Stray bullet from Wal-Mart shooting kills beloved coach

By David W. Shelton | June 26, 2007 |

How will our community respond to this tragedy?

The Leaf-Chronicle released information from “a friend of the family” that identified the victim of yesterday’s shooting. Northwest High School coach Willard Ross was gunned down today while shopping at the fireworks stand. People in two vehicles exchanged gunfire in the Fort Campbell Blvd. Wal-Mart parking lot. A bullet reportedly struck the beloved coach and teacher, killing him.

So far, there has not been any official report from the Clarksville Police Department regarding the incident. Police had blocked several cars from leaving the parking lot, and has obtained at least partial license plate numbers of the vehicles involved in the gunfight.

This event is as horrifying as it is tragic for everyone in Clarksville. The Northwest area has gotten a pretty bad rap in the rest of the community for being a high-crime area. This attack certainly doesn’t help that image. Sadly, it IS a high crime area. However, there have always been a committed group of people willing and ready to help those in need.

People like Coach Ross always worked hard for the kids at Northwest High School, no matter how transient they might have been. When I was a freshman there back in December of 1985, there was another tragedy that the school encountered: the Gander crash. Nearly everyone at the school was impacted by that horrific event, and Coach Ross was one of the people who stood with for the kids.

Now, more than 20 years later, we’re faced with something far more sinister that’s right in our own back yards. A thug culture has developed which somehow fans the fire of hate in troubled youth. Sadly, law enforcement officials are stymied by a lack of support from peers and parents of “gang bangers.”

And don’t think for a second that there isn’t a gang culture in Clarksville. You might not have seen the graffiti or the clothes, but it is here. Clarksville Police even has a special gang task force (that’s severely undermanned). There isn’t anything more senseless than one group of rage-filled kids shooting at another just because of their affiliation. Alas, it happened again yesterday.

It’s not “kids being stupid.” It’s not even “just another senseless act.” It’s a clear, concerted threat against our city that must be dealt with. One man has already paid the price of our own lethargy. What more will it take for the people of Clarksville to demand more officers on our streets? What will it take for the people of our city to get involved in the lives of their kids?

Law enforcement has been stymied at nearly every point because there are inadequate facilities to deal with dangerous teenage criminals. Counselors and social workers are overloaded with cases. More and more, these kids are left to their own devices.

I hear the same story from teachers and those in law enforcement: the parents can either be an ally or a bystander. Those who are allies are involved in the lives of their children, while the bystanders will one day ask themselves where they went wrong.

I hope a lot of us are asking ourselves that very question. Even Wal-Mart management should be asking that question. They recently ended their contract with CPD officers and hired a private security agency to watch their stores. It was only a matter of time before something happened.

This attack was almost a year to the day after the murders of Juan Julian Vasquez and Thomas Vasquez. Similar shootings have happened at Governor’s Square Mall in recent years. We probably don’t hear about a lot of what really goes on. Clearly, it’s time for us to inform ourselves and start asking some very hard questions. One of those questions needs to be to ourselves: How much longer before we get involved?

It doesn’t take much, my friends. First, you need to learn about what goes on in our city. A great way to do this is to go through the Citizen’s Police Academy. Twice a year, private citizens have an opportunity to go through a thirteen-week long abbreviated course in police “training.” It’s just one night a week. I promise that you’ll learn a lot more than whether or not police officers have a “quota” on traffic tickets (they don’t).

Another way to get involved is to start attending City Council meetings. Read the opinion section of the local paper. Read Clarksville Online. Sure, you might not agree with all of the opinions that we share, but you will be more informed.

My heart and condolences go out to the family of Coach Ross. He was a man of integrity, passion, and strength. He will be missed by many of the thousands of people he supported throughout his career. His loss will be felt by our entire city.

It’s up to all of us to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Sections

Topics

© 2009 Clarksville, TN Online is owned and operated by residents of Clarksville Tennessee.
» We are Hosted by Compu-Net Enterprises; In Partnership with Discover Clarksville and Discover Paris