UPDATE: Hammer attack leaves Richmond man gravely wounded
A man was beaten in the head and gravely wounded in an attack at a homeless camp in South Richmond late last night.
Richmond police Capt. Paul Kiniry said the 49-year-old victim was taken to VCU Medical Center after the 11:37 p.m. attack, and he underwent a lengthy surgery.
"He's got really severe head injuries," Kiniry said.
Kiniry said Maurice Fortune, 27, was arrested a short distance from the camp and charged with aggravated assault.
Kiniry said the attack occurred at a homeless camp near the 500 block of Maury Street after several regular residents complained repeatedly to Fortune about him making too much noise.
Fortune, described as an infrequent visitor to the camp, was urged to leave earlier in the evening, and he complied but returned later, once again angering those who were trying to sleep, Kiniry said.
At that point, Fortune produced a hammer and attacked the victim, who was in a sleeping bag, Kiniry said.
The camp is just west of Interstate 95's Maury Street interchange, in an area populated mainly by one-story warehouses, other commercial buildings and some vacant lots.
-- Joe Macenka
Reader Reactions
jking, very few people who post on these boards bother to substantiate their claims with actual facts.
My opinion is that the average homeless person is more violent than the “average suburbanite knowitall” simply because the average homeless person has nothing to lose(they’re homeless), where the average suburbanite knowitall has a lot more to lose(job, home, loved ones, etc.) by being violent. Also the average suburbanite knowitall is probably more of a rational person and is more likely to weigh costs and benefits before making a decision to be violent. I would also venture to say that a greater percentage of homeless people are under the influence of drugs/alcohol than the average suburbanite, which increases the likelihood of violence.
I worked with a local homeless guy who went by the name of “Hardrock”. He lived under the Boulevard bridge by the Diamond and would steal things from stores on a regular basis in hopes of getting caught because he claimed being in jail was a lot better than being homeless. He had a bed to sleep in and three free meals a day. I couldn’t really argue with him because he made a good point.
jking… I saw one study that said that of crimes committed, 25% of homeless people’s crimes were violent vs 75% non-violent (property or drunk in publics etc..) while for “housed” it was 35% violent, 65% non.. Now that statistic in itself can be a little misleading.. It isn’t telling us the rate of crime in housed vs homeless..just a breakdown between type of crime. Even a comparison of “numbers” of crimes isn’t telling since there are more Housed than homeless people in the country.
In order to really give an accurate picture, one needs to look at the rate of crime in a population… I saw one study by a Peter Rossi that said about 42% of the homeless had been in jail at one time. Is that rate similar with housed people? probably not so much I am guessing.
BTW.. I am not an “endie”.. I live in a diverse rural area.. but we do have a homeless guy in the town where I do my shopping.. he is known for pilfering things from vehicles.. not violent I guess.. but still committing crimes.
One point I will concede is that the homeless themselves more often than not are the victims of the violent crimes of their counterparts… they also probably do encounter police more where the average person with a home will drink inside.. the homeless guy is doing it on the street which leaves him open to getting arrested.
“you find that they are actually less violent than your average suburbanite knowitall.“
While that is a sweet statement, could you please post where you got your “facts”. You do know what “facts” are don’t you?
“My grandfather was shot and killed 85 years ago when he told a drunk he was making too much noise. There have been and always will be evil people in the world.” Posted by ( pflady )
Pflady, I am sorry about your grandfather. In today’s America people are killed over noise on a regular basis. There are many powerful industry back groups that lobby noisemaking as local, state & federal legislators.
http://www.noiseoff.org
http://www.noboomers.com/
I think a “stare & compare” of the homeless & suburbanites would reveal similar profiles of flaws & virtues.
But the homeless are vulnerable. And one can do a lot of harm to the world from an easy chair in the far-west-end.
Actually, many homeless people ARE gentle but disturbed souls. If you are capable of doing the math (it’s okay, math can be tough) and you take the thousands of homeless and multiply them by the number of potential altercations in any given period of time, you find that they are actually less violent than your average suburbanite knowitall.
I remember a MPW opinion piece in the not so distant past that talked about the homeless community that live on the island in the James… How harmless this is. Um.. guess not so much Huh? Not the same community.. but the story that people would like us to believe that the homeless are just mild mannered sweet people down on their luck is dangerous.
John Wesley Hardin was rumored to have shot a man just for snoring too loud. Human nature hasn’t changed much since 1870.
My grandfather was shot and killed 85 years ago when he told a drunk he was making too much noise. There have been and always will be evil people in the world.
Some people get very angry when told they are “making too much noise.“
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