Murdered

Early Wednesday morning there was some excitement in the small town where I live (pop. approx. 35,000). One of the tool and die makers at the manufacturing plant I work at was shot to death outside a local pub (a place that I used to frequent when I was younger). Details are still sketchy, and a motive is not clear at this time.

The suspect who killed this man was arrested by police, and was shot in the process. His injuries were not life theatening, and his first court appearence is scheduled for today. He is charged with first degree murder, along with other charges.

I worked with the victim on occasion as my job as an engineer is to design things that in many cases our people made in the shop. He was a volatile person in some respects, likely due to his body-building hobby, which many suspected involved the use of steroids. He was known for being a bit wild, so many here speculate that other drugs have been a part of his life as well. He had been off work for many moons due to "personal problems" that I don't have many details on. He was 40 years old, divorced, and had sole custody of his 9 year old daughter - very unfortunate incident for the daughter, of course.

His mother called the plant yesterday afternoon to inform the company that it was her son who was shot - she told our HR people that he was shot 6 times in the back........hard to imagine in some respects. I am used to this sort of thing happening in other places (mainly the US, but also in larger Canadian cities). To put this in perspective, this is the first murder in this town since 1993........

[JJ Irani]

That is quite a shocking story, Al....and very disturbing too. It's so normal for us to read this kinda stuff in the papers almost every other day, but when it actually happens to someone we know, it does come as a bit of a set back.

Sorry to hear the tragic news.

JJ

[C.J.]

Unfortunately it happens all to often down here. I don't know whats worse, the frequency of that sort of thing around here, or how easily you get use to it with repetition.
The thing that gets me most is the young age. We have fourteen and fifteen year olds shooting other kids of the same age for the most senseless and stupid reasons. They have no idea of the consequences of their actions, nor the amount of damage that round can cause once they let it go. So many times they miss the intended target and hit somebody a half block away just walking home from the store and think absolutely nothing of it. It's sicking really, but unfortunately a daily reality in some places.

[RogerF]

That is so sad. What goes through the minds of ppl that can pull the trigger 6 times into somebody's back.

Here in toronto this happens in some bad areas sometimes over a glance. Its a sad world we live in.

May this gentleman rest in peace and may his killer rot in hell.

[Launch Mini]

Reminds me of trip we took to Disneyland one year.
Being from a small town also, EVERYTHING makes the news.
So while we were out & about in Anaheim, we sort of witnessed a shooting( arrived on scened after the fact) Half excited, we turn on the news that night to find out what happened.
Nada, nothing on the news about it. I guess it happens so often down there, this was more like a fender bender than 6 oclock news.

[Gedanken]

Hmm, nothing against the deceased, but it sounds like something like that was always possible at the rate he was going. Back in high school, I knew a kid who got into the gangs and was the aggressive sort. Two years after I last saw him, he was found on the side of the freeway, completely battered and dead, while his motorcycle was in perfect nick. Those in the know said he'd been bashed to death using motorcycle helmets, but the cops wrote it off as a motorcycle accident, probably because they knew his reputation and really didn't want to bother processing the murder of a guy who had it coming.