Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Sipping a Big Gulp while fellow patron dies

Grancey · 07-04-2007, 08:06 AM

http://www.wichitaeagle.com/201/story/112757.html

Quote:

As stabbing victim LaShanda Calloway lay bleeding on the floor of a convenience store at 25th North and Hillside, no fewer than five store patrons stepped over her to complete purchases -- and at least one took cell phone pictures of her -- before bothering to call 911, police said.

Police have been told that some of those photos landed on the Internet.

"It's on the video," said Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams. "She laid on the floor while people continued to do their shopping. They're taking photographs. That's our frustration. They didn't call immediately. If people would have been calling us, who knows what the outcome might have been."

Calloway, who was stabbed after an altercation June 23, eventually died at a hospital from her injuries.

A witness questioned last week whether a policy that prevents fire crews from entering potentially violent situations until police have secured the site contributed to Calloway's death. He said he and others frantically waved to firefighters to come and help, but they didn't move in until a Highway Patrol cruiser entered the parking lot.

Yet Calloway lost approximately two precious minutes while patrons strangely ignored her, according to Wichita police spokesman Gordon Bassham.

"This is one of the most disgusting examples of disregard for life I've ever seen," Bassham said of the video. "It is a very, very tragic video to watch. It was revolting to see this lack of humanity."

The video showed the 27-year-old Calloway struggling to her feet and collapsing three times without anyone helping her.

Worse, one woman who stepped over Calloway four times while shopping eventually paused to snap a photo of her with a cell phone.

And now, police are trying to track down photos of a dying Calloway that someone told them had been posted on the Internet.

"This is just appalling," Williams said. "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?"

Fatima Kazia, who co-owns the Noori Convenience store at 2601 N. Hillside with her husband, said that she doesn't believe her employee saw the stabbing or saw Calloway lying on the floor.

"Our mind is on the customer in front of us," Kazia said. "Sometimes we can't see what they (other customers) are doing."

If her employee had seen something, he would have told her or her husband, Kazia said. The employee has since quit.

Two people -- Cherish M. McCullough and George R. Brown -- turned themselves in to police and were arrested in connection with the death.

I'm wondering, though, if the people who so callously stepped over Calloway could face some sort of punishment.

"The only possible charge that could conceivably be filed is a failure to render aid, and that's a DA (district attorney's) call," Bassham said.

Williams said most people do call 911 in these situations.

Still, it's not as unusual as you might think for people to wait to call police or EMS.

"This is concerning," Williams said. "This is one of those infrequent things that we see, people calling their friends to report things before calling 911. It is infrequent, but it does happen, and it is frustrating to us in law enforcement because time is of the essence.

"People need to call immediately."

And they need to call 911, instead of calling up their cell phone's camera function.

I find this horrific and unacceptable behavior. My response to situations leads me to help others in need of assistance, whether it be an emergency or merely if the individual has unknowingly dropped something in the parking lot or forgotten their change. Unfortunately, when I read the article this morning I was not surprised at the behavior of the patrons in the store. And me not being surprised shocked me as well. What is happening to us as a society? Where did this come from? How could someone step over a dying woman, make a purchase and walk out of the store munching on cheetos?