The guy you see above is a mentally disturbed d-bag of the highest order. His name is Daniel Quinnell and he was recently arrested again, I say ‘again’ because he has an extensive rap sheet, for what very well may end up being officially labeled a hate crime. Thankfully, he’s not the focus of this story, it’s his victim Cameron Mohammed who’s making headlines and for all the right reasons.
Last week Cameron was walking into a Tampa area WalMart with his girlfriend when Quinnell allegedly yelled racial slurs at the couple and (no alleging about this) proceeded to shoot at Mohammed 20 times with a pellet gun. Mohammed happened to be armed as well, but he was carrying a .45 caliber Taurus pistol. He decided, at that critical moment, not to use his weapon.
Cameron told the Tampa Bay Times:
“I don’t know. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t blow this guy away for something he could change later in life. I’m not going to decide this man’s fate.”
They say discretion is the better part of valor. I say actions speak louder than words and both are applicable to the unflappable patience that Mr. Mohammed showed when the law would have afforded him every right to have gunned Quinnell down.
Before he started using his pellet gun, Quinnell asked Mohammed if he was Muslim or from the Middle East. Mohammed answered no to both yet Quinnell went ahead and did what he did anyways. Mohammed was born in Trinidad, raised in Tampa and stated he’s Catholic.
The following is surveillance footage police posted in order to find Quinnell. The first part is a brief shot of Quinnell leaving the store followed by his horrific actions. You see Quinnell’s shaded outline as his arm raises and he fires at Mohammed. A plume rises from Mohammed after a pellet hits his head.
Several tips were received, one being highly credible as it turns out that Daniel’s mom recognized her own son and called in regards to his whereabouts. Through her assistance, cops were able to locate him at his hotel room where they arrested and charged him with aggravated assault. As of Friday detectives believed they had enough to move forward with classifying his actions as a hate crime, which could elevate the charges to a first-degree felony.
Quinnell has been arrested 10 times prior in Florida since 2006, mostly for battery charges and instances involving violent threats.
Mohammed was scheduled to have pellets removed from his face and jaw today. He was in the midst of taking a break from community college and was working at a friend’s auto body shop. In a local news interview he refused to have his face filmed, not seeking any spotlight for himself.
When Quinnell began shooting, Cameron’s girlfriend dashed away and hid behind a column. This wasn’t by accident as she recalled a previous conversation in which he advised her to keep quiet and find safe cover in just this type of scenario.
As a recap, I’d like to sum up what we discovered about Mr. Mohammed from this story:
In the face of a criminal who allegedly hurled vulgar racial slurs at he and his lady and shot at him with a pellet gun, he showed remarkable restraint and resolve by not using his own weapon. In that moment, he thought of what it would mean to the man who was offending him, believing it was an act of ignorance he might veer away from later in life. His girlfriend had a plan of action for her own protection that he had suggested to her from a previous conversation. He also refused attention when reporters came knocking at his door.
Wow. Just wow is all I can say…
