U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “A Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office employee who works with victims of gun violence has been placed on administrative leave and is being investigated for fatally shooting a man who tried to rob him Tuesday morning,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “DeVonte’ Douglass, who aids victims of gun violence as a peer crisis responder in the office’s Crisis Assistance, Response, and Engagement for Survivors (CARES) program, is being investigated for fatally shooting Vernon Harris, 31, just before 10 a.m. …”
That makes it fair to ask what Philadelphia city worker hours are and if Douglass was supposed to be out and about counseling victims (or as the DA Newsletter puts it, “finding creative ways to keep taking care of their clients”), particularly since the man he allegedly killed has been “described by authorities as a male prostitute [who] tried to rob Douglass at gunpoint.”
Big Trial, a Philadelphia trial blog, fill in some details:
“According to police, the two black males met at 27th and Cambria. Douglass, 28, of the 2900 block of North Bambrey St., got into a white Dodge Durango driven by Harris, 31, of the 1800 block of Harrison Street, and then they drove to the cemetery. After their encounter, which took place in the back seat of the vehicle, with the windows open, Douglass told police, Harris stood outside the vehicle and pointed a gun at Douglass, and demanded all his money.”
So it was a business meeting, just not official business. Because he was reportedly wearing his DA ID badge, it’s fair to assume Douglass did not use up vacation time or take an approved leave. And that makes it fair to wonder what it is about working for the City of Philadelphia that makes employees feel comfortable engaging in such blatant policy violations on the people’s dime — and not fear having to honestly account for their time.
It’s also fair to wonder, since prostitution is a crime, if using a gun during its commission won’t have any accessory carryover. And while few would dispute Douglass’ right to defend himself, it is curious that he is a “gun violence professional” working in an anti-gun administration for Larry Krasner, a soft on (actual) crime DA.
It’s no surprise that Philadelphia is a “Bloomberg Mayors” city, and one that is continually trying to pass infringements in violation of state preemption laws. So it’s good for Douglass that he already has his concealed carry permit, because the city, using COVID as an excuse, is making citizens wait months instead of the required 45 days.
He does have a permit, doesn’t he?
That’s not clear, because Big Trial says “Police recovered a 9 mm gun registered to Douglass.” Since that’s not a requirement (the prior link to the city administration says “PA records handgun sales in a state database”), one wonders if they meant he had a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms. Noting his position with the city, that’s something to be looked into, as well as if that means he was compliant with state law on guns in vehicles and Philadelphia Code on guns in public facilities like his place of employment.
Since Krasner’s office has recused itself, we’ll need to wait to see what the state investigation concludes, and how many of these points are raised.
“Your Philly DA’s office: where Krasner hires an employee who allegedly ends up shooting and killing a man,” The Inquirer article quotes a U.S. attorney and strong critic of the district attorney. “You can’t even make this stuff up. The destruction that Krasner has wrought on that office is a tragedy.”
The mess “progressive” policies have made of the Democrat-controlled city is pretty evident by events unfolding in Philadelphia, with riots and looting and burning over police defending themselves against a knife-wielding “family man” who:
“…had at least three standing protection from abuse orders filed against him, by his mother and the mother of his children … was arrested for stabbing the mother of his children [was arrested] for kicking the windows and door panels of a police vehicle [and] during a robbery… allegedly grabbed a woman by the neck, and … held a gun to her head… [H]e violated a protection order filed by his mother by throwing water in her face, punching her in the face, and threatening to shoot her [and] was a mentally ill career criminal with some 18 arrests; an amateur rapper seen on video cavorting with guns that, as a convicted felon, he was barred from possessing…”
In a seeming sick parody of what the entire Black Lives Matter movement is supposed to be about (as opposed to the Chinese communist-manipulated subversion that it is), we are “treated” to such examples of cognitive dissonance as “Looter Calls Philly Police to Report Looting After Fellow Looters Steal His Car” and “Looters were shooting looters.”
None of that is more absurdly contradictory than a “gun violence crisis responder” working for an anti-gun administration reportedly shooting a prostitute to death while on the job. That seems as good an excuse for more riots as any, but for some reason, it’s getting a pass. The U.S. attorney is right. You literally cannot make this stuff up.
And these are the people who want our guns.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
