Xbox Murder: Man Kills Acquaintance While Playing Videogame

Joseph Johnson, aged 28, from Chicago, is facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly killing a man while they played games together on an Xbox 360.

[SprayandPreycom]

please speak here .... yeas video game violence effects people the end....

[Canary]

Yeah, that's totally it.

Not America's exorbitantly-high murder rates.
Not the overproliferation of violence in popular American literature, film, television and music.
Not the threadbare requirements for gun ownership.
Not the pathetically inept public education system that raised an entire generation of morons.

No, you're right. It's TOTALLY the fault of video games.

[dantesparda]

maybe i havent been paying as good attention as i should have but why does it seem like most of these involve the xbox system? if im wrong than "im sorry" but show me the numbers

[JeffGUNZ]

So, when he purchased Call of Duty, it came with a hand gun? In order to play call of duty, you have to carry a firearm? No. Read the article. This is just a scumbag criminal with atleast one warrant issued against him. Knowing some of the areas in the Chicago and the increasing amount of gang population, this was nothing more then a criminal in a gang, being a criminal. It has nothing to do with video games. If he lost in a game of basketball, the outcome would have probably been the same. It's not video games fault that people make terrible decisions. Whatever happened to people being crazy?

@ Canary: I agree with you about it not being video games fault. But, watch what your saying. I work in law enforcement, I would bet my house that the gun was stolen or not registered to him. Most of the weapons on the street are owned illegally. Second, public school has nothing to do with it. How do you even know this kid graduated, he may have just dropped out at the age of 16. Take a look at the figures, you'd be surprised. Most of the craziest, unthinkable acts come from kids who were in private school (compared to kids in public). This is what I see everyday, a high school drop out who commits crime for street rep.

[ZEEBO4LIFESTFU]

how does a passafist, such as myself , play violent video games?

[sack_boi]

What was that idiot doing with a gun in first place?

[Lich120]

I would say, yes, video game violence affects people. In the same way that a toddler cries if you take something they want away from them. It only affects people that have the emotional capacity of an infant. That is to say, if these people weren't provoked by video games, it would be something else. Don't blame video games, blame the people. Or, extrapolate further, why are these people the way they are? Because rest assured, the underlying reason has nothing to do with video games.

[ASSASSYN 36o]

That doesn't mean you don't want to fight. It means you will not actively engage in any form of combat EXCEPT for self-defense. And it has no meaning related to video games. Go have fun kid.

Agreed lich. A child can't cope with the reality of having something he/she wants removed from them. A teenager struggles with the experience and due to immaturity exhibits difficulty adjusting. A grown man/woman knows better. And is subjugated to the full extent of the law. Ignorance is no excuse for violating the laws of the land. The nut whom used a hand gun weather with intent to murder or settle a dispute was wrong.

They knew better they just didn't care. I have been playing violent video games my whole life and never exhibited any behavior resulting in another persons death. I never been in trouble with the law and never had the urge to murder another human being. People have been killing eachother since we crawled out of the primordial soup. And videogames have been around for a blink of human history.

[Mikerra17]

people who hunt kill people occasionally.
Presidents kill thousands by sending them into a useless fight.
Gangsters kill other gangsters

I kill viruses, now Im scared Im goona shank someone

how many deaths are blamed on videogames each year 100? how many people in the world play video games 50 million (rough estimate) or so? so the odds of you killing someone is .000002

you have all been warned

[LastDance]

Now im no forensic expert, but thats definately got to be some sort of party trick keeping the controller in the hand even after you've been shot in the brain and subsequently fall over.

[heroicjanitor]

Xbox overpowers him and forces him to do it...

[edhe]

I think they should've mentioned that the guy was a wanted criminal before they mentioned COD.

[Lifendz]

Sorta bad taste, no?

[lsujester]

A guy with the name JeffGUNZ who works in law enforcement, talking about scumbag criminals, and is willing to bet he knows this guy's history without knowing him. Has the stench of profiling all over it. That scares me more than the idiots on the street.

Gang members usually kill each other... pigs abuse everyone.

[Christopher]

So are the following: any sport activity, movies/television shows, driving, work, house chores, etc.

Video games don't make people violent, violent people are drawn to violence and therefore more likely to own games that help bring out their violent tendencies. This doesn't mean that non-violent people aren't also drawn to violent games, but it's a matter of how people are able to take in the violence and process it.

[Skizelli]

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
- http://www.data360.org/grap...
- http://www.nationmaster.com...
- http://www.photius.com/rank...

I know Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source, but that info has citations to back it up, and I threw in some other sources for good measure. You say America, but I assume you mean the United States, as most people do. I don't know if you've looked at a map lately, but North America isn't limited to just the US. There's also Canada and Mexico, each with their own gun laws. Then of course there's South America. That said, North America has a fairly low murder rate according to those sources.

This "generation of morons" isn't limited to the US.

[JeffGUNZ]

First off all, it's not called profiling, it's called probability. I am not a "pig", I work for the federal government. Law enforcement is not just police officers, it's a term for the whole community of people who work in protecting the society YOU live in. I have graduated from a University, with a BA in Criminal Justice. Shortly after that, I graduated with my Master's in Criminal Justice. I have read more books, done more research, and witnessed things you have no idea about. Why don't you pick up and book or do some research before you post ignorant comments. The average criminal in America is between the ages of 17-28, African-American, in a low-income areas. That is not profiling, those are the FACTS. Do you ever realize that the further outside of the center of city, the more dangerous it is? Look at Philadelphia, if you are downtown philly, it is beautiful, go 15-20 blocks north or south, and all the buildings begin to have bars across them, and those fancy resturants you saw downtown, are now replaced with fast-food joints. Why is that? It is because the further outside the epicenter of the city, the poorer and poorer the sections get. Most crime occurs in the "ghettos" or other low-income areas. Gang members don't just kill gang members. Why don't you get your head out of your as$ and try to see what I see daily, and what other people who work in law enforcement see. Gang members kill ANYONE. Yeah, gang fights occur, but what about the innocent young woman who gets stalked, raped, and murdered? I guess she MUST have been in a gang, since gang members only kill other gang members. Do not sit there and type out nonsense about "profiling" to someone (me) that knows this subject more than you. Go ahead, google it. I can pin-point so much information on this guy, you'd be scared.

Profiling is saying "all african-americans are criminals" or "all whites are red necks". Or even, like you said "pigs abuse everyone". You need to learn respect, because one day you might find yourself in a situation where some "pig" saves your life. You know what, that will probably never happen, why? Because those "pigs" go out every day and night to prevent and protect people, even ignorant ones like you. Why don't you make fun of our men and women in the military now, since you seem to be so classy.

Also, JeffGUNZ is a nickname that was given to me by my brother. I have been shooting since I was young and I am a firearms instructor for mulitple agencies (on the federal level) for the government. Hence, jeffgunz. Grow up.

[lsujester]

You actually think I don't see that kind of crap. You're not the only who sees the affect of ghetto. But unlike you, I don't drive through it, I live in it. I see drug deals and shootings in this neighborhood more than I care to, and more so where I used to live. I haven't been to Philadelphia, but I lived in New Orleans for most of my life. Go look up those statistics since you love to Google everything.

Regardless of what statistics you can pull, using any kind of race to judge "probability" is just a cover for profiling. People get raped, murdered, maimed by people of all walks of life.

You can call it what you want, but you even spouting these facts about the average criminal shows your tendencies. Even if you can nail down this guy about the gun and whatnot, it's still from the fact that you used a gross generalization (accurate or not) to portray his life.

And why would I respect you, since judging by your posts, you're a good example of "pigs abusing everyone". And do tell, if law enforcement officials are out protecting us from the horrors of ghetto life, how is it they are never actually in the ghetto until something happens?

[Traveler]

Jeffgunz is right. Your twisted view of things, Isujester, is so hopelessly ignorant and out of touch with reality.

Are there abuses of the power that police officers wield? Sure, and we should do everything in our power to make such cases known and to punish those involved. Abuses of police authority should not be tolerated.

On the other hand, the damage that criminal gang bangers perpetrate on society is vastly greater than all the police abuses put together. It's not even comparable.

As far as I am concerned the gangbanger mentality is a scourge on society. These people are so worthless and so destructive, I wish every single one of them would just disappear off the face of the planet. Those kind of people, along with redneck dumbsh!ts that want to shoot any animal that moves and have no respect for the natural environment, are two types of people that I think the world would be far better off without.

[XSUP3R DRAKENX]

CALL OF DUTY IS GONNA MAKE ME SHOOT JEFFGUNZ FOR HAVING ME READ HIS LIFE STORY.

[Dark_Overlord]

this article has a few floors

1st - he was possibly playing COD (what? did the killer change the game on the way out, he was either playing it or he wasn't)

2nd - Lets say for arguments sake he was playing COD, COD is a 1 player game only so there could be no argument over who was the winner/loser

3rd - The dead man was found with the controller in his hand, which means he WAS NOT EXPECTING IT, as he was shot to the back of the head

4th - Who the hell takes a gun around to someone else's house unless they have the intent of using it

IMO this was pre meditated, the suspect took a gun to the victims house, socialised with him, and got him to put on a game where his concentration would be solely centered on. Then whilst the victim was distracted shot him in the back of the head.

[Parapraxis]

I agree with points 1, 3, and 4...and it certainly sounds pre-meditated.
the fact they were playing video games has NOTHING to do with it.
It sounds as though the person commiting the murder used the game as a distraction.

Call of Duty games do have split screen though, so i'm not going to agree with you on point 2.

Only a coward thinks they have the right to take another persons life.

Also might I add, tying ths to videogames makes as much sense as blaming it on washing dishes if the victim happened to be doing that while the he was brutally shot in the back of the head.

Washing dishes leads to violence! sound the alarms!

[ASSASSYN 36o]

If you got to carry a gun somewhere. Then you don't need to go there. I am not against firearms. But I am for responsible carrying and use of them. Not carrying them just for the heck of it.

[jmare]

Why is someone a coward if they think they have the right to take someone else's life? Murderers, yes. People defending themselves or others, no.

Edit: Yet your argument seems to think that violence has no place, which is also untrue. You cannot use negotiations or diplomacy for everything. Some people cannot be negotiated with, which leaves what options? I agree that there are other options than just violence, however I am realistic enough to understand that Utopia is impossible and violence is sometimes needed when ther options fail.

[Parapraxis]

There's a big difference between people feeling they have a right to do something and people who do so in defence, which is born out of necessity for survival.
Your reasoning is the same reasoning people give to justify wars. Which concludes that there are no alternatives other than killing, which couldn't be farther from the truth.
It's the neverending cycle of eye for an eye which needs to be broken through education, diplomacy and elevating ourselves ethically and morally beyond war mongering factions and ideas.

[Dark_Overlord]

ok fair enough, I forgot about the local split screen (probably because I never play it :D)

[redsquad]

Game violence only desenisitizes me to more GAME violence - Really violence still turns my stomach.
If you kill a mate over a video game result then you're an unbalanced loony anyway, surely.

[piam45]

he shot him cuz he said killzone 2 was much better than cod.....

[jack who]

he was short cause he said what you just said.

[AuToFiRE]

And cue Jack Thompson..

[BlackPrince 42]

Wasn't this a Boondocks episode?

[younglj01]

yes it was and it was funny as he11 but this right is just freaking suck

[Toenado]

The only thing that is pathetic is the ignorance of your comment.

[meetajhu]

I don't know weather to laugh or feel sad for his death. Thats why i told these bit*tes to stop COD and play Killzone or Crysis. Idiots never learn. :D

[dirthurts]

But I've never had a fit of homicidal rage from losing a round of COD4, or any other game for that matter.

I agree, he comes in with a gun. He had this planned. Probably broke in, and waited for him to settle in and get distracted.

Considering the shot was in the back of the head, and the other guy still had the controller in his hand, I would assume he was playing by himself. How would the Killer stop playing, pull out a gun, walk behind the guy, and fire a shot without attracting some attention.

[JeffGUNZ]

Most murders happen on the spur of the moment. Most people who commit murder, would NEVER do it again. For example, a wife and a husband are fighting in the kitchen. The husband tells the wife he is cheating on her, the knife is availble and she picks it up in rage and stabs him. Studies show, she would not commit another murder again. Most murders occur in relation to what you have around you or on your person. If the knife was not laying on the counter, she would have most likely slapped or punched him. This instant offense, this guy had a gun on him, got ticked off, whether the other guy said something that got under his skin, he lost his cool, pulled out his gun and shot him. If he did not have the gun, the most that would have occured would have been simple assault. A fist fight. Murder is opportunistic. It's a shame, but if you have a bad temper, don't posses weapons.

Also, the controller stayed in his hand due to rigamortis. When the human body sustains significant trauma, basically any act that lead to your death, your body tenses and basically your hands stay firm and in the position they were in right before they were murdered.

[kingme71]

How do they know the guy wasn't playing it on his own and the guy snuck in and shot him? If he was still holding the controller and in the back of the head, it couldn't have been much of a fight.

[Mr Face Creamer]

Only on Xbox 360.

[Skizelli]

Lest we forget:

- http://www.mirror.co.uk/new...
- http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk...
- http://www.shortnews.com/st...

Don't be a moron, it can happen anywhere.

[iEternal]

it takes more than a video game for someone to build up the nerve to murder someone. the murderer already head problems (most likely mentally) if he were to kill someone over a video game.

[ApocalypseShadow]

but it amazes me each time i see the hatred,bigotry and over generalizing of ALL Americans from individuals from other countries.

as if violent deaths don't happen elsewhere WITHOUT guns.good thing some of your countries are PERFECT.

apocalypse.................

[Traveler]

I know. So many people act like arrogant jerks and generalize all Americans based on isolated events. The US isn't perfect, but I'm sick of these people's arrogance. I never say bad things about other people's countries, even though all countries have their problems. It's as if these people think their countries are perfect.

[DelbertGrady]

Some people are more competitive than others.

[xabmol]

"I'm winning! I'm winning!"

BANG!! ...

"Who's winning now?!"

In real life this is just sad, but if this were a Penney Arcade comic it would be hilarious. xD

[reelife]

Another x-box murder... Im shocked...

[Stubacca]

What else can you do when you got no game to play?

[Revvin]

Its just shocking to think he could have shot the guy whilst playing and then fled the scene without even logging him off so his stats wouldn't drop.

[Candlestickmaker]

This is a sad story and it's just sick to think you could be playing Call of Duty one minute and then BLAM! everything turns black.

The joypad was still in the dude's hand; man, that's cold.

But anyway, this is just one guy who probably got hot-headed when playing COD and went a bit too far - I mean it's already a warning sign that he had a gun on him in the first place, so it's not like the game did it. You just have to remember the millions of COD players who don't kill their friends with real guns, maybe they just get frustrated and shout at each other but never something stupid like shooting each other. You'd have to already have a killer mind or have some serious beef with the other guy to do that.

Games don't kill people, people do!

[Droidbro]

LOLz at #14

[News4fanboys]

if only the dude that got shot equipeded martyrdom a head of time (shakes head).

[Skizelli]

Or juggernaut.

[picker332]

hehe Would a perfect mess!

[picker332]

hehe Would be a perfect mess!

[picker332]

sry double post

[drewsny]

Well dantesparta, i couldn't help but realize your blatant fanboyism when you pointed out that these only happen with people playing xbox. I will contradict your fanboyism with some of my own thoughts. Since obviously you are not thinking logically then i will play on the same level as you.

How bout since murders only happen when people are playing the xbox and not the ps3. Ill say that logically since playing a different console doesn't affect your emotions, the only logical reason for more murders by xbox gamers would be that there are more xboxs sold world wide amirite.

[Candlestickmaker]

It makes sense that a higher install base for 360 means you'll see it in more human interest stories than the PS3.

That said, you rarely see the Wii involved in gristly stories like this (except for giving guys heart attacks, that is).

[Ninjamonkey]

wow thats bad...

Well yes the game had some part in the murder.

But lets be honest, how many people murder due to an argument whilst gaming? How many even get into a fight???

The fact is these people are wrog in the head to begin with, no normal person gets physically violent playing a game, and definately no sane person kills someone over a game.

Problem is now polititions will say that this is games fault, bviously theyre wrong and will once again end up getting laughed at by the multibillion industry which is gaming.

Though lets be honest here, its america. Im not saying its a bad country but its so easy for someone to get hold of a gun. In the news I saw that a child had possession of one.

For some reason the American governments thinks its ok to let people who have mental problems to be able to legally own a gun, and they make it too easy for people to get one illeagally. Personally I dont think I'll ever understand it. And I never plan to either...

[slave2Dcontroller]

:/

[JJFNIGHTS80]

Just get worse and worse FK. So many xbox murders. WTF is wrong with people.

[NEWSWATCHERS]

One shot two shot three shots four shots
All I hear is gunshots this is where the fun stops
Bodies drop hit the floor music's off
Party stops, everybody hit the door somebody's slingin' shots off!
One Shot 2 shot-Eminem

OUR UAV IS ONLINE!

[skip2mylou]

ok so you see kids the fact is if you dont want to get shot dont play violent video games. please hes fukin wanted in NC and that guy still becomes friends with him i think i would have excpected something to happen sooner or later

[ajcormier91]

this is more for parents to say "o i should not let my kids play these games because they might shoot someone in real life"..i understand where they are coming from, since he was already wanted he has a bad attitude...y would u get friends wit someone who is in trouble wit the law...i bet the guy that shot his friend has mental problems...