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Letter | Paralyzed Myrtle Beach man gives bad advice to black people

Julian Betton counts at least nine bullet hole wounds on his body. He doesn’t remember being shot by three officers nor them entering his Withers Swash Drive apartment in April. He said on Friday, July 10, 2015, he remembers going to the bathroom , seeing figures in the hallway coming at him and then waking up from a coma six weeks later and paralyzed in the hospital with a police officer at his bedside. The three officers are with the 15 Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit. They have been cleared of any charges by the State Law Enforcement Division. The SLED report states Betton did not fire at the officers. The shooting happened in the execution of a warrant stemming from a marijuana investigation. Officers seized less than eight ounces of marijuana, $970 in cash, an assault rifle and a handgun in the April 16 incident. Betton has been charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute but he has not been charged with weapons violations. | By Janet Blackmon Morgan jblackmon@thesunnews.com
Julian Betton counts at least nine bullet hole wounds on his body. He doesn’t remember being shot by three officers nor them entering his Withers Swash Drive apartment in April. He said on Friday, July 10, 2015, he remembers going to the bathroom , seeing figures in the hallway coming at him and then waking up from a coma six weeks later and paralyzed in the hospital with a police officer at his bedside. The three officers are with the 15 Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit. They have been cleared of any charges by the State Law Enforcement Division. The SLED report states Betton did not fire at the officers. The shooting happened in the execution of a warrant stemming from a marijuana investigation. Officers seized less than eight ounces of marijuana, $970 in cash, an assault rifle and a handgun in the April 16 incident. Betton has been charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute but he has not been charged with weapons violations. | By Janet Blackmon Morgan jblackmon@thesunnews.com

POLICE

Man gives bad advice to black people

Re: July 12 article, “Myrtle Beach man gives his account of police shooting that left him paralyzed.”

Although I sympathize with anyone who has to live their life in a paralyzed condition, Julian Betton’s advice to all black men and women to go out and buy high-powered firearms and body armor is way off base. He should instead be advising not to do drugs, not to sell drugs, and if you are a felon, not to possess firearms of any sort.

If he had followed that advice, the police would not have had to come to his door, and the confrontation that left him paralyzed would not have occurred. Hopefully, that lesson will be clear to all who read this story.

I have yet to read a story about anything good resulting from persons getting involved with illegal drugs.

Woodie Fox

North Myrtle Beach

This story was originally published July 13, 2015 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Letter | Paralyzed Myrtle Beach man gives bad advice to black people."

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