Suspect in Massachusetts Gay Bar Attack Aprehended but Near Death

Posted on | February 5, 2006

The story surrounding eighteen year-old Jacob D. Robida, the assailant in the New Bedford, Massachusetts gay bar attack reported on Thursday keeps getting weirder and weirder. After Robida was identified as the suspect, a police search turned up Nazi paraphernalia and anti-Semitic materials so we know he was just a charming individual. But thankfully he is now no longer a threat to anyone as he is currently in a Springfield, Missouri hospital in critical condition after being shot in the head twice by police. The shoot-out occurred after Robida was pulled over by officer Jim Sell of Gassville, Arkansas. Robida fired twice and killed Sell.

State troopers laid down spike strips in order to disable Robida’s vehicle and took out two tires cause him to lose control. When he was ordered to surrender and responded by opening fire. During the shoot-out, Robida apparently also shot the unidentified female companion that was with him although police will not be able to confirm this until after ballistic analysis has been conducted in order to see whose bullet killed her. The woman’s identity and her relation to Robida have not been released.

Scott Lang, the mayor of New Bedford, went to Puzzles to personally announce the news of Robida’s capture which was met with applause from the bar’s patrons and staff. One of the victims, Robert Perry, who was shot in the chest and came very close to being paralyzed came to the bar after he heard about the news. Perry was on his second day after being released from the hospital and carries a hole in his back from the bullet’s exit wound which narrowly missed his spinal cord, a black eye, and a gash on his cheek. The other two victims who were shot in the head remain hospitalized with one still in critical condition.

Ironically even though he viciously attacked three of my fellow gay men specifically for their homosexuality he will never see the inside of a Massachusetts court room. Instead he will be another inmate on Arkansas’ death-row waiting to be executed for murdering officer Sell. I can definitely deal with that. But as things stand right now, his death-by-cop suicide seems assured.

One other thing that disturbs me is that this will once again stir up another, completely unrelated issue about music/television/movies supposedly influencing people. In some of the news articles there has been talk about Robida’s interest in the Insane Clown Posse and such. Naturally, like Judas Priest and Marilyn Manson before them, there will be questions about their supposed role in this affair and whether or not their music was responsible for Robida becoming what was. And of course the answer is that they had no role whatsoever in it. Pete Townsend of The Who put it best:

"I think that if someone goes out and kills someone because some shithead with a guitar tells them to, then they’re shitheads themselves and they would have killed someone anyway."

Blog Links:

Pam’s House Blend

External Links:

Filed Under News |

Comments

One Response to “Suspect in Massachusetts Gay Bar Attack Aprehended but Near Death”

Glenn H. Thompson
February 5th, 2006 @ 3:06 am

Hi, jon my name is glenn and I am asking you to visit my site as I believe we just may be two peas in a pod so to speak. I have just recently purchased my first ‘new’ computer but have been obsessing about the potential for my own blog and blogging in general. Perhaps we can help each other out in this area. My blog is queeramericblog.com so come on over and check out the liks that have had most of my attention and if interested lets link up. I have sufed around the net endlessly since the summer and you are the lucky winner of my attention to invite as someone I would like to have posting articles of their own if you wish to as a co-writer/commentor. I have only read a few things on your site, but from the first glance it just looked all too familiar to me and it was this kindred spirit crap that has gotten me excited. Hope I can move you in the same way.
you can always e-mail me at: glenn@queeramericablog.com

-It’s time for me to start working on article content now so ‘pass the blunt.’