The NoMa station at night
The Washington Post reports further details on about the Independence day Metro murder, and this story is so awful it's actually hard to read and fully digest. Kevin Sutherland, a 24 year old AU grad who worked in politics and digital media, was taking Metro on his way to meet up with friends. It was a little before 1pm on a Saturday and the trains were full of passengers out celebrating the holiday. 18 year old Jasper Spires was on the same train. Two days earlier Spires had been arrested for violently robbing a man on the street, but it ended up getting downgraded to a misdemeanor (because nothing was actually taken) and he was released the next day.
Apparently Spires jumped right back into it, because he was robbing people on the train again that Saturday. He tried to grab a cellphone from Sutherland and a struggle ensued. Spires punched Sutherland repeatedly until he fell to the ground. After that Spires kicked and stabbed him as Sutherland cried out, leaving him with as many as 30-40 stab wounds and lacerations. Then Spires stomped on Sutherland's body. Then Spires robbed the horrified other passengers. All of this happened as the train was on its way from Rhode Island Avenue to the NoMa station. That trip takes about 2-3 minutes to complete.
Spires got off the train, jumped a turnstile and shed some belongings (leaving behind an insurance card with his name on it). He was arrested two days later. The Washington Post reports that until recently Spires was enrolled in a two year college in North Carolina where he studied environmental engineering. MPD has suggested that Spires may have been under the influence of a synthetic drug at the time of the attack (the Post story contains a quote from an officer who previously encountered Spires saying the young man had seemed "under the influence," and that he talked to himself).
12 comments:
This entire story makes me feel ill. Maybe Spires is extremely mentally ill. It's the only explanation that makes any sort of sense.
unreal. our city is full of disgusting excuses for human beings like this guy. there is no place for this in society. i hope he rots in hell.
So, a metro train car was full of people who didn't even step in to assist the young man who was being stabbed 30-40 times after being beaten? Must've been a bunch of sissies on that train. Or maybe they were too busy texting.
One of the problems is that the Metro police are toooooooo busy guarding the fare gates. You hardly ever see Metro police on the train platforms or on the trains. Having uniform Metro police on the platforms and on trains would greatly help decrease crime! I am from the West coast and you do not see or hear of crime like this on our transit systems. I am not blaming the riders, however, nobody in their right mind sits back and watches a person get hit several times and stabbed 30 to 40 times. I come from a very strong community and unfortunately the DMV does not have that yet! Where I am from they have had cameras on bus for over thirty years. The only camera on a bus that I have seen was on the Univer of MD bus. Because people have accepted the unsafe conditions of Metro unfortunately we ride at our owe risk!!!!
Related- this report from a witness on the train.
https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/3cfp1p/horrific_details_in_the_murder_of_au_grad_kevin/csv6qx5?context=10000
Just awful
It's awfully dangerous to blithely assume you would have jumped in and saved the day in a situation like that. I'm terrified of being put in a position like this and of being too afraid to act if I should, or of doing something stupid and getting killed. And it's one thing to consider a choice like this in the abstract, but in the real world things to happen quickly, confusingly, and before there's much time to think about anything. We should be respectful of those who were there that day and mindful of the advice police gave to "get to safety and get help".
This summer we had a huge group of young men and women spill out onto Trinidad Ave one afternoon, with a fight going on. I left my toddler inside the living room and stood on the porch, determined to try to be a witness if anything happened or even to intervene if I had to. While I was trying to figure out what was going on, I saw a young man pull out a silver handgun where he was standing in the street in front of my house. I ran inside and called 911 to report the gun and was asked a series of questions about the young man's appearance from height to hairstyle, clothing, age, and more. I was useless. My attitude had been: call the cops, tell them there's a gun present at a big fight so they should GET HERE. But from the 911 op's perspective, they needed as many specific, accurate details as possible in order to take action.
I'm determined to focus on being a better witness next time and not quite so concerned about whether I personally can do anything.
I am trying to find out what happened at 10th and G last night. I heard multiple gunshots, and there was a bunch of police on scene, but I don't see a tweet about it on MPD. Anyone know anything? homicide? robbery? gunfight?
I heard 3 gunshots at around midnight in Trinidad. Didn't sound like fireworks. June/July seems to be the season of killing around these parts.
I heard 10 gunshots around 11.
I subscribe to the DC alerts and there are violent robberies committed by young black men every single night in Cap hill from union station west end to Trinidad. Please subscribe so you dont walk around believing you are safe! You can subscribe here:
hsema.dc.gov/page/alertdc
RKBA now.
Hello, I wrote the post on 07/08/15 at 12:38pm! I have lived in several major cities and none of them have people standing around watching a person get kicked and stabbed repeatedly! So sad nobody gets involved and the criminals here know that! I travel by trains, buses and planes thought out this country and Maryland and the District are the only places that I know of that the criminal's run the place. Really no police in uniform on the Metro????? And I repeatedly hear the Chief of Metro Police announcement to not display my cell phone???? People what he is telling the public is we "The Metro Police" can not protect you!!!! OMG what has happened in this part of the country is that people have become used to the crime! I read the major newspapers everyday and are you a wear of the large number of crimes in MD and DC are dismissed because of witness intimidation??? The jail in Baltimore was ran by the gangs?? We all have different live experiences and if ANYBODY on Metro, a bus, in the community think they are going to miss with this 5'7" African, Indian, Irish women they will get the best %^*&$#@#* whipping they every had!!! As they say Dogs can smell fear!
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