Sunday Bloody Sunday

I can't believe the news today;
I can't close my eyes and make it go away -- U2

My hometown is generally a peaceful, quiet place. I don't have to worry about getting mugged on the street for 25 cents, the street gangs (if any) keep themselves out of sight, drug dealers and pushers keep low profiles, and even prostitutes are hard to identify on the street at night.

When a triple homicide happens within a city block of the house you grew up in, you begin to have your doubts about the safety of your neighborhood. In fact the whole city takes notice.

On second thought, the whole Country takes notice.

This photograph of the murder site has hit front-page newspapers across the country. When I fired up my web browser this evening, staring at me on my home page was the haunting photograph of the house down the street; entangled in Police security tape.

For much of today, Police were tight-lipped about the investigation, but once two suspects were apprehended in Saskatchewan, details began to emerge. A good friend of mine, who happens to have a high-ranking position within the Medicine Hat Police Force, had the grisly task of releasing the details to the media in a news conference this afternoon.

The bodies of a middle-aged man, a middle-aged female, and a pre-teenaged male were discovered at the residence yesterday. No details of the cause of death have yet been released.

Today, Jeremy Allan Steinke, 23, and a 12-year old female were arrested in rural Saskatchewan and each have been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

This has hit me like a football in the groin. My heart goes out to the families of the deceased -- and I have never met them. I hope the families can find some solace at this dark time, and return to their daily routines once the emotional wounds close. I hope they can find it in their hearts to forgive the two suspects that trespassed them, as it is the Christian thing to do. I believe that the suspects, if convicted, will be charged to the fullest extent of the law.

I may post some additional thoughts on the matter once more details of the triple homicide are released. At this point, I am going to have a drink in the victims' honor, and spend the evening in silence.