1 post tagged “news”

Here I was all happy about someplace we're going to go tonight (a movie) and then another place we're going to on Saturday (a renaissance fair). And we are going to do that.

But there's inexplicable evil in the world, too, and we found out about that in the last few hours.

This happened about 50 miles away, near a city that we visit all the time. I was born near there. My mom lived nearby, and that's where her nursing home is. The road between the nursing home and her house was closed last night. Blockaded by the cops.

At about 5:30 p.m. yesterday, a bunch of teenagers (18 to 20) were swimming in the river that separates Wisconsin and Michigan. Five to nine of them--police reports are unclear how many. They were enjoying themselves on a lovely summer evening, when someone came out of the woods. A man wearing camo gear and carrying an assault rifle. He started firing at the kids, from as close as 10 feet away. Four were hit. Three were killed. One got away with minor injuries. The cops' reports say the gunman didn't say anything--he just started firing.

The area--nearly all heavily wooded, with a few farms--was blocked off all night, and about a hundred law enforcement personnel (which is a great number for our area) searched the area for the gunman. Some homes nearby were evacuated, and a long section of a county road--six miles or so (the road to the nursing home)--was closed.

At noon today, the cops held a televised press conference. I went home to watch it. The gunman was taken into custody this morning without incident. He is identified as a 38-year-old man from the area. He was named--I'd never heard of him before. He hasn't been charged yet, but that's the next step. No explanation for the shooting has been offered. Why does someone shoot a bunch of teenage kids who are just having fun and swimming on a lovely summer evening?

I can't explain it. Who can? Sometimes mankind leaves me really baffled. And it was just 50 miles away. Up here, that's nothing.

Gotta run. We're driving down to Iron Mountain this afternoon to visit my mom and then see a movie. Maybe some of the news crews from Green Bay will still be hanging around.