Victim: Compliment Sparked Attack

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26-Year-Old Says Comment On Georgia Bulldogs Shirt Led To His Beating

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A simple comment prompted a brutal attack on a mentally disabled Publix employee, according to the victim.

"Hey, I like your shirt," 26-year-old James Wall said is what he told two men who he said beat him in the parking lot of his Northside Publix. "I was getting ready to go outside and get carts, and that's when it happened."

Wall has worked at the store on Duval Station Road for the past seven years. His family said he has the mental capacity of a teenager.

On Friday, Wall was assigned to collect the shopping carts in the parking lot when out of nowhere "he hit me three times, and I fell down," he said.

Police said Ryan Keys, 27, who's 6 feet 4 inches tall and 275 pounds, punched Wall in the face.

Wall said he complimented Keys on his Georgia Bulldogs T-shirt, and for no apparent reason, Wall said, Keys was offended by the statement and decided to attack him.

Keys' 23-year-old brother, Cade Keys, drove the getaway car, police said.

Both men were later arrested at their home and booked into the Duval County Jail on charges of aggravated battery and resisting arrest.

The blow to Wall's face was so severe that it knocked two of his teeth out, causing them to fly about 10-12 feet across the parking lot.

Wall and his family are now concerned about the future. Having spent Tuesday morning undergoing dental surgery to replace and repair his teeth, Wall and his father hope they can put this behind them.

Wall's father, a Jacksonville Airport Authority police officer, said he plans to teach his son some basic self-defense techniques.

Wall said he's grateful that the attack wasn't worse.

Wall said he's grateful that the attack wasn't worse.

"Even though I had to get my teeth operated on, I just knew that, 'Well, God's got his hand on me,'" Wall said.

Because Wall is mentally disabled, the potential punishment for the suspects could be more severe.

Victim: Compliment Sparked Attack - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville
 
These two loser who beat him up need their butts kicked BIG time. What is wrong with people like those low life trash?
 
Wonder why they did it when Jacksonville has no NCAA Division 1 college.
 
rolling7 said:
Wonder why they did it when Jacksonville has no NCAA Division 1 college.
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All I can guess is....they did it for the hell of it...picking an helpless victim....The Florida Gators & the Georgia Bulldogs are football rivals....and the side of town where it happened is crime-ridden....There is so much "senseless" crime going on here anyway...perhaps keeping your eyes focused on what you're doing and your mouth "shut" is the best way to go and not risking getting beaten up.....
 
I'm going to venture a guess that perhaps the men did it because they saw it as a come-on and were feeling a touch of the homophobia that's been going around.

for shame, for shame.
 
TheOracle said:
I'm going to venture a guess that perhaps the men did it because they saw it as a come-on and were feeling a touch of the homophobia that's been going around.

for shame, for shame.
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WTF?

How the hell is this all of a sudden a "gay" issue now?

Two rednecks decided to beat up a helpless dude they thought was being offensive. Where is the "gay" in that?
 
Here is the first story.
http://www.alldeaf.com/current-events/92204-victim-compliment-sparked-attack.html#post1860301

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After a mentally challenged Publix employee was severely beaten Friday after allegedly making a comment to a customer about his Georgia Bulldogs T-shirt, police arrested two brothers on charges of aggravated battery and resisting arrest.
According to a police report, James Wall, 26, was bringing a shopping cart from the parking lot on Duval Station Road back to the store about 5 p.m. when he exchanged words with Ryan Keys, 27, and Cade Keys, 23. Witness told officers Ryan Keys punched Wall in the face from three to eight times.
Police said Wall was missing several teeth and bleeding from the mouth. Wall, the son of a Jacksonville Airport Authority police officer, was taken to a hospital. Channel 4 was told the victim has the mental capacity of a teenager.
Police said the manager of the Publix provided a video of the brothers inside the Publix and a description and license plate number of the suspects' vehicle, which they located at their home on Milton Drive. According to the arrest report, Ryan Keys refused officers' commands to lie on the ground. When he was pushed to the grown, he refused to put his hands behind his back and had to be forcefully restrained, according to the report.
Cade Keys voluntarily came out of the house but refused commands to put down a telephone and cigarette and also resisted arrest, offices wrote in the report.
The report quotes Cade Keys as saying the victim said "something smart ass, but I couldn't tell you what it was," and antagonized his brother, Ryan. When told the victim was mentally disabled and asked if the comment justified a beating, he told officers that, "If we'd known that, no."
The officers also noted Ryan Keys appeared to be heavily intoxicated.
The report said that Ryan Keys told officers he thought Wall had an attitude and was going to charge his brother because "you know, he had that look." When asked how he felt threatened by the victim, he told the officers, "I will always hit first," according to the report.
According to officers, Ryan Keys said, "I hit him once hard enough he fell into the carts."
Wall's father told Channel 4 that he picked up two of his son's teeth from the parking lot, and they have an appointment with an oral surgeon Tuesday.
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Based solely on post #1, before I read post #12, I also wondered if it were a homophobic issue.

If a man is going to compliment another man he does not know about anything he had better be ready to deal with a homophobic reaction. Not usually so violent, of course. It is normally just embarrassment and lack of knowing how to handle a situation they are not used to.

In fact forty years ago to have complimented a man on his shirt would have been begging for trouble.
 
Berry said:
Based solely on post #1, before I read post #12, I also wondered if it were a homophobic issue.

If a man is going to compliment another man he does not know about anything he had better be ready to deal with a homophobic reaction. Not usually so violent, of course. It is normally just embarrassment and lack of knowing how to handle a situation they are not used to.

In fact forty years ago to have complimented a man on his shirt would have been begging for trouble.
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Really? I've never heard that before. TCS compliments other guys on their t-shirts that have messages or images for things he supports, and the guys seem to appreciate that. Why would someone wear a shirt supporting a team or cause or group and not expect a reaction? When TCS sees someone wearing a Navy-themed t-shirt, he and the other guy start chatting about their Navy experiences. When he sees someone wearing a shirt supporting a winning team, he congratulates them on their win. People wearing Clemson and USC team shirts are always woo-hooing each other. The PGR bikers that we ride with are proud of their t-shirts and vest patches, and don't mind talking about them. It seems to be a guy bonding thing. That's why people buy the shirts, to be noticed. I've never seen any gay or homophobic reactions.

Maybe you live in a more homophobic area. :dunno:

The guys here seem very comfortable in their skins.
 
Steinhauer said:
WTF?

How the hell is this all of a sudden a "gay" issue now?

Two rednecks decided to beat up a helpless dude they thought was being offensive. Where is the "gay" in that?
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They were attracted to him and hated him for it. So they started using their penises...ummm, fists on him. Hitting him and hitting him again until they felt good and satisfied.
 
Well, my take on it is....the 2 men would not have cared who it was...they had been drinking. I don't see it as "gay"...They punched the kid just for the hell of it...the kid was no match for this guy who was at 6'4, 275 lbs. I'm sure they drove off laughing.

Hoping the Judge will throw the book at them.
 
I guess I can see how some people might take that phrase rudely, like "nice shirt!" meaning your shirt sucks or by extension the team sucks.

Beating someone over it is monumentally stupid though.
 
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