Not from The Onion: Man stabbed after sign language mistaken for gang signs

Police: Man stabbed after sign language mistaken for gang signs
2013-01-10T12:07:32 Thursday, January 10, 2013
www.news-record.com/home/563150-91/polic...n-stabbed-after-sign


BURLINGTON — A deaf man was stabbed several times Wednesday after another man mistook sign language for gang signs.

The victim, a 45-year-old Burlington man, was using sign language with another deaf man as he walked down East Morehead Street at 5:10 p.m., Burlington police staff Sgt. Mark Yancey said.

Police said a man in his yard at 715 E. Morehead St. thought the two deaf men were showing gang signs and stabbed one of them several times with a kitchen knife.

The victim and his friend walked to Maple Avenue and Miller Street, where they called 911. The victim is in stable condition at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.

Police arrested Robert Jarell Neal, 22, in Elon just after midnight. Neal, of 715 E. Morehead St., was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and felony assault on a handicapped person. He remains in the Alamance County jail on a $500,000 bond.Continue Reading

Yancey said Neal is not in a gang. He did not know why only one of the two men was attacked.

“There has been no contact between the suspect and the victim prior to this,” Yancey said. “It must have been a misinterpretation by the suspect.”

Ha.
Thats just terrible.

This is just crazy. Even if the man was throwing up gang signs it doesnt give the cops a right to shoot him. I cant believe that cops would shoot someone over some hand gestures. The world is so crazy sometimes. I hope the mans family sues the police and gets the funeral paid for and everything.