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By Jackie Valley (contact) 
Published Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012 | 3:41 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012 | 6:35 p.m.
Benjamin Hawkins, charged in the death of a man Hawkins punched at a Las Vegas casino, testified Thursday that anger played no role in his split-second decision. Instead, Hawkins told the courtroom he felt threatened by 46-year-old John Massie, whom he had exchanged words with at O’Sheas. Hawkins testified he feared for his safety and the well-being of his wife and friends seated nearby when he threw the single punch. “My alert level was through the roof,” Hawkins said Thursday from the stand. Massie, a Utah resident vacationing in Las Vegas, died July 6, 2011, after Hawkins punched him and ...
O'Sheas O'Shea's may be small potatoes among the Strip giants but it is certainly a favorite with visitors. Walk by on any given Friday or Saturday and the casino is brimming with people having a good time.
Sure there slots, poker, a sportsbook and blackjack but the casinos most popular feature is the beer pong tables hidden behind the casino floor. Enter one of the weekly tournaments and you and your partner could walk away $200 richer.
Vince Neil Ink became another name in celebrity ink on the Strip when the former Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil added his shop in 2008.
3555 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas,
NV 89109
702-697-2711 
He could of walked away. But his pride and anger got the best of him.
at least he fought with his fist. Unfortunately it was deadly :/
-from the story:
"The incident began minutes earlier in an O'Sheas restroom, where Massie made a comment about Hawkins, a black man, wearing a yellow shirt, according to the arrest report."
______________________________________________
Is the writer simply identifying Hawkins as a "black" man, or did Massie make a comment about a black man wearing a yellow shirt?
In other words, did Massie inject a race-related comment, or was it the decision of the writer of the story to identify the race of one of the parties (but not the race of the other party)? If the latter, what is the race of Massie?
Clarification would be nice.
He could have also summoned security. Massie had his hands at his side. Now Hawkins is going to claim a previous injury as an excuse to throw a sucker punch? Please. He's a teacher. He should know something about diffusing these situations.
Just walk away. Massie was intoxicated and likely harmless.
Intoxicated people are more likely to get into fights, not less. You have less inhibitions, so less stopping you from making a bad decision.
Is there camera proof that he had his arms at his side and hadn't made any gestures, or is this a he-said-she-said with no proof either way?
Yes there is video showing the victim with his hands at his sides as he was punched. Both men were likely liquored up. The point is that a guy with his hands at his sides cannot be suckered punched...which is what Hawkins essentially did.
You are going to get some people who will say he was threatening, could have had a knife, a gun, etc. I don't buy it. Massie was likely talking too much but probably a harmless drunk. In any case you can't haul off on the guy. Get security or walk away. Violence is an absolute last resort.
Just one of dozens and dozens of these incidents on the Strip. Brainbleeds and beatdowns are common but the victims don't always end up dead. Why not request the stats from Metro and report this for public safety?
If Mr. Hawkins was white and Mr. Massie was black, I doubt anyone would question his claim that he felt threatened.
It is unfortunate that Mr. Hawkins, a teacher, is expected to have the ability to identify a true threat but as long as cops remember to claim that they felt threatened, they are free to shoot unarmed citizens.
@BrookeLogan
Ignorant and dumb comment.
None of the local papers have said a word about Massie's life except for where he lives and his age.
And this testimony just implies that Massie was drunk. It doesn't even say he was angry or threatening.
More needs to be known about the incident.
sounds like drunk white guy took being an ass just a little too far that night. sad, but if Hawkins doesn't have a history of this, then just let him go and let the people mourn. it's a funked up accident, not a plainly gross injustice.
Just let the guy go? Really? He punched someone in the face which caused the guys death. He could have walked away but decided against it. Lock him up.
Hawkins had plenty of opportunities to not be where he is today, he should have went to security,he could have left like anyone with a brian would have done,he could have shoved or pushed the drunk but no he had to get the knock out to impress his people.This was not an instantaneous event it took a lot of different turns before Hawkins jacked up a drunk who probably could not defend himself anyway.
I just love the race baters who what if this and that.
nice job of harrah's / caesar's to close oshea's so that any civil suit doesn't have as clear a foundation; huh, huh?
so basically its '...he talked crap to me so I sucker punched him as hard as I could...'
If I punched everyone that talked crap to me I would be punching people on a regular basis.
Couldn't walk away huh from a skinny, drunk old man Mr. Football coach? Then pay the price.
Nice defense but I don't see it as being true. Hawkins suckered punch a guy with his hands by his side who was walking away. Probably Hawkins had too much booze that night and his judgment was impaired.
Where was security doing all this ?
What this aricle didn't say was that this whole thing started at a blackjack table prior to the Questionable bathroom incident Mr. Massie drunk or not left the area and went to the bathroom Mr. Hawkins is the one who followed Mr. Massie to the bathroom and continued this when he Mr. Hawkins could have taken the high road and let it alone.
Why is it that taking the high road is some how dishonorable?
The age weight and size of the two people would be a factor if I was on the jury.
The yellow shirt thing? I do not get it unless 'yellow" was supposed to indicate "cowardliness" or "high yellow" an arcane term for lighter skinned Blacks.
Very tragic. If you do not have any thing nice to say do not say it. And try to count to ten before using violence.
Nah. This confrontation likely resulted from Massie not liking how Hawkins was playing blackjack. He was probably pointing him out "that black guy in the yellow shirt took a card whn he should have stayed, entire table lost"...or something like that.
I see people get angry at how others play blackjack. Throw in liquor and sometimes people act stupid.
exactly Tom. There was no racial slur. Massie said "that black guy in the yellow shirt...."
exactly J. Id be punching all day long.
someone walking the same direction as you for a split second in a casino is not a threat.
he dry-gulched massie. Murder 1.
It just takes a minute to change your life.
He called me a name so I killed him.
That doesn't cut it.
walk away or
do your thing and don't get caught or
get caught and your life will never be the same.
this guy is toast
rightfully
yep massie was probably "in the wrong", but you can't punch him for what was essentially an "insult war"... At a casino, people get drunk, blow smoke in other's faces and lose large monies.. perfect environment for "insult wars" and cursing etc.
i once saw some goofball so drunk in a casino that he tripped and fell face first into a slot machine... some teeth knocked out with this.. He probably blacked it all out and the next day he woke up and said to his friends "what happened to me last night" lol