We wake up this morning in the US to find that -- surprise, surprise -- yet another of America's finest has gone on a rampage with a gun. Luckily, this time, he didn't kill anyone but himself. And the police reaction was also, as usual, extreme. Then again, they probably had visions of Kenya in their heads.
This time it was at a shopping mall in New Jersey. The gunman walked through the mall -- "strutted," some witnesses said -- firing his gun. He moved through several areas of the mall, with people scrambling to get away, then ended up in a deserted area where he shot himself. Some authorities say he was looking for a particular someone to shoot first but didn't find that person. Who knows? Details are still coming out.
Another witness, who had been hiding in a locked storeroom with other people for two hours, was scared shitless to come out because he was afraid the police would shoot him. A reasonable fear.
One thing's for sure: if the gunman's name were something "Middle-Eastern-sounding" instead of Richard R. Shoop, the headlines this morning would be screaming "terrorism."
(Photo: AP)
