Introducing
Physics
O
n September 4, 1998, Carl Gustafson was walking home from a tav-
ern with a friend. The path they chose took them past a neighbor-
hood party. As they passed the house where the party was taking
place, a man named Jeremy Bell came out and assaulted Gustafson. Other par-
tygoers and Gustafson’s friend helped separate the two, and Gustafson, saying
he did not want any trouble, walked off with his friend.
A short while later, a man identified as someone other than Gustafson con-
fronted the partygoers with a loaded shotgun, asking why they had assaulted
Gustafson. When Bell, who had left the party, heard about the episode with the
man holding the shotgun, he turned around and made his way back toward the
party. About the same time, Gustafson returned to the area looking for his eye-
glasses, which had been knocked off during the scuffle. Bell saw him walking
near the house where the party was held, and stooped to pick up a baseball bat
he found in a nearby yard.
Chapter
