Pacers guard unscathed after shooting
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana: Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley escaped unhurt after he was targeted in a shooting outside an Indianapolis hotel on Sunday, police said.
While Tinsley was not injured, Joey Qatato, the equipment manager for the National Basketball Association team, was struck on both elbows as he sat with Tinsley in the player's Rolls Royce.
Qatato was treated at a hospital and released.
Police said an assault rifle was used in the shooting, which followed a confrontation between Tinsley and his entourage and another group of people outside a nightclub.
Tinsley and his friends had arrived at the club in three cars owned by the player - a Rolls Royce, Mercedes and Dodge Charger.
According to authorities, some people gathered around the Rolls Royce and were harrassing Tinsley about the cars and his earnings. After they left the club, Tinsley and his companions realized they were being followed.
Tinsley's Rolls Royce was peppered with bullets in the shooting, and five bullet holes also were found in the Charger.
Two cars in Tinsley's group pursued the shooters, and Tinsley's brother, James, fired at the attackers, police said.
Jamaal Tinsley himself did not take part in the chase, police said.
This is not Jamaal Tinsley's first brush with trouble. He is facing charges stemming from a bar fight almost a year ago, an incident in which Pacers teammate Marquis Daniels was also charged.
A grand jury indicted Tinsley on a felony charge of intimidation and misdemeanor counts of battery, disorderly conduct in that case, with his trial due to start on January 14.
The shooting is the second that targeted a pro athlete in less than two weeks.
Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor died last week after he was shot in a bungled burglary at his home in Miami.
AFP
(China Daily 12/11/2007 page23)
