FL Man 75, kills neighbors 81, in laundry dispute - "Call the police, I just shot Henry and Ginger"

[Celerity]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/6/2140292/-FL-Man-75-kills-neighbors-81-in-laundry-dispute-Call-the-police-I-just-shot-Henry-and-Ginger



On December 3, in the Cedar Pointe Condominiums, Stuart, FL, Hugh Hootman, 75, shot and killed his neighbors, Henry and Ginger Wallace, both 81. The cause? A petty neighbor-spat over laundry room etiquette that spiraled into absurdity. And a man with a gun who decided that killing was an appropriate form of dispute resolution.

Susan Hootman unknowingly sowed the seeds of this senseless tragedy when she propped open the community laundry room door. Her neighbor, Henry Wallace, was peeved. He went upstairs to the Hootman residence and yelled at Susan for her transgression. Susan was left shaken and upset by the encounter.

Some days later, Susan's husband Hugh encountered Henry Wallace at the condo’s mailboxes. Hugh sprang to his wife’s defense. He told Henry he had been out of line for browbeating Susan. Hootman demanded Wallace apologize. Wallace ignored Hootman and attempted to push past him.

An angered Hugh pulled out the 9mm pistol he kept in his pocket for self-defense and shot Henry dead. Hearing the shots, Henry’s wife Ginger ran out of her apartment, yelling in distress, and ran to where her husband lay. Hootman shot her twice, killing her.

snip

[ProfessorGAC]

1. I Read This Earlier, But...

...that article did not mention the victims were 81.
I thought this was a terrible story then. The fact that this lunatic resorted to murdering a couple octogenarians makes it even worse.

[marble falls]

2. Exactly why we need to eliminate personal weapons. There are just too many armies of one.

[Ziggysmom]

3. Read the full article. At the end, the writer eloquently states....

"Consider that as I write this, there are over 1,000 Americans alive today who will be shot dead by the time the sun rises on Christmas morning. Dear readers, I hope none of them are you."

[RAB910]

4. Yet another example of why armed citizens

Are bad

[AngryOldDem]

5. When guns are readily available...

…no wonder they’re the first choice in dispute resolution.

Senseless.

[GreenWave]

6. Hey Hootman, go directly to Sparky.