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Posted: 11/10/2005 5:43:41 AM EDT
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kill me! Everyone's a tough guy www.newsobserver.com/100/story/363799.html Charleston Southern University student from Apex killed Dan Thomas Davis III, 18, left, is charged with beating Grant Ringenberg, 18, to death in a fight outside a school dorm. Toby Coleman, Staff Writer Grant Ringenberg of Apex went to Charleston Southern University in Charleston, S.C., to play baseball and worship God. He died there Tuesday without throwing a single pitch after an argument with a fellow student turned violent. North Charleston, S.C., police think Ringenberg, 18, was arguing with Dan Thomas Davis III, 18, over a woman. Police charged Davis with murder because they think he ended the conflict by hitting Ringenberg in the face a few times. Ringenberg died after falling into a coma. Ringenberg was an instant-messaging, cell-phone-toting teenager with major league dreams fueled by a nasty curveball and a fastball that just recently began touching the 90 mph mark. He played baseball constantly. He hurled for the Middle Creek High School team, an American Legion baseball team and a handful of other club teams. He went to camps. And, when he had nothing else to do, he would round up his buddies to go practice. "It all revolved around God and baseball," said his father, Gary Ringenberg, from his home in Apex. After Grant Ringenberg moved to the Triangle with his parents four years ago, his new classmates nicknamed him "Sunshine" because he was blond, smiled often and came from California. Although he never adopted the moniker as his own, he let his teammates yell, "Come on, Sunshine," when he pitched, Gary Ringenberg said. Grant Ringenberg's Middle Creek High teammates remembered him as an outgoing, cheerful spirit who joked around often. "He was a fun guy to be around," said Bobby Fowler, a 17-year-old senior. "He always had something to talk about." After graduating from Middle Creek High last spring, he went to Charleston Southern. He liked the 2,875-student university because it was a Christian school with a Division I baseball team. Officials there said he had a promising future. Charleston Southern's baseball coach, Jason Murray, said he envisioned Ringenberg becoming a superstar once he gained some weight. Before Ringenberg could get the chance to shine on the field, though, he clashed with Davis off the field. The two met about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday outside a school dorm. They argued for about three minutes in front of about 20 people, witnesses said. Davis said they argued because Ringenberg thought Davis had feelings for his girlfriend, according to a report by the North Charleston police. It remains unclear how the argument turned physical. Police think Davis knocked Ringenberg to the ground by hitting him in the face. Witnesses said Davis hit Ringenberg a few times after he fell, struck his head on a concrete walkway and lost consciousness. After Ringenberg died a few hours later, about 1,000 Charleston Southern students attended a service at which the school chaplain prayed for the families of both men. There will be a memorial service for Ringenberg at noon Saturday at the New Horizons Fellowship Church in Apex. |
Such a waste
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