In the same story News 2, who call themselves Dig Triad online for some reason, mentions the weapon the murderer used was an "assault rifle" but without further detail. True, it's a minor detail and not very important, and I would hate to think this "fact" wasn't true. The media often have no idea what they're reporting when it comes to types of firearms involved in crimes and throw around the term "assault rifle" rather loosely for whatever reason. Of course, it matters not.
Another local channel, Fox 8, reports that a neighbor, mentioned in the other two "articles" as well, actually made use of a privately owned firearm to aid the police officer who may or may not have been single-handedly able to control the fleeing suspect. While the bystander isn't hailed as a hero, the fact that someone used a gun to help counter the cowardly and unlawful use of a firearm shouldn't be left out of a balanced story. Pick up a copy of American Rifleman to read "The Armed Citizen" section if you don't know what you're missing.
You won't see many anti-crime stories involving firearms held by private citizens in your mainstream media. You'll have to get off the beaten path to see how often firearms are used as weapons against crime rather than the centerpiece of crime. Of course, owning a firearm doesn't mean your life is going to be charmed forever after. Bad things will always happen to people.
One thing that just fills me with disgust is the fact that the victim did everything right. She had moved on and found another man with whom to have a relationship. Wary of her jealous ex-boyfriend she even had a restraining order in place, but that wasn't enough. In fact, some bystanders thought that might have been the trigger to push the maniac over the edge.
Like most lawful people, she placed a mighty faith in paper and professional law enforcement to keep her safe. We all do, just as we trust a yellow line down the center of the highway to keep others from colliding with us on our way to Bojangles. But her predicament just shows us how ineffective these restraining orders can be in the view of a determined and troubled man.
Another thing that gives me pause is that one of the stories quotes the assailant's brother who mentions the shooter had tried to commit suicide "a few days before" the murders! And I wonder why wasn't the shooter getting any help in this regard. To me, that should be a focus of some serious questions. Why couldn't someone on the verge of "snapping" get some kind of help? I'm sure there are several answers, but I want to hear that he didn't get help because he never sought help, not because it wasn't available to him if he had wanted it.
So sad that a little life was cowardly cut short by a jealous rage. So sad that "the system" didn't work. So annoying that I had to read three different versions of the same story to get any kind of accurate picture. And as gut-wrenching as a story like this is at first, I'm surprised that it's already scrolled down and out of importance--what filled an hour long newscast yesterday gives way to more recent tragedies and the obligatory "Stay cool" stories. But that's life.
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