Review by Joseph P. Tartaro | Executive Editor
THE SANTA SHOOTER: Guilty until proven innocent, by Marcus Allen Weldon. ©2017. Published by True Vine Publishing, Nashville, TN. 220 page Paperback. Prices: $20 in print; less in e-book form and discounted by Amazon and other online book stores.
This is autobiographical account of an actual defensive shooting at a Detroit gas station and the aggressive prosecution of the shooter after the event on seven felony counts, complete with how the media reported the case. However, it is much more than that. It is an educational experience for anyone who carries a handgun for self-defense. Plus, it has great practical advice from a young African-American man who grew up in the “hood” for other young men struggling to survive; especially those temped by the gang lifestyle.
The confrontation that set off the unfortunate series of events took place late on a Saturday night before Christmas, when Weldon was working dual duties in promotion for a liquor company at a holiday party that required him to be dressed as Santa Claus, assisted by a bevy of young ladies dressed in abbreviated Mrs. Claus outfits. When one of them, Jasmine, told him about a tire problem with her own car as they were leaving the party, he agreed to meet her at a Detroit gas station in just in case.
When he arrived about 1:30 a.m. she was at the clerk’s window being confronted by the passenger of a black car that idled a few feet away with its passenger door open. The man appeared to be intoxicated or high on drugs. Dressed all in black, the Middle Eastern man began shoving Jasmine, and that’s when Weldon interceded.
The pushing and shouting focus shifted to the guy in the Santa suit while the strange man spoke to the driver of the other car in their native language. The driver meanwhile was reaching for something, perhaps a gun or other weapon, as the situation deteriorated. Weldon finally displayed his own licensed handgun in an attempt to discourage continued conflict, but that didn’t cool things off.
Now approached by one of the mean with a weapon in hand, Weldon was required to fire his handgun. wounding both men.
Police did show up and Weldon was taken into custody, beginning a longer and more harrowing experience in the criminal justice system, as well as his being identified as the Santa Shooter by the media, happy to have a Christmas twist in their holiday mayhem report.
Step by step, the book takes you through the long and very real criminal justice process. His arraignment on seven felony counts, his time in jail, his fight for bail, his search for a good lawyer, the multiple court visits, his custody battle with his former wife over their five-year-old daughter, being required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet, the disappearance of the key gas station clerk who witnessed the shooting, and attempts by the district attorney to block exculpatory evidence.
Weldon is bolstered by selection of a good criminal defense lawyer, his family, his pastor and members of his church congregation. He talks about the advice, insights and inspiration he received from books, including those by Massad Ayoob and Rev. Kenn Blanchard, “Black Man with a Gun.”
A good part of the book deals with the psychological trauma of the restrictions and delays in trial proceeds, and how he was able to keep mentally fit with physical exercise. And, of course, there are important notes on the legal cost of his defense and the hiring of a special investigator to find a key witness.
There are a few technical shortcomings in the book, including some syntax and style errors, but it is still a very engrossing volume. One that I think should be required reading, especially among those who carry daily, and young people trying to find their way in the world.
Readers soon learn of the perversion of their belief in a presumption of innocence, and, as the subtitle says, “Guilty until proven innocent.”
A footnote to this review should include mention of the fact that the author has become an active apostle for the universal right to self-defense.
