[CBFF] Re: Tank's 'Bodyguard' Dead

[Kenny Claxton]

chuck you're off base. From the Trib:

Witnesses told police that a man repeatedly bumped into Johnson, said
a source familiar with the investigation. Posey intervened, striking
the man, and both fell to the floor. When club security pulled them
apart, the other man pulled a gun from his pants and shot Posey, the
witnesses reported.


Bears' Johnson harassed before pal slain in club
Player's friend shot at club 2 days after both were arrested

By Charles Sheehan, David Heinzmann and John Mullin
Tribune staff reporters
Published December 16, 2006, 11:00 PM CST

Chicago police were searching for a man who was harassing Bears player
Terry "Tank" Johnson on a nightclub dance floor Saturday morning,
prompting a fight that ended in the death of Willie B. Posey,
Johnson's bodyguard and boyhood friend, sources said.

Less than a day after they had appeared in court on drug and gun
charges, Posey and Johnson were partying at the Ice Bar in the River
North neighborhood when a single gunshot hit Posey, 26.

Witnesses told police that a man repeatedly bumped into Johnson, said
a source familiar with the investigation. Posey intervened, striking
the man, and both fell to the floor. When club security pulled them
apart, the other man pulled a gun from his pants and shot Posey, the
witnesses reported.

Sources said Johnson initially denied being at the bar, but he changed
his story as he talked with police at Northwestern Memorial hospital
early Saturday and later in the day at his Gurnee home. Police said he
was not a suspect.

Johnson's lawyer said he was not directly involved in the shooting,
and a neighbor said the football player appeared grief-stricken.

Instead, detectives interviewed a number of bar patrons and employees
through the day, and appeared to be closing in on a suspect who was
being questioned at Belmont Area headquarters, according to a source
familiar with the investigation.

The shooting deepens a crisis for Johnson, who faces weapons charges
after police raided his home Thursday and seized six guns. It was his
third arrest in 18 months.

The Bears, trying to build playoff momentum for their most promising
season in two decades, had already scratched the stalwart defensive
tackle from Sunday's game against Tampa Bay, and cannot be pleased
that he was in the club at 1:30 a.m., in the company of a convicted
armed robber and drug dealer.

"At some point," general manager Jerry Angelo had warned his team
Friday, "a player has to be held accountable for his actions."

According to league and NFL Players Association rules, only the league
can suspend a player for personal conduct issues, and the league
generally holds off on any action until the matter is resolved in
court.

The Bears could decide to keep Johnson inactive for the remainder of
the season, as the Philadelphia Eagles did with wide receiver Terrell
Owens last year in response to his outspoken criticism of teammates,
coaches and team officials.

Or the team could simply release the third-year lineman, who was
having his finest season on the field.

Johnson's attorney said his client was concerned about his future with the team.

"Of course, he's worried," Thomas A. Briscoe said. "He's worried about
his two families, his first family being his two daughters and his
second family being the Chicago Bears and Chicago Bear fans. He's very
concerned that people are going to get the idea that he has let them
down.

"But again, he has no responsibility for this. He was not directly involved."

Several Bears players declined to comment on the shooting while
signing autographs Saturday at the Hilton Chicago near Grant Park,
where they planned to spend the night before Sunday's game.

The shooting happened about 1:30 a.m. in the lounge area of the
nightclub at 738 N. Clark St., police said.

Chicago Police Supt. Philip Cline offered few details Saturday, as he
explained that one shot was fired, striking Posey in the left shoulder
and traveling into his chest.

Posey was pronounced dead at Northwestern a short time later, Cline said.

"We are right in the middle of this thing. So I am not going to talk
about what witnesses have said," Cline said.

 Critics say bar is troublesome

People familiar with Ice Bar said the club was a frequent source of
problems in the nightlife strip along Clark Street. Police records
show that on April 15, officers responded to a report of a person shot
at the club.


Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd) said he had been working to shut the Ice
Bar down because of numerous complaints to police and his office that
people carrying guns were visiting the club.

He said the club typically drums up business by e-mailing
special-event notices to potential customers rather than relying on
neighborhood visitors.

"The crowds are getting too large and unmanageable," he said.

Natarus said he recently had asked city officials to look into how the
city's amusement licenses are issued to determine if clubs such as Ice
Bar should be regulated more strictly. Natarus, however, said he had
been having trouble determining who actually owned the club.

"Maybe now we can close this place," he said, noting that the bar
remained closed Saturday because it was a crime scene. He also said he
planned to work to keep it closed.

Ice Bar holds three city business licenses, including a tavern
license. All three licenses list Jason Modzelewski as the president of
Ice Bar. No one was home Saturday evening at an Elmhurst house
believed to belong to Modzelewski. He could not be reached for
comment.

Erin Pope, 30, tends bar next door at the Clark Street Ale House and
said employees have called police about Ice Bar numerous times.
Usually the issue is several vehicles idling near the club's valet
parking stand, blaring music on car stereos, "turning Clark Street
into a parking lot," she said.

Pope was working Friday night and said it appeared to have been a
relatively slow night at Ice Bar. There wasn't a line to get in before
the shooting, and after the incident, only about 15 of the bar's
customers lingered in the street outside.

Saturday afternoon, a number of family members had gathered at the
South Side home of Posey's sister, Keshia Posey, 32.

She described Johnson as her brother's best friend since they attended
grade school and high school together in Tempe, Ariz. Posey moved in
with Johnson several months ago to do security work for him, she said.
Family members called Posey by his middle name, Bernard, because his
father was also Willie.

"Bernard made some mistakes, but he learned from them," his sister
said during an interview at her home Saturday. "He was trying to get
his life straightened out and we as a family just thought that things
would turn around."

Alvin Gaines, Posey's stepfather, said Posey's mother, Alice Gaines,
was too distraught to speak about her son Saturday after receiving the
news about his death.

Born at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago in 1980, Posey attended Harold
Washington Elementary School until 3rd grade. About that time, his
mother and stepfather moved the family to Tempe.

He played football, wrestled and earned good grades in Tempe, she
said. He returned to Chicago to care for an ill sister in 1999, but
soon got into trouble.

He was charged in a drug-dealing case in 1999, pleading guilty and
receiving a 3-year prison sentence in 2001, according to court
records.

While that case was pending, he was charged in 2000 with armed robbery
in Skokie and aggravated drunken driving. He received a 6-year
sentence for robbery, and 1 year for DUI.

He was arrested again in November 2005 on several gun-related charges,
including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, but
prosecutors dropped the case in March, according to court records.

Posey had been living in Johnson's basement for about six months, his
family said. Briscoe, Johnson's lawyer, said Posey had been preparing
to move out.

'He's deeply hurt'

Tom Chamberlain, who lives next door to Johnson, said he visited with
Johnson Saturday.

"First he has a troubling incident, and now he has a tragedy,"
Chamberlain said. "It's tough on the guy. But I think he'll come
through it. He's a strong guy."

Chamberlain declined to say whether Johnson offered any details about
the shooting, but said, "I can tell you he's deeply hurt. He's lost a
good friend."

Staff reporters Susan Kuczka, Josh Noel, Charles Sheehan, Jeff Coen,
Carlos Sadovi, Emma Graves Fitzsimmons and Dave Wischnowski
contributed to this report

dheinzmann at tribune.com

jmullin at tribune.com

With all that said, I believe he will be cut tommorow.

kenny



On 12/17/06, Chuck Soukup <soukup85 at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> I'M GUESSING THE SAME.  Whoever shot Willie Posey was lookin' for his drugs
> that the DEA seized but never reported as recovered at Tanks House.  That
> wasn't a coincidence that he was shot a couple days after the drug and gun
> raid.  The DEA doesn't raid a house unless they are looking for a
> substantial amount of drugs.  My guess is they found a substantial amount
> but for some reason never reported it.
>
> Chuck
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "mom2iancal" <senzigx4 at charter.net>
> To: <post at chicagobearsfanforum.com>
> Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 11:57 PM
> Subject: [CBFF] Re: Tank's 'Bodyguard' Dead
>
>
> >
> > Depends on how all this shakes out...but I'm guessing he won't be in a
> > Bear uniform again...
> >
> > teri
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jerry Madsen" <jerrywm at gmail.com>
> > To: <post at chicagobearsfanforum.com>
> > Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 8:19 PM
> > Subject: [CBFF] Re: Tank's 'Bodyguard' Dead
> >
> >
> >>
> >> So what are the odds Tank Johnson is done as a Bear?  I'm guessing
> >> he's gone within a week.
> >>
> >> Jerry
> >>
> >> On 12/16/06, Kenny Claxton <kenny.claxton at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Nite Club violence in Chicago happens more than you think unfortunately.
> >>>
> >>> On 12/16/06, emo <emolson1 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > ----- Original Message -----
> >>> > From: "Jerry Madsen" <jerrywm at gmail.com>
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > >
> >>> > > No.  You don't understand.  Tank and his buddy (alledgedly) got into
> >>> > > an altercation with somebody at a club on the North side of the city
> >>> > > LAST NIGHT.  This is the same "buddy" (William Posey) who was
> >>> > > arrested
> >>> > > at Tank's home on Thursday morning.  One thing led to another and
> >>> > > Posey was shot to death.  Tank was unharmed.
> >>> >
> >>> > Is anybody familiar with that neighborhood, or even that particular
> >>> > gin
> >>> > joint? The reason I ask is, as far as I know, nobody has ever been
> >>> > shot to
> >>> > death at any place that I have ever been to. I shudder to think that
> >>> > this
> >>> > may not the case with Tank.
> >>> >
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> http://www.globalrichlist.com/
> >> http://www.xxxchurch.com/
> >>
> >
>
>