YMCA: Where some go to get fit and others go to get shot, in the town where democracy goes to die.
A clown-car spectacular!
A man was shot dead in the parking lot of the YMCA. Law enforcement and the news media treated the matter with the comportment as if someone passed gas during high mass at church. They wrinkled their collective noses, exhaled, and went about their business as if nothing happened.
This report from the Aberdeen Insider: "At this point, [Police Capt. Tanner] Jondahl said, officers have determined two vehicles pulled into the parking lot and one person shot the other in the north entrance of the YMCA parking lot." (That's a nasty part of the body to get shot in.)
The problem is that the victim was shot dead. The victim was not named. Neither was the shooter.
And for the most part, the entire incident remans factless. So, the local newspaper, the Aberdeen American News, did not bother to report what actually happened.. It published this statement: "The name of the person who was shot has not yet been released pending notification of family." And that appears to be the final word on a fatal shooting in this fine, upstanding community, as far as that newspaper is concerned. That's probably because the paper no longer has any reporters in town. The staff of the Aberdeen Insider is comprised of two former reporters from the Aberdeen American News.
That brings up the matter of withholding names of people involved in law enforcement and other public incidents. There are no laws or rules regarding the disclosure of identities of people involved in government proceedings. There are laws requiring that accurate records be kept and that those records are open to the public because they are the property of the people in a democracy. Records may be withheld if the information would impair an investigation or a business negotiation in process, but they are supposed to be available once the work is completed.
South Dakota has what purports to be a sunshine law which requires that government records be maintained and open to the public. However, the law provides discretion to public officials which in effect nullifies the open record requirement. Generally in the case of a death, the deceased person will be named in reports, but news media withhold the name of the deceased until the family is informed, which is usually a matter of a few hours. The police may either inform the media if the family has not been notified or embargo the name until the notification is made. But the police do not have the authority to withhold names because they want to.
In this case the name of the man killed, Donald Michael Heinz, was withheld for four days. The name of the shooter was never revealed, nor were the circumstances of the shooting. And that is a violation of democratic principle that the people have a right to know and an obligation to keep informed about how their government is performing.
The reports published the names of all the agencies involved in the shooting of Mr. Heinz as they patted themselves on the back for doing such a great job, but not a word was uttered about what actually happened. And that is a failure of the agencies and the news media.
It is not clear what is behind the refusal to inform the public in Aberdeen. It could be the officious, bumbling ignorance and incompetence of some public employees or it could be the nefarious collusion of those who think they are the rulers of the public. But crimes and disasters do not happen anonymously. They happen to real people with names, ages, and addresses, and real people respond to them. Sometimes incompetently.
The Washington Post has a motto on its masthead that says, "Democracy Dies in Darkness." It seems to have taken its last gasp in Aberdeen.
Below is the coverage of the homicide, and no one is informed about what kind of homicide it is.
[Aberdeen Insider 11-17-23] A shooting incident on Wednesday, Nov. 15, where one person shot another in the parking lot of the Aberdeen Family YMCA still remains under investigation as the Aberdeen Police Department continues to look into what led to the incident.
According to a news release from the Aberdeen Police Department, law enforcement received a report of a man with a gunshot wound who was in the YMCA parking area around 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Life-saving measures were attempted and the man was taken to the hospital, but he died from his injuries.
“The individual who is believed to have fired the gunshot was on scene when law enforcement arrived,” per the release.
Police Capt. Tanner Jondahl said the person believed to have shot the gun was initially detained, but released on Thursday. No charges had yet been filed as of Friday but, the case remains an active investigation. Any charges, he said, will be under discussion with the Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office.
As of Friday, State’s Attorney Karly Winter said the case remains an ongoing investigation and the case is still pending.
“We want to have all the evidence before making a charging decision,” Winter said.
Officers had determined by Wednesday that two vehicles pulled into the north entrance of the Aberdeen Family YMCA parking lot and one person shot the other, Johndahl said.
YMCA staff assisted with life-saving measures, he said.
According to a statement from YMCA Executive Director Mike Quast members and staff immediately called 911 after the shooting occurred.
“We are thankful for their quick response and are keeping those who responded as well as the victim and their family in our thoughts and prayers,” Quast said in a statement.
According to the release, Avera St. Lukes made the determination to go on lockdown out of an abundance of caution. No security measures were taken at the YMCA or at Roncalli’s elementary school. Jondahl said officers were able to discern very quickly there wasn’t a security risk to people at the YMCA or the school that would necessitate a lockdown. According to the release, the incident appears to be isolated and unrelated to the YMCA.
“The safety and wellbeing of everyone who enters our doors is a top priority of the Aberdeen Family YMCA, and we will continue to work with Aberdeen Police Department to ensure our safety policies align with best-in-class practices. We are also providing mental health counseling to the staff who responded to the situation,” Quast said.
In addition to the Aberdeen Police Department, other agencies responding are The Brown County Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Brown County Emergency Management and Aberdeen Fire & Rescue.
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[Aberdeen Insider 11-21-23] A 70-year-old Aberdeen man who died as the result of a Nov. 15 shooting has been identified.
The incident remains under investigation, but Brown County State’s Attorney Karly Winter confirmed the man who died was Donald Heinz.
The shooting was in the parking lot of the Aberdeen Family YMCA.
According to police reports at the time, Heinz and the man who is believed to be the shooter both pulled into the parking lot where Heinz was shot. The identity of the person who shot Heinz has not been released, though he was immediately detained by law enforcement and later released. No charges have been filed.
“We want to have all the evidence before making a charging decision,” Winter said.
The shooting was around 12:15 p.m. on Nov. 15. Life-saving measures were attempted, and Heinz was taken to the hospital, but he died from his injuries.
Avera St. Luke’s Hospital went on lockdown out of an abundance of caution, according to the initial news release from the Aberdeen Police Department. No security measures were taken at the YMCA or Roncalli’s elementary school as law enforcement determined there wasn’t a security risk.
OBITUARY: Donald Michael Heinz
In addition to the Aberdeen Police Department, other agencies responding included the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Brown County Emergency Management and Aberdeen Fire & Rescue.
