WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1976, PAGE 5 Lt was bound tu happen and it did-on Januiary 1 1, on a quiet residentiulI street in Scarboro. The first live and authenîic hostage draina in Toronto was played in broad daylighit with guns and automaîc weapons blazing away. The final count: one man dead, one criîically injured in the hospital. Next morning the whole nation learned of the violent incident through newspaper reports and radio and TV coverage. Clearly, for everyone 10 sec, Toronto liad entered the crime league in a rather big and spectacular way. Firstly, let's examine the media coverage of this tragic happening. One rnorning newspaper devoted seven pages la this shooîing incident. The block-letter headline read: "SHIARPSHOOTER KILLS GUNMAN". One policeman immdiaelyreacted to this story by asserting that seven pages of stories and photos was going comipletely "ovecrboard". I agree. But, what bugs nie most is the headline which implies that police Inspector Dave Cowan is a - harpshooter. To rny limited knowledge of guns, most sharpshooters are equipped with proper weapons-rifles with mounted îelcscopic lenses. Few sharpshooters, if any, are sent out on a job with a .38 calibre service revolver. (That weapon xvas used by Cowan to kilI the guonan). Jim will return next week Sccondly, it was reported that lnsp. Cowan's lirst shot mnissed the gunnman and only the second bulle( st rLck hlim in the headl. The way 1 --mee it, lnsp. Cowani was flot a sharpshooter. Luck played a major role ini killing Francis Josephi Savoy. 1 ain also disturbed 'by the liiet that no visible effort was miade to capture this rnaniac in a, less blood-thirsty mianner. Police had plenty of tfine on hand. The bandit could have been psycologically worn-out by inducing different miethods, of surrender. 1 arn told that British police are experts in handling crirninals like Savoy. 1 arn one of those naive writers who do not believe in cold-blooded mutrder, either by law enforcement agents or crirninals at large. Apart fromn my own theories of handling hard-core criminals, 1I must gel back to mry original intent-to exaniine.the media coverage. The second miorning newspaper apparently missed the action completely. Oh yes, there was a story, but nothing to shout about. The front page was decorated with Chou En-lai's picture, showing the dead Chinese leader in the coffin and a bloody hockey picture from Philadeiphia. Only on page 5 an out-of-focus CBC picture acknowledged the early-morning shooting, incident. But, everything wasn't lost completely. The only afternoon Toronto newspaper gave a royal treatment of the incident, both story and picture wise.) Immediately, I noticed an excellent front-page photo by John Mahler, the only photo which clearly showed the drama-gunrnan and hostage together, with the hostage being ordered out of the 'car, TOWN 0F WHITBY 1976 DOG LICENCES Memibers of the First Whitby Resolute Ranigers will be conducting a door-to-door sale of dog licences on behialf of the Towni of Whitby (lurinig January. Febrtiary and Marchi. The cost of a I1976 dog licence is SI 5.00. Dog licences nay also be obtained at the Nlunicipt,.l Office, 405 Dundas Street West, Whitby. R.A. CLARINGBOLD, I)eptnty Treaistirer, Towvn of Wlitby. WAVR 'R/YTiIIE13/S T IN SIGIIT ru@%E OPTIA OIE 13 KING~ STREET WEST OSHAWA, ONTARIO PHONE 579-1242 KARL A. BLAKOLMER ELFI KROHN DISPENSING OPTtCIANS On page thre I found another good phiotoi and a well-balanced report. Thec TV coverage was sonicwluat skinipy, atIleast by CETO, which happenied tobbe doser 10 the scene than any other station. They werc about four hours late. The (SCW cam-eramnan was on the scene but, judging by thc filmi, somne distance away. However, 1 think the CBC efforts were comimendable. The TV viewer could actually sec the shooting and could heur thc crackling of gunfire. In radioland, I'm told, CBRB hiad outpaced the other radio stations in Toronto. Ian Slack, CFRB news reporter, happened to be there when police decided to move in with their huge arsenal of weapons. Slack (1 heard him later) was practically out of breath at the precise momnent when first bullets hit the gunmnan. Probably, I'd have droppcd rmy camnera-just from the excitement. A week later, a second gun-slaying incident took place in Toronto. Perhaps, timne has corne that we stop and think about these acts of violence and death. Can we really afford to have that much'crime around us? Can we really just sit back and dismniss these cases as "isolated incidents?" Wel, we al] know the answers: crime has become a way of life, even in a rather peaceful city like Toronto. 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