Shooting at Shanty Town

[Lunican]

From what I recall after they were arrested, the one confessed. Anyway, they're not guilty until proven so...(which we're sure they are) but it's our justice system that's in process...

They aren't guilty of murder because they didn't kill anyone. Were they actually charged with murder?

[Downtown Dweller]

According to the police reports they were not charged with murder, it was armed robbery, assualt with a deadly weapon. felon with a fire arm, etc etc....LUCKILY it isn;t murder, but it wasn't becuase they wouldn't have murder our friend Tom, I would say three shots, especially where they were placed is pretty much an attempt at murder. I am sure you were just stating a fact, not trying to make their crime seem like it was any less than what it was, a stupid attempt on someone's life for $50.

[hooplady]

They aren't guilty of murder because they didn't kill anyone. Were they actually charged with murder?

I thought the original police report indicated "attempted murder" but I don't have it in front of me.  I think the Fox30 reporter made a mistake and Lunican was just pointing out the discrepancy; he's a fact-based kinda guy.

[jbm32206]

From what I recall after they were arrested, the one confessed. Anyway, they're not guilty until proven so...(which we're sure they are) but it's our justice system that's in process...

They aren't guilty of murder because they didn't kill anyone. Were they actually charged with murder?

I never said murder....so I don't know where you're thinking I did. However, the one thug did confess to the shooting.

[hooplady]

It's a happy day in my world.  Tom has finally graduated to Brooks Rehab - he left Shands last night.  Now his hard work really begins.

Thanks again to everyone for their support, encouragement, love & prayers.

[jbm32206]

Janet, our prayers will continue as I know he's got a hard road ahead of him

[BridgeTroll]

It's a happy day in my world.  Tom has finally graduated to Brooks Rehab - he left Shands last night.  Now his hard work really begins.

Thanks again to everyone for their support, encouragement, love & prayers.

Wahoo!!  That is great news!  I know a few people whose hard work getting him there has paid off.  You should all be very proud.  This is great news for an awful situation...

[BridgeTroll]

Visited with Tom yesterday at Brooks... he seems in good spirits but is ready to be out of hospitals.  He is hoping to be discharged from Brooks in 2-3 weeks.

[BridgeTroll]

The Florida Times-Union

September 15, 2008

Shooting victim gets new wheels



By MATT COLEMAN,
The Times-Union


Two wheels are nothing new to Thomas Provost.
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The Springfield resident spent years biking from work to home and across North Jacksonville.

A felon's bullet might have devastated his spine and taken away his ability to bike, but he said he is looking forward to breaking in his newest set of wheels.

After three months of intensive physical therapy at Brooks Rehabilitation, Provost took his first ride Thursday in a manual wheelchair.

He was shot while trying to stop an armed man from robbing a neighborhood bar and awoke in Shands Jacksonville, paralyzed from the chest down.

The 42-year-old Worcester, Mass., native was walking through the front door of Shantytown Pub in Springfield about 9:45 p.m. June 16 when he was accosted by a gun-toting man and his accomplice.

He had come back for one last pint after walking his girlfriend, Janet Dahlseid, home from the bar. He said his encounter with the men lasted only a few seconds but is forever etched in his mind.

"The one with the gun stuck it in my face and told me to go inside the bar," Provost said. "I grabbed at it then heard the shots."

One bullet hit him in the neck and lodged itself in his spine. Two more struck him in the stomach as he fell to the floor. The pair tried to flee, but witnesses at a nearby bike shop saw them run down Main Street and alerted authorities.

Police quickly arrested Curtis Lee Jones III, 21, and Nicholas Jerome McCray, 18. They were charged with attempted murder and attempted armed robbery with a firearm. Jones also was charged with possession of a firearm or concealed weapon by a felon.

Provost said if he could do it again he would still fight back - but he would make one slight alteration.

"I'd probably try to move the gun away from me," Provost said in a slight monotone. He paused for a moment to let his statement take root before unleashing a smile.

'Boston Tom' still the same

Others might have folded into themselves after receiving such a difficult diagnosis, but the humor and laid-back attitude that made Provost a popular Springfield fixture is still in effect. Decked out in full Boston Red Sox regalia - a 2007 championship T-shirt and matching hat - he cracked jokes with a noticeable accent during one of his six daily therapy sessions. He skips over the letter R frequently when he speaks, so it's easy to guess why most Shantytown regulars know him mainly as "Boston Tom."

During a recent physical therapy session, one of his nurses made a delicate mistake - making known her allegiance to the New York Yankees. Even though she had his leg stretched into the air at a compromising angle, he didn't stay silent.

"Yup, I'm a Yankee hater," Provost said with a straight face. "Doesn't look like they're doing so well this year, does it?"

The pair swapped good-natured barbs for a few minutes as she put Provost through various rehabilitation exercises.

Push-ups. Toe touches. Balance-building stretches. He followed each of her instructions diligently because, he said, he needs to reliably execute the simple maneuvers for any real shot at self-reliance.

Homecoming

Dahlseid said Provost's recovery has progressed rapidly. When he first began at Brooks Rehabilitation he was hardly able to push himself upright. Now he coasts through most sessions without breaking a sweat. But his biggest challenge remains.

Provost was scheduled to be released today to his new home - a downstairs apartment in Springfield that's fully wheelchair-accessible. He still has bills to pay for his medical coverage and new residence, he's not sure if he'll be able to return to his cashier's job at Zodiac Grill, and relearning mundane tasks like cleaning and cooking is going to be daunting.

But he didn't complain once.

Much like some of the homes dotting the historic North Jacksonville neighborhood, Provost still needs work. He took to the wheelchair with unexpected grace for a first-timer, but learning to navigate narrow corridors and traverse inclines will only come with time.

If living in and helping refurbish old homes in a historic neighborhood has taught him one thing, it's the value of patience. It's a personality trait Provost said he expects to exercise as often as the shoulders he uses to propel his wheelchair.

The timing of his release is good, though, because patience is only so fulfilling.

He is getting a little antsy for one of his favorite things.

"Beer."

The word poured out of his mouth with little hesitation.

"The food here at Brooks isn't bad, but it'll never be home without beer."

matt.coleman@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4654






http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091508/met_332370465.shtml