Hindsight is Always 20/20
This is an old post, originally written in 2017, following a school shooting in a small community not too far from where we live. Though this post is old, and the specifics differ from the shootings that have reverberated through our collective American consciousness in 2022, the questions are still worth wrestling with. Unfortunately, the answers don't seem any easier to find now than they were five years ago. Even so, will you take a trip back with me in time, to wrestle with a problem that does not show signs of improving?
Some of the fervor from the shooting last week is dying down. Another hurricane threatens the East Coast, riots rock St. Louis over the acquittal of a white police officer who killed a black man in 2011, a young man was shot and killed on the Georgia Tech campus, a fatal bus crash in New York City, and a fatal head-on collision in Utah all dominate the current news cycle. But for Sam Strahan's family, the brutal reality of his loss is not even beginning to settle in. How can it, for anyone, really?
Parents are angry. And understandably so. From the reports, the shooter had access to his father's gun safe. And the suicide note he'd written was still sitting on the counter, a week or more after it had been written!
According to Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, the signs of Caleb Sharpe's murderous intent were missed. In his opinion, they always are. And there were several, besides the suicide note. The bus driver who dropped him off at school on Wednesday found it odd that he was carrying a big duffel bag, since he wasn't in sports. But it wasn't until afterward that she realized what that duffel had contained. Is she to blame? If she'd responded differently, could tragedy have been averted?
What about Ben and Ericka Sharpe, who, according to the Spokesman Review story found a suicide note on the counter of their "half-million dollar home." And what about Caleb having the combination to the gun safe? Is his father to blame? Should Ben be tried for negligence in relation to his son's heinous actions?
What about the school administration, or the school counselor, who released an obviously troubled young man from suspension? What is their responsibility for failing to protect the lives and well-being of the students under their care? Should they be held accountable? What will that look like?
Moving forward, should metal detectors be installed to try and guarantee the safety of students who have already seen violence no parent ever wants their child to experience? Will it help?
There are no easy answers. It is always easy to look back and see what could have or what should have been done. Unfortunately, it is not necessarily helpful in anticipating what will happen. That has been demonstrated over and over in Europe with the terrorist attacks.
At the end of the day, while I firmly believe Caleb Sharpe should be held accountable for his actions, and wonder how things could have turned out differently, I also recognize that nothing will change the fact that Sam Strahan is dead. Nothing. Caleb's actions can not be undone. No matter how much evaluating, processing, analyzing, or castigating may take place, it won't change what has happened, to Sam, to his family, to the girls who were shot, or to the students who watched it all.
Being angry won't bring Sam back. It won't undo the damage the bullets caused those three young ladies. It won't erase the memories or the trauma experienced by the students in the hallway that day. It won't fix anything.
Neither will assigning blame. So Ben knew his son could open the gun safe. It's only in hindsight that such access was a horrible thing. The suicide note on the counter? No, it shouldn't have stayed there for a week. But did they know what to do or how to respond? Was this the first time Caleb had expressed such angst? No amount of hand wringing or blaming or arguing will lead to effective solutions.
Parents are angry. And understandably so. From the reports, the shooter had access to his father's gun safe. And the suicide note he'd written was still sitting on the counter, a week or more after it had been written!
According to Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, the signs of Caleb Sharpe's murderous intent were missed. In his opinion, they always are. And there were several, besides the suicide note. The bus driver who dropped him off at school on Wednesday found it odd that he was carrying a big duffel bag, since he wasn't in sports. But it wasn't until afterward that she realized what that duffel had contained. Is she to blame? If she'd responded differently, could tragedy have been averted?
What about Ben and Ericka Sharpe, who, according to the Spokesman Review story found a suicide note on the counter of their "half-million dollar home." And what about Caleb having the combination to the gun safe? Is his father to blame? Should Ben be tried for negligence in relation to his son's heinous actions?
What about the school administration, or the school counselor, who released an obviously troubled young man from suspension? What is their responsibility for failing to protect the lives and well-being of the students under their care? Should they be held accountable? What will that look like?
Moving forward, should metal detectors be installed to try and guarantee the safety of students who have already seen violence no parent ever wants their child to experience? Will it help?
There are no easy answers. It is always easy to look back and see what could have or what should have been done. Unfortunately, it is not necessarily helpful in anticipating what will happen. That has been demonstrated over and over in Europe with the terrorist attacks.
At the end of the day, while I firmly believe Caleb Sharpe should be held accountable for his actions, and wonder how things could have turned out differently, I also recognize that nothing will change the fact that Sam Strahan is dead. Nothing. Caleb's actions can not be undone. No matter how much evaluating, processing, analyzing, or castigating may take place, it won't change what has happened, to Sam, to his family, to the girls who were shot, or to the students who watched it all.
Being angry won't bring Sam back. It won't undo the damage the bullets caused those three young ladies. It won't erase the memories or the trauma experienced by the students in the hallway that day. It won't fix anything.
Neither will assigning blame. So Ben knew his son could open the gun safe. It's only in hindsight that such access was a horrible thing. The suicide note on the counter? No, it shouldn't have stayed there for a week. But did they know what to do or how to respond? Was this the first time Caleb had expressed such angst? No amount of hand wringing or blaming or arguing will lead to effective solutions.
If we're going to actually effect meaningful change, we have to have a different conversation! For starters, we have to acknowledge that these situations are complex. They do not lend themselves well to quick, overly simplistic, reactionary solutions. And if history is any indication, our efforts so far have been less than effective. So, let's take a step back, look at the big picture, ask critical questions, wade through the complexities, and find a way to move forward together towards creating a different world for our children and grandchildren. If we can actually learn from the past, maybe we won't be doomed to repeat it...
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