Deaf Student of CSDR Killed by Gunman

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: California School for the Deaf, Riverside student killed by gunman after he and friends explain in a text, 'We can't hear you'



LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Time: The family of a Deaf teen says he was killed Friday night when a gunman approached him and his Deaf friends in Moreno Valley, asked them questions and began shooting as they tried to explain that they couldn’t hear him.



Najai Welch said her brother, DeSean Welch, and his friends were watching a football game at Rancho Verde High School, where the unidentified gunman approached them and began asking questions.

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A friend of the dead teen pulled out a cellphone and showed it to the man in effort to explain that they were Deaf and didn’t understand him.



She said the friend wrote, “We are Deaf. We can’t hear you. We don’t understand what you are saying to us.”



The gunman, she said, took the phone and typed out a message, saying he “bangs in this hood,” and then asked the victim if he knew someone who lived in Ontario.



Her brother and friends then left the football game and entered a minivan, Najai Welch said. The group was being followed as the van drove away, she said.



At 9:56 p.m., deputies received a report of shots fired in the intersection of Via De Anza and Camino San Simeon near the high school, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.



When deputies arrived, they found evidence of a shooting but no victims.



At the same time, DeSean Welch’s friends flagged down deputies in the area of Lasselle Street and Iris Avenue, pleading for help because he had been struck by the gunfire.



The 18-year-old Victorville teen was taken to an area hospital, where he later died, deputies said.



Najai Welch thinks the shooting was a case of mistaken identity. She said her brother was never involved in gangs or anything criminal. He was focused on sports and loved basketball, which he hoped to play professionally.



“My brother didn’t deserve that,” she said. “He was a good kid.”



News of the teen’s death left many in the Deaf community stunned.



DeSean Welch attended California School for the Deaf Riverside, and played varsity basketball, according to the school’s athletic department.



Memorials for the teen circulated on social media, and at least one team held a moment of silence for him during its game.



The school’s alumni association said its members were mourning the fallen teen’s death.



“We do not support any violence toward anyone regardless of their backgrounds, their actions or their characters,” the group said in a statement. “We believe anything can be resolved or find solutions. Unfortunately it did not happen with DeSean Welch.”



A family member has created a fundraiser to help pay for his funeral expenses.



Najai Welch is hopeful detectives will find the gunman.



“I just want him to turn himself in,” she said.



SOURCE



UPDATE:



According to police, the man shot at the car, killing the teen after being shown a text that read "We are deaf, can't hear you, don't understand what you’re saying to us." - Police Searching For Killer Of Deaf High School Basketball Star.

Deaf Man Is Convicted Of Murdering His Girlfriend

Exclusive: Deaf Harlem man convicted of fatally stabbing girlfriend 38 times in New York City.

NEW YORK POST - It took a Manhattan jury less than two hours Friday to convict a Deaf Harlem man of murder for stabbing his Deaf girlfriend 38 times then stuffing her corpse into the bottom of a 55 gallon drum.



After a gruesome month-long trial, jurors deliberated for an hour and half before finding Bismark Lithgow, 26, guilty of killing Francis Pellerano Feb 28 of 2013.



The barrel where the body his girlfriend was found.



Lithgow became increasingly controlling after Pellerano moved into his Harlem apartment he shared with his grandmother, and accused her of cheating, prosecutor Ryan Hayward argued at trial.



As revenge for the perceived betrayal, Lithgow viciously butchered the petite brunette, wrapped her tiny body into a sheet then stuffed it into the bottom of the blue drum.



Pellerano’s corpse festered in his room for two days until his grandmother discovered the drum’s sickening contents.



The defense conceded that Lithgow committed the heinous crime but argued he was in a state of extreme emotional disturbance caused by a frigid mother and brain damage from a childhood illness.



He’s expected to be sentenced April 1st and faces up to life in prison... Read more: nypost.com/2015/03/06/deaf-man-convicted-of-fatally-stabbing-girlfriend-38-times/

Girl & Deaf Grandparents Killed In House Fire

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [CC] - Girl and Deaf grandparents killed in house fire hours before rape trial in the small town of Ohio.



YOUNGSTOWN, OH - A northeast Ohio prosecutor says a 10-year-old girl died in a house fire early Monday morning, hours before a man suspected of raping her was scheduled to go on trial.



A total of three people were reported dead by the Youngstown Fire Department after the blaze on the city’s south side.



Neighbors in the 3600-block of Powers Way say they heard a loud explosion around 3:30 a.m.; moments later, they saw flames rip through the two-story home. “I looked out the window and the fire broke out from the bottom of the basement, just whoosh. And it was totally on fire.”



Dozens of firefighters were needed to control the flames. When it was out, firefighters found the bodies of two adults and their 10-year-old granddaughter. The adults are identified as Billy and Judy Schmidt, both in their 60s.







“Everybody who knew Billy loved him. He had friends all over the United States, he could probably go anywhere in the country and probably run into somebody that he knew,” said Connie Glozier, the victim’s sister.



The Schmidts, who were both Deaf, were raising their granddaughter. Neighbor Pamela Jones says the girl played with her grandchildren.



“I just can’t believe that something like this would happen,” said Jones. “I’ve been crying all day.”



Adding to the tragedy of this fire, the 10-year-old girl was the victim of an alleged sexual assault. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Robert Seman, appeared in court this morning.



“On literally the eve of trial, hours before this trial was supposed to begin, this victim dies in a fire under suspicious circumstances, at the very least,” said Mahoning County Assistant District Attorney Stephanie McLaughlin. “Only 10 years old, somebody who did not deserve these things that happened to her.”



Seman has not been charged in connection with the fire, but his bond was revoked and he was taken to jail. If convicted on the rape charges, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison... Read more: pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/03/30/fire-officials-3-dead-in-youngstown-house-fire/

TV Producer Arrested For Murder Of Deaf Sister

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [CC] - Talk-Show producer arrested in connection with death of Deaf, partially blind sister.



LOS ANGELES - Television producer Jill Blackstone was released from custody Wednesday after her arrest in connection to the death of her Deaf, partially blind sister, authorities said.



About 12:40 p.m. Saturday, the Los Angeles Fire Department was called to a home in the 12000 block of Landale Street in Studio City, said Los Angeles police Lt. Bob Toledo.



Blackstone’s sister Wendy Blackstone, 49, was found unconscious in an enclosed garage where carbon monoxide had filled the room, Toledo said. A dead animal also was found in the garage.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate Wendy Blackstone, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of her death has not been determined pending further investigation, including toxicology tests, according to the coroner’s office.



Jill Blackstone, 52, was arrested Monday night on suspicion of first-degree murder, according to arrest records.



A suicide note recovered at the home was believed to have been penned by Jill Blackstone, not her late sister, according to the website TMZ, which first reported the arrest.



Blackstone was released from custody about 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to jail records. Prosecutors have not filed charges against her, Toledo said.



The Los Angeles County district attorney's office did not respond to an after-hours request for comment. Jill Blackstone also did not immediately respond to several requests for comment.



She has produced numerous television shows, including the “Rosie O’Donnell Show” and the “Sally Jessy Raphael Show,” according to her personal website. She also produced a 1993 episode of “The Jerry Springer Show,” according to the Internet Movie Database. SOURCE

Deaf Man Accused of Killing Man at Bus Stop

DUBLIN - Deaf man remanded in custody accused of killing man at bus stop. A Deaf man charged with killing a man who died after he was hit by a bus in Dublin city centre has been held in custody for another week.



Eoghan Dudley (28), who was originally from Rathfarnham in the city's south side, suffered horrific head injuries after he fell under a double-decker bus following an altercation at the junction of Dawson Street and Nassau Street on December 6.



The deceased man had recently been living in rented accommodation in Co Wicklow and was identified two days after his death.



On Friday last, which was also his 29th birthday, Edward Connors, whose latest address was a hostel in the city-centre's north side, was arrested in connection with the incident and detained at Pearse Street Garda station.



When charged at the station last Saturday night he had replied “I am sorry about him, it was an accident”. He did not apply for bail and had been remanded in custody at Dublin District Court last Monday.



Connors is accused of manslaughter of Mr Dudley at Dawson Street. Read more: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/deaf-man-remanded-in-custody-accused-of-killing-man-at-bus-stop-3325495.html SOURCE



Related Post:

Deaf Man Charged With Manslaughter of Bus Crash Victim

Deaf Man Charged With Manslaughter of Bus Crash Victim

DUBLIN - Deaf man charged with manslaughter of bus crash victim 'very sorry.' A Deaf man has apologised for the death of a man who was hit by a bus following an alleged roadside altercation.



Edward Connors, who is profoundly Deaf, has been charged with the manslaughter of Eoghan Dudley. The 28-year-old died last Thursday evening after suffering severe head injuries in the incident in Dublin city centre.



Connors, 29, who has been living in a homeless hostel in Dublin, was brought before the city’s District Court where proceedings were translated through a sign language interpreter.



Detective Garda Conor O’Braonain told the court that, when Connors was charged at Pearse Street Garda Station on Saturday night, he replied: “I’m very sorry about him. It was an accident.”



Judge David McHugh remanded him in custody until December 13, when he will be brought before Cloverhill courthouse.



Connors, who wore a navy tracksuit, is accused of killing Mr Dudley at the busy junction of Dawson Street and Nassau Street. Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/deaf-man-charged-with-manslaughter-of-bus-crash-victim-very-sorry-577334.html SOURCE

Single Bullet Kills Deaf Man

DURBAN - Deaf couple Navin and Jessica Ragbeer, both aged 37, had known each other since their school days and no one was surprised when they married 12 years ago. They were inseparable, said Premmie Tholsi, Jessica’s mother.



But in the early hours of Thursday their loving marriage came to a tragic end at their Phoenix home when Navin was shot and killed by an intruder.



With blood oozing from his wound and paramedics still to arrive, Jessica prayed fervently for Navin as he lay helpless and dying on their veranda floor, but help came too late. “Why, why him?” asked Jessica.



Tholsi related her grief-stricken daughter’s anguish when the Sunday Tribune called at the family’s home. Jessica is a teacher at the St Martin’s School for the Deaf, physically and mentally challenged in Port Shepstone.



Navin was an administrative worker at the VN Naik School for the Deaf in Newlands. Three intruders surprised the Ragbeers, who live with Tholsi in her modest home, just as Navin was about to drive Jessica to Durban station to catch a bus to work. All the intruders took were a flat-screen TV and Jessica’s handbag with her cellphone and a small amount of cash.



Police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane confirmed that Navin was pronounced dead at the home in Phoenix after sustaining a single gunshot wound to the chest. Read more: http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/single-bullet-kills-deaf-man-1.1437894#.UMUWx3qS-So SOURCE