Arrest in Pacman strip club shooting brings hope to paralyzed victim

Tommy Urbanski had been waiting for this news ever since he woke up in a hospital bed at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada more than a year ago and learned that he'd never walk again.

The news came Friday night, as he was having dinner with his wife Kathy at a Red Lobster: Las Vegas police announced they had arrested the man they believe shot Urbanski at the end of a brawl sparked by disgraced Tennessee Titans star Adam (Pacman) Jones.

"After all this time, I'm not sure how I feel," said Urbanski, a former professional wrestler who grew up in Commack, L.I. "I've been looking forward to this day for so long, I started to lose hope.

"I want to be happy about this, but I also want to make sure they got the right guy," Urbanski added. "I do hope they got the right guy, because I want to look this coward in the eye."

Authorities have not released a photo of the suspect, identified as Arvin Kenti Edwards, 29, of Renton, Wash. Edwards was arrested late Friday at the Yakima County (Wash.) Correctional facility, where he was already in custody on an unrelated domestic violence charge.

Edwards faces three counts of attempted murder with a weapon and three counts of battery. He will be extradited to Las Vegas.

Urbanski, then a manager at Minxx strip club in February 2007, arrived at work as a fight that police say was started by Jones was winding down. Jones and his entourage were in Las Vegas for NBA All-Star Game weekend, which was marred by rowdy crowds and violent incidents.

Urbanski and other club employees restored order in the club, but a man who witnesses said had been partying with Jones and his entourage returned to the club with a handgun and shot Urbanski and two other people.

The shooting left Urbanski paralyzed from the waist down, but that's only part of the story.

He was in a medically induced coma for weeks after the shooting, and he battled pneumonia, infections and kidney failure. He's had to learn how to move his massive body - Urbanski is 6-6 and more than 300 pounds - in and out of a wheelchair, how to dress and bathe himself, how to avoid the bed sores and bladder infections that can be fatal to paraplegics.

"I still have a lot of pain in my ribs, but otherwise I'm doing good," said Urbanski, who continues to receive physical therapy and other medical assistance. "I'm getting stronger. Mentally, I'm feeling good."

Jones, suspended for the 2007 season by the NFL for his role in the Las Vegas melee and other run-ins with police, pleaded no contest in December to disorderly conduct. Jones, who has faced two felony charges, was sentenced to probation for one year. His lawyer said he is cooperating with Las Vegas police.

Jones' publicist, Sadia Morrison of New York, was sentenced to three years of probation in January after pleading no contest to battery. The cornerback's bodyguard, Robert Reid, avoided jail time by pleading no contest to one count of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct.

If Edwards is charged with attempted murder, it will be the most serious charges filed in the case to date.

"It's nice to hear somebody will be charged with attempted murder instead of a nonsense charge," Kathy Urbanski said.

Urbanski said he's not sure he could identify the punk who took away his legs.

"I got a quick look at him before I saw the muzzle flash," Urbanski said. "At least three other people got a good look at him, too."

Urbanski has sued Jones, the NFL, the Titans and the owners of Harlem Knights, a Houston strip club that rented Minxx the night of the shooting. The Titans have been dismissed from the lawsuit because a Nevada state court judge said the team didn't do business in Las Vegas and couldn't be held responsible for Jones' actions.

Urbanski's lawyer Matthew Dushoff estimates the final tab for his client's medical bills and other related costs will be in the millions of dollars. But Urbanski said he wants more than money - he wants the satisfaction of confronting the man who tried to kill him simply because he showed up for work.

"I want to look at this piece of garbage," Urbanski said. "I want to know what this piece of --- looks like."

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