[WARNING: Graphic Content]
December 22 1984, four men (Barry Allen, Troy Canty, Darrell Cabey, and James Ramseur) were shot and wounded by Bernhard Goetz after they surrounded him on a New York City Subway train in Manhattan.
Goetz surrendered to police nine days after the incident and he was charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and several firearms offences. Similarly to the story arc in 2019′s Joker, the media took the story by storm and Goetz initially became a hero of the people defending himself in a harsh city. He was seen as a vigilante and he received widespread public recognition and support.
However, public opinion soon turned against Goetz due to statements and damaging details of the incident that later surfaced. He confessed on video tape to intentionally wanting to hurt his victims, even shooting Cabey a second time which gave him permanent brain damage and left him paralysed.
A quote from Goetz’s website later discussing the shooting stated: “I immediately looked at the first two to make sure they were "taken care of," and then attempted to shoot Cabey again in the stomach, but the gun was empty. I thought Cabey was shot twice after reading a media account no shots missed; I had lost count of the shots and while under adrenaline I didn't even hear the shots or feel the kick of the gun. 'You don't look too bad, here's another', is a phrase I came up with later when trying to explain the shooting while I was under the impression that Cabey was shot twice. Cabey, who was briefly standing prior to the shooting, was sitting on the subway bench during all attempted shots. The others were standing. Shortly after the shooting my vision and hearing returned to normal.”
Despite all this, a jury found him not guilty of all charges except for one count of carrying an unlicensed firearm, for which he served eight moths of a one-year sentence.
Bittersweet Linings: 1996, Darrell Cabey obtained a civil judgement of $43 million against Goetz- to date Cabey is yet to receive this money from Goetz.
