I had decided when I came back I wouldn’t talk about WB’s friend Andrew or the circumstances of his death out of respect for his family.
Unfortunately, there are way too many insensitive assholes out there and I am forced to address their ignorance.
I understand that with Andrew being shot, there is a natural progression from that to an assumption of drugs, etc. And unless you knew Andrew or his family, it would be just that – an assumption. And we all know what “assume” does, now don’t we?
I was there when a journalist stuck a tape recorder in a grieving mother’s face and asked how long her son had been dealing drugs. I was there when my son punched someone in the face for saying in front of Andrew’s little sister: “He was obviously in a gang and dealing – what did you expect would happen?”
I’m here to set the record straight.
Andrew was in his second year of College and a straight A student. He was active in his church, volunteered on a regular basis and was the lead singer for a local band.
Andrew tried to diffuse a bad situation at a house party the week before his death by asking 5 people to leave. 4 of those 5? They hunted him down in a park a week later and shot him once, in the chest. The 16 year old that was arrested admits he pulled the trigger because he will only go to jail for 2 years as a juvenile. An autopsy proved Andrew had no drugs in his system.
Everyone needs to stop focusing on the sensational and start focusing on the fact a young man lost his life.
