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Man shot to death over bowling spat
He leaves behind wife and 2 sons
Monday, March 02, 2009 By Ramon Antonio Vargas
Staff writer
Jamal M. Dorsey, 22, intended to spend Sunday afternoon playing flag football with his friends and planning a March 29 birthday party for his younger cousins and 2-year-old son.
But during a date with his wife at a Kenner bowling alley, he got into an argument with neighboring bowlers over a ball. He was followed home by someone driving a black Dodge Durango and shot to death in the front yard of an Algiers home about 3 a.m. Sunday.
The man Dorsey argued with was bowling one lane over from him, said Demetria Harrell, Dorsey's mother-in-law. The man followed Dorsey out to the parking lot as he left, but Dorsey told the man he didn't want to fight anymore. Dorsey got into a car with a 22-year-old pal and Ashten, the mother of his two sons. They headed home to the West Bank, Harrell said.
But the infuriated bowler wouldn't let it go. Dorsey and his companions soon noticed they were being tailed by a Durango, Louisiana license plate SLR 737, the New Orleans Police Department said.
When they got to the 3000 block of Americus Street, the Durango pulled up. Someone stepped out. Dorsey jumped out of the car to confront him and to protect Ashten, a friend said. But his opponent had a gun, the friend said, and he peppered an unarmed Dorsey and the car with gunfire.
Several bullets hit Dorsey's torso, police said. Another bullet hit Ashten's left forearm, shattering two bones, Harrell said. Their friend was hit in the leg. The gunman sped off in the Durango, and police haven't yet announced any arrests.
Dorsey's wife and friend were taken to LSU Interim Public Hospital and survived. Dorsey died before New Orleans emergency paramedics could treat him, police said.
Two boys, Jamal Jr., 4, and Ashton, who turns 3 later this month, lost their father. The gunman took the life of a law-abiding man who installed Cox Communications cable systems to help his wife pay her tuition to Delgado nursing school, Harrell said. He had he hoped to see her graduate from the school in December, she said.
"It's totally senseless," his mother-in-law said. "A total disrespect for another human life."
Dorsey graduated from L.B. Landry High School in 2005. He served as the drum's section leader, earning awards and a spot in the Louisiana All-Star band, said Freddie Marshall, 27, one of Dorsey's band mentors.
The brightest prize of his high school career -- and life -- was Ashten, Harrell said. When Dorsey met her daughter, Harrell didn't want Ashten dating anyone. She grounded Ashten, but she sneaked her out to see her persistent suitor anyway.
Ashten became pregnant with Jamal Jr. at 17. After Hurricane Katrina displaced her to Texas, Dorsey followed her and married her. He used his Cox job to build a life for the two of them in Algiers: He worked; she went to school; and together they cared for the boys.
After Ashton was born, Dorsey joined a flag football team with his friends at King's Grant Playground. He treasured the Thursdays and Sundays the league met, Harrell said, because it gathered his wife, sons and best buddies in one spot. "He loved his family and that football team," Marshall said. "I'm shocked he's gone."
He leaves behind wife and 2 sons
Monday, March 02, 2009 By Ramon Antonio Vargas
Staff writer
Jamal M. Dorsey, 22, intended to spend Sunday afternoon playing flag football with his friends and planning a March 29 birthday party for his younger cousins and 2-year-old son.
But during a date with his wife at a Kenner bowling alley, he got into an argument with neighboring bowlers over a ball. He was followed home by someone driving a black Dodge Durango and shot to death in the front yard of an Algiers home about 3 a.m. Sunday.
The man Dorsey argued with was bowling one lane over from him, said Demetria Harrell, Dorsey's mother-in-law. The man followed Dorsey out to the parking lot as he left, but Dorsey told the man he didn't want to fight anymore. Dorsey got into a car with a 22-year-old pal and Ashten, the mother of his two sons. They headed home to the West Bank, Harrell said.
But the infuriated bowler wouldn't let it go. Dorsey and his companions soon noticed they were being tailed by a Durango, Louisiana license plate SLR 737, the New Orleans Police Department said.
When they got to the 3000 block of Americus Street, the Durango pulled up. Someone stepped out. Dorsey jumped out of the car to confront him and to protect Ashten, a friend said. But his opponent had a gun, the friend said, and he peppered an unarmed Dorsey and the car with gunfire.
Several bullets hit Dorsey's torso, police said. Another bullet hit Ashten's left forearm, shattering two bones, Harrell said. Their friend was hit in the leg. The gunman sped off in the Durango, and police haven't yet announced any arrests.
Dorsey's wife and friend were taken to LSU Interim Public Hospital and survived. Dorsey died before New Orleans emergency paramedics could treat him, police said.
Two boys, Jamal Jr., 4, and Ashton, who turns 3 later this month, lost their father. The gunman took the life of a law-abiding man who installed Cox Communications cable systems to help his wife pay her tuition to Delgado nursing school, Harrell said. He had he hoped to see her graduate from the school in December, she said.
"It's totally senseless," his mother-in-law said. "A total disrespect for another human life."
Dorsey graduated from L.B. Landry High School in 2005. He served as the drum's section leader, earning awards and a spot in the Louisiana All-Star band, said Freddie Marshall, 27, one of Dorsey's band mentors.
The brightest prize of his high school career -- and life -- was Ashten, Harrell said. When Dorsey met her daughter, Harrell didn't want Ashten dating anyone. She grounded Ashten, but she sneaked her out to see her persistent suitor anyway.
Ashten became pregnant with Jamal Jr. at 17. After Hurricane Katrina displaced her to Texas, Dorsey followed her and married her. He used his Cox job to build a life for the two of them in Algiers: He worked; she went to school; and together they cared for the boys.
After Ashton was born, Dorsey joined a flag football team with his friends at King's Grant Playground. He treasured the Thursdays and Sundays the league met, Harrell said, because it gathered his wife, sons and best buddies in one spot. "He loved his family and that football team," Marshall said. "I'm shocked he's gone."
