People Shooter #2

“Ma’am, my hands really hurt. Officer Tracy … isn’t that your name?” McShuster asked.

“Handcuffs are necessary when someone brings a gun to school.” Officer Tracy held her hand, palm up, over the steering wheel. Then she leaned toward the passenger seat and picked up the wallet she had taken off him. “James McShuster. Is that you?”

“Yes.” He nodded his head, then lowered his voice. “Is that there Noah hurt? Did he get planted harder than me?” He started to lean forward before pain jolted him in a straight-up position.

“I don’t get,” Officer Tracy said shaking her head. “Why … more shootings? Can’t even send kids to a basketball game no more. Used to be unarmed people—men, women and children—were off limits,” Officer Tracy mumbled.

McShuster spoke up. “Violence and guns is what it’s about. Shooters on a mission to go viral or something. Be badass and blast their way onto the news. The whole deal. Pictures with names … in the news, ruined parents. You know that? This stuff here tonight was planned for a bad ending. You know. It was like a secret mission. The same as they do in the army. I mean we had code words. We put together target practice. It got serious in short order. I mean homemade targets with names on them of dicks from school. It was funny until it wasn’t. We make the gun deal with our hand and pulled an imaginary trigger with our pointer finger. That meant target practice after school. I mean no harm no crime. Don’t get me wrong here. I ain’t sayin’ guns is right or wrong. I’m just saying—”

So here's what's happening. A suspect has been apprehended near a school. I can attest to this being how these calls go down. Nobody knows what's happening and the adrenaline is driving behavior. Then anger creeps in.