Asheville firefighter shoots cyclist over argument about safety

Jul 27th, 2009

This story from North Carolina sounds like something from News of the Weird. The Asheville Citizen-Times is reporting:

Police charged a city firefighter with attempted first-degree murder Sunday after witnesses said he fired a handgun at a bicyclist along Tunnel Road, barely missing his skull.

Charles Alexander Diez, 42, apparently fired at the Asheville man after arguing with him about riding his bike on the busy road with his 3-year-old child in a bike seat behind him, Asheville Police Capt. Tim Splain said.

The story goes on the tell that the Diez saw the cyclist with his wife on a busy local road and decided to pull over and tell them they were acting unsafely. The cyclist ignored him and Diez drew out his concealed handgun and fired. The bullet pierced the cyclist helmet in two places.

I think there is more going on here than the story reports or the Asheville fire department needs to invest in some anger management classes. The article also includes plenty of comments in the “the cyclist deserved it” vein. Here’s to the Buncombe County District Attorney for taking this seriously.

#1 Aron
on Jul 27th, 2009 at 12:09 pm

This cyclist is my brother. We, including my dad are all avid cyclists. This is really a strange occurence.
#2 tom
on Jul 27th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

Can we add this to the “helmet saved my life” file.
#3 Paul -V-
on Jul 27th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

Something worth mentioning – there is a local guy running for city council who wrote a blog post about the incident:

http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/07/27/shoot-a-cyclist-for-safety/

Considering his support for bike-issues, he’s worth supporting, and hopefully, a link in the OP.
#4 Safe Bicyclist
on Aug 3rd, 2009 at 2:26 am

The North Carolina firefighter incident might indicate a broader problem of negative bicycle attitudes among safety employees across many cities. An example is Southern California’s Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD) that is located above a state wetlands preserve used by thousands of bicyclists each week. Both traffic signals entering into the California state preserve have been altered to not detect bicycles. Newport Beach’s Principal Civil Engineer Tony Brine and Traffic Engineer George Bernard replied to my email that the left-turn signal at the south entrance had been set back to not detect bicycles. For over a decade, motion sensors had detected bicycles to safely use the left lane to enter the California state preserve. NBPD police vehicles hide in a condominium driveway to chase bicyclists and fabricate vehicle citations. At the other preserve’s entrance, the bicycle button has been disconnected. If only one car is using the light, a bicyclist has four seconds on the green phase and one second for the yellow pause. The situation is dangerous. A bicycle cannot even make it across three lanes to the median, and has to do a 360 degree turn back to the curb as the traffic roars. Meanwhile, police cars park at the corner gas station. Mayor Ed Selich is not interested in bicycling. In a telephone call with Sergeant Mike James, he supported police engagement in chasing bicyclists at non-detecting signals. California has Statute AB-1581 for bicycle detection of traffic signals upon first placement or replacement. Sgt. James was oblivious to Statute AB-1581. During a similar call with Lieutenant Steve Shulman, he laughed. Lt. Shulman sent me a letter recommending that bicycles first test left-turn signals and then go across the traffic to the pedestrian button. While using the Lieutenant Shulman’s recommendation, a Newport Beach Fire Department paramedics van turned in front of me while at the median in a crosswalk. And a Park Ranger in a NBPD vehicle cut me off in a crosswalk at a local high school. His windows were rolled up, but I could read his lips saying “Get out of there”. City employees and safety officers have to get over resisting bicycles for everyone’s safety.
#5 Jake
on Sep 2nd, 2009 at 11:14 am

@ safe bicyclist: That “paramedics van”? it’s called an ambulance. They usually have the right of way when it comes to that sort of thing.
#6 Safe Bicyclist
on Jan 17th, 2010 at 4:49 pm

@ Jake: Please comment if safety vehicles without sirens or flashing lights are not required to yield to bicycles in crosswalks. I will update the bicycling world to beware. Also, a firetruck clipped a cyclist this summer in Newport Beach. The problem was the city being frugal on bike lane and laxed on street parking to maximize retailing. Thanks.