N.C. State student Timothy Wayne Johnson, 22, and Tony Harrell Johnson, 20. Each of the men had addresses in Raleigh and Tarboro.

 

[MrChicken]

Well, it's murder, plain and simple.

OTOH, why drag a guy out of a car and beat the crap out him? If you did, why would you hang around where he can find you to carry out his threat of getting a gun and killing you?

 

[hso]

This is the type of example of why civilian ownership of firearms is condemned. Not that criminals will or won't have firearms if the average Joe can't, but that any dumbass can get bombed and escilate violence and anger into murder.

 

[Chris Rhines]

Stupid people, at stupid places, doing stupid things. All too typical.

- Chris

 

[Dbl0Kevin]

My best friend goes to NC state and was at that tailgate party! He never mentioned anything about that, I wonder if he even knows. Figures he's not answering his phone!