Accidental Shooting

Athens-Clarke Police Major Mark Sizemore, left and Capt. Clarence Holeman, right, try to console the friend of 20-year-old Chateaubrian L. "Toby" Bailey who was killed after Bailey was accidently shot while playing with a gun in the 130 building of Bethel Midtown Village on Friday, August 27, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

Last Friday, I was back in the office for all of 10 minutes before I was called out to the scene of a fatal shooting. After everything was sorted out, the victim was purportedly (according to Police) was playing with a gun alongside a second individual who was arrested for involuntary manslaughter.



The worst part about covering spot news like this is the complete confusion around the scene. Its broad daylight, a person is found shot in the breezeway of an apartment building in a high crime area. No one has any idea what is going on; even figuring out where the scene was took some negotiating. The police (naturally) don't have anything to say as to whats happening. You have to figure it out on your own.

I like to circle the scene several times to try and take everything in. I try to look at a crime scene as a detective would. I try to take it all in and try to figure out how to tell the story the best whether its the investigators, a detail, the crowd or someone reacting to the scene as it is shown here.

At crime scenes I've found a lot of reactions from bystanders. Some looking to get in the paper themselves, some running away, most friendly and the occasional righteous indignation of someone connected to the scene unloading on the most convenient target which happened to be me.

People's deaths shouldn't be ignored. Everyone has a story and that story should be told.