43
Niece of man beaten on video is angry
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
The big question LeTisha Underwood has about her uncle’s beating is: Why?
Why would someone encourage two men to fight? Why would someone pay money if one of them was knocked out? Why would someone live-stream the video on the internet? Why didn’t someone try to stop it or at least help her 64-year-old uncle before he was knocked unconscious?
“Why would you do something like that?” she asked. “What would enter in your mind that you would find it entertaining and not try to intervene?”
Her uncle, James Underwood, has been in St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital since late Monday, where he was taken by paramedics after he was injured at a fight at the Shell gas station, 3200 Market St., on the South Side that was streamed live on Facebook.
Several people on the video can be heard encouraging Tracey Shuler, 47, of West Warren Avenue, to fight with Underwood – and Shuler was promised money if he could knock out Underwood, which he did.
Shuler was arrested a short time after police were called to the gas station and charged with felonious assault. He remains in the Mahoning County jail on $90,000 bond after his arraignment in municipal court Wednesday.
Police have been scrutinizing the video and searching for people they can question and possibly charge for any crimes connected with the incident.
LeTisha Underwood said her uncle is a kind man and she and the rest of the family are angry about what happened.
“He’s normally quiet,” she said. “He doesn’t bother anyone.”
She said she did not hear about the fight Tuesday before she saw it posted on Facebook, and when she discovered the man who was beaten was her uncle, she was saddened and taken aback.
“It was like someone punched me in the gut,” she said.
The beating also brings back painful memories for her. Her mother’s father was beaten to death in 1995, and a brother of her mother was killed by a punch in 1999 during a domestic dispute.
LeTisha Underwood said her uncle has had surgery and has been breathing on a ventilator the past couple of days, but doctors say they expect him to recover once he can begin breathing on his own.
“His prognosis is good,” she said.
LeTisha Underwood said her uncle was at the gas station late Monday because he likes to walk around the Market Street/Avondale Avenue neighborhood at night.