General Discussion

ljm2002

(10,751 posts) Mon Sep 21, 2015, 10:04 PM Sep 2015

Today was a weird day...

...although it was really quite nice weather-wise. Now that we're in mid-September, the nights cool off and the mornings are totally enjoyable with perfect, balmy temperatures. I had a window open so I could enjoy the fresh air and the slight breeze. I was doing some typing for a friend, looking out the window every so often, when all of a sudden there was a very loud noise outside. It made me jump. Sounded like a gunshot. I figured someone had a leftover cherry bomb or something like that -- we get that kind of thing around here from time to time.

Later I was browsing the local paper online and came across this headline:

Police: Man dies of self-inflicted gunshot wound after standoff

Yes, the sound I heard was a gunshot. It happened less than a block away from me as the crow flies -- although in a different development and not on my street. A man had barricaded himself in his home. He was by himself and suicidal. A SWAT team was there trying to talk him down. People living in nearby homes had been evacuated and the street barricaded. The situation lasted a little over 3 hours, from 5:50 am to 9:15 am which is when I heard the gunshot.

Not much other information yet. But just knowing that I heard the shot when a man killed himself has had me in a strange state of mind all day. When I went outside later in the day, I looked up at the sky and appreciated what a beautiful day it is and how glad I am to be alive.

Damned guns.