In an incident that would make you think twice before cheating on your woman, 37 year old Barvetta Singletary, a White House staffer, shot at her boyfriend in a rage when he refused to hand her over his cellphone.
According to NBC Washington, it all started when Singletary invited her boyfriend, a U.S. Capitol security officer, to her Upper Marlboro house to spend a warm night together. She questioned him about another woman she suspected he was dating, then she asked him to show his cellphone, which he had left in his car. He refused. She went to his vehicle and pulled out both his cellphones from his bag, as well as his 40-caliber Glock 23 service weapon.
She walked back into the house while her boyfriend followed, begging her to return his service weapon. She asked him for his cellphone’s password. He refused again. Infuriated, Singletary pulled out the gun and warned him,
“Your phone is more important than me holding the gun on you.”
Apparently, he must not have taken her statement seriously, so she shot at him. Luckily, her aim was off and the bullet hit the sofa next to where he was sitting.
The boyfriend then ran away and called 911. Police arrested Singletary, charging her with reckless endangerment, although the case is still under investigation. The White House has put Singletary on an unpaid leave until the case is resolved. She is not permitted to enter the White House complex.
This is a clear case of gun misuse. It might have been fatal as well, had she been a better shot. The argument that guns don’t kill people, people kill people does not negate the need for regulations and proper handling and storage of firearms. The off-duty officer’s weapon was unsecured in a loose bag in his vehicle. How many of these ‘fit of rage’ moments have to happen before the people in this country enact change?
