Shootings In The Workplace

On Friday, there was a shooting in the workplace at a law office in downtown Chicago. Four people were killed (including the gunman) and one was injured. My "cousin-in-law" Dan had worked for this law firm in the past and knew some of the people who were killed.

This shooting reminds me of two cases I had worked on in the past when I was working at The San Diego District Attorney's Office. One involved a man who went to the workplace of his girlfriend and started shooting. The other was a case in which a gunman went into the emergency room of one of the San Diego hospitals and started shooting.

The worst case I can recall seeing in photos was the McDonald's Massacre in 1984 in San Ysidro California in which lone gunman James Huberty open fire on the patrons of a McDonalds after leaving a note for his wife that he was going to go "Hunting For Humans." He killed 21 people and injured another 20 before the police killed him. This was the worst mass murders I have ever seen in photos. My supervisor at the San Diego Police Department was an evidence technician at the time and he helped work the crime scene. This was a few years before I worked there. He had the photos from the crime scene and also the autopsy photos and so he shared that with me. It was unbelievable. I recall driving to that area while I was working for the DA's office and the site was pointed out to me by one of the DA investigators. The actual McDonalds building is no longer there as it was torn down.

It is unfortunate that our society has so many disturbed people who do things like these shootings. Because of all the things I have witnessed firsthand and from photos I've seen while working in law enforcement, I suppose I'm a little more cautious than many people when it comes to looking out for crime or danger. Often my own family thinks I'm too cautious and I know they get tired of hearing me tell them to be more careful wherever they go. But I think until you have experienced something yourself, it's hard to understand why some people are a little more "paranoid" about things than others.

All I have to say is be careful out there. We live in difficult times and it's always better to be on the side of caution than to overlook safety. It's been said that most people will be affected or connected someway with a crime over their lifetime. I know I've personally had a few already and of course hundreds as well because I had worked in law enforcement. I'll write more about these in the coming weeks on my blog. Stay tuned.