Big League Politics On Saturday evening at roughly 6:45 PM, Jamel Barnwell, a 17 year old black male from West Philadelphia, shot up a bowling alley in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. One man was killed and four other people were injured during the attack. While the shooter is still on the run and the motive remains unknown, what is known is that Jamel Barnwell travelled from inner-city West Philly to the overwhelmingly white suburb of East Norton in order to perpetrate a random mass shooting at the town’s local popular hangout, Our Town Alley.
ABC 6 reported that 15 shots in total were fired. Children reportedly hid in mechanical closets to avoid gunfire and several parents broke windows in order to help their kids escape. The victim killed in the shooting has been identified as 29 year old Frank Wade. Prior to shots being fired, Barnwell reportedly entered the family bowling alley with two other men before an altercation ensued with Wade. Barnwell then shot Wade and began firing shots into the crowd of an estimated 50-75 bowlers.
BREAKING: 17 year old Jamel Barnwell wanted in deadly East Norriton, PA family fun center shooting
Fired 15 shots while children hid in mechanical closets and parents broke windows to get kids out https://t.co/F9htdfVgFi
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) February 21, 2021
After the shooting, Jamel Barnwell is said to have fled the scene of the crime with both of the men he entered with. The men accidentally left behind all three of their cellphones at the scene, one of which belonged to Barnwell and was used to help identify him.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele put out in a statement:
“We are searching for all three men involved and are asking for the public’s help in finding the shooter, Barnwell. If you see him, do not approach him as he is considered armed and dangerous having fled the bowling alley with the gun he used to kill Frank Wade.”
Our Town Alley also released a statement about the shooting:
Our Town Alley management and staff are devastated by the violence that occurred at our establishment Saturday evening, February 20, 2021. Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and our entire community, which has been rattled by this unusual incident.
Going back to its days as Facenda Whitaker Lanes, Our Town Alley has always been a safe place where families come to enjoy themselves, a place for friends and camaraderie. As East Norriton Township Chief of Police Brandon Pasquale told news outlets, this incident is an anomaly, an uncommon occurrence in our neighborhood. It follows a year that has been tough on our business, our patrons, and our community because of the pandemic.
Just as we have been recovering from this difficult past year, we will also recover from this event. We affirm our mission to maintain a family-friendly, fun entertainment center. We are committed to working with authorities, security experts, and community leaders to make sure nothing like this happens again at our establishment.
The four other people struck by gunfire are reportedly in stable condition at a local hospital and we hope to see them make a quick and full recovery.
While this shooting is a tragedy and should not by any means be politicized as we pray for the victims and their families, it is noteworthy that aside from several local outlets and small conservative websites, this mass shooting has received virtually ZERO media coverage. Popular conservative commentator and video game streamer Jaden McNeil pointed this out on Twitter:
Jamel Barnwell traveled from West Philly to a White suburb and shot up a bowling alley last night. Zero mainstream outlets have covered this: https://t.co/YJucCEet3D
— Jaden McNeil (@JadenPMcNeil) February 22, 2021
Prominent America First influencer and social media contributor ‘Michigan Zoomer’ also gave his opinion in a tweet. According to MZ, had the demographics been reversed, the outcome and public backlash would’ve been much more radical and violent:
Imagine the mainstream media outrage had this been a white man shooting five black people and killing one. There would be nationwide BLM rioting at levels worse than summer 2020. But since black criminality is the status quo it gets swept under the rug.
— MZ (@MichiganZoomer) February 22, 2021
While the motive remains unknown, the shooting rings eerily similar to that of Dylan Roof perpetrated in 2015. Roof traveled to a black community in order to shoot up a black church in a racially motivated attack. The mainstream media gave non-stop coverage of this attack for months. However, with the roles seemingly reversed, it seems unlikely that this tragedy will be reported on by any of the big media conglomerates.
