Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon surrenders to police in murder case
A. Isaac 
In an extremely bizarre case, Baltimore Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon has been arrested in his home country of the Dominican on charges of murder. Bizarre, not because an athlete was waving around a gun and shooting it wildly in a crowd, but because Simon’s cousin was one of the alleged victims.
The Dominican pitcher is suspected of killing 25-year-old Michel Castillo Almonte and wounding his 17-year-old brother in the northeast coastal town of Luperon. The dead man is Simon’s cousin, according to the player’s lawyer.
Simon could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty. He is to appear at the Puerto Plata courthouse for arraignment later in the day.
Simon’s lawyer, Carlos Olivares, told The Associated Press his client fired random shots with a group of local boys. But he believes Simon could not have been the shooter because the player’s cousin was shot in the chest.
I guess I’m one of those people who have a hard time understanding the whole “celebratory gun salute” in the air. Is it supposed to be a cheap version of fireworks? If so, I can’t imagine that Thunderbombs or M-80′s are really that much more expensive than a couple of clips for a .22 caliber. I’m sure it wouldn’t be that hard to find a few sticks of dynamite in the Dominican for New Year’s Eve.
Orioles’ Simon surrenders to Dominican police [AP]
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