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Teen Shot By St. Pete Police Took Thug Persona On MySpace

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 10, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG — Though he had had no brushes with the law before a police officer fatally shot him this weekend, Javon Dawson had taken on the persona of a street thug on his MySpace page.

On Saturday night, Dawson, 17, was spotted firing a gun into the air outside the Shining Light Masonic Lodge, where there was a graduation party. He got into a confrontation with St. Petersburg police officer Terrence Nemeth, with Nemeth telling him to put down the weapon, and Dawson running off, pointing his gun at Nemeth as he fled before Nemeth fired, police said.

On his MySpace page, Dawson takes on the persona of a violence-prone street thug in his featured video. With music blaring in the background and with Dawson caught mostly in silhouette, he talks threateningly to his imaginary audience.

Repeatedly spouting profanities and a racial epithet used commonly among African-American gangsters, Dawson throws punches as a sign of his street bravado. He then picks up a gun or a facsimile of one and points it at the camera, threatening to use it unless the imaginary person he is talking to doesn't back down.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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