Security Guard Fatally Shoots Grandfather Playing Pokémon Go

Local Editor

A neighborhood security guard, who was not supposed to be armed while on duty, shot and killed a local man of Chinese descent who was playing Pokémon Go as a means of bonding with his grandchildren.

On Thursday, 60-year-old Jiansheng Chen was playing the popular game in the Chesapeake Bay Riverwalk neighborhood, the location of a virtual Pokémon Go gym.

Jiansheng was sitting in his minivan, parked at the Riverwalk clubhouse when, for reasons unknown, he was approached by a security guard. They apparently had a misunderstanding, and the confusion resulted in the security guard firing a gun he was not supposed to be carrying at the grandfather.

A witness told reporters that Jiansheng was shot an astonishing five times, through various windows of the van. He died at the scene at around 11 p.m.

According to attorney Greg Sandler, who is representing the victim and his family, a language barrier could be one of the reasons why the altercation ended so tragically. The victim's younger brother, Jian Chen, told media that Jiansheng knew only a couple of English words like ‘sorry' and ‘bye.'

"I cannot imagine what could have justified shooting through the front windshield of Mr. Chen's van five times," Sandler told News 3, adding that the grandfather learned to play Pokémon Go because he wanted to share common interests with his American-born grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

The Riverwalk Community Association affirmed to reporters that they have a contract with local security company Citywide Protection Services for "unarmed roving patrol services." The purportedly unarmed guards are expected to report suspicious behavior first to police, instead of taking action on their own.

The attorney observed that Jiansheng's family lives and owns a restaurant in the area, adding that, for all intents and purposes, it appears that the victim was killed by someone hired to protect him.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team