New York Times Covers Fatal Missoula Garage Shooting [AUDIO]
Adding to the worldwide coverage of the shooting death of Diren Dede, the New York Times has published its own article about the incident.
New York Times Rocky Mountain Correspondent Jack Healy's article is titled 'In Youth's Death, Some See a Montana Law Gone Wrong.' Healy, based out of Denver traveled to Missoula to speak with individuals involved with the case.
"I was actually a couple of days late getting to Missoula to cover the story," Healy said. "It's just one of those stories that, unfortunately, you see and you just have to write about it. There's a dimension of human tragedy with the death of a young man who seemed to be highly regarded by a lot of people in the community. The story began to take on some political dimensions with one of your Montana State representatives saying it was a moment to reexamine these so-called 'castle laws'. Then, of course, you have the German consular officials and people in a different country demonstrating and calling for justice in the case. We felt it was an important story not just for Missoula, but would also resonate with readers who have never been to Montana."
Like Missoula, Healy said reaction from readers of the New York Times was polarized into two different areas.
"One reaction was, you know, what was this kid doing in this guy's garage to begin with? Some readers just left it there, but the other reaction was, no matter what he was doing in the garage, why was it necessary to get a gun and shoot him?"
New York state has recently passed a stringent gun control law, virtually banning the sale and possession of semi-automatic weapons and ammunition, and, ironically, Montana's Attorney General Tim Fox has filed a friend of the court brief with 21 other state attorneys general opposing the law.
Healy said if the Dede case indeed goes to trial, both sides of the argument will be represented in court.
"The basic fact is that a man pulled the trigger and someone was killed, but surrounding that fact will be the 'why'," Healy said.
Healy said the New York Times will continue to monitor the case, as will other media outlets all over the world.
The man accused of deliberate homicide, is wildland firefighter Markus Kaarma, 29. His attorney Paul Ryan said his next justice court appearance will be May 12, while his district court appearance, where he will actually enter a plea, will come at a later date.