MURRAY, UTAH — If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Also, keep your temper in check.
Police say that 42-year-old Patrick Brown had bought a Range Rover recently, and was approached by 39-year-old Darnell Brown (no relation) who made fun of his new purchase. An argument began and at some point, Patrick pulled out a gun and pointed it at Darnell. Darnell, who was with his family at the time, became angered by this show of aggression.
Things got worse from there.
Patrick Brown drove away from the complex with Darnell Brown following him. At one point, Patrick Brown leaned out of his SUV window and threatened to shoot Darnell Brown if he continued to follow him. Darnell Brown used his cellphone to take a photograph of the back of Patrick Brown’s Range Rover and then rear ended the SUV, police said. He got out and started yelling at Patrick Brown to “get out and fight him,” police said.
Patrick Brown made a U-turn, pulled up next to Darnell Brown and shot him in the head. He fired two more shots at Darnell Brown’s car before leaving. Brown’s fiance was in the passenger seat.
via newsbreak.com
Darnell did not survive his injury, and police eventually caught up with Patrick thanks to the photos that Darnell had taken of the vehicle during the incident.
Patrick was arrested and charged with murder, two counts of discharging a firearm causing serious injury, possession of a firearm by a restricted person and discharge of a firearm. His being a restricted person stems from his convictions of bank robbery and aggravated assault in Alabama. I know, he sounds like an all-around nice guy.
For our purposes, this story serves to educate on a few different levels:
- Don’t get confrontational
- Don’t chase after someone
- Don’t go looking for a fight
- Keep your ego in check
- Keep your temper in check
- Know that some people will shoot you dead
Of course, this incident could have been avoided entirely if things had been handled differently on one or both sides. We help to choose our paths in life, and for me, I choose the paths that don’t put me in clear danger.
