I was out all day yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to look over the details of the shooting incident outside DeShawn's house. More facts have come out (see also below), so it's probably a good time to look at this again.
The good news is that it appears that Stevenson himself was neither the victim nor the perpetrator. I'm sure that was everyone's first concern (it was definitely mine), so at least we don't have to worry about another Blatche-like arrest. You also always have to hold your breath with Stevenson. He has a checkered past, which included statutory rape charges soon after he entered the league, but he seemingly has turned himself around and become a model citizen. With all that being said, there are still a lot of things about this incident that make no sense.
Initially, it was reported that Stevenson was having a party at his house, but the police report says that he was simply sleeping inside. According to the report, two of Stevenson's friends (it's not clear how close), former NBA player Brandon Hunter and a guy named Ronnie Millsap, were coming home from a club and invited some girls over to Stevenson's house. They were followed by a guy named Curtis Ruff, who has an extensive criminal record. Stevenson lives in a gated community, but Ruff was let in because Stevenson's friends thought the girls were in that car. When they stopped at Stevenson's house, Ruff came out and argued with the girls before opening fire. Stevenson's friends claim they didn't fire back, yet Ruff still was hit in the leg. Strangely, Stevenson and his friends are not pressing charges, even though Ruff hit Stevenson's car and was on his property.
That's the story. Clearly, there are a lot of gaps to fill in.
- Why were Stevenson's friends inviting girls back to Stevenson's house when Stevenson was sleeping? Either Stevenson was having something at his house and simply decided not to go out with his friends, or his friends just invited themselves over without letting Stevenson know. If it's the first scenario, you have to wonder why Stevenson went to sleep, knowing his friends may be coming back.
- How did Stevenson's friends not know they were being followed? They thought that the SUV following their car was carrying the girls, but wouldn't they have seen the car they were driving?
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How is Ruff, who has an extensive criminal record, not locked up? There's no real answer to this question, but it still makes you wonder.
And that's not even before we get to the two biggest questions. First, if Stevenson's friends didn't return fire, then how did Ruff get shot? Could he have shot himself in order to make it seem like he was the victim? Possibly, considering his lack of cooperation with authorities, but that seems a little far fetched. Could Stevenson's friends be lying? It's quite possible.
Obviously, this ties into the far bigger question: Why aren't Stevenson and his friends pressing charges? There are a number of possibilities here. They might not be pressing charges because Stevenson's friends did actually return fire and Stevenson wants to protect them. Perhaps they aren't pressing charges because they aren't sure about the legal standing, although I can't imagine why that wouldn't be the case considering the incident took place on Stevenson's property. Maybe it's because Stevenson doesn't want to group himself with Hunter and Millsap and has told them to go away. Or maybe they aren't pressing charges because of the gangster (and believe me, I don't want to use that word) "don't be a snitch" mentality. Perhaps Stevenson is worried that he's putting himself and his friends in danger if he presses charges.
We have to remember that, not only are NBA players predisposed to many lowlife characters like Ruff, but Stevenson himself still is running from his past. This happened on his property, but it doesn't seem like he had much to do with it. Considering his past, it's very possible that he once knew a lot of people involved in criminal activity, and they have come back to bite him. Until more facts come out, I have a hard time placing any blame on Stevenson's shoulders.