The Crime Summary

Brief Summary of The Crime:

Niagara Falls native Jelena Loncar was conversing with her friends while standing in the entertainment district of Toronto on August 16th, 2014. Out of nowhere she became a victim of an unexpected shooting. Police believe that Loncar was not the intended victim of such a devastating act of violence, but merely an innocent bystander who unfortunately was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A second man was fired upon, receiving multiple gun shot wounds. Fortunately he survived the vicious attack. Police believe this man was the intended target. Before this fatal shooting took place, police were called to another report of shots fired near a gentleman’s club located on Queensway. They soon discovered

through forensic evidence that the two shootings were linked. Detective Debbie Harris of the Toronto Police force stated: “Not only did these same three vehicles leave The Queensway shooting, but forensic evidence links the crime scene at 689 The Queensway and our murder.” (CHCH 2014)

Crew of Felons Wreak Havoc Creating Fear Throughout the Streets:

This senseless act carried out by these malicious individuals created a much worse out come then intended. Regardless of the reasoning behind there actions, they created chaos and fear throughout two separate public areas of Toronto. These actions rarely occur, and when they do are committed by sick and twisted individuals who have no regard for human life. Firing into an innocent crowed of people intending to hit one specific individual proves that these men have no remorse, and were prepared to do anything in order to fulfill there desire. Jelena Loncar lived an honest life and according to friends and family and as stated in the article: “Jelena went to high school in Niagara Falls. Worked at Casino Niagara. She was a talented events planner. She moved to Toronto because she wanted to make a name for herself in the hospitality industry”(CHCH 2014). She was a strong willed girl who followed her passions to Toronto in the hopes she created a stable foundation for her future. She was morally sound and knew she was heading in the right direction. A senseless act of violence changed that, and brought her hopes and dreams to a devastating end. These various men that were involved in the shooting never took into account the devastating effects such an act can bring upon the victims family. Losing such a strong willed individual like Jelena not only affects her close family, but everyone around her. These actions also play a big roll towards the comfort of the public, and there confidence in the police force and safety of their streets.

Theoretical Perspective:
The article does not provide much information regarding the back round or reasoning for the shootings due to the lack of information of the individuals who committed the crimes.

However these actions that were committed by these individuals were selfish and reckless pointing towards an internal or individual attribution. Even though these individuals acted out together in unison, they knew exactly what they were doing and all made the personal choice to engage in the violent crime. Evidence of this statement is reiterated in the reading Casual Attributions of crime and the public’s sentencing goals: “Individuals who endorse an internal or dispositional attribution believe that crime is a state of mind (Unnever et al. 2010). From this perspective, criminals are said to perpetrate by choice rather than from [End Page 46] being pressured into criminal activities and therefore deserve punishment”(Laura J. Templeton & Timothy F. Hartnagel 2012). Even if the group was ordered by a high power to commit these crimes, they still planned and carried out these actions instead of walking away. One can only portray these individuals as selfish monsters with no regard for human life based on the facts provided. A Punitive approach towards these criminals actions seems fitting considering they put more than just their intended target at harm, and made a conscious decision to do so. Luckily no one else was hurt, but in reality these situations usually result in more casualties and innocent

bystanders becoming victims. These actions will never go unpunished in the eyes of the law, and truly deserve a punitive approach.

Media Literacy tools used in news report:

Various tools are used throughout the article to ensure that the reader understand who and what kind of person Jelena Loncar was, and to open the publics eyes as to certain ways they may be able to identify the individuals who committed these crimes.

One specific tool used throughout the article to create awareness on the subjects is interviews with voice of authority. Detective Debbie Harris released a description of the cars in which the felons showed up and left in after committing the act. The cars were described as “base model Chrysler 300 with no front license plate and a small black antenna. A dark colored four-door vehicle with a small spoiler on the trunk. And a dark colored four door with all its windows tinted” (CHCH 2014). This article relates to multiple reading provided, one of them being How not to think about crime. Specifically on the fourth page when author Aaron Doyle explains that the media uses a large amount of its information provided from the police, in order to create the story for the general public to view. He believes that the media and police share a relationship in which can be very complex due to the excessive amount of information the law can obtain surrounding the crime. This can be directly related to the news article due to the fact that all the reporters have to go off of is the information provided by the police in this specific case, and information from family members regarding Jelena. Another reading that can be related to the news

article is Talking Heads Crime Reporting on Cable News 2011. In the reading authors Natasha A. Frost and Nickie D. Phillips state that media tends to portray stories such as this specific one regarding Jelena Loncar’s death as a national issue or a higher priority. They use a story evolving a young soon to be newly wed who runs away from her home due to being stressed over the up coming big day. Prior to this information being released, the media and law enforcement believed this young woman was in danger. It became a major story throughout the nation very quickly, and stayed this way for a good amount of time until the beautiful young women admitted to running away. Even though Jelena’s family did not lie about the situation nor did anyone else, its still relates to article due to Jelena being a young beautiful woman. When such an opportunity arises for the media to take control of, it becomes a major viewing point for the nation, and quickly becomes a headline due to the individual who has been victimized. The media uses these kinds of situations to grab attention of the nation and use it as a tool to shock the viewer. The third reading that relates to the article is Casual Attributions of Crime and the Public’s Sentencing Goals Hartnagel Templeton 2012. This reading ties in well with the article because it relates specifically to the Internal attributions as well as the external attributions. The reading reiterates the theoretical perspective area of the media assignment, creating an even better understanding on the subject. The individuals who committed these violent acts knew exactly what they were doing, and made the conscious decision to go through with it. This can relate directly back to the reading considering the fact that authors Laura J. Templeton and Timothy F. Hartnagel state: “Those who believe crime is caused by internal attributions – personal choices or individual failings – are more likely to support punitive approaches, while those who think crime is caused by external attributions – forces beyond the control of an individual – are more likely to endorse rehabilitation or social crime prevention programs” (Laura J. Templeton & Timothy F. Hartnagel 2012). Considering that these men acted on their own and each individually decided to be apart of the shooting, this can only point towards an internal attribution. Which ultimately should and will result in severe punishment, instead of rehabilitation.

Consistent correlations between the article and readings:

There is a consistent correlation tying the article to the readings. This is made evident throughout the assignment, specifically the article called how not to think about crime. This reading directly relates to the article because it demonstrates how the media uses various tools such as statements from voices of the law to construct their stories, and use mostly information obtained form the law to provide viewers a story on the crime or crimes committed. The reading Talking Heads Crime Reporting on Cable News 2011 is also consistent with the article due to the social status of Young Jelena Loncar. Such a young elegant beautiful woman who had complete control of her life and was steering it in the right direction, is obviously going to receive media attention when violently gunned down compared to someone with less control of their life, and possibly not as good looking or in control of their life. Just as the article explained that the young Fiancé who everyone thought was abducted did as well. Furthermore the third and final reading Casual Attributions of Crime and the Public’s Sentencing Goals Hartnagel Templeton 2012 relates specifically to the article because of the violent acts that these criminals committed. The reading reiterates the internal and external attributions and how individuals view them. The violent crime’s in which these specific individuals committed were planned, individually processed and committed with the understanding of the repercussions. This proves that each member of the group that gunned down Jelena Loncar knew exactly what they were doing and proceeded to fire upon a densely populated area of Toronto categorizing them under an Internal attribution. Which ultimately provides consistency with the previously mentioned readings.