"Coach tied to beating of gay couple quits job" by Maryclaire Dale | Associated Press September 19, 2014
PHILADELPHIA — An assistant coach at a Roman Catholic high school has resigned over his role in a beating that left two gay men injured, church officials in Philadelphia said Thursday.
About a dozen young adults were linked to the Sept. 11 encounter after police released surveillance video on Tuesday and social media users mined online posts, including a group photo taken at a restaurant, to try to match the faces with names.
Makes me sad.
‘‘Violence against anyone, simply because of who they are, is inexcusable and alien to what it means to be a Christian,’’ Archbishop Charles Chaput said Thursday in a statement.
I agree, and dropping missiles and bombs on people over self-created enemies and lies is the most egregious offense.
No arrests have been made, but some of the young men and women seen in the video have submitted to voluntary interviews with police, a spokesman said Thursday.
‘‘Investigators are continuing to interview a number of people regarding this incident, folks from the video as well as other civilian witnesses that have come forward,’’ said Lieutenant John Stanford, a police spokesman.
The video shows the well-dressed group out for a night on the town. It was taken before the encounter with the gay couple, who were on their way out for pizza.
The gay men, who are in their late 20s, said they were held down, punched, and beaten after they bumped into the large group on the street. Members of the group hurled gay slurs as the men were pummeled, they told police. One man was left with a broken eye socket and had to have his jaw wired, while his partner had bruises and a black eye.
The large group included former students at Archbishop Wood, located in the Philadelphia suburb of Warminster, the archdiocese said. The part-time coach had worked at the same school but now is banned from coaching anywhere in the archdiocese, the church said.
Stanford said police are still seeking additional video that could confirm or contradict the couple’s report.
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