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First City Murder In 12 Days
posted (March 18, 2013)
Tonight, after a brief lull in homicides, the city has a murder to report, the first since March sixth. The victim is Leon "Bunn" Humes, and his death followed an all too familiar formula: he was out late on Saturday night buying food when a gunman pulled up and shot him in the head. Monica Bodden spoke to his family today:

Monica Bodden Reporting

23 year old Leon Humes was gunned down here in front of Fay-Way Store on Mahogany Street. The shooting happened about 11:25 on Friday night.

Humes was standing outside the store buying food - when a man wearing a mask came from the direction of Jasmine Street and opened fire in his direction. One of the shots caught Humes to the left side of the cheek and exitted through the right side of his head.

Anna White - Sister of Deceased
"We were at home here getting ready for a little dance that they have through the neighborhood on weekend, when a young man ran by and shouted that "Bun" got shot out there, and that we must go check him. That's how everyone ran out there to deal with him and everything."

Monica Bodden
"When you got out there what was it like on the scene?"

Anna White
"Everybody was out there, everybody was around, just - everybody got frustrated you know. I don't really know what is going on with the police. My brother never died out there by the Chinese shop. My brother was still alive, and we're telling the police officers that it's our brother and to just let us see him. We asked them to just let us deal with him; everybody was offering to take him to hospital. They don't want anybody touch him; they don't want anybody move him. They said that he was dead."

But according to Humes' sister and many others that were on the scene on Friday night, he was still alive and fighting for his life.

Anna White
"Still was breathing, still was breathing. When they finish all they started to do - because everyone was getting frustrated because everyone knows him. Everyone knows Bun. Bun is no, you know, he is all about the ladies. Everybody knows that he is about the ladies. Everybody started to get frustrated. Police fired shots over our head, because everybody wants to help him; to move him, to carry him, but they didn't want nobody touch him."

Monica Bodden
"So you guys weren't allowed to even see him?"

Anna White
"No we couldn't go see him. We had to wait until he was at the hospital; that's where we had to go see him. Only my mother, she came and started to cry to them and tell them that it was her son that down there. My brother never died out there at the Chinese shop. If we could have helped him - the only thing we wanted to do was help him, to move him, take him to the hospital. They just went on like we were not human. All of us are human, and everybody have a family. Yes we live in a neighborhood, we expect it you know. It just hurt us to know that he never died out there and they never wanted to move him. That's the only thing that's hurting us."

Police say Humes died at approximately 2:20 on Saturday morning. Humes was not known as a gangster or a troublesome person. His family believes that his death may have been just an outcome of residing in an embattled neighborhood.

Anna White
"We don't know what happened. We don't know because we weren't there. They came to tell us; everybody was at home. The man only came to ask his mom for a drive. He said, 'I'm coming back; I'm only going to go buy food.' He is a man - everybody knows that he loves Lee Chee. It's not like he went anywhere far; he was at the closest Chinese to his house. Everybody knows fried chicken is his thing; he went nowhere far."

The Former graduate of Sadie Vernon high was a construction worker employed under the Southside Poverty Alleviation Project.

And while his family is mourning his death, they told us that they are leaving Justice in God's hand.

Anna White
"Everybody knows Bun, he is al about the ladies, and everyone says he is the number 1 top lady's man. He's always talking foolishness, always acting like a clown. My brother is like that, and we will always remember him. Everybody always said that a girl would kill him, but it just happen in a way you have to live and expect it. We will just leave it to the good Lord because he knows what went on, and he will deal with it. We're not judging anybody because we don't know, we don't know anything."



Gunfight With Pol; Police Shoot One, Capture Other


And while police were processing that crime scene, they saw a heavily tinted car speeding past the corner of Poinsettia and Black Orchid Streets.

Police raced after the vehicle until it plunged into a drain. 27 year-old Brandon "Battery" Smith, who is well known to police, allegedly exited the car with a handgun and started firing at the officers. The officers returned fire, and shot the driver, 28 year-old Alrick Smith - critically wounding him with a gunshot to the abdomen area.

Brandon Smith ran off and escaped, leaving police behind to rush Alrick Smith to the KHMH.

Police did eventually catch up with Brandon Smith and charged him with 4 counts of attempted murder, which he allegedly committed against Police Constables Abner Pasqual, Terry Reyes, Mark Tzul, and Wayne Trapp.

He was arraigned today before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith today, where he asked that he not be brought back to court until he is eligible for bail in 3 months. As a result, Chief Magistrate Smith remanded him until June 18, 2013. As for Alrick Smith, he is now in stable condition and is hospitalized pending charges.

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