Star athlete dies in shooting

Former basketball stars Tank Beavers and Thurston Turner shot in Huntsville restaurant; suspect charged with murder
By Kelly Kazek
kelly@athensnews-courier.com

It was just after 9 p.m. Sunday when Sharon Beavers got a call from her cousin Toshi Shoulders.

“She said, ‘Tanqueray’s been shot.’ I said, ‘Quit lying,” Sharon said.

But Sharon would soon learn the awful truth — Tanqueray “Tank” Lavonacheke Beavers (top), 21, of Huntsville, and his second cousin Thurston Duran Turner (bottom), 27, of Athens, both standout basketball players, were two of four victims of Sunday night’s shooting spree at T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant on University Drive in Huntsville.

Tanqueray, who witnesses said was shot in the head, was dead at the scene; Turner was clinging to life Monday at Huntsville Hospital.

A close friend of Tank’s and Turner’s, Autora “Tory” Frias Rogers, 24, of Athens, a former Athens High School basketball manager, was also at Huntsville Hospital, but a spokeswoman said she could not release information about his condition and Huntsville police investigators are not releasing a condition. A friend of the family, however, said Rogers was improving.

The fourth victim is William Timothy Reliford, 33, of Hazel Green. Several local people said Reliford was working as a bartender at the restaurant at the time of the shooting. A Huntsville Hospital spokeswoman said the hospital has no record of him being treated there.

Huntsville Police Department investigators had suspect Jamal Roydrick Woods, 21, in custody Sunday night at Huntsville Metro Jail, said spokesman Wendell Johnson. Woods is charged with murder in connection with the death of Tanqueray Beavers.

Tanqueray, a 2004 graduate of Athens High School, was well-known in Athens, not only for his talent on the basketball court, but also because he was an outstanding young citizen, said Suzanne Rainey, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Limestone County.

Rainey, eyes red from crying, said she spent Monday morning visiting Tank’s grandmother, Emma White, with whom Tank lived for many years.

“They were very close,” Rainey said.

Tank was about 9 years old when he became the first member of the Boys & Girls Club when it was founded in Athens 12 years ago, she said. He was named Youth of the Year in 1995, 1998 and 2004. The local title allowed him to compete for state Youth of the Year.

“He was first-runner up in the state in 2004,” Rainey said. “He missed the winner’s spot by less than a point.”

Tank has an older sister, Terashia Beavers, and a younger brother, Trevon Beavers, she said.

Tank’s father, Ralph White of Athens, drove Sharon Beavers, who lives in Tanner, to the scene of the shooting Sunday night after they received word their son had been shot.

Sharon said a cousin, who witnessed the incident, stated that Tank said “hello” to a female cousin who was at the restaurant with her husband, Jamal Woods.

“They said his cousin ignored him, and her husband said, ‘Don’t you know that’s my wife?’

Tank said, ‘That’s my cousin.’

The man turned to her and said, ‘Is that your cousin?’ and she said, ‘no,’ so the man shot Tanqueray in the head.’”

Sharon Beavers and Toshi Shoulders said Tank did not know Woods and that the Woods couple had a history of domestic violence.

“It was just a senseless crime,” Shoulders said.

Johnson said at 9:10 p.m. Sunday, Woods became angry when another customer of the restaurant was looking at his female companion, who Tank’s family said was Woods’ wife and Tanks’ cousin. According to witnesses, Woods approached the man, asked him a question, then pulled out a gun and allegedly shot Tank Beavers and three others, Johnson said.

Tank’s father said he was told Tank, Turner and Rogers were sitting at the bar.

Johnson said Woods and three of his friends left the table where they had been sitting and fled the scene. Woods left in his vehicle, but a K-9 team tracked his friends to a nearby Hampton Inn, where they were detained and questioned.

Johnson said Woods was apprehended hours later by officers in a vehicle in south Huntsville. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges could be filed, he said.

Rainey said she was shocked when was notified of Tank’s death at about 10 p.m. Sunday.

“It was not about being in the wrong place or being with the wrong people,” she said. “He had just gone out to dinner.”

Sharon said her son, whom she said had recently been living with her and her fiancé, was “a good boy, a good person.”

“We had the best relationship,” she said. “There was no violence or anything like that.”

Tank turned 21 on Nov. 22.

Tanner High School basketball coach Chris Whitt said Thurston Turner was an outstanding athlete when he attended school there before graduating in 1998.

“I’ve coached here for 13 years and he’s one of the best guards I had,” Whitt said. “He led us to two straight Final Four appearances when we played for the state championships — in 1997 and 1998.”

Whitt said Turner is also a good person.

“He was a great person, very respectful toward the coaches and anybody he was around,” he said.

Tank’s coach, Athens High School’s Venard Hendrix, said the young man still came to the school to watch games.

“He was here Friday night,” Hendrix said. “He was always helpful; he talked to the kids all the time. We’re going to really miss him.”

Hendrix said he was in regular contact with Tank.

“Tank would always call me up. We would talk often;” he said. “We remained close after he graduated. He was just a great person, just fun to be around. It’s hard to believe.”

Athens High School Principal Chris Bolin said Tank would attend games and give advice to the coaches and to players.

“He was back last season and this season,” Bolin said. “He had ideas of what we could do better. He was a huge Athens High School supporter.”

He also shared those ideas with children learning the game, Bolin said.

“He had an ability to connect with small children; he had a personality,” Bolin said. “Young kids wanted to be around him. I think Tank was a great kid. He always represented Athens High School well. “

Rainey said Tank would also come to the Boys & Girls Club on Washington Street, where some of his younger cousins are members, and pick them up or offer to help with their hoops skills.

“He’s just a special person,” Rainey said. “He had an awful lot going for him.”

Tank spent a year at the University of Memphis, where he went on a basketball scholarship. He returned home and was working for Reggie Battle doing construction but was planning to return to college. His father said Tank was considering the University of Alabama; his cousins and Rainey thought he was looking at a Florida college.

“I know a lot of people felt he should have stayed in Memphis but Tank’s just the kind of person who’s going to make his own choices,” Rainey said.

Ralph White said Peoples Funeral Home will handle arrangements when authorities release Tank’s body, which will likely happen today.

Dozens of cousins gathered Monday either at the home of Tank’s mom in Tanner or his father in Athens, trying to make sense of the shooting.

“Tank was our heart,” Shoulders said. “This is a big void out of our lives.”

Sean Bell's Girlfriend: I'm Not Angry

NEW YORK -- The girlfriend of an unarmed man who was killed when police sprayed 50 bullets at his car the day he was to marry her said Monday she's not angry.

"I'm really not angry," a subdued Nicole Paultre told CNN interviewer Larry King in her first extensive comments since fiance Sean Bell's killing Nov. 25. "I'm more just trying to be strong. We just want justice.... That's it, and that's what we're praying for and hoping for."

Paultre, who wore a badge with a photo of her, Bell and their two young children, spoke haltingly, often with one- or two-word answers.

Last week, she told a local hip-hop radio station that the policemen who shot Bell, 23, were murderers.

She said Monday that she thought the officers had used excessive force but she said she didn't blame the whole police department for the actions of a few.

Wearing what would have been her wedding ring, Paultre said she was doing OK after her fiancee's shooting and was "trying to be strong for the girls," who don't understand their dad isn't coming back.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader who has spoken for the Bell and Paultre families, appeared on "Larry King Live" with her Monday and said the families wanted Bell's legacy to be the end of police abuse.

"These are solid people that just want to see fairness and that just want to hope Sean Bell's legacy is that this stops," Sharpton said. "Something has to break the cycle where those police that step out of bounds feel they can get away with it."

He said Bell and his friends had been well-behaved at a Queens strip club bachelor party before the shooting and any disturbance reported by witnesses had nothing to do with them.

"If there was some raucous behavior, they were not involved at all," he said. "But even if there had been a raucous party, that doesn't give police the right to come in and become judge, jury and executioner on unar

Has Jay-Z Outgrown Hip-Hop?

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/columns-editorials/id.676/title.who-the-hell-am-i-has-jay-z-outgrown-hip-hop/p.4
| Author: Andreas Hale


November 21st 2006 marked the day that Jay-Z returned from his proposed “retirement.” The expectations were set ridiculously high for Young Hova but if anyone could exceed expectations, the Jiggaman could….right? Apparently not. Although “Show Me What You Got” became a burner in the clubs, some predicted that this Jay-Z album just wouldn’t be up to snuff. Then the reviews began to surface. Definitely not up to Jay-Z standards. The marketing push that Jay put behind the album was unprecedented (from Monday Night Football ads to Budweiser commercials and, of course, the Jay-Z Hangar Tour) and resulted in first week sales reaching close to 700k but the critics and the streets began to speak.

“But what may cause the most arguments is that S. Carter seems to be representing Park Avenue more than the Marcy Projects on this album. True, false, or irrelevant?” – HipHopDX.com (rating 3.5 out of 5)

“The material shows a lack of direction from an MC whose age and position put him in uncharted waters.” – Allhiphop.com (rating 3.5 out of 5)

“Not to abuse the tired cliche of "grown folks music", but this is it, defined.” – Hiphopsite.com (rating 4 out of 5)

“…like athletes, we expect rappers to disappear when they turn 30. We have no use for them as they become older and more comfortable with themselves-- even if their minds are as sharp as ever…But that's Kingdom Come: Jay boringly rapping about boring stuff and being totally comfortable with it” – Pitchforkmedia.com (rating 5 out of 10)

“Jay-Z is hip-hop, yes, but the dirty little secret that he likes us to ignore is that hip-hop is not Jay-Z” – popmatters.com (rating 7 out of 10)

Wow…look at that last statement and then plant it alongside the other clips. Does anyone see a recurring theme here? While most of the reviews couldn’t argue with how Jay-Z is the “kingpin of the ink pen/monster of the double entendre” the problems arise about Jay’s subject matter. Gone are the days of “Sex murder and mayhem romance for the street” and instead we get riddles of “good credit and such.” Sadly, in Hip Hop this has become blasphemy. But why has the dream materialized become so incredibly out of touch? Why does Hip Hop have to be hustlin’, pimpin’ and slangin’? Although Kingdom Come didn’t deliver the goods as expected (according to the general consensus), it did tear open a gaping generation gap question that needs to be addressed. Has Jay-Z and artists like him outgrown his audience?

What Jay-Z has become is a dream materialized. Hip Hop has been deeply rooted in the struggle to come up and achieve a dream. But when that dream is achieved does that mean the struggle stops? Obviously so, according to many. See, there’s a big difference in struggling for food as opposed to struggling to maintain wealth and health. Hip Hop has never really seen a dream materialize, rather many dreams have been halted abruptly. Just when Tupac and Biggie were hitting their collective strides their lives were ended by a hail of bullets.

The question has always been asked “What If…” and the answer is “Jay-Z.”

Jay-Z has become the only artist that has allowed his growth to be caught on record. There were no voids where Jay grew and we didn’t see it. Jay-Z has always been in the spotlight. So as he matured, so did his music. And now he’s at a point where we have witnessed his growth into a successful black man with more money than you can shake a stick at.

There are two lines in “30 Something” that encompasses the “grown up” part of Jay-Z…

“I don't buy out the bar, I bought the nightspot”

And…

“Young enough to know the right car to buy/Yet grown enough not to put rims on it…”

The former is about just being flat out rich. Nothing more, nothing less. Jay-Z has more money than you (or he) has ever thought of and can now do things that were out of Hip-Hop’s collective reach. Instead of purchasing from someone, wouldn’t it be better to own it? It's as simple as “why buy a drink for ‘x’ amount of dollars when I can own the club that has the bar that sells drinks for ‘x’ amount of dollars?” The math is so simple, yet so complex. Many of us love basketball, so why not own a team? Jay-Z did it, now you see how many others have followed in his footsteps. But wait…don’t you need “good credit and such” to own a team?

The latter is about knowledge of wealth. As simple as the line is perceived to be, it speaks in volumes about Hip Hop culture today. Excess, materialism, etc. Jay-Z understands that rims look nice but have no added value for a vehicle and thus can be disposable. But how many of us understand that? I mean seriously…how many of us understand that owning a house is far more important than having a Dodge Magnum on 24’s? Rather ironic that we are entrenched in a culture so obsess with money yet has no idea what to do once we have it.

But in a consumer driven economy, the truth is that we are supposed to like rims and spend our hard earned dollars on bullshit. We’ve all been through it one way or another. So when someone like Jay-Z flips the script and talks about “good credit” do you think that this is what the economy wants to hear? Better yet, do the old owners of rims, jewelry and other excess want you to consider saving your money and your credit so you can one day own a business or a team or a corporation or even them? Hell no!

Mass Media has done a helluva job convincing us that the glass ceiling is closer to our heads than we originally thought. By using Hip Hop as a tool to promote hamburgers, GAP clothing and cars instead of fighting against sexism, racism and other numerous forms of oppression, they powers that be have beaten us at our own game.

So back to this statement…

“Jay-Z is hip-hop, yes, but the dirty little secret that he likes us to ignore is that hip-hop is not Jay-Z”

So who dictates what is Hip Hop and what isn’t? Why is Hip Hop not Jay-Z? Is that saying that good credit and financial responsibility are not Hip Hop? It has to obviously be scary to concede to the fact that it isn’t Jay-Z and people that look like Jay-Z who make Hip Hop, rather it be the old white CEOs who sit atop their thrones while throwing to us what they think is hip hop. But we are no better because we believe what they tell us.

As much as we would like to believe that we are trendsetters and “exclusive”, we are mere followers to the bigger machine. A machine that feeds us these vices and fills our little heads with pipe dreams and such to the point that achieving them isn’t even important anymore.

The name of the game today is to go out there and try while looking good without actually achieving. Because if you do in fact “make it”, you’ll be labeled a sell-out. There’s nothing flashy about a jump shot…except that its worth two points (and last time I checked the team with the most points wins). Instead we would rather dribble off of your head, do a cartwheel, and try a 360 layup with nobody defending us. We’d rather bask in the glory of oohs and ahhs and miss the fuckin’ rim completely rather than sink a boring ol’ jump shot. We love the journey but don’t want to see the ending. Because when the proposed “end” comes…what is left? Winning the game is not an option. And this is what they feed to us thru Hip Hop. Scary isn’t it?

“I came into a little bit of a revelation recently. I turned 31 and I’m starting to realize that a lot of this Hip Hop/rap thing is for kids. It’s a young people’s movement. And I know we as adults try to hang onto our youth as long as possible but my point is you gotta know when to let go because when you’re 36 and you dress like you’re 15 you look fuckin’ stupid!” – Aries Spears

While that line is laugh out loud funny, it does make you rethink where you are as a hip hop fan. If you are young then I guess this may not apply to you (yet). But if you are an 80’s baby you have to wonder how true this statement is. While Hip Hop may be rooted in the kids and the young people, it is the old man sitting up there getting his belly fat off of our work. You don’t have to “look” rich to “be” rich. Rock & Roll used to be considered a “kids” movement but now you have artists like Aerosmith and U2 still making incredible and timeless music. Do they look like every other rock star?

alone and look for the nearest Celine Dion or Earth Wind & Fire album? Or can Hip Hop grow and mature with us instead of without us? Can Hip Hop become rich and successful while taking the struggle to new heights (Sudan Crisis, Water Shortage, AIDS, Electoral Politics, Racism, etc)? I think we can…I can’t just leave my culture behind and look for a new one. I’d rather use it for a tool to educate and elevate.

But because of our mere willingness to settle for a dollar and a dream (and a plethora of other reasons) it is enough reason for me to suggest a ban on hip hop. Oh you don’t know what I mean by “destroy and rebuild”? Well I guess you won’t until the next editorial…and I’m just a critic…Who The Hell Am I? But the better question is…Who The Hell Are You?

“If the prophecy's correct, then the child should have to pay/ For the sins of the father/ So I bartered my tomorrow's against my yesterdays…/ I'm both saint and sinner…/ I'm on permanent vacay/ Life is but a beach chair/ This song's like a Hallmark card until you reach here.” – Jay-Z