Zen21Tao
Member
Thought I would post this here before it makes national news. Recently a University of Florida football player fired a semi-auto rifle into the air to intimidate someone he had an altercatin with a night club.
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbc...070405/LOCAL/70405003&SearchID=73278018195070
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbc...06/GATORS01/704060368&SearchID=73278018195070
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbc...07/GATORS01/704070346&SearchID=73278018128029
Reactions:
1. Hat's off to the media. At least they haven't thrown around the "assault weapon/rifle" term.
2. Despite be a Gators fan, I hope they throw the entire book at this guy. Actions like this deserve sever punishment and no special treatment (by UF or the State) just because he's a football player.
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbc...070405/LOCAL/70405003&SearchID=73278018195070
University of Florida football player arrested
By LISE FISHER
Sun staff writer
April 05. 2007 11:41AM
University of Florida offensive lineman Ronnie Matthew Wilson was arrested early Thursday on charges of aggravated assault, simple battery and use or display of a concealed weapon during the commission of a felony, a Gainesville Police arrest report stated.
Police accused Wilson, 19, of shooting a semi-automatic rifle after a dispute with another man, according to the report.
Wilson later told police he took the rifle out of his trunk and fired one shot into the air because he wanted the other man “to know how it felt to be scared,” the report stated.
Wilson was being held at the Alachua County jail pending a first court appearance.
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbc...06/GATORS01/704060368&SearchID=73278018195070
Another starter arrested
By ROBBIE ANDREU
Sun sports writer
April 06. 2007 6:01AM
For the second time in less than a week, a prominent Florida football player has been arrested.
The latest player to run afoul of the law is sophomore offensive guard Ronnie Wilson, who was arrested early Thursday morning on charges of aggravated assault, simple battery and use or display of a concealed weapon during the commission of a felony.
UF coach Urban Meyer said Thursday that Wilson has been suspended from the team indefinitely.
"Obviously, this is a major concern and he is suspended from all football related activities indefinitely," Meyer said in a statement released by the UF sports information office.
According to a Gainesville Police Department arrest report, Wilson allegedly fired a semi-automatic rifle in the air during a dispute with another man following an earlier confrontation in a downtown nightclub.
According to police, Wilson approached Francis Wayne Fuller at SX nightclub on West University Avenue and accused the victim of spitting on him. Wilson backed Fuller against a wall and spit on him and slapped him on the right side of the face, causing minor injuries, the report said.
At that point, several large males who were with Wilson held him back and Fuller, who lists a Ponte Vedra address, fled the nightclub.
According to the report, Fuller waited outside the nightclub for Wilson to leave so he could get his license plate number. Fuller began following Wilson and called the police to give the vehicle information.
At some point, according to police, Wilson pulled into the parking lot of Gainesville Health Care Center at 1311 S.W. 16th St. As Fuller came around the corner, he told police he saw Wilson's vehicle had stopped and the trunk was open. Fuller said the defendant walked to the trunk and removed a semi-automatic rifle.
According to the report, the victim ducked down in the driver's seat and reversed his vehicle. While backing up, Fuller said he heard a gun shot.
Fuller told police he fled the parking lot and Wilson gave chase, eventually backing off when he saw police lights.
According to the report, Wilson went to an apartment complex and hid the rifle under his cousin's bed and told his cousin to hide the gun's magazine. Officers recovered the rifle and magazine and Fuller identified Wilson once he was detained by police.
According to the report, Wilson told police that Fuller had spit on him two days earlier and when he saw Fuller in the nightclub he was angry and confronted him. Wilson admitted to police that he took the rifle out of the trunk and fired one shot in the air. He said he wanted the victim to know how it felt to be scared. Wilson told police he was angry when he chased Fuller after firing the shot.
Wilson is the second UF player arrested within a week. Starting outside linebacker Dustin Doe, a sophomore from Jasper, was arrested Saturday night for his involvement in a fight downtown. Doe was charged with affray, a misdemeanor.
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbc...07/GATORS01/704070346&SearchID=73278018128029
Wilson could be expelled
ROBBIE ANDREU
Sun sports writer
April 07. 2007 6:01AM
By firing a gun during a dispute early Thursday morning, Florida offensive guard Ronnie Wilson broke more than just the law. He also violated a major university rule and team policy.
UF coach Urban Meyer said Friday that Wilson is facing possible severe punishment from the university, then from Meyer and the football program on top of answering to charges of aggravated assault, simple battery and the use or display of a concealed weapon during the commission of a felony.
"At this point, it's completely out of my hands," Meyer said. "I have no idea (if he can ever come back to the football team)."
The university has a strict rule about no guns on campus, where Wilson resides, Meyer said. Meyer said he had already banned guns from his players before Thursday's incident.
"It's already been a team rule," Meyer said. "The first thing is the university (punishment for possessing a gun) is severe and I'll handle it after that. That's not a mistake. That's a big one.
"It's real clear (what the university rule is). It's non-negotiable. That's not part of the deal."
Wilson could face expulsion.
Meyer said he met with his players for 90 minutes Thursday to discuss guns.
"We've talked about guns on many, many occasions," he said. "(Players having guns) is something I'm not used to. You see statistics where 90 percent of NFL players are carrying guns. It's an era I'm not used to.
"I guess we're going to have to attack it even more than we have. Every year it changes, what the focus is. You try to put a finger in a hole and another one starts. That's our job. We've got to do a better job of it. Obviously, we failed on this one."
Wilson, a sophomore, was arrested early Thursday morning for allegedly drawing and firing a semi-automatic rifle over the head of another UF student during an off-campus dispute. Wilson admitted to police that he fired the gun to make the victim feel what it was like to be scared.
Robbie Andreu can be reached at 352-374-5022 or [email protected].
Reactions:
1. Hat's off to the media. At least they haven't thrown around the "assault weapon/rifle" term.
2. Despite be a Gators fan, I hope they throw the entire book at this guy. Actions like this deserve sever punishment and no special treatment (by UF or the State) just because he's a football player.
