Death of a Forum Friend - but not in here

[ballaratdragons]

Firstly, this is not about someone in IceInSpace, so don't panic.

My other half, Cheryl, is a member in a Forum which has about 10,000 members around the world (similar to IIS), and as with most Forums some of the members become good friends and contact each other by email, telephone etc.

Cheryl has a very good friend, Kelly, in Newport,Virginia USA and they have a very good friendship.

That all ended last night (our time).
Her husband shot & killed her in front of their 9 y.o. daughter :sadeyes:
This news report was posted about an hour ago: http://hamptonroads.com/2011/01/girl-9-sees-mothers-shooting-newport-news

Obviously Cheryl is upset.

It makes me think about the online friends I have in Forums and how close I have come to some of them in the real world.

Bit of a shock.

[renormalised]

Give my condolences to your wife, Ken :(

What this makes me think of is how can a country, through its old and outdated constitution, allow psychos such easy access to any firearm, let alone "sane", ordinary people. I've seen people over there that own heavy machine guns!!!!!!. Why in the world would you want to own something like that???!!!!. Even after this, you'll get the rubberneck morons of the NRA saying everyone should have the right to own a firearm. But then again, you only have to see who are members of the NRA to see most are nothing more than gun toting hicks from out the back of the Ozarks or Appalachians, with even less brain power than a slime mold.

[astroron]

Hi Ken,
I am grieved for your wife and all her friends who are effected :sadeyes:
My condolances to all.
I too have made some fabulous friends from being On Line and think of them constantly:) and hope they are well.

[ballaratdragons]

The strange part of this story is that they are a loving happy couple with 2 happy healthy kids.
He is a Restaurant Manager, She was a Kindergarten teacher. Both loved life and each other (mixed marriage. He black, she caucasian).
Cheryl said Kelly often spoke about how lucky she was to hve such a beautiful family and a caring husband.
No financial problems, nice home, well respected.

Something snapped in just the last few days.

[jjjnettie]

That's just awful Ken.
Give Cheryl our condolences please.

[leon]

Hmmm, that is terrible news Ken, all the best to Cheryl mate, I to wonder about the many people on this forum, and not to be a morbid person i expect it will happen here one day as well.
Not a shooting, but a passing of someone we know well.

Leon

[ballaratdragons]

Yep, that's exactly what I mean, Leon.
The odds aren't good.

But inevitable.

[Ric]

It must be horrific to lose a friend in those sort of circumstances.

My condolences to Cheryl.

[erick]

I'm sad to hear this Ken. A great shock to Cheryl and yourself. Thinking of you both. Eric

[renormalised]

Ken, there had to be something underlying there that was going awfully wrong for that to happen. Even if it appears that people just snap, there's always an underlying cause. He may not have been the nice person he appeared to be to everyone, including his wife. But we'll never really know, especially from our distance. Only the police and head shrinks are going to be able to determine that.

[avandonk]

The constant of solving of problems with a gun in the media is the de facto perpetrator here.

Bert

[Suzy]

That's horribly, tragic news Ken. What Cheryl must be going through right now! My condolences go out to both of you'll. What drives a person to kill his own wife and to leave behind children without parents?! I wonder, do these people have inherent bad tempers or are they quiet, mild mannered people that when they snap, they do it in a big way.:question:

[CometGuy]

Ken that is absolutely horrible news. Please send my condolences to Cheryl :(

Terry

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks all. Condolences passed along.

We probably won't know the 'why' until the trial.
Until then it is only guesses.