Police name suspect in traffic circle homicide
28-year-old Brian Keith Brown is believed to be the man who delivered the fatal punch to Paroline's head after Paroline had engaged in an argument with a group of women who were angry that he had blocked traffic to water the traffic circle. It seemed strange to me that no one, including the girls involved in the case had been able to give any information about the assailant. Police have now figured out why, saying it's possible that the girls called Brown after Paroline squirted one with his hose.
Chuck Benson, one of Paroline's neighbors who spoke to girls at the scene, was not surprised that police identified a suspect. He believed the girls had phoned the assailant for help because the man arrived so quickly to the scene.
"I think (police) had a suspect from day one," Benson said Monday. "The rapidity of his response to the situation -- he was no stranger."
If the girls did in fact call Brown, this situation is even sadder than it seems. Paroline was guilty of nothing but creating a minor traffic nuisance. Calling someone to, as witnesses put it, "sucker punch" a sixty-year-old man over a minor disagreement is one of those gross overreactions that remind us why it's sometimes better not to try to reason with the irrational.
Police are now looking for Brown, who they have already charged with second-degree murder. Apparently a neighbor happened to have a video trained on that situation that catches Brown in the act, meaning a conviction should be a slam dunk.
Paroline's death was an unnecessary one. Finding the killer should help bring solace to the situation, and anyone with information should come forth and call 911.
