White shooter, black victim. Without more facts, it's impossible to say why authorities are suspecting a racial motive to yesterday's dramatic showdown at the Cooperstown police station, but that's what the AP implies.
It began when the white teen stepped out of a car with a .22-caliber rifle and began chasing three youths who had been walking through a park near the Hall of Fame Library, village police Chief Diana Nicols said.
Authorities are investigating whether the shooter was motivated by racial hatred, she said.
Just in case the impact of negative news on the local tourist economy is the first thing that springs to mind on learning that sixteen-year-olds are shooting each other in the police station, the AP story notes that the Baseball Hall of Fame stayed open throughout the incident.
The Daily Star yields a little more insight:
An official who declined to be identified said that when Pacherille was asked why he had shot Lippitt, he said he hated black people.
Could it really be that simple?
