Monday, May 24, 2004
Y'all smell like you've been having a good time
I was at Duvic's Bar with about 20 of my friends and colleagues from the esteemed world of Baton Rouge journalism last night, celebrating my friend Arthur's 34th birthday. As is only fitting, we ushered him into his mid-30s by getting approriately wasted.
Midway through the night, one of my editors who was at the bar with us came up to me and my fellow crime reporter and told us a cop had been shot at the Wal-Mart two blocks away from a bar filled with reporters. The three of us left the bar and went to inspect the scene.
I am ashamed to say that, since college, I have not covered a story drunk, but I was in fine form. When we got to the scene, another co-worker who was on the scene (and has admitted to never being drunk in his life) commented that, "One of y'all smell like you've been having a good time." Given that context I'm not sure he knows what a "good time" smells like, but I digress.
Ignoring this futile criticism, my fellow drunk crime reporter and I went around the scene interviewing witness in what turned out to be a huge story - the first Baton Rouge cop in 11 years to get killed on the job.
A 27-year police veteran was wrestling with a shoplifter when the shoplifter grabbed the cop's gun and shot her in the head.
Despite the multiple g & t's, I think we did a pretty good job of covering the story. Afterward, like any reporter worth their salt, I trudged back to the bar with my co-worker had another beer and prepared for a hungover day of work (which turned out to be a 12 hour day of work chasing this story).
Some of the best quotes in the story came from that boose infused night, which goes to show, well, I don't what it goes to show, but it seems like there should be some lesson not learned in that scenario.
Midway through the night, one of my editors who was at the bar with us came up to me and my fellow crime reporter and told us a cop had been shot at the Wal-Mart two blocks away from a bar filled with reporters. The three of us left the bar and went to inspect the scene.
I am ashamed to say that, since college, I have not covered a story drunk, but I was in fine form. When we got to the scene, another co-worker who was on the scene (and has admitted to never being drunk in his life) commented that, "One of y'all smell like you've been having a good time." Given that context I'm not sure he knows what a "good time" smells like, but I digress.
Ignoring this futile criticism, my fellow drunk crime reporter and I went around the scene interviewing witness in what turned out to be a huge story - the first Baton Rouge cop in 11 years to get killed on the job.
A 27-year police veteran was wrestling with a shoplifter when the shoplifter grabbed the cop's gun and shot her in the head.
Despite the multiple g & t's, I think we did a pretty good job of covering the story. Afterward, like any reporter worth their salt, I trudged back to the bar with my co-worker had another beer and prepared for a hungover day of work (which turned out to be a 12 hour day of work chasing this story).
Some of the best quotes in the story came from that boose infused night, which goes to show, well, I don't what it goes to show, but it seems like there should be some lesson not learned in that scenario.
