Man Arrested For Shooting Two 49ers Fans After Win Over Saints
January 18, 2012 8 Comments
According to police in Gwinnett County, Georgia, a New Orleans Saints fan shot two men rooting for the San Francisco 49ers in the parking lot of an Applebee’s restaurant in Duluth, Ga. shortly after San Francisco eliminated New Orleans in the NFC Divisional playoff on Saturday.
According to reports, a man named Christopher Middleton was shot in the stomach and is in critical condition, while his friend Corey Adams suffered a minor wound to the head. Adams was treated at the scene and then was taken to identify Ayro, who police apprehended driving south away from the scene. Ayro had allegedly become upset with the 49ers fans for cheering inside the restaurant and then attacked them as they left.
Gwinnett County Police arrested Donald Ray Ayro, 31, after he fled the scene. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Unfortunately, fan violence is an increasingly pervasive problem. Just a few days before this incident, Philadelphia police charged the instigator in the beating of a fan following the NHL’s Winter Classic between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. Unlike this Georgia incident, many incidents of fan violence occur at a sporting event or in the vicinity.
In August 2011, 49ers fans were shown brawling with Raiders fans in the stands during a preseason NFL game. After that same game, two men were shot in the parking lot at Candlestick Park.
Perhaps the most notable incident of fan violence also affected a fan of a San Francisco team. On opening day of the 2011 baseball season, a San Francisco Giants fan named Bryan Stow was critically beaten outside Dodger Stadium following Los Angeles’ 2-1 victory.
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Good grief it’s just a game. Entertainment. Get a life people.
My favorite team lost.[Not necessarily the Saints] Sure, I am disappointed, and slightly upset over it. But then I look at it his way. This last season for my favorite team has set all kinds of records for the team and in the whole NFL. Their regular season stats are record setting almost all the way across the board. From the most wins in one season[team] to a high scoring offense[NFL] to a winning streak record[1st for team, 2nd in NFL], to other records. Sure I’m very disappointed, but I can take solus in the fact that they have their names in places that may mean more than a postseason win.
And a real true sports fan should and does look at it that way. The level of play and the accomplishments that are set along the path is the true record of a good team. Remember, Tom Dempsey, of the Saints still holds the world record of the longest field goal in history of 63 yards. A man with a partial arm and half of a foot, holding that record.
A true sportsman will congratulate the other team for it’s efforts on the winning of the game, especially when done with fair play and honor.
I’m sure there was more to it than the game.
Too many people live and die with how their team did on a given day. Been to an NFL game lately? How many belligerent drunks can you shake a stick at? NFL games especially have become ridiculous with the usual provincialism going up a few notches and turning into violence against visiting team fans. Now apparently this is becoming true for MLB and NHL games too.
Macho guys with no better way to let off steam get rip-roaring drunk in the parking lot then after the game (having had a few dozen more beers inside the stadium) start looking for trouble outside the stadium after the game.
Take a look at the video on this link. It is from a story HBO Real Sports did about NFL fans and their tailgating. http://www.tailgatingideas.com/hbo-real-sports/
Aggravated assault?? How about attempted murder.
this makes no sense.
what a joke of a person smh
this can’t be true..no human is that insane to kill over an NFL game or any sport for that matter