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Moviegoer Murdered at "Get Rich"

post #1 of 32
11/10/05 at 4:11pm
Thread Starter 
WEST HOMESTEAD, Pa. -- Gunfire in the Loews Waterfront movie theater killed a man Wednesday night, West Homestead police said.

The victim, identified as Shelton Flowers, 30, of Wilkinsburg, was hit in the thigh and chest. He died later at UPMC Presbyterian.

Employees at the concession stand reported hearing the shots, police said. Soon after that, Flowers was found near some video game machines.

Two men were seen running out of the main entrance after the shooting, witnesses told police. Another man left through the rear doors.

Police said nobody has come forward to identify a shooter, even though the building was busier than a usual weeknight, with the 50 Cent movie, "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" debuting on two screens.

Flower's aunt told Channel 4 Action News reporter Marcie Cipriani that her nephew went to the theater to see the 50 Cent movie.

The West Homestead police chief told Channel 4 Action News that the department put an officer on duty at the theater -- which is unusual for a weeknight -- due to the showing of the movie.

The chief said the officer did hear the shots, and right after, the victim crossed the officer's path and collapsed.

Allegheny County homicide detectives are now handling the case. They have not commented yet.


link with video
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post #2 of 32
11/10/05 at 4:36pm
The Right-Wingers are gonna LOVE this.
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post #3 of 32
11/10/05 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Q: Some people have said that they are afraid the film will draw gangsters to the theaters and that there will be violence.

50 Cent: I don’t think they’ll see that. I think they’ll see kids from Middle America. That’s who purchases my material. They stand a chance running into college kids more than gangsters.
http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=interviews&id=5029


There doesn't seem to be any evidence that it was 'gangsters', but it is a coincidence.
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post #4 of 32
11/10/05 at 6:13pm

Ah...

My great state of Pennsylvania.
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post #5 of 32
11/10/05 at 6:33pm
Quote:
The West Homestead police chief told Channel 4 Action News that the department put an officer on duty at the theater -- which is unusual for a weeknight -- due to the showing of the movie.

The chief said the officer did hear the shots, and right after, the victim crossed the officer's path and collapsed.
Good thing they had an officer on duty as an extra precaution....
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post #6 of 32
11/10/05 at 7:15pm
They forgot that when you put an officer on duty, you also have to remove all popcorn and concessions. Draws cops like honey does flies.
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post #7 of 32
11/10/05 at 8:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JGButler
The Right-Wingers are gonna LOVE this.
Especially if they choose to make a stink about the corpse-to-be being found near arcade games. Those violent games these days!
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post #8 of 32
11/10/05 at 8:53pm
So what? I've been in plenty of theaters where people in the crowd should be murdered. Like the assholes that were laughing uncontrollably at the showing of 'History of Violence' that I went to.
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post #9 of 32
11/10/05 at 10:35pm
Are the Wednesday shooting incidents going to be factored into the film's final weekend totals?
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post #10 of 32
11/10/05 at 10:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadmanNixon
So what? I've been in plenty of theaters where people in the crowd should be murdered. Like the assholes that were laughing uncontrollably at the showing of 'History of Violence' that I went to.
You should've beaten them up in the parking lot. That would have made you a real man.
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post #11 of 32
11/10/05 at 11:29pm
HOLY SHIT, this is the theater that I go to.

It's actually a nice place, but it's a part of a shopping center that's a huge paradox. "The Waterfront" is a fairly upscale strip mall combined with one of those outdoor "village" style shoppping centers. One of these places that is positively PACKED with city dwellers and suburbanites alike on the weekend.

Right on the other side of the railroad tracks though- I'm not kidding, the other side of the freakin' tracks- is one of the most notorious crack and crime neighborhoods in the greater Pittsburgh Area.

It was honestly only a matter of time before something like this happened.
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post #12 of 32
11/11/05 at 6:33am
It's pretty spurious to view the two things as being intricately connected in this case. The guy wasn't shot AT GET RICH, he was shot near an arcade game at a theatre that was playing GET RICH. Granted the pundits can make hay with that kind of tenuous connection, but to say that the film somehow directly influenced the event is pretty retarded. Was there even evidence that the vicitm had watched the movie? Or that his killers had?
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post #13 of 32
11/11/05 at 7:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Millette
You should've beaten them up in the parking lot. That would have made you a real man.
Keep in mind that if you choose to dispense VIGILANTE MOVIE PARKING LOT JUSTICE, you'll have to fight shirtless and howl with rage after you've achieved victory.
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post #14 of 32
11/11/05 at 8:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hotlantan
Channel 4 Action News

I'm just happy there's still a station keeping the "Action" in newscasts.

I thought that had died out.
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post #15 of 32
11/11/05 at 11:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Ellis
HOLY SHIT, this is the theater that I go to.

It's actually a nice place, but it's a part of a shopping center that's a huge paradox. "The Waterfront" is a fairly upscale strip mall combined with one of those outdoor "village" style shoppping centers. One of these places that is positively PACKED with city dwellers and suburbanites alike on the weekend.

Right on the other side of the railroad tracks though- I'm not kidding, the other side of the freakin' tracks- is one of the most notorious crack and crime neighborhoods in the greater Pittsburgh Area.

It was honestly only a matter of time before something like this happened.
Yup, I go to this theater too. Sad fact is that yes, it's probably the nicest theater in town right smack dab in the middle of a shitty area. They should wall it up like Fiddler's Green in Land of the Dead.

I'm actually gonna go there tonight because it's the only theater in the area that's showing Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. I guess I should bring my neener just incase some foos are straight trippin.
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post #16 of 32
11/11/05 at 12:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheJuniorMint
Was there even evidence that the vicitm had watched the movie?
Quote:
Flower's aunt told Channel 4 Action News reporter Marcie Cipriani that her nephew went to the theater to see the 50 Cent movie.
R.I.F.
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post #17 of 32
11/11/05 at 12:26pm
Wanna talk about a holy shit moment! I was on the management team that opened this theater and remained on it for the first year it was open. It is one of the most beautiful theaters I have seen (the architecture and color scheme is awesome) I still know some of the managers there. If I get any more info, I'll try and pass it on.
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post #18 of 32
11/11/05 at 12:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobClark
R.I.F.

Indeed, what if his aunt was batshit crazy? Without a ticket on him, they could have surmised he died at CHICKEN LITTLE.
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post #19 of 32
11/11/05 at 2:40pm
And even if he had gone to see it, who's to say that he wasn't shot before going into the movie itself? He was near the arcade machines, correct?

Okay, so there's more than an outside chance that he saw the movie. But getting his aunt to reel off "he went to see that there gangster movie that everyone's already so up-in-arms about" only reinforces the frankly ludicrous idea that said movie was responsible for the murder. I mean, come ON. The culture makes the movies, not the other way around.
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post #20 of 32
11/11/05 at 2:59pm
If it was Chicken Little he would have died from boredom.
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post #21 of 32
11/11/05 at 5:43pm
Who cares if the guy saw or was on his way to see the movie? He's the murder victim. It's not like the movie put him in the mood to be shot like his hero 50 Cent. The shooter is the one who committed the violent act. The media coverage seems to be trying to tie the murder to the movie just by mentioning the two together. Had there been riots in the theater leading to the shooting, I could see a link. Otherwise, I don't see anything indicating that the shooter(s) saw the movie and was inspired to kill. Not too long ago a guy in my city stabbed another man to death at a sports memorabilia store. That doesn't mean that the OJ Simpson rookie card sitting in the display case made him do it.
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post #22 of 32
11/11/05 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheJuniorMint
It's pretty spurious to view the two things as being intricately connected in this case. The guy wasn't shot AT GET RICH, he was shot near an arcade game at a theatre that was playing GET RICH. Granted the pundits can make hay with that kind of tenuous connection, but to say that the film somehow directly influenced the event is pretty retarded. Was there even evidence that the vicitm had watched the movie? Or that his killers had?
I don't think there has been anyone saying the content of the movie "caused" the shooting. But this is not a surprise. Most (nearly all) "black" movies open on Wednesdays. The reason, sad but simple, is that theater owners feel that the Wed opening will lessen the weekend rush, and thus decrease the chance of violence between patrons who attend these films.

My guess is there will be a couple more of these happen this weekend.
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post #23 of 32
11/11/05 at 9:24pm
I sure could have used a bullet to the head after just seeing the trailer for Usher's new movie IN THE MIX.
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post #24 of 32
11/12/05 at 1:17am
The local news is reporting that the "Get Rich" will no longer be shown at the theater. I think this is rather strange and reactionary, as other posters have pointed out that what film the victim was there to see is totally irrelevant.

What is disturbing to me, especially as a patron of this particular theater, is that someone got in with a gun in the first place. Certainly it's not beyond reason, given the neighborhood and the general lack of security. After all, it's not as if going to the movies requires the same kind of security clearance as getting on an airplane.

Still, I'm not going to be able to help thinking about it every time I want to go. It may not be likely to happen again, but the fact that it happened once is odd enough.
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post #25 of 32
11/12/05 at 4:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadmanNixon
So what? I've been in plenty of theaters where people in the crowd should be murdered. Like the assholes that were laughing uncontrollably at the showing of 'History of Violence' that I went to.
We're on the same wave lenth, you and I.

Also, the movie didn't cause this. However, certain kind of people came out to see this (and 8 Mile) and that's the wannabe gangsta's packing a gun.
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post #26 of 32
11/12/05 at 11:32am
I think once you've actually SHOT SOMEONE TO DEATH, you've probably made the transition from wannabe to actual "gangsta"
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post #27 of 32
11/12/05 at 1:43pm
I guess the guy forgot to "Refuse 2 Die."

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post #28 of 32
11/12/05 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4496 aka Joe Sixpack
Most (nearly all) "black" movies open on Wednesdays.
That's because "pink" movies have a monopoly on Thursdays. "Black" movies may be able to push out "blue" movies for Mondays, though. I hear they don't do to well as they tend to depress theater goers.
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post #29 of 32
11/12/05 at 8:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4496 aka Joe Sixpack
I think once you've actually SHOT SOMEONE TO DEATH, you've probably made the transition from wannabe to actual "gangsta"
No, that makes one a punk ass. Using a sword to fuck up an entire theater.....makes one a gangster. Not gangsta though, that requires an album.
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post #30 of 32
11/13/05 at 2:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeadChickRFun
No, that makes one a punk ass. Using a sword to fuck up an entire theater.....makes one a gangster. Not gangsta though, that requires an album.
And if they can do so without being seen, they have Ninja Potential. But only if the theatre's packed. With kids.
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post #31 of 32
12/3/05 at 11:05pm

Die Trying

Die Trying 1
Get Rich 0

Works for me!
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post #32 of 32
12/3/05 at 11:08pm
Yeah, great. Congratulations on the achievement.
Though you probably have a point... Don't forget the gangta' starter kit. Syringes, drug dealing contacts, mentally deficient musical tastes, and no real job, no responsibility and plenty of stolen merchandise!
Where can I sign up?
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