By John Dufresne
Mosquito County Buzz:
According to several eyewitnesses, a heated argument erupted between the victim, David Lee “Pookie” Pierce, 51, of Novelty, and the owner of the Happy Liquor Mart, Edgar “Ed” Shipley, 62, of Endurance. The dispute—not their first—began inside the establishment around 9:30 on Friday evening. Mr. Pierce was shot at close range in the back of his head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr. Shipley was taken to the Mosquito County Sheriff’s Office for questioning.
Malvin Williams, a witness and longtime friend of Mr. Pierce, described what he saw. “Ed took the pistol from behind the counter, followed Pookie out the door, raised the pistol, and fired. Pookie was walking away from Ed when he was shot. So we’re asking questions. The question that’s asked today is why do you shoot an unarmed man in the back of the head.”
By 10:30, family and friends of the victim had gathered at the crime scene, hoping to get some answers. No one could understand why Mr. Pierce’s body was left on the ground in a handicap parking space for hours in the rain. Sheriff’s deputies did not offer an explanation.
Miss Pearl Robertson, the aggrieved mother of the victim, said, “One o’clock and my baby’s body was still laying on the asphalt pavement in a pool of blood over there by the oil slick, and they just dropped this little bed sheet over him. Where was the deputies’ sense of decency? You don’t treat a person like that, not even a dead one. My family is outraged, and I am heartbroken.”
Darren Sykes, the victim’s nephew, said, “This was cold-blooded murder. Let’s ensure that this man, Ed Shipley, who did this ruthless, gutless killing last night with malicious intent, murder in the first degree, is brought to justice.”
But just as there are two sides of the face and two sides of a coin, there are two sides to every story. “Ed was protecting his place,” Shipley’s friend Verla Starr said. “He was married to that store. Happy Liquor Mart was his life, and that shiftless thief Pookie Pierce had threatened it. Pookie was not supposed to be in that store or even in the vicinity. End of story.”
The Novelty Forum:
bbqboy: I think it’s bad that a good person like Ed might have to go to jail for doing what the police did not do.
bipolarnation: Do the math: guns + alcohol = something bad.
zorro: I agree that at first glance it doesn’t look like a justified shooting, but there must be a reason the owner is being held rather than being charged with murder—we should withhold judgment until we know all the facts.
tracey: I bet if it had been a white upstanding citizen who had been shot, Mr. Suspect would be cooling his jets in jail right now.
BlessedLady: @zorro, maybe you should stay on your side of the trailer park. That was my family that was senselessly murdered! It is highly likely that Ed was drunk as usual.
Dion Guidry and Sons Funeral Home:
David Lee “Pookie” Pierce of Novelty, died unexpectedly Friday in Novelty. His mother, Pearl Robertson, his companion Margo Mitchell, his brother Tank, three daughters, four sons, seven aunts, three uncles, and a host of cousins survive him. Funeral services will be held this Saturday at 9 at the Freewill Baptist in Novelty. Interment will follow at Oakland Cemetery in Novelty Springs.