compiled by Patrick H. Moore
The gun lovers claim endlessly that guns don’t cause murders — people do, and that we would still be a peculiarly violent society even if we were not armed to the teeth. Although I personally believe there would be far fewer murders if we owned far fewer guns, the fact remains that not all murderers utilize firearms when committing their crimes. The beating death of 21-year-old Kevin Figaniak, a popular hockey player and student at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia, is a case in point.
Daniel Miller and Rachel Quigley of the Daily Mail have the story:
Kevin Figaniak, 21, died in the hospital Sunday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He suffered severe head trauma when he and a friend were ’jumped from behind’ as they walked back to campus from a bar in Wheeling early Saturday morning.
According to Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger, Kevin’s friend – whose identity has not been disclosed but who was also attacked – told police the 21-year-old exchanged ‘unpleasantries’ with one or two of the men in the group before they attacked. The surviving victim described the attackers as three or four white men in their mid-20s. Two of them had brown hair and were wearing jeans. Another wore a hat.
With the help of video surveillance, Facebook research and interviews, the police were able to arrest two of the suspected assailants – Craig Tyler Peacock, 22, of Clewiston, Florida, and Jarrett Mathis Chandler, 24, of Winnfield, Louisiana. The men were found in a camp for oil and gas workers and were both charged with murdering Figaniak. They were arraigned and are being held at the Northern Correctional Facility in Moundsville, West Virginia on $1 million cash bail each.
Chief Schwertfeger stated that more arrests may be made in the coming days.
Peacock and Chandler both agreed to give videotaped statements. They acknowledged there had been a verbal altercation on Saturday morning at a bar and that they followed Kevin and his friend afterwards to the location where the fight began. According to the criminal complaint, Jarrett Chandler specifically stated that he engaged in striking the individual he was fighting. Craig Peacock told police he may have ‘kicked’ the man he was fighting. The assailants left the area and left the men lying on the ground.
“We’ve located two,” said Chief Schwertfeger. “We are working hard still. There’s a lot of loose ends to be tied up and we are looking at trying to locate a third or fourth individual.’
The killing has shocked and saddened the Roman catholic university Kevin attended.
A statement posted by school officials said: ‘We, the Wheeling Jesuit University community, would like to express our deep appreciation and heartfelt thanks to the alumni, friends, neighboring colleges and the local Wheeling community for your outpouring of love and prayers during this very difficult time on our campus.
‘We ask that you keep Kevin Figaniak’s family and the WJU community in your prayers during this time of mourning.
‘It is through this support that we draw the strength to cope with the loss of our fallen brother.’
The 21-year-old, from Perkasie, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was a talented hockey and lacrosse player and was in his senior year at the University where he was majoring in business.
The university held a prayer service for students on Saturday evening and dedicated three Masses to Mr Figaniak on Sunday.
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Another stupid and moronic death all because some oil derrick workers got liquored up and decided to kick a little college boy ass. On the other hand, the college boy was a hockey and lacrosse player and those fellows are not known for being “shrinking violets.” Ironically, this is one of those rare instances where the victim might still be alive if he had been “drinking and driving” rather than walking home in the early morning hours on the night that was to be his last.