TO MAKE A WRONG STORY SHOT

Ex-trojan Bryce Dejean-Jones dies tragically, when he mistakenly goes to the incorrect story of his estranged girlfriend’s apartment complex, and kicks down the door of the unit directly under hers, where the occupant legally shoots and kills him

This a a dark day for the Dark Side.  There is tragedy in Troy, as 23-year old former usc Basketball player Bryce Dejean-Jones was lamentably gunned down in Dallas yesterday.  It is important for you to understand that I do NOT take any joy in the DEATH of a young man, even if he did at one time wear the cardinal and gold.  It is a mournful situation, and I do NOT mean to make light of the passing of this human being.

That being said…

The circumstances of his untimely demise will certainly make him a finalist for the 2016 Darwin Awards, which shine a light on people who make stupid decisions/mistakes that become fatal.  The Darwin website will possibly refer to this event as a “chlorination of the Dejean Pool” (even though it is pronounced “Dijon”), because Dejean-Jones was breaking into the wrong unit of the apartment complex.  Apparently, this was the first time that he had come to this Dallas location to visit his daughter, who lives with Bryce’s Baby Mama.  It was her first birthday yesterday, which is why Bryce was there.  But after a heated exchange with the woman, he left the complex.  He soon came back, but instead of going to the fourth floor where she lived, he accidentally went to the third story, and started to knock on the door of the unit directly beneath her apartment.

When no one answered, he thought that the woman was just locking him out, keeping him from being able to see her or their daughter.  So Dejean-Jones got angry, and violently KICKED DOWN the door.  He then went to the bedroom, which was also locked.  As he was trying to kick THAT door down too, the resident of the apartment scrambled for his gun.  Then the man allegedly called out to Dejean-Jones, but Dejean-Jones refused to answer, and kept trying to break into the bedroom.  So the man, to protect himself from serious harm, shot at the door.  It is legal in Texas to protect yourself with a gun — and use deadly force — to protect yourself from an intruder.  The bullet wounded Dejean-Jones in the abdomen, so he attempted to flee, but collapsed on the exterior walkway outside the apartment.  He was then taken to a hospital, where he reportedly succumbed to the gunshot wound, due to a massive loss of blood.

Could drugs and/or alcohol have been involved?  The toxicology report will be disclosed in a couple of weeks.  Dejean-Jones WAS arrested in the past for marijuana, but, he was also in trouble for various offenses including 1) a suspension for conduct detrimental to his team, 2) punching a teammate, and 3) a confrontation with another teammate who he says wishes he had shot him — possibly issues where anger management might have been helpful.  So it’s not truly enlightening to speculate as to what caused his behavior yesterday.

The Darwin “stupidity kills” braintrust, and all the other “dumbest ways to die” websites will say that by being so stupid as to go to the wrong floor, and then kick the door in, he will qualify for their awards.  I’d say going to the wrong unit is a pretty innocent mistake that anyone could make, but the criminal act of maniacally breaking and entering was the unforgivably stupid part.  I mean, they always say to “Die With Your Boots On,” but not to Die with Your Boots On the Bedroom Door.  Maybe the Darwin site  will call this incident:  “Two Kicks, Deep Six,” or “Frustration, Mistaken Location, Expiration.”  But I wouldn’t, because it’s too soon to be so disrespectful.

Let me end this article by emphasizing that I’m sorry he died, I feel bad for his family (including his cousin, Bruin Shabazz Muhammad), and nothing he did yesterday deserved this kind of result.  Let’s hope something positive comes out of it:  Maybe now, some people will think twice and try to cool down before psychotically trying to kick down a door and terrorize their loved ones.