"Stan Hardegree -> TIM RICHARDSON"  wrote in
news:14097$POL_DISORDER{at}JamNNTPd:

 SH>> Can you imagine for one second trying to teach Otto anything that
 SH> involves
 SH>> logic or discipline?

 TR>> He is completely unfamiliar with either concept. He feels safer
 SH> seeking out
 TR>> and posting up web photos of kittens, than he does taking part in
 SH> rational
 TR>> conversation.

 TR>> His friend Ceppa (the *college-educated* Ceppa!) isn't much
 SH> better.

 SH> There is not a snowball's chance in hell that either Ceppa OR Otto
 SH> ever darkened the door of a college.

Yeah! Why couldn't all colleges be like this "good, wholesome Jawjuh
college!"

And the "Law and Order" prosecutor in this case too!

Student who shot classmate to graduate, no jail time

Morehouse student shot classmate Rashad Johnson in 2007

Johnson survived, never returned to Morehouse, but shooter graduates
this weekend

Shooter was offered a plea deal that avoided jail time; faced up to 20
years in prison

"I really feel sick, like how could this happen," Johnson says

From Gary Tuchman and Ismael Estrada

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- About 500 students will graduate this weekend
from Atlanta's prestigious Morehouse College. One person who won't be
there is Rashad Johnson, shot three times by a fellow student. But the
shooter will receive his diploma -- part of a plea deal that spared him
up to 20 years in prison.

It's a puzzling case that raises a huge question: How can this be?

Even Atlanta's chief district attorney, Paul Howard, is outraged by the
generous plea deal, an offer that was made by a prosecutor under his
command.

"First of all, for the victim and his family, they deserved a better
resolution," said Howard, a Morehouse graduate himself. "It seems like
the wrong person got the right benefit."

Joshua Brandon Norris faced one count of aggravated assault with a
deadly weapon and a second count for possession of a firearm during the
commission of a felony. But in a court hearing in January, he was
presented with what the judge described as "the break of your life."

He pleaded no contest to the first count; the second charge was dropped.
He got six years of probation, a $1,000 fine and 240 hours of community
service. He avoided any jail time, and the plea also mandated that he
"remain in college and complete your college degree," according to court
transcripts. The sentence was not the judge's idea, but he followed the
prosecutor's recommendation.

Johnson, who still has a bullet in his left leg, says he wasn't told
about the court hearing. When he learned of the plea deal, his reaction
was: "He's gotta return to college? This criminal?"

Johnson's father died three months before the shooting. He had taken the
semester off to grieve for his father, but remained in Atlanta and had
planned to return to Morehouse the following semester. After the
shooting, he went home to California to be with his mom and recover from
his injuries.

His mother, Fahizah Johnson, said, "I am so disappointed because
Morehouse has been an institution in my family for three generations."

"This guy shot my son three times, and he's still in school? He's still
a student with other students?" she said. "I'm hurt for my son. I'm hurt
for his dream deferred, but it's not over. And I'm thankful for his life
and I'm thankful for his spirit."

The incident began at a Halloween party in 2007 at an Atlanta club,
where Morehouse college kids had gathered for a bash. The club owner
said he saw Norris causing trouble, and a bouncer threw him out the
front door.

Minutes later, the people in the club heard gunshots and everyone hit
the floor. The club owner said the shooter was the man he saw kicked
out.

Johnson told CNN that there was an altercation outside the club and that
he exchanged words with Norris. He said he didn't think much of it, and
he began walking to his car when Norris pulled up in his Hummer, got out
of the vehicle and pointed a gun at his head.

"When he put the gun to my head, all I could think about was I'm not
going to let this kid take me away from my mom, especially with what
she's dealing with right now," Johnson said.

He said he grabbed Norris' wrist and pulled his arm down when shots rang
out. "I felt the sharpest burning sensation when the first bullet hit my
leg. It actually made my leg buckle," he said.

Norris would not go on camera with CNN, and neither would his attorney.
But his lawyer said that at the time of the shooting, his client felt
his life was threatened and was defending himself.

CNN also asked Morehouse officials to comment on why Norris was allowed
back in school and asked if they ever talked about safety considerations
involving other students there. The school had allowed Norris to return
to classes, even before the plea was entered.

Morehouse refused to discuss the issue on camera. But in a written
statement, the school said, "The college cannot comment on specific
student conduct matters, incidents of inappropriate student behavior,
whether on or off campus."

The assistant district attorney who made the plea deal could not be
reached for comment. His boss, Fulton County District Attorney Paul
Howard, said that the prosecutor of the case has resigned and that he
would have been fired for his handling of this case. Howard feels a
stiffer penalty was warranted.

"We are sorry this happened for so many reasons," Howard said. "When
something like this happens, I am very upset by it."

He added, "It was an inappropriate sentence."

As for Johnson, he is attending Sacramento City College and plans to
attend law school after he graduates in 2011. Johnson said he no longer
wants to be a Morehouse man. The fact that Norris is graduating this
weekend, he said, is an injustice.

"I really feel sick, like how could this happen," he said, fighting back
tears.

? 2008 Cable News Network

--- Xnews/5.04.25