Police: Vick 'Of No Interest' in Shooting Probe
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Police: Vick 'Of No Interest' in Shooting Probe
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
The good news for Michael Vick this afternoon might be that the Virginia Beach police say he is "of no interest to us" as they investigate a shooting that occurred early this morning outside a restaurant where Vick reportedly had been celebrating his 30th birthday.
However, given the stringent protocols of Vick's reinstatement to football last year by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, it might not be a great thing for the Eagles' backup quarterback that a man identified by Virginia Beach General Hospital as Quanis Phillips, one of Vick's 2007 dogfighting codefendants, suffered a nonlifethreatening wound in the incident. Vick is not supposed to associate with anyone from his dogfighting days, after serving more than a year and a half in prison and being released on probation before his reinstatement last year.
Police spokesman Adam Bernstein said his department got a cell-phoned 911 call at 2:11 AM from someone who had heard an argument followed by a gunshot in the 4600 block of Columbus Street, in Virginia Beach's Town Center section. Officers arrived at the Guadalajara nightclub/restaurant and were told the victim had just gotten into a vehicle, to be driven to the hospital. The police stopped the vehicle, Bernstein, said, and transported the adult male victim by ambulance to the hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to his leg.
Bernstein said the officers' report characterized the victim as "very uncooperative," which he said was also the case with other witnesses. Bernstein said all police knew about the shooter was that he was said to be a black male wearing a white tank top, who left the area in a white Cadillac Escalade.
Hampton Roads (Va.) Daily Press Urban Affairs columnist David Squires blogged today that sources told him there was a dispute between Phillips and Vick that involved the smearing of birthday cake, before the shooting.
"The story goes that Quanis threatened to smash birthday cake in Vick's face, or that he actually smashed the cake in Vick's face," Squires wrote.
"Another version is that someone smashed cake in Quanis' face -- or threatened to smash it in his face.
"Anyway, the confrontation moved outside -- where I'm told there were several still cameras and video cameras.
"Cooler heads did NOT prevail, and 'Q' was shot in the shopping center parking lot.
"It is unclear whether Vick was still around at the time of the shooting, but he was definitely not there when police arrived."
Another Daily Press report, posted later Friday, quoted Atlanta Falcons wideout Roddy White as saying he and Vick left the area long before the shooting.
"We were already gone by the time that stuff started happening, so I don't know what's going to go on with that or whatever, but we didn't have anything to do with it," White said on Friday during a break in the youth football camp being held Hampton University.
Bernstein said Vick is "of no interest to us" as police investigate.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is looking into the incident "to determine the facts." When Goodell allowed Vick to return to the NFL last July, one part of the letter announcing the decision said: "Needless to say, your margin for error is extremely limited."
Vick's agent, Joel Segal, did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily News. Vick's attorney Larry Woodward told the Associated Press that Vick was neither involved in nor present for the shooting.
The Eagles issued the following statement:
"We are aware of the incident that occurred in Virginia early this morning and are in the process of gathering all of the facts. Until then, we will not have any comment on this matter."
I know this is a free country, but if you are Mike Vick, what the hell are you doing in any establishment that late at night??? He needs to be a boy scout if he wants to continue in the NFL. I don't like this one bit, where there's smoke, there's fire. This could be the final nail in Vick's coffin.— johnnyvegas- Vick will be in the dog house when Goodell gets done with him.— Dustin Bufflin
- jONNY- WHY DON'T YOU BE A HERMIT AND NEVER GO OUT EITHER. A GROWN MAN WHO HAS COMPLETED FED TIME ISN'T ALLOWED TO CELBRATE A BIRTHDAY..TOO BAD YOU ARE TRANSPARENT...I KNOW WHERE THE SMOKE IS...TRY FARTING!— RoastedBird
- Vick only likes to hurt defenseless animals.— beaglemommy
I agree with Johnny. If Vick's still hanging out with hoodies at 2AM, it shows incredible shortsightedness and asks the question of whether or not he actually "get's it"? Discretion is the better part of valor as the old saying goes. Stay home at night Mike, if you wanna continue playing football.— RAS
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the man has the right to celebrate his 30th bday. stop trying to live other peoples lives and worry about your own. if vick wasnt involved in the shooting, then it doesnt matter what he was doing because its HIS life!!. period.- WOW! Just the fact that he was at this place at 2:00 AM is unbelievable. Cut him now and sign Garcia to back up Kolb.— PortCity
- At least he didn't shoot himself. Things could always be worst.— BIGGZ043
- Wow, Phil and Roasted a little defensive when it comes to Vick. I don't think the guy was saying he can't go out just that he shouldn't for his own good. Even if he was being good and that happened while he was there he would be jeopardizing his career. Why do that for anything? Just play football for 5-7 years and retire then go have your good time when simply being present isn't such a big deal.— Eagle GREEN Mt State
- Michael Vick always has been, continues to be, and always will be a thug. I never wanted him on the Eagles, and now this is his ticket out of town. Since the Birds signed him, I truly hoped that he would pull his life together. He obviously HAS NOT. For all of you that are saying "it's his life" or he "can celebrate," I will say that you are correct. HOWEVER, Michael Vick screwed up BIG TIME with the dogfighting. Part of his deal to get back in the NFL was that he could not associate with ANYONE involved in the dogfighting. The fact that Michael Vick is hanging out with this Quanis Phillips is proof enough for me that he is still up to his old tricks. CUT HIM NOW. Get him the hell out of town. He's an idiot!— PSU DEJA BLUE
- Learn something new: I wondered how anyone (NFL, Feds, etc.) could control with whom one associates? Answer: "The probationer may be ordered as well to refrain from contact with the victims (such as a former partner in a domestic violence case), with potential victims of similar crimes (such as minors, if the instant offense involves child sexual abuse), or with known criminals, particularly co-defendants." Wikipedia, conqueror of ignorance.— FreshPrince
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- bye bye mr conVick..he's finished in the NFL..this gives the birds an out of his over paid contract..book it..wolf.— wolf 4
- Shocking news. Animal lover and Rhodes scholar Mike Vick involved in a shooting? Consorting with criminals? Can't be, must be mistaken identity. Don't worry, if he offended anyone he will surely provide a scripted heartfelt apology.— Klambake
- You poor AWM's gonna be so mad when once again all your anger is for naught. LOL— mlr710
- If Vick was carrying or haqd access to ANY kind of firearm while being out in public.....he is without a fracking DOUBT the stupidest a-hole on the planet. Since he has at least a modicum of intelligence, my money is on the fact that he had no knowledge of the incident 'til told of it.— TBear
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- Please READ... It says he wasnt there at 2am... It says that Quan CRASHED the Party.... He shouldn't be cut... He LEFT...— pyle70
- I like stereotypes.— 5280philly
- This really takes the cake!— dasher
- Mike Vick is a bad person.— MD20202020
- All the Eagles need to do, to win me back as a fan, is to get rid of him. That may not be much to the Eagles, but I have been a fan since i was 5 years old. As of right now, I don't watch them or buy anything with Eagles on it.— Kruntz
"...threatened to smash birthday cake in Vick's face, or that he actually smashed the cake in Vick's face," Huh? Is that why the victim was shot? This should be an interesting story...Good grief, I guess Vick controversies and debates are a staple now of the Eagles offseason.- It's funny to hear people pile on Vick and then root for other thugs without a thought. Face it, pro sports like our society has a huge thug element. Football is a violent sport and the men who excel at it are not the choirboy types. I have no illusions that he is a nice guy but good or bad Vick is just another player and not the worst. I love my dog and cringe at Vick's sadistic "hobby" but Big Ben's crimes are worse on my scorecard yet I don't hear him being voted most hated athlete. I'll root for the Eagles and tolerate Vick, I'm in it for the football.— brs50
- Where is apologist Tony Dungheap to cover for the Dog Killer? How about Father of the year Andy Reid and Gold Standrad Jeff Lurie?— Dr. Michael
- Vick is a victim of racism once again. If he was white, no one would blame him for being in the same place as someone getting shot. White quarterbacks can do what ever they want without fear of retribution, while back quarterbacks get in trouble for being in the same neighborhood as a crime. Racism is as alive as it ever was, thanks to George W. Bush, who always acted like any minority was a terrorist and encouraged everyone to think the same way, all to distract people from him making his cronies at Big Oil and Haliburton rich on the back of the poor, who were taxed to death while he cut taxes for the rich.— eldiablodelsol2009
- I am suppose to believe that a grown man doesn't have a right to have a birthday party, even if he is turning thirty, I know some that have had parties when they have turned sixty. I don't see where Vick did anything he shouldn't have or was in a place he shouldn't have been in, he was celebrating his birthday, the person who caused the trouble was not invited, he crashed the party, sounds like when he confronted Vick, Vick left, which is exactly what he should have done. You people are pathetic, you come out like roaches everytime there is only the mention of Vick's name.— charmaine
The Police said "Vick of No Interest" That's the 1st clue. 2nd, the coulumnist here is putting forth unsubstantiated facts, casual obsevations if you will. If any of the haters could read, Roddy White stated, as a witness, that he and Vick left long before 2AM. The probation officer may question Vick, but without firm evidence of "association with known criminals" would have nothing. Goodell will ask as well, including all parties. But more than likely the only thing that comes out of this is: haters hatin and wishin' he really did something that constitutes a crime. The man is no saint, but these are friends he grew up most likely. Could have been somebody causin' trouble because of some past incident, and bein' his friends, tried to protect the man, got into it. You would'nt understand how hard it is to completely change your way of life, thinking, everything. It dose'nt happen overnight. Yo, try not to fear what you do'nt understand and jump to irrational conclusions, hear all the facts 1st.- Eagle GREEN Mt State -- its not that i'm sticking up for him, but i'm tired of people complaining abut somebody else life when its not their business. if the man wanted to throw a 30th bday party for himself, thats his right. who are you or anybody else to say what that man or any other man should do. if it turns out that he did nothing involving the shooting, then thats all that matters.
- Of course someone else no doubt put him in this difficult situation and his bravery will have him back on the gold standard roster. What a friggin loser.— raoool
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- Yes, time has told. Scum in, time for scum out.— autolykos
Someone getting shot over a bit of smeared birthday cake is just plain ridiculous. Grow up America.- Dustin, beaglebrain, BigTomisdumb, PSU punks and the rest of you haters!!! LEAVE MIKE VICK ALONE! HE DID HIS TIME! STFU YOU F@GS!!! Mike Vick can go anywhere at anytime he wants! This is a free country and your President is AFRICAN AMERICAN!!! Erase the racism!!!!
- Panthro, guilt by association is all Roger Goodell needs. He is the judge and jury and doesnt play games.— Dustin Bufflin
- Panthro, Yes, racism - from any corner toward any other segment - has no place in society, or on these boards. I mostly deplore the racist positions of whites toward African-Americans, but again, I hate racism in all of its forms and never take part in it. What bothers me is your knee-jerk reaction to defend Vick (and lash out at those who criticize him (some fairly) with your childish nicknames and attacks), while you lambasted McNabb on every ground imaginable, including not to veiled racial shots. Do I need to remind you, or anyone else, that McNabb was 5 times the qb and one hundred times the human being (and did a ton more for this football team, and community)than Vick ever will? As for this story, I hope Vick was not involved, but at the least, it points to poor judgment on his part, and at the most, to much more. I can wait till I hear more facts.— MG44
- How old are you people to think being at a party at 2am is somehow a show of bad judgement? If he was at sunrise service you'd be saying the same thing so why not just say what you REALLY mean? Now here's the worst part for ya, you're letting the media rile you up for nothing, LOL, what are you gonna do when Mike Vick is right out there at training camp and nothing happens because this is nothing? LOL, you'll be mad, all for naught....AGAIN....LOL— mlr710
It doesn't matter if he's of no interest to any police department. He's still under probation, and his probation officer will be the one making the determination if the incident is a violation of his probation or not.- Well, he couldn't have had the Birthday Party at Andy's house. Coach's household is full of criminals and as the judge said, That residence is like a drug emporium. Virginia Beach was a better choice!— younged
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@RoastedBird: A grown man celebrating his birthday is pathetic enough and self absorbed. Birthday parties are for little kids and egomaniacs.
How can Vick NOT be of interest to the cops? I'm not saying Vick shot him, but it was Vick's party and he does know the victim. Wouldn't a cop want to ask Vick if he might know who would want to shoot his bro?— ej610- Here's the Eagles unofficial statement: We've invested too much in Vick to care about this shooting. We have already printed our playbooks with Vick's wildcat plays so we don't want to reprint them.— ej610
- Vick needs to go. He clearly hasn't learned a thing. I hung out with some bad people when I grew up, guess what I don't hang around them anymore, why BECAUSE THEIR BAD PEOPLE. The only thing that describes his need to hang out with them is Vick is a bad person too!
- If he violated his probation then his agent, his friends, his family, and he is to blame for allowing another felon at his party. What a disgrace.— PhillyIam
- I can't wait until the facts come out on this one. Something tells me that Vick will come up smelling like roses. I am one of the former Eagles fans who stopped routing for the team when they stupidly chose to sign Vick last August. Maybe this latest incident will make them smarten up and get rid of him instead of paying him $5 mil. Be gone with CON-VICK!
- ej610, they probably came to that conclusion the same way they did when they said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute Ben Roethlisberger, even though witnesses said, he (Ben) was walking a hall with his dick in his hand, headed to the bathroom where the young lady was. And for those who claim to know so much, there is no way he violated his parole or probation, threatening to bash cake in Vick's face alone confirms there was no association, if a person just happens to show up in the same place, does not mean association. Amazing I didn't hear all of this bull when it was Roethlisberger second time being accused of sexually molesting a woman, hell I am still trying to figure out where is Gloria Alred.— charmaine
- You idiots can continue to talk about how Vick should have been here or how he shouldn't have been there but the fact remains that Mike Vick is the BEST QB we have until Kolb proves himself and all the hate that you RACISTS on this blog spew can't change that fact. MG44, no matter how much you say that I shouldn't be talking about McNag and calling him names, I will continue to do it because I told all of you lst year that he was going to sell out. And what did he do? SELL OUT!! He can't ball anymore. HIs skills are diminished as all of you apologists will see when the Eagles CRUSH the Deadskins next year! Keep wishing and hoping Mike Vick leaves. HE WON'T! GO EAGLES!!!!!
