It now seems the killing on the Greyhound was followed by a decapitation.
Apparently the killer started stabbing his neighbor and everyone fled the bus -- no one tried to stop him???
They then locked the killer in with his victim giving him time to finish the butchery.
G-d knows what I would do; but I hope I'd try to stop the killer even if it was too late to save the victim
9 comments:
My oh my! A man who actually admits he was wrong. What's next?
"I hope I'd try to stop the killer even if it was too late to save the victim"
Wow someone has seen way too many action movies.
It's one thing to break up a fist fight... it's pure stupidity to try anything when you don't have specialized training and a weapon is involved.
Merboy,
You may be right but I once chase a guy who pulled a gun on me -- it got in the Star -- and as I was doing it I was thinking "so what if I catch him". Probably right -- just dumb machismo
I don't think anyone can know what this situation was like to make any judgment on what others *should* have done. It's one thing for someone to bravely act as a situation is still unfolding or in a unique position to do something to confront a madman.
But when hearing screams from an attack that has already started and which would involve trying to get at someone with a knife in a confined space (like between two seats on a crowded bus) who has a weapon in hand, I'm not sure what one could do without putting themselves at complete risk. Plus it sounds as if the victim may well have been in the window seat since it sounds like the attacker had moved to that seat from somewhere else in the bus. If that was the case, getting to the attacker and victim would have essentially exposed any brave soul to a brutal attack from a position of complete vulnerability. It would just take one swing around with that knife, and that person could instantly become the second victim.
As it was, it sounds like several folks made valiant and quick efforts to stop the bus and get everyone - including small children - away from the attack as quickly as possible. That in itself is showing courage and smarts, particularly again in the confines of a bus.
Then, three people tried to go back to see if there was anything they could do. The attacker was already mutilating the victim at that point, and still proceeded to go after the three. If anything, that shows that getting others away from him was the smartest course of action.
This could easily have turned into an even larger murder spree if this attacker had managed to grab someone else or corner some on the bus, providing him a pool of hostages to pick off.
I appreciate the sentiment of hoping someone would "do" something. We've all heard stories where people did not act when they could have - even simple acts like calling the police that weren't taken. But this instance doesn't sound like one of those at all, from what I've seen and heard.
I think it will soon become apparent we are fortunate an even larger tragedy didn't happen on that bus due to quick actions of folks to clear the bus.
The man had been stabbed vigourously several times with a very large knife aka Rambo before anyone could do anything, or could respond.
No mental health proessional, physician, or law enforcement officer would recommend intervening in this situation.
The killer was calm and obviously mentally unstable and or on drugs. They got everyone away from him and barracaded him in.
They went back to see what they could do for the victim, which was nothing. Heroic fantasies aside, they did the right thing and saying anything otherwise is really disrespectful to what they did do, the danger they were in and the trauma they have suffered.
By the way, decapitation with a big sharp knife is not difficult in the slightest, butchers do it all the time same as chefs (depending on the carcus and jurisdiction), taxidermists, and hunters. Going through a vertebral joint would not be difficult. They guy is probably a hunter. You obviously are none of the above, not that it's a skill one need to have nowadays but what do you think head cheese is made out of and who do you think cut the head off? Dad did.
I vote for concealed firearms carry permits for law abiding citizens.
RE: Anonymous (July 31, 2008 5:42 PM)
"I vote for concealed firearms carry permits for law abiding citizens."
Do you really think that would've made any difference in this situation?
The guy started out by stabbing the victim in the neck... what are your odds of surviving that unless you're literally at the hospital when it happens?
Also... even if concealed guns would be good in this situation... what about all of the countless more common situations where they would make things worse... domestic assaults for example.
I am with the blogger (who, strikes me as the type who hasn't seen too many action movies. I'd be surprised if he's seen more than a dozen in his entire life).
It's hard to imagine that 37 passengers wouldn't try to gang up and subdue the attacker. The guy must have had some kind of major psychotic break, esp. since he was described as being calm. What a horrible, horrible tragedy.
MarkhamMom said...
"It's hard to imagine that 37 passengers wouldn't try to gang up and subdue the attacker. The guy must have had some kind of major psychotic break, esp. since he was described as being calm. What a horrible, horrible tragedy."
It's simple psychology... a group of people who do not know each are rarely capable of spontaneously acting as a group in a stressful situation.
Why should we bother providing months and months of training to police officers for situations like this if the average citizen is able to take control and subdue a vicious lunatic?
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