by Barbara Leader of The New Star
"MONROE — Jena 6 figure Mychal Bell was taken to a Monroe hospital tonight after apparently shooting himself in the chest with a .22-caliber gun about 7:40 p.m.
Monroe police Sgt. Cassandra Wooten said the wound did not appear to be life-threatening. When asked if Bell gave a reason for the shooting, Wooten said, “he said he couldn’t take it anymore; he was back in the media again.”
The 18-year-old who lists his address as the 100 block of Grayling Lane in Monroe is free on $1,300 bond after being arrested Christmas Eve on one count each of shoplifting, resisting arrest and simple battery.
“I am predicting that once all the facts are established, he probably will not be guilty,” said Louis Scott, a lawyer who previously has represented Bell. “There has been more put on this young man than anybody can bear — people trying to provoke him, trying to make him react.”
BellÂ’s latest arrest comes less than a month after he completed an 18-month sentence for his role in the beating of fellow Jena High classmate Justin Barker in December 2006.
Security personnel at DillardÂ’s in Pecanland Mall in Monroe spotted Bell and an unidentified male Wednesday after placing $370 worth of merchandise in a DillardÂ’s shopping bag, police said.
After the two separated, Bell left the store, was followed by a security officer and began running through the parking lot. He was found under a vehicle in the Sears parking lot, police said. Bell began “swinging his arms wildly” and delivered a glancing blow to the security officer with his elbow, police said.
“Dillard’s has a tradition of being overly suspicious of young black males,” Scott said, adding that he bases that on personal and court experiences. “He should at least have the presumption of innocence.”
DillardÂ’s has been accused of racial profiling in lawsuits in Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Georgia. A Monroe store manager referred inquiries to Roger Williams in DillardÂ’s Little Rock, Ark., office. A person in his office said he would have no comment."
"MONROE — Jena 6 figure Mychal Bell was taken to a Monroe hospital tonight after apparently shooting himself in the chest with a .22-caliber gun about 7:40 p.m.
Monroe police Sgt. Cassandra Wooten said the wound did not appear to be life-threatening. When asked if Bell gave a reason for the shooting, Wooten said, “he said he couldn’t take it anymore; he was back in the media again.”
The 18-year-old who lists his address as the 100 block of Grayling Lane in Monroe is free on $1,300 bond after being arrested Christmas Eve on one count each of shoplifting, resisting arrest and simple battery.
“I am predicting that once all the facts are established, he probably will not be guilty,” said Louis Scott, a lawyer who previously has represented Bell. “There has been more put on this young man than anybody can bear — people trying to provoke him, trying to make him react.”
BellÂ’s latest arrest comes less than a month after he completed an 18-month sentence for his role in the beating of fellow Jena High classmate Justin Barker in December 2006.
Security personnel at DillardÂ’s in Pecanland Mall in Monroe spotted Bell and an unidentified male Wednesday after placing $370 worth of merchandise in a DillardÂ’s shopping bag, police said.
After the two separated, Bell left the store, was followed by a security officer and began running through the parking lot. He was found under a vehicle in the Sears parking lot, police said. Bell began “swinging his arms wildly” and delivered a glancing blow to the security officer with his elbow, police said.
“Dillard’s has a tradition of being overly suspicious of young black males,” Scott said, adding that he bases that on personal and court experiences. “He should at least have the presumption of innocence.”
DillardÂ’s has been accused of racial profiling in lawsuits in Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Georgia. A Monroe store manager referred inquiries to Roger Williams in DillardÂ’s Little Rock, Ark., office. A person in his office said he would have no comment."
