Tuesday, September 02, 2003

By Milan Simonich, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

DENVER -- Police said yesterday they have concluded that Steelers linebacker Joey Porter was an unlucky victim of a drive-by shooter who fired into a crowd of 150 people outside a sports bar.

	More on the story Click here to listen to an audio clip of Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson talking with Denver freelance journalist Bruce Morton about the investigation into the drive-by shooting in which the Steelers' Joey Porter was among the injured bystanders. You must have Real Player to click on and hear this streaming audio. Audio by SportsAudio.Net

A former convict and Denver street gang member, Christopher Wilford, died in the hail of gunfire at 1:47 a.m. Sunday. Porter and four others were wounded.

Detectives said they do not know if Wilford was the target, but they are convinced Porter was not.

"Joey Porter happened to be walking out at the wrong time," police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.

Porter returned to Pittsburgh yesterday and was being treated at an undisclosed hospital for wounds in the buttocks and thigh area.

Porter did not know Wilford or any of the others who were shot, Jackson said.

Detectives consider it unlikely that the shooter was trying to kill or maim a half-dozen people. Rather, they are leaning toward the theory that one person was the object of the attack and that a spray of indiscriminate shots hit Porter and the others.

Detective Teresa Garcia said police had no suspects or a motive for the shooting. They're digging into the background of the victims in hopes of turning up clues.

Wilford, who was 28, has received most of the attention so far. He served a two-year prison term in Colorado and had a 10-year history of arrests for larceny, trespassing, drug dealing, escape and parole violations. His most recent arrest was on April 17 for drug dealing.

"His gang affiliation and his history are things we're looking at," Jackson said. "We haven't ruled him out or in as the target."

The shooting occurred outside of Denver's Best All-Sports Bar and Grill, which opened in May. The establishment is in lower downtown, about five minutes from Coors Field, the Colorado Rockies' baseball park. Customers and various employees were leaving the bar after its 1:30 a.m. closing when the gunman opened fire.

Like Porter, the others who were wounded avoided life-threatening injuries, police said.

Kendal Johnson, a bar employee, was hit in the shoulder. Police said he was out of the hospital yesterday.

Others wounded were Yvette Marshall, Samantha Long and Jeff Dixon. Police documents disclosed nothing about the nature or severity of their wounds.

Detectives said they had not determined where Porter was standing in relationship to Wilford, who was killed by a shot or shots to the chest. His autopsy had not been completed last night.

Garcia said investigators still hope to determine if the bullets came from a single gun. Police have not ruled out the possibility that more than one gunman was involved.

Porter, an All-Pro player last season, traveled to Denver to attend Saturday night's football game between Colorado State University, his alma mater, and the University of Colorado.

Detectives said they do not know how long he was at the sports bar or who accompanied him. All that's certain, they said, is that Porter had no relationship with anyone else who was shot.

The sports bar plans to open at 11 a.m. today. Garcia said the bar has not been a scene of trouble during the three months it has been open.

As for Porter, he would be a witness if an arrest is made. The status of his health and when he might return to play for the Steelers remained unclear.

But police said that for all of his bad luck in Denver, Joey Porter is fortunate to be alive.

Jackson said if the bullet had struck him a few inches higher, Porter could have died or been paralyzed.

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