Death in the City of Angels

 

Death in the City of Angels

 

November 3^rd, 2012

Los Angeles, California. It was 75° and sunny; the perfect California day. But for one man, it was an Earth shattering day; the day that he decided to meet his demise. James Porter, 37: a Columnist for the Los Angeles Times and musician. He arrived at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to take part in the evenings Lakers vs. Clippers game with his friend, Mark Saxon. As the second quarter came to an end and halftime started, Porter made his way to the roof of the Staples Center. Reports stated that the security and personnel did not know how Porter was able to reach the top of the Center, since the roof was suppose to stay locked at all times. This had been a policy since the 2008 suicide of former owner, Samuel MacLean. Porter had been in the public eye thanks to his son, Jacob Porter, who was a victim of the violent shooting spree at the Cinema Cineplex during the showing of The Possession on September 1, 2012.
The police believed that this was a copycat of the Colorado shooting during The Dark Knight Rises. The police reported that Porter spoke of committing suicide as he stood on the ledge of the Staples Center.

***

"Why would God allow my son to be brutally murdered?! I’ve been such a good and faithful servant. How could God allow such innocents to be taken from the world and allow such evil to rule it? I believe God has forgotten about us humans, and if that is so, then I don't want to be here on this earth anymore!”

“Mr. Porter, please, step down from the ledge,” said Officer Petrie through a megaphone, “We can talk about this without you being up there. I know that losing your son was a tragic incident and you've suffered a great loss. For that, I am truly sorry, but doing this is not going to bring him back and it’s not going to do you any good. You need to step down from the ledge and let us help you.”

***

The police stood on the roof of the Center negotiating with Porter to step down from the ledge and talk with them. As time went on, the police report that Porters friend and colleague of the last 12 years, Mark Saxon, arrived on the scene to try to reason with Porter. This was said to have enraged and angered him to a point where he was threatening to jump that moment. Officer Petrie also stated that "Saxon has been having an affair with Porter’s wife, and at which point, Mr. Porter went into detail about the sexual liaison."  Officer Petrie also reported that Saxon apologized for what happened between him and his friend's wife.

***

“How could you do this to me, Mark?! I confided in you and I told you when things were going bad with Tracy, and you took advantage of that! You knew that we were having problems and probably getting divorced, and yet, you still decided to sleep with her! You did it behind my back from the last month and a half! The last 12 years of friendship… Gone! Because you couldn't keep it in your pants, you son of a b***h! You know I’ve been going to the psychiatrist and seeing doctors to try to help with the coping of losing my son. I still blame myself for it! I should've never listened to you about giving him permission! This is just as much your fault as it is mine!”

Mark spoke into the megaphone, “James, step off the ledge, please! I'm sorry for everything that happened! It was not my intention to sleep with Tracy. Things just happen and when she needed someone, you weren't there, and I was there to pick up the pieces! I'm truly sorry for this! Neither one of us wanted it to happen this way, I swear to you! James, you got to listen to me! I know you better than anyone else out here! You do not want to do this! This isn't going to bring Jacob back! This isn't going to help you get Tracy back! Please, step off the ledge.”

***

After a few moments of talking, apologies, and intense groveling, Saxon seemed to convince Porter to step off of the Ledge. The police allowed for Saxon to reach out his hand and take Porter to pull him off the ledge. At that moment, Porter used both hands to grab onto Saxon, and pulled Saxon and himself over the ledge. Both hurtled towards the ground at what seemed to be slow motion, until hitting the pavement with a sickening thud. The moment the two bodies hit the ground, it seemed to turn the gray pavement into a river of Crimson red. Onlookers turned away from the now severely injured men. Police and EMTs quickly moved in to check on both of the men, but it was determined that they were DOA from the fall. Porter's wife, Tracy, was unavailable for comment on the situation of her late husband and lover. In the city of Los Angeles, time moves at a quickening pace. What happens today is history tomorrow and everything is forgotten in a flash. Soon, the headlines will be dominated by the Lakers playoff run, the Dodgers new owner paying $2 billion dollars for the franchise, and the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup. But, on this day, two men had lost their lives, and for one woman, it is another tragic chapter in her unfortunate life. Yet, as I write this, I can only hope for a happier ending to this unbelievably heat breaking story, and hope that another tragic chapter will not be written in this twisted tale.