Justin Bieber is demanding new laws in response to the death of paparazzo Chris Guerra.
The 29-year-old photographer was struck and killed by a passing car right after he had snapped shots of teen pop star Justin Bieber's white Ferrari. The singer had been pulled over by a California Highway Patrol Officer. However, Bieber was not in the car at the time. The officer said that he witnessed Guerra crossing four lanes of traffic to get a picture of the scene and was hit while returning to the other side of the street.
Bieber says that his thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.
This tragic accident has prompted the singer to appeal for a law change that would prevent such tragedies from happening in the future. "Hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation and whatever other necessary steps to protect the lives and safety of celebrities, police officers, innocent public bystanders and the photographers themselves," Bieber said in a statement released by Island Def Jam Music Group.
Other celebrities are offering their opinions on the accident. Miley Cyrus responded to the incident by prompting her twitter followers to help make a difference. "You can have a big part in making that change if the photos stop being made entertainment," she said. "There's plenty of news without paps," she said in a tweet to E!'s chief news correspondent, Ken Baker.
Baker replied to the tweet, saying, "honestly, I can't believe this hasn't happened before. So many super sketchy street ambushes, all for stupid pics."
Neil Patrick Harris had a slightly different take on the situation, saying that being a celebrity comes with the unavoidable fact that the details of your daily life are up for public consumption. "If the paparazzi stopped at every red light, they'd lose the picture. But they're not the only people that run red lights. So you can't come down on them hard."
Six months ago, a paparazzo was charged with reckless driving in pursuit of Bieber in violation of a state law for those who drive dangerously in pursuit of photos for commercial gain. However, a judge dismissed the law charges, saying the law was overly broad and that lawmakers should have increased penalties for reckless driving rather than target those who photograph celebrities.
There is certainly no simple solution to this problem. But the safety of lives is definitely more important than getting the perfect photo! What do you think would help prevent such incidents from happening? Should there be tougher laws on the paparazzi?
