Free speech angers black student
A Friday-night argument between two teenagers -- one white and one
black -- over the Confederate flag ended with one in the hospital with
a gunshot wound and the other in jail, facing felony charges.The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. in downtown Sarasota near
Links and Main streets. The site is across from the Hollywood 20 movie
theater and is a popular nighttime gathering spot for teenagers.
According to police and eyewitness reports:
Michael
J. Mitchell, 18, a student at the Sarasota Military Academy, was with a
group of friends when Dan A. Azeff, also 18 and a student at Sarasota
High School and Sarasota County Technical Institute, walked by with
another group.
Azeff wore a hat with the Confederate symbol and carried a Confederate flag measuring about 5 feet by 3 feet.
Mitchell and a friend questioned Azeff about the hat and flag,
asking if he was a racist. Azeff told them no, he was just exercising
free speech.
The fight escalated and the groups exchanged racial
slurs. Mitchell reportedly pulled out a handgun and shot Azeff once in
the chest, then ran off.
Continue...
