I can't believe I'm quoting Richard Ramirez, the "Night Stalker"
But I'm going to. As I drove home tonight, trying to make sense of all of the day's events in Santa Monica in my brain, something he said in a jailhouse interview was played on the radio (he died today). I remember hearing that interview when it originally aired. Ramirez said "evil has always been here."
How else do we explain the death of five people and the wounding of others? As the investigation continues, there will be discussion about motive. There will be discussion about whether or not the shooter was mentally ill. About whether or not additional gun controls would have prevented this. Both sides of all these issues will present valid arguments in support of their positions. But in the end, there is evil in our world and it showed its face today.
The thing is, you react differently to something like this when it is your hometown. Even if you don't know anyone involved on a personal level, you think of that hometown and the people who live there as your extended family. Maybe you attended Santa Monica College. Maybe someone you love was there today and fortune smiled on them, as they survived. Maybe you are one of those who has suffered a tragic loss. I've watched these multiple murders being reported by the news media and they didn't hit me the same way this one did. This is my hometown.
Here is what is being reported as I write this. There are conflicting reports on the number of dead. One report is that there were six victims, plus the shooter. The two found in the house on Yorkshire, one killed at Cloverfield and Pico, two at Pico and 19th Streets and one who died while being treated at the hospital. Police are also saying there were four victims, plus the shooter, a tally that may not include the two bodies at Yorkshire. The house on Yorkshire was on fire when emergency services personnel were notified of the fire and of reports that shots had been fired in the area. This required police to clear the area before the fire department could extinguish the blaze. Because they found the two bodies inside the home, they did their best to preserve the crime scene for law enforcement.
It has yet to be confirmed, but multiple sources are claiming the two bodies at the Yorkshire home were those of the shooter's father and brother. There are reports that the deceased father and his ex-wife went through a very contentious divorce and that one son went to live with the mother and one with the father. The shooter is believed to be the son that was living with the mother. Sources insisting on anonymity have identified the father as Samir Zawahri and the other body as one of his adult sons.
Apparently police officers shot the shooter inside the college's library as he was firing at them or at patrons of the library. But there are images of his body lying on the ground outside of the building.
The gunman is described as being between 25 and 30 years old.
After the events inside the house that led to the two deaths and the house being set ablaze, the shooter (according to witnesses) saw two cars driving up (Yorkshire is a cul-de-sac). He waved one on through, but when the female behind the wheel didn't move fast enough, he fired on her. The second driver was carjacked and forced to drive the shooter to the SMC campus. En route he sprayed a Big Blue Bus with gunfire, wounding a young mother. He also fired on a SUV, killing one and critically wounding another.
Police are continuing the investigation at a Mar Vista area apartment where the shooter is believed to have lived with his mother. There are reports that the mother is out of the country and may not know that her two sons and ex-husband are dead.
There are unconfirmed reports that the shooter had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
So how do we cope with this? We comfort those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. We remember that while every single life lost is tragic, we are fortunate that the loss of life was relatively low. There are reports that the shooter fired at other people and just plain missed. He had a lot of ammo and more than one weapon. Whether it is four, five or six victims doesn't reduce the level of tragedy here. But there were thousands of students on campus. More thousands that the shooter passed en route to campus. As we grieve and comfort the mourners, we should be grateful that many lived.
There's one more thing we need to do. We need to listen carefully to one another in the days to come, when we discuss the issues of mental illness, gun control, and the future. If we are completely intransigent in our beliefs and positions, discourse will accomplish nothing. So let's find a way to have a useful dialogue and see if we can accomplish something.
Maybe the late Richard Ramirez is right. Maybe evil has always been here and always will be. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do all we can to try to eliminate it, minimize its ability to harm the innocent and make our world a safe place for all.
How else do we explain the death of five people and the wounding of others? As the investigation continues, there will be discussion about motive. There will be discussion about whether or not the shooter was mentally ill. About whether or not additional gun controls would have prevented this. Both sides of all these issues will present valid arguments in support of their positions. But in the end, there is evil in our world and it showed its face today.
The thing is, you react differently to something like this when it is your hometown. Even if you don't know anyone involved on a personal level, you think of that hometown and the people who live there as your extended family. Maybe you attended Santa Monica College. Maybe someone you love was there today and fortune smiled on them, as they survived. Maybe you are one of those who has suffered a tragic loss. I've watched these multiple murders being reported by the news media and they didn't hit me the same way this one did. This is my hometown.
Here is what is being reported as I write this. There are conflicting reports on the number of dead. One report is that there were six victims, plus the shooter. The two found in the house on Yorkshire, one killed at Cloverfield and Pico, two at Pico and 19th Streets and one who died while being treated at the hospital. Police are also saying there were four victims, plus the shooter, a tally that may not include the two bodies at Yorkshire. The house on Yorkshire was on fire when emergency services personnel were notified of the fire and of reports that shots had been fired in the area. This required police to clear the area before the fire department could extinguish the blaze. Because they found the two bodies inside the home, they did their best to preserve the crime scene for law enforcement.
It has yet to be confirmed, but multiple sources are claiming the two bodies at the Yorkshire home were those of the shooter's father and brother. There are reports that the deceased father and his ex-wife went through a very contentious divorce and that one son went to live with the mother and one with the father. The shooter is believed to be the son that was living with the mother. Sources insisting on anonymity have identified the father as Samir Zawahri and the other body as one of his adult sons.
Apparently police officers shot the shooter inside the college's library as he was firing at them or at patrons of the library. But there are images of his body lying on the ground outside of the building.
The gunman is described as being between 25 and 30 years old.
After the events inside the house that led to the two deaths and the house being set ablaze, the shooter (according to witnesses) saw two cars driving up (Yorkshire is a cul-de-sac). He waved one on through, but when the female behind the wheel didn't move fast enough, he fired on her. The second driver was carjacked and forced to drive the shooter to the SMC campus. En route he sprayed a Big Blue Bus with gunfire, wounding a young mother. He also fired on a SUV, killing one and critically wounding another.
Police are continuing the investigation at a Mar Vista area apartment where the shooter is believed to have lived with his mother. There are reports that the mother is out of the country and may not know that her two sons and ex-husband are dead.
There are unconfirmed reports that the shooter had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
So how do we cope with this? We comfort those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. We remember that while every single life lost is tragic, we are fortunate that the loss of life was relatively low. There are reports that the shooter fired at other people and just plain missed. He had a lot of ammo and more than one weapon. Whether it is four, five or six victims doesn't reduce the level of tragedy here. But there were thousands of students on campus. More thousands that the shooter passed en route to campus. As we grieve and comfort the mourners, we should be grateful that many lived.
There's one more thing we need to do. We need to listen carefully to one another in the days to come, when we discuss the issues of mental illness, gun control, and the future. If we are completely intransigent in our beliefs and positions, discourse will accomplish nothing. So let's find a way to have a useful dialogue and see if we can accomplish something.
Maybe the late Richard Ramirez is right. Maybe evil has always been here and always will be. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do all we can to try to eliminate it, minimize its ability to harm the innocent and make our world a safe place for all.
posted by me at 11:12 PM
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