GMP said:
SFCityBear said:
The article did say "alleged" in reference to this incident. Given the veracity of the news media these days, can we at least have a little patience and wait for all the details to come out?
Even if you were right about the news media, which you are not, this came straight from the police department, not from a reporter. It is of course alleged because the charges have not been proven.
As I read the articles, the first statement was from a radio or TV station, and says "Bird is under arrest and facing charges after an assault." That statement is reported news. It may have come from the police or may not have, as the reporter did not quote the police directly, nor did the reporter say, "The police said that.." Note that this story did not use the word "allegedly".
The second article, was from ESPN, and does say that "Bird has been arrested for allegedly assaulting, strangling, and kidnapping and unidentified person" according to the police. It also quotes a police spokesman as saying that Bird is being " guarded by the Boston police at a local hospital for evaluation." The story also says that Bird "is expected to appear in court Monday, where he will face charges of assault and battery, strangulation and kidnapping." The reporter did not quote the police or state that the police made that statement.
The third article, also from ESPN, says ".Bird will face charges in a Boston court after he was accused in a domestic incident in which a victim was injured, officials said." What officials? Police offficials? Government officials? Celtic officials?
The third article also states, "Police said complaints would be sought against Bird for assault and battery, strangulation and kidnapping." Here is where it now starts to get a little murky. In the first and second article, the reporters say the Bird has been arrested and will face charges. But in the third article the police say that complaints will be sought against Bird. Now it is the District Attorney who files charges in criminal cases like this, and in order to do that he must have a complaint either from the victim or from a police report. So how come the earlier articles all say Bird will face charges, when the 3rd article states that the police don't even have complaints yet? Now if the victim has given the police a report, the police can make a complaint out of it and give it to the DA, but if they are still seeking a complaint then either the victim is too injured to make a report or maybe they are reluctant to make the complaint. The victim could be lawyering up and that can take time. But looking at the language, and the sources, charges don't seem imminent just yet. The fact that Bird has been in the hospital for three days may indicate that Bird may have gotten injured himself in the incident, and perhaps this is not a simple case of one-sided assault.
In any case, the story did not entirely come directly from the police. Most of it was reportage by definition. Could Bird be kept under guard in the hospital to protect him from retaliation from the victim or friends of the victim? I think many of us can be all too quick to judge a domestic violence case, including reporters needing a story that will sell newspapers and grab TV viewer attention. What we have here is at least one person injured, maybe a domestic abuse, maybe a complaint, maybe a police report, maybe some charges, and maybe Bird found guilty, Let's wait and see, huh?