He was celebrated as a hero for saving countless lives but
the incident took a drastic turn; Richard Jewell was considered a main suspect
in the case and all the praises vanished.
Years Passed On
For many years, he was considered a suspect. There was no enough
proof to prove his innocence as well as pledge him guilty. Jewell was cleared
as a suspect after 88 days of the incident when he gave a “trial by media”.
This took a drastic negativity in his personal as well as
professional life. Even though cleared of charges, people view you as a criminal
once suspected. The media took a toll on him; he was worn, torn and tattered.
The Good Side
The positive side of him being a hero lasted only moments. He
was glowing in International spotlight where he gave interviews for TV and
journalists were on his back.
But when the headline “FBI suspects ‘hero’ guard may have
planted bomb” appeared in Atlanta Newspaper, the popularity fell. The ‘news’ was not supposed to be
leaked. A scoop cost a man’s morals and diminished his life – both personally
and professionally.
The Incident
Around thousands of spectators gathered at the Centennial Olympic
Park for a concert of “Jack Mack and the Heart Attack”. A bag of three pipe
bombs was found by Richard at the park grounds. He immediately alerted the
police, evacuated the park and thus paved a way for saving many lives.
But there were casualties as well. Two people died at the
spot and hundreds were injured. The timing of finding the bomb made him look
like a suspect. He faced harsh faces of humanity to be a hero.
The Real Culprit
Eric Rudolph, a terrorist who has planted bombs in a lesbian
nightclub and two adoption clinics as well, was the one who planted this one
under a bench of the park. He made a call nine minutes later Richard alerted
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation officers to pull him away looking like a
suspect.
He later confessed to the crime that he committed. He was pleaded guilty and to other attacks too.
Richard Jewell died in 2007 because of a heart attack when
he was 47 years old. He became a protagonist in the movie “Richard Jewell”
directed by Cint Eastwood.
Written by - Keerthana Lakshmi
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