"Texting Party" Ends With One Teen Fatally Shot, Another Wounded

By: Sammy Rose Saltzman
Topics: Daily Blotter

(CBS/AP)

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Texting may not be the root of all evil, but police in Tucson, Ariz. say it did play a role in a party that ended in a fatal shooting early Sunday.

Authorities say the shooting occurred at a "texting party," which is when a group of people begin text messaging an address to more and more friends until a massive group of people, many of whom do not know each other, end up at the party.

Police say in this case, Carlos Birmingham, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene after police responded to a 911 call. A second man was shot with non-life-threatening injuries, Tuscon police told the Arizona Daily Star.

Police Spokesman Sgt. Fabian Pacheco told the Star that these types of texting parties are becoming more and more common in Tuscon.

"It's like when people used to tail each other from the bar to a party after the bar closed, except now they are texting," he told the paper.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Does texting lead to trouble by bringing together large groups who don't know each other?

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by aChangeOfIdeas November 11, 2009 6:20 AM EST: I agree w/ unbanable, I don't see how this is a "texting" party. If they couldn't text they could have called, e-mailed, or spread the news word of mouth. The article doesn't really say what happened (if indeed anyone knows) but it seems like a lame attempt to blame texting on this, as if someone thinks texting is inherently eveil. (Behind the wheel, certainly it is). My heart goes out to this young man's family.; Reply to this comment