 | The Cavalier daily Friday, December 3, 1971 |  |
Letters To The Editor
Death Raises Questions
I am concerned about your
front page story in Tuesday's
C.D. covering the death of
Richard L. Godine.
I thought it strange several
weeks ago when I read that he
had been shot in the leg in The
Daily Progress. A conspicuous
lack of details was evident at
that time.
The article failed to say
where, under what
circumstances, by whom.... etc.
It was mostly stated that "an
investigation is underway."
Since that time, as far as I
know, no further details have
been added in the press. In
your article of today you don't
even mention that he was shot!
I would appreciate:
a) The details surrounding
the incident or,
b) The influence in this
town strong enough to
enforce this kind of
suppression of the press,
and
c) An explanation of how
someone can die of a
gunshot wound in the leg
at University Hospital.
Gene W. Stubbs
(While there have been a
number of rumors concerning
Mr. Godine's death, the
Albemarle County Sheriff's
Department has refused to
issue any statement concerning
the circumstances surrounding
the shooting. A spokesman for
Sheriff George Baily said a few
days ago that a statement
would be released at the end of
this week. While we share your
concern at the long delay, the
editors of The Cavalier Daily
have decided it would be
inappropriate to publish any of
the unverified reports, at least
until the sheriff makes his
official statement.
According to medical
reports, Mr. Godine died from
complications arising from a
severe gunshot wound in the
upper leg and subsequent loss
of blood and blood clotting.
This, we understand, is
common in cases as severe as
this one. We regret that this
information was not included
in Tuesday's issue. As The
Cavalier Daily has reported, the
shooting occurred at Mr.
Godine's Earlysville home; due
to the silence of the Sheriff, we
have not been able to uncover
any other verified information
concerning the matter.
Ed.)
| The Cavalier daily Friday, December 3, 1971 | |