A shocking news story last week about a man who lost his temper and shot 2 innocent people outside his home in Florida.
Apparently, there was an argument over leaving a laundry room door open in a condo complex. The husband of the head of the HOA apparently had words (it was a heated exchange) with the wife of the person who left the door open.
Days later, the suspect met the victim at the mailbox and demanded an apology. The victim apparently pushed the suspect aside and that’s when a gun was pulled and the victim was shot twice.
The victim’s wife (the head of the HOA) then came outside, screaming and yelling, and she was also shot twice.
Both victims died.
Aside from the obviously horrific scene and the fact that two innocent people are dead is the reality that this shooter just forfeited his own life.
And for what? To prove a point? It defies logic.
His excuse was that he lost his temper. Wow!
So now, he’ll be incarcerated for the rest of his life (he’s in his late 70’s). He will miss out on every event that was meant to happen. No more social life, back yard barbecues, family events, getting together with friends, leisure activities, travel, and simply enjoying retirement after a lifetime of work.
He’ll be abruptly taken from his normal routine and shoved into a cold, confined cell to live out the rest of his life. He’ll wake up every morning to the sounds of prison instead of his loving wife. He will be eating with hundreds of other prisoners (many violent) instead of waking up next to her and enjoying a leisurely breakfast on the terrace . He may even suffer abuse at the hands of other prisoners – there are no guarantees once you’re inside.
The rest of his day will be decided by someone else – whatever the guards decide. No more freedom to make the smallest decisions on your own. You’re told when to eat, sleep, shower, exercise, and for how long. No exceptions.
That’s in the best case. If they can prove premeditation, he could be looking at death row.
All this because of an extremely rash, last minute decision and an inability to rein in his emotions. Some would say he deserves what he has coming because he wasn’t able to control himself. Imagine getting so angry that you gun down two people in cold blood? Yeah, something’s not right there.
There are so many tragedies here that you can’t help but shake your head.
I’m sure that the 2 victims and the shooter woke up that morning just like any other, oblivious to the fact that fate was about to deal them a deadly blow. Yes, the assailant was armed and had a temper, but there’s no way he imagined how things would end.
Again, I know as much about this person as anyone else reading a newspaper. Maybe there is more to the story, but we may never know.
At the very least, this tragic event should serve as a lesson to others.
