By Kenny Irby
On the brink of exhaustion after sleeping in his rental vehicle for four days, St. Petersburg Times staff writer Marcus Franklin, 34, was shot in the abdomen around 11:30 p.m. on Monday.
At the time of the shooting, Franklin said he had filed his story and was setting out to locate the Baton Rouge Motel 6 secured by fellow writer Carrie Johnson. He was planning to sleep there, after spending four nights parked at the airport and on the I-10 causeway.
While trying to find the motel, Franklin said he stopped in a residential area of Baton Rouge and was in his car writing with his windows down when he noticed someone reaching for the door.
“The thing that I remember most was what he said, not what he looked like,” Franklin remembers. ” ‘How much money you got?’ “
Making a sudden decision, Franklin said he accelerated and the gunman fired a single shot that injured the journalist. Franklin called 911, was connected with the police and then taken by ambulance to a Baton Rouge hospital. He said he was released Tuesday after doctors decided removing the bullet was too dangerous.
Sgt. Don Kelly of the Baton Rouge Police Department said by telephone Tuesday night that the police report indicates that, after the shooting, the victim reported driving himself some distance to an intersection that he could identify for the 911 operator. He said officers have not turned up any leads in the case so far.
Reached for comment at General Aviation Facility, Louisiana Aircraft-Ryan Airport, Franklin recounted the day that began at 4 a.m. in Jefferson Parish and ended with someone trying to take his life.
“I am blessed. It could’ve been a lot worse. I could be laying in a morgue, instead [of] here at the airport,” he said.
Franklin had planned to return to St. Petersburg, Fla., on a scheduled Delta flight but that changed when Times Photo Technology Director Jack Rowland learned of his colleague’s situation. He suggested sending Tampa Photo Assignments Editor Mack Goethe, who was working on logistical support for photographers in the area, to check on Franklin and put him on a charter flight home.
St. Petersburg Times managing editor Stephen Buckley confirms that the paper chartered a Learjet air ambulance to bring the injured journalist back to Florida. “It is a reminder that this is a very volatile situation, and New Orleans is not the only place where we need to think about safety first,” said Buckley.
Franklin attributes the incident to exhaustion and says that all of his editors cautioned him to get some rest and be very careful. But, “I let my guard down for a few minutes.”
As for details, he says, “I saw the gun as I sat there, and I saw a small black, maybe 22, caliber gun, and baseball cap, and I clearly remember his words.”
This was Franklin’s first time in the city of Baton Rouge. “Before yesterday, I spent virtually all of my time in Jefferson Parish. In my time there, I had gained a certain level of comfort and familiarity. Yet, in Baton Rouge, this was my first time there and I was unsure.”
Franklin advises other journalists to:
- Travel in teams.
- Keep your eyes and ears open at all times.
- Get some sleep, take some power naps. Be aware of the impact of exhaustion.
