American Sailor Murdered in Halifax

An article on CTV reads as:

Six people were arrested and questioned in Halifax early Saturday after an American sailor was stabbed to death outside a downtown night spot.

No one has been charged in the slaying. Police were called around 4 a.m. after a fight that broke out inside a club moved out onto the street. About 20 people were involved in the fight, police said.

The 28-year-old sailor, who has not been identified, was found stabbed on the street.

"He was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead," police spokeswoman Theresa Brien told CTV News.

An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday.

"There was another American sailor that received a minor injury to his foot," Brien said.

Link

Now it is a crime, like this one, that I see creates a serious strain on the Canadian-American relationship. Halifax has become a hot bed for crime recently, and is only growing worse. Their bar scenes are some of the worst in the country, as gang crimes are dominating the area. Its a dark spot on the east coast, and all of Canada, which is normally known for their peaceful ways.

My thoughts are with the victim and their family, as this is quite a tragedy.

Something strikes me after reading this. If a Canadian goes to America, and gets murdered, it does not have much of a shock factor. But when an American comes to Canada and is murdered, I'm flabbergasted. Not really sure why.

As an American, I don't see how this could "strain relations" as long as the murder is investigated thoroughly and hopefully someone brought to justice.

There is crime everywhere.

There is a long history of friction between citizens in our countries. Many Americans distaste Canadians for being Canadian. Unfortunately, it does go both ways. It is an assumption, but I can confident in saying a part of the motive here was the fact he was American. Based on this assumption, I would believe this event would continue the strain on our relations. Gang crimes in Halifax are on the rise in the last few years, so a group of Sailors out on the town, would create a stir amongst these people.

I'm not talking through our governments, I'm talking on a man to man level. The trash people talk in their homes or amongst one another over a beer. Ignorance on a smaller scale.

of whether the US navy service men were in civilian clothes or uniformed.

I can definitely see being in uniform making them more of a target.

That whole "tough guy" thing...stereotype...Halifax is a rather depressed area and crime has been on the jump...a lot of people perhaps looking for anything "different" to focus in on.

American soldiers/navy/marines/seals/etc etc have this sort of tough guy image thanks to the media, movies and what not...

Resentments because they are American, plus being in uniform...could be enough for certain types looking for a fight anyway.

You're right about the shock factor Chissler...it's almost expected when we hear of this kind of thing happening in the US...it isn't as common here in Canada.

My guess is: Drunk Canadian guys, spot US Navy boys in uniform...start mouthing off, pushing comes to shoving and then the old "Take it outside"...trouble is now a days it's rarely a one on one situation...pack mentality kicks in. End result a family has lost a son and many people's lives are affected.

It does put strain on the relations, how can it not? Halifax is a major port for US Navy on leave and joint training visits etc...if Halifax is having that much trouble keeping it's yahoos in check...the US will find a different port. There goes some big business and bigger trust.

Little things like this can compound an existing problem and Canada's slow-to-act treatment of crime in general as viewed by the Americans...

It is very sad and I send out good thoughts for the family who lost a son.

Yeah I was reading through to see if the man was in uniform. Nothing had been mentioned. I'll be sure to watch the evening news to see if anything is mentioned. Considering how close it is to where I am now, and murders are pretty rare in these parts, I can see this being a hot topic around my parts for some time.

states that the two US naval guys were good Samaritans and were trying to break up a fight started by two women. They stepped in and tried to help and ended up being in the middle. Still no word as to whether they were uniformed or not.

CBC.ca has more.

What a tragedy.

Two fellows try to help someone out and one of them ends up dead. There's just something so wrong about that.

I'm sure there is a group somewhere in Halifax that will do something incredibly nice and heartwarming to honour the dead sailor as a hero that gave his life to help a stranger and there won't be too many hard feelings.

This story just got a whole lot worse.

Apparently the victim, Hull technician 1st Class Damon Crooks, has left behind an eight month pregnant fiancee. Whats being reported his Crooks was a good samaritan in all of this, who was trying to break up a fight between two others.

HALIFAX -- Fallout from the murder of an American sailor outside a Halifax nightclub -- leaving behind his eight-months pregnant fiance -- has created a public debate in the city over whether its bars should be closed earlier.

Hull technician 1st Class Damon Crooks, 28, of West Palm Beach, Fla., was stabbed early Saturday outside a popular downtown club after a fight that began inside spilled onto the street.

Cory Wright, 23, of Halifax has been charged with first-degree murder. Wright made a brief court appearance Monday and was remanded into custody until election and plea on Nov. 21. Two other local men face less severe charges in connection with the stabbing.

Link

The worst of all of this is the accused, Cory Wright, has a bit of a rap sheet. He has done time for armed robbery I believe the news broadcast said (can't find it in the article), and has only been released on parole last year. The basis for his parole was based on the guarantee that Wright would avoid alcohol.

Crooks and his family are victims of a shoddy system.

Canada has a lower crime rate than the U.S. in general, so maybe thats why its shocking. Where as murder of anyone in the U.S., foreign or domestic, is pretty normal and expected.

I highly doubt it would really strain any relations though. It is pretty unfortunate though.