Dad who split up fight in McDonald’s shot dead
A DAD-of-four who split up a fight in a McDonald’s was shot dead moments after being told he wouldn’t see the morning.
Raymond Mitchell, 34, had only popped into the restaurant to buy a hot chocolate.
But he apparently caused offence after splitting up two men fighting in the queue. [LA replies: This is why MacDonald’s prohibits its own employees from breaking up fights, as was discussed in relation to the beating of the transgender woman in the MacDonald’s in Rosedale, Maryland.]
One of them, who had several gold teeth [LA replies: with the reference to gold teeth, it seems the Mirror is a tad more explicit about race than the Mail], shouted at Raymond: “You are gonna die tonight, you are not gonna see the morning.”
The thug is then said to have phoned an accomplice to fetch a gun, yelling into his mobile: “Bring me that thing.” [LA replies: just as a passing observation, that sounds to me like U.S. black idiom, not British black idiom.]
Raymond left the 24-hour McDonald’s but was chased into a cul-de-sac. The gun was then delivered and Mr Mitchell was beaten and pistol-whipped before being shot three times in an alley in Brixton, South London, at 6.50am on Sunday. Raymond, nicknamed Brown, was taken to hospital but died hours later.
One neighbour, who saw the shooting but was too terrified to be named, said: “He was begging, literally begging for his life. I didn’t dare look out my window in case they saw me. I heard them laughing and swearing at him, calling him a ‘b***h’. I heard them laughing afterwards as well.”
Raymond’s partner, who asked not to be named, said: “I’m terrified. They’re still out there and they’ve not been caught. I’ve been told how they were laughing, actually laughing after they beat him and shot him. How could anybody do something like that?”
She had been out drinking with Raymond on Saturday night before he went into the West End to meet some friends for drinks.
She said: “Everybody loved him. He was well known around Brixton. Just a friendly guy.”
His family left tributes and flowers at the murder scene. One of his sons, Raquan Mitchell-Perry, 11, described as a “brilliant dad” in a poem. The Met’s Trident unit is investigating the murder.
James P. writes:
Greg W. writes:
You wrote:
“People who have a better knowledge than I do of SWPL and SBPL could probably come up with funny satirical examples of what this new type of journalism will sound like.”
How about this:
An investigation is under way after two men were shot and killed outside a Portland, Maine business.
The slain men have been identified as Robert Zimmerman and Thomas Flannagan. Zimmerman’s wife, Mary, said that her husband and Mr. Flannagan were enjoying a bicycle ride through the wooded trails to take in the nature and pick berries for an afternoon snack before heading to the local microbrewery for a tour and taste of the new Summer Pilsner. As they exited the brewery, dressed in wind shorts and carrying bike helmets, they were shot and killed seemingly in an act of random violence.
Witnesses report seeing a purple 1970s model Cadillac with gold rims and sitting low to the ground pull up and fire on the men. Bystander Susan Patterson recalls “I heard loud rap music that was rattling the windows next door, so I looked over and that’s when I saw a purple car with black tinted windows gunning it toward the brewery. Next thing I know I hear shots and two young men are on the ground”.
Another witness was asked if he saw the shooters. Ryan Anderson said, “I couldn’t tell you if it were a man or woman. Nothing. All I know is there was a purple Cadillac with dice in the mirror, gold rims with spinners on the wheels and it was so low to the ground it scraped the speed bump. The license plate said “PLAYA.” Then I heard someone yell “This is for slavery,” right before I heard the shots. But I couldn’t tell you what they may have looked like.”
