New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress managed to shoot himself in the right leg with a .40-caliber Glock pistol early Saturday morning in what's now exploding into a case about much more than a bumbling football hero packing heat.
The self-inflicted shooting happened at Latin Quarter, a club inside the Radisson Lexington Hotel in Midtown. Hilariously--for anyone not recently shot anyway--the hotel's website says of the club:
Shake a leg, enjoy Chefs Ralph Mercado, Marty Arret and Alex Garcia's "LatAsian" creations at our nightclub, the Latin Quarter.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who's made gun control a major issue of his administration, is pushing hard to get Plax thrown in "the slammer" for violating New York's strict gun laws, which mandate a minimum of 3.5 years for illegal handgun possession. Burress' lawyer says the wideout plans to plead not guilty to both weapons charges he's facing. No matter how a trial may play out, after the incident on 48th Street, Plax will always be remembered as the guy who went to a club at least 34 blocks north of anywhere decent.
Related Stories:
· Latin Quarter [Official Site]
· Burress Reports to Giants for Medical Treatment [NYT]
· Where Is... coverage [Jaunted]]]>