A Nurse with a Gun

Saturday, January 05, 2008

New Year's Day

Prosecutors in Summerville South Carolina will not be prosecuting Joseph Harriott. Harriott, claiming self defense, shot his roommate Brian Sessoms three times, in the chest, stomach and elbow, on New Year's Day.

The 25 year old Harriott tossed the 24 year old Sessoms out on his ear after Brian Sessoms hit his 16 year old girlfriend. He warned him that he would shoot him if he came back inside. Harriott's 21 year old fiance' called 911, describing Sessoms as intoxicated, in a violent rage and beating his girlfriend. She begged the dispatcher to expedite the police response.

Sessoms re-entered the home by climbing onto an air conditioning unit, and crawling through a second story window window. Guy Fulcher holds a photo of his son Brian Sessoms.Harriott shot him in the abdomen as he came down the stairs. Harriott began to treat Sessom's injury, and his fiance' dialed 911 again. While waiting for officers EMS to arrive, Sessoms decided to fight. Harriott shot him two more times. "I shot Sessoms because he was trying to get to the girls," Harriott told deputies at the scene.

911 tapes reveal Harriott attempted to save Sessoms' life by applying direct pressure to an abdominal gunshot wound immediately after the shooting. Harriott can be heard in the background of the audio tape telling Sessoms not to fight him. Police recovered a .380 caliber handgun at the scene.

Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson states she will not to charge Harriott for the shooting. She refers to state law for self defense stating if the first shot is justified, a person can keep shooting until a threat is eliminated.

Still even though criminal charges will not be pressed, civil litigation is probably on the horizon. One must consider that Sessoms also lived at the domicile where the shooting took place. Real injuries occurred, and not much can be said for the mature decision making skills of a 25 year old man who has a 16 year old girlfriend. The Sessoms family is outraged that criminal charges were not brought forward. "We feel my nephew was murdered in cold blood," said Regina Sessoms. "He was not a home invader, he was living there and paying rent. How can it be self-defense against someone who was unarmed?"

A comment from Buffy: "I live in the town where the shooting occurred. The news media have no interest in accuracy. The shooter(Harriott)was 25 and was with his 21 year old fiance' who is the one who made all the 911 calls. The man who was shot (Sessoms) was 24 with a 16 year old girlfriend. His girlfriend had another 16 year old friend with her."


When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

Audio file of the 911 call.

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13 Comments:

Blogger phlegmfatale said...

omg - that is just bizarre, all-around!

10:05 AM  
Blogger JesterToo said...

You did forget to tag it "idiots with guns" with that picture of him. If that really is him anyway.

10:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

24 year old male and a 16 year old girlfriend, where's Hanson from To Catch a Predator.

12:28 PM  
Blogger Justin Smith said...

"not much can be said for the mature decision making skills of a 25 year old man who has a 16 year old girlfriend."

...and posed for a picture holding a gun to his own head with his finger on the freaking trigger!

1:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So...the 25-year-old shooter had a 16-year-old girlfriend?

That's marginally appropriate, if at all.

3:53 PM  
Blogger Xavier said...

I checked SC law Cranky.......14years old is legal there. Thus, I can't say much about it except that it indicates a maturity level.

4:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Somehow Me's thinks the pic of him brandishing a firearm in such a gangster manner, isn't going to bode to well for him when the civil trial comes around.

9:31 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I live in the town where the shooting occurred. The news media have no interest in accuracy. The shooter(Harriott)was 25 and was with his 21 year old fiance' who is the one who made all the 911 calls. The man who was shot (Sessoms) was 24 with a 16 year old girlfriend. His girlfriend had another 16 year old friend with her.

11:46 PM  
Blogger Xavier said...

Thanks Buffy. I'm placing your clarification into the post itself......

1:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What about picture? Is it a stock photo or the real picture of the guy? Guy on the picture looks a little to young to be 25, but it can be just healthy diet :)

Herrmannek

7:40 AM  
Blogger Xavier said...

The guy in the picture is neither Sessoms nor Harriott. I pulled the photo out of my IWG file while looking for one I thought might be appropriate.

10:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The guy in the picture is neither Sessoms nor Harriott."

You should omit the photo or clarify on the page that it isn't a person related to the story, as it absolutely gives the impression that it is a photo of Joseph Harriott.

12:53 PM  
Blogger Xavier said...

The blog has been updated with a photo of Sessoms' father holding a picture of his dead son.

11:20 PM  

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