Homicide in my home town...

Some years ago I remember posting on this board that as far as I knew, (and I'm pretty knowledgeable about this historical stuff), my home town had experienced two homicides since it was founded in the late , very late, 1800's. One in the very early 1900's and the other in the 70's. Well, we've had another.

I was on my trip when I received the news... and I was notified immediately because my family wanted me to know they weren't involved... and the reason they thought I might be overly worried was because the homicide happened on my street - just down the road, about one mile.

Now I won't be able to tell you exactly what happened... I don't think the police even know. They had blocked off my street, and the crossing street, for over 12 hours as they investigated the scene. Early word is that it was possibly a case of self-defense. BUT... the circumstances are odd, to say the least.

First... the location. The house is well known, actually the homicide occurred in a trailer sitting next to the house... the house itself is no longer lived in. The people who live at the location are well known.... for not good reasons. They, (some of them anyway, there was a bunch of them), stole from my equipment yard several times. They were known for drug use.

The victim was a 20 yr old man. I do not know the shooter, as yet, but no doubt will by tomorrow. I did not know the victim... I knew his mother well, she works in our post office and also in a small store in my home town.

So ok, what I know, or rather have heard... this is ALL very speculative. The victim had gotten into drugs. It is a speculated that it was a drug deal gone bad. Not too uncommon, right? Well, it is here... NOT drugs but rather a homicide. Rumor is that the victim somehow went wild and the guy who shot him did so in self-defense... very plausible... but still odd.

The story the paper wrote said the victim was running AWAY from the shooter. So ok... that made me scratch my head. Because you can NOT shoot someone running away from you... not for any reason.. not even if he had attacked you then turned to run... once he runs he is no longer a threat to you.. you CAN NOT SHOOT. So that's odd.

The paper ALSO said the body was found in the trailer. How in the hell can you be running away and IN the trailer? Well, yeah, a couple steps. Again, odd. This trailer, by the way, is tiny... maybe 10'?

As for the shooter.. he CALLED the police after the shooting. Yup, sounds like self-defense. I don't know his name, as I said, but everyone knows who he is... at least his last name. He doesn't have a good reputation.

My oldest daughter is the most obsessively cautious person on earth. Panic's at everything. When they called me to inform me my first reply was, "Oh my God, has Venetia (my daughter), left the state in terror?". I was seriously worried about her. She didn't vacate California... BUT... we are on double lock-down.

Am I worried? Not at all.. this wasn't the type of crime that's a threat to the community... never the less... when a 20 yr old loses his life that's horrible... even if drugs, even if he was the aggressor... justified maybe, but tragic none the less. - JamesJM