Pride’s what’s commonly known as a serial offender. He’s been in trouble with the law repeatedly in NYC and North Carolina. And that includes shooting a guy in a parking lot. In fact, he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest in the Tarheel State. But as nydailynews.com reports, none of that seemed to impress New York judges Evelyn Laporte or Shari Lynn Michels:
In the weeks leading up to Pride’s deadly encounter with Police Officer Peter Figoski, one Brooklyn judge let him walk knowing there was an active warrant for his arrest on shooting charges in North Carolina.
Two weeks later, Pride didn’t show up for court, but a second Brooklyn judge put an arrest warrant on hold to give his lawyer a chance to track him down.
That didn’t happen, and police say Pride shot Figoski early Monday.
Now the bonfire of recriminations is in full blaze. And that’s probably as it should be. But that won’t stop Mayor Mike, as predictably as the sun rises in the east, from waiving the bloody shirt and claiming that insufficient gun laws were the real reason one of his footsoldiers is dead.
There’s just one problem: even a lot of gun-fearing New Yorkers are going to read the account and realize that sometimes more laws really aren’t the solution. Actually enforcing the laws that are already on the books goes a long way toward drastically reducing all kinds of crimes, those that involve guns included. I’m sure Officer Figoski’s family will look forward to a full explanation of exactly why Lamont Pride wasn’t in a cell on Riker’s Island instead of putting a bullet into their son, husband and father.