Sometimes a story is just so ironic, it borders on satire.

It was perfectly fine to use the media to spread an overly sensationalized (and mostly false) story that North Miami Beach police officers were using mugshots of ONLY black men for target practice.

But, in the case of gun toting cop shooter Elton L. Bandoo, whose other “claim to fame” is that of CEO of a recording company, hip-hop rapper, and owner of the omnipresent Gangsta Gold Grill, CBS Miami now reports that his “attorney, Seth LaVey, said his client has never been in trouble before and blamed the media for spinning the shooting story out of control.”

LaVey told the judge, “It is out of control with the media, and I just want to make sure that the truth is getting out there … He has no criminal history. He’s never been in trouble his entire life,” as reported by Channel 7 News.

By “out of control with the media” he must have been referring to to the fact that Bandoo’s violent rap videos have now received the very notoriety his client was hoping to achieve.

Bad media!

In court this morning, Bandoo’s lawyer “claims it all was a misunderstanding,” according to Local10.com.

“Mr. Bandoo is the victim in this case … this is a good kid. This is a kid who didn’t even have a detention in high school,” LaVey told Local 10 News reporter Michael Seiden, adding that his client was being treated unfairly.

Oh, my bleeding heart!

Bandoo and his mom (because moms NEVER  lie to keep their sons out of trouble) claim they thought they were being robbed during the pre-dawn raid to serve a federal search warrant.

Never mind that the police “were wearing recognizable green tactical uniforms that were marked with “POLICE.” Also an officer knocked three or four times, police said. And a “loud and clear” announcement followed, police said,” as reported by Local 10 reporter Andrea Torres.

I’m sure that confusing the police knocking on your door for a burglar could happen to anyone.

Because this “good kid” shot and wounded a police officer, the rapper has now gained celebrity status among northeast Miami-Dade County’s gang subculture.  As Ms. Torres reported, a former gang member named Reginald Killings, who was gunned down in Little Haiti on Sunday, “posted on Facebook Saturday: “NMB Stunnaz ain’t playing. They got that lawyer fee.” It was Killings’ last public photo post on Facebook.”

I guess Reggie’s killer wasn’t playin’ either.

But “that lawyer” gotta earn his “lawyer fee.”

If blaming the media for the “misunderstanding” and “spinning the shooting story out of control” is the best defense his lawyer could come up with, NMB Stunnaz didn’t raise enough of “that lawyer fee” after all.

Maybe he can blame the media for that, too.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”