I would not want to be this neighbor

[keista]

We had a murder-suicide locally this morning. It was a mother and her 4 kids. Kids were 12, 13, 15, and 17. She started shooting early in the morning and woke the neighbor. Then there was a knock at his door and there were three kids in front of him and one was shot. Then the mother came out of her house and called the kids back, AND THEY WENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Neighbor called 911, the last gunshots were heard once the cops were already on scene.

The mother had texted a friend very early this morning saying she wanted to be cremated with her kids.

Holy brouhaha! I just can't stop thinking about this poor neighbor. HE could have helped the kids but was so disoriented at the time he couldn't do more than call 911.

 

[buddy]

What a nightmare.

 

[Liahona]

Poor guy. He is going to be "what if-ing " the rest of his life.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Yes, what-if-ing on both sides of the picture... if he HAD taken the kids in, he might be dead too. You're right - I wouldn't want to be that neighbor.

 

[shellyd67]

Omg ...

 

[cubsgirl]

That's just awful. I wouldn't want to be that neighbor either.

 

[welcometowitsend]

Oh my gosh! That is so horrible.

 

[Hound dog]

OMG! That poor man. For the rest of his life he'll be thinking I should've, I could've........If I just.........

I hope he gets some good sound therapy, but honestly? I dunno if that would really help me with something like that or not.

The kids went back when called? omg

Prayers going out for the family of this mother and her children. So much horror to grasp at once. So much, ok I can see where maybe Mom might reach the end of her rope and think it's time to cut her losses but to take her innocent children WITH her? omg That I will never understand. I just can't imagine the pain of her family right now.

Prayers going out for the poor neighbor who found himself caught up in this horror who will be torturing himself with it the rest of his life.

So very very sad.

 

[DammitJanet]

So sad.

Something similar happened to a family that lived behind my dad. The parents did a murder/suicide but sent the kids into the backyard to play that morning and locked the doors behind them. Finally when the kids got tired of playing and the couldnt get into the house they went to a neighbor and told them they couldnt get into the house and no one was answering the doorbell. The neighbors called the house and when no one answered they called the cops. The cops arrived and broke in and found the parents. It was awful. There was a baby in one of the rooms too.

That house sat empty for years because no one would buy it. I think it was over 10 years before it sold.

 

[Star*]

He needs to realize ----

This was not his problem
There was nothing he could do -not really. He called 911, and they called first responders.
Everyone has a time to be born and a time to die - and the kids time was that particular time thanks to their Mother's incapacitated mental state.
It's not even the friends problem or should she feel guilt - from that text message - she's not a psychiatrist, and she had no way to know even with intuition this would happen.

Classes teach you things you otherwise really don't want to say, but are true.

 

[Nancy]

Tragic. Several weeks ago a mom and her two young daughters were in a cracker barrel restaurant near me celebrating one of the girls' birthday. The dad walked into the restaurant, shot is wife, both daughters and then himself. All died except the ten year old who was critically wounded. The whole community held fund raisers and prayer vigils and today she too died. The restaurant was closed for a week, the employees and customers traumatized. The man's family wanted him to have a full military honors funeral and it was going to happen until the mom's family notified the military of the details of what he did and they refused, thank goodness. The nerve of those people!

Nancy

 

[AnnieO]

I briefly saw that on the news today... I can understand feeling frustrated and hopeless... But I don't get how bad it must be, to do something like this... I pray for all their loved ones.

And the neighbor, and friend, too...

 

[DDD]

I just read the story and can't get over how sad it is. My imagination was fired up trying to decide if the kids were abuse victims who feared not following commands or what. The three together would seem to have had "strength in numbers" but, thank God, we have never had abuse in the family. Likely they are in a better place. DDD

 

[susiestar]

I hope he can at some point realize that she could have come to his home and shot him also if he had stopped the kids from going home. My heart goes out to him and to the families involved including his.

 

[rejectedmom]

It is so very sad. I cannot imagine what that poor man is going through. -RM

 

[Tiapet]

I read the story too, it made msn's front page. Interesting that they said the kids would go around "terrorizing" the neighbors. What did that have to do with any of this but also, what is the back story on that? Doesn't really batter now but just shows that there was a whole lot more to this and of course, it's going to become a media circus....not in a good way!

 

[keista]

I read the story too, it made msn's front page. Interesting that they said the kids would go around "terrorizing" the neighbors. What did that have to do with any of this but also, what is the back story on that? Doesn't really batter now but just shows that there was a whole lot more to this and of course, it's going to become a media circus....not in a good way!

I didn't hear that part, but they did mention there was a DV call to the house involving the 15y/o boy. They offered no details.

I just can't get over that the kids went back after one had been shot already. Just wow.

 

[keista]

Well, they released previous 911 calls where the mother called on the son - apparently a real difficult child. One time threw a bike through the window and another where he started punching her because she woke him for school.

in my opinion makes our forum so much more important - we have an outlet to reach out and support each other before we hit a snapping point like this mother did.

 

[TerryJ2]

Keista, I am SO sorry! I read that story and it sounded horrendous.
I totally agree, that this board is a true lifeline.
My heart is beating hard for you right now. I freaked out when that Navy jet (Hornet, I think) crashed a cpl mo's ago, and that was 45 min. away. I can only imagine how you feel.

 

[keista]

Terry relax, I'm NOT the neighbor and I live miles away. Didn't know them at all. I'm fine. Just dealing with the usual "news close to home" stress. But thanks for the concern.

Replaced today by yet another vehicle driving into a building. That seems to be happening at least one a week lately.