A 60-year-old Chinese grandfather was shot and killed whilst he was playing Pokemon Go.
The incident took place in the River Walk neighborhood of Chesapeake, Virginia. Jiansheng Chen had visited a club house in the neighborhood because there is a Pokemon Go gym at the location.
Chen was then approached by a security guard for the neighborhood before he was shot at five times and killed by a neighborhood security guard.
“I did not want the public to misunderstand Mr. Chen,” said attorney Greg Sandler. Sandler believes the incident escalated due to a language barrier.
The attorney said Chen played Pokemon Go to bond with his grandchildren. “I cannot imagine what could have justified shooting through the front windshield of Mr. Chen’s van five times,” Sandler said.
“His family is a homeowner in the area,” said Sandler. “Ironically, he is one of the people security is supposed to be protecting as a homeowner.”
Chen’s brother said the 60-year-old grandfather could only speak basic English with words such as “sorry” and “bye”.
“I speak a little bit of English. He, nothing,” the brother told reporters.
Sandler explained that a Pokemon gym is different from catching Pokemon regularly. “A gym requires you to stay put in one location so you can train your critters,” Sandler said.
The River Walk Community Association said they “have a contract for unarmed roving patrol services”, so why the security was armed with a gun in the first place is unclear.
