What The?
This is horrid, grotesque, and truly bizarre. From the BCC…
“A man on a Greyhound bus travelling across the Canadian Prairies has killed and decapitated a fellow passenger.”
[…]
“When we came back on the bus… he was cutting the guy’s head off and pretty much gutting him up,” Mr Caton said.
The attacker ran at them, Mr Caton said, and they ran out of the bus, holding the door shut to prevent him getting out.
“He calmly walks up to the front [of the bus] with the head in his hand and the knife and just calmly stares at us and drops the head right in front of us,” Mr Caton said.
“There was no rage in him … It was just like he was a robot or something,” he added.”
There go Conservative theories that decapitation is the sole province of Muslim extremists.
What is truly scary is the fact that authorities believe the man did not know the victim, that it was a completely random act.
Now. Who’s doling out that extra cash to fly?
- More from the CBC.
Want to bookmark or share this entry?
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 7:33 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I know, I was on Raymi’s blog thinking she was kidding, then clicked on her link she posted. I mean, yeah you would think someone was kidding because it’s something right out of a horror movie, it’s disgusting. who does this?
July 31st, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Oh man, when I heard this I didn’t actually believe it happened. It is so bizarre, and disturbing. Pretty much something out of a horror film.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Yeah, no, we are suppossed to fly in December and I’m considering cancelling cuz this is the shit that doesn’t make your mind stop wondering ‘could that happen to me’.. it’s so disturbing.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:39 pm
this is the story I woke up to on the radio this morning….
what a horrific thing.
poor kid, sleeping on the bus thinking it was just a typical bus ride into the night.
I hope he went quick -
im sure some wank will make a friggin movie out of this too….
July 31st, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Jenn, it was a kid? How old?
Yep first thing I thought was they will make a movie and take it one step further, like Wolf Creek style which disgusts me. I can’t even believe they made that movie.. Shame on Hollywood for alot of the crap they pull.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:45 pm
What the ? is right.. scary to even think about.. WOW crazy.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:48 pm
See, well, this is why I like “elitists”. You don’t have to worry about this kind of stuff in Starbucks. I mean just imagine this . . . . Try to get your mind around this guy’s thought process.
There was a murder case a bunch of years ago. There were a couple of guys sitting on the rail of a bridge. Some guy just walked by . . . He just happened to be walking over the same bridge . . . A palm in the chest . . . Whoop! . . . Backwards over the rail this kid went. No thought at all. Just whatever. Over you go. End of your story.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:49 pm
The news reports tragic events daily and we as a society are often shocked and horrified (ie. hit and runs, kidnappings etc…). Sadly, time passes and those events melt together in our minds, making it difficult to remember the specific cases.
However, this is one of those stories that I believe will forever be etched into the minds of the Canadian public. It is so tragic and I can only imagine what the victim’s families must be going through right now. It really puts things into perspective for me when I complain about an ex-boyfriend or other petty things I am disgruntled about at any given moment. I hope those left behind will someday be able to find some peace…I don’t think I could be so strong.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:51 pm
It’s weird how it takes something like this in our own place to make us shake our heads in complete stupor. I mean stuff like this happens on a regular basis in some areas. The man who committed these actions is obviously sick. From personal experience I am seeing individuals, dangerous individuals, with no where to go, they are so sick they cannot even get help and chances are they have been completely almost forgotten by society.
I am be no means justifying nor am I trying to defend this individual, however, I do feel the need to express the obvious cry for help humans are asking for. There is serious neglect in the care of human beings.
Everyone has problems, but not everyone knows how to fix them. How many times have you heard that one.
As “sane” individuals of society I find that we owe it to ourselves to put in the extra effort even if it’s just to smile at someone.
If you get the chance listen to someone who might be trying to ask you for help. And don’t get me wrong; don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation or anything, but chances are that at some point in time previous to stabbing and decapitating people something could have been done.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
A man was killed in Starbucks on Robson 2 years ago. Shit happens everywhere. You never know when your time is up. it’s scarey.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:54 pm
It is so disturbing. I just hope that the guy that did this isnt out on the streets in 10-15yrs
July 31st, 2008 at 7:57 pm
[quote comment="60111"]Jenn, it was a kid? How old?[/quote]
CBC is reporting the age as “late teens to early 20s”
July 31st, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Very awful. I blogged about this earlier today as well. My sister has vowed to never take the bus again.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Fair enough T-Lee, and I agree. I suppose news like this just makes me want to throw my lot in with the crowd of people who may be faulted for over-thinking things rather than for under-thinking them. :)
July 31st, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Holy fucking shit, litterally I woke up to this in my mind. When I go to bed, I always fall asleep with the TV on because I need the background noise and for ease sake, I always leave it on CBC Newsworld. I get the news I need in the morning, and there’s no shouting from the slew of morning hosts on the other channels, and because my dreams can be really fucking lucid, half the time the news feeds into my dreams.
Just before I woke up was when they aired the interview with the witness - my dream was well graphic this morning. :S
[quote comment="60108"]Yeah, no, we are suppossed to fly in December and I’m considering cancelling cuz this is the shit that doesn’t make your mind stop wondering ‘could that happen to me’.. it’s so disturbing.[/quote]
I hear yah - I’m flying next week. It’s always, always the case when you book a trip that really fucked up shit like this makes the news. Mainly it comes in the form of accidents, but this is beyond the beyond…
July 31st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
[quote comment="60119"]It’s weird how it takes something like this in our own place to make us shake our heads in complete stupor. I mean stuff like this happens on a regular basis in some areas. The man who committed these actions is obviously sick. From personal experience I am seeing individuals, dangerous individuals, with no where to go, they are so sick they cannot even get help and chances are they have been completely almost forgotten by society.
I am be no means justifying nor am I trying to defend this individual, however, I do feel the need to express the obvious cry for help humans are asking for. There is serious neglect in the care of human beings.
Everyone has problems, but not everyone knows how to fix them. How many times have you heard that one.
As “sane” individuals of society I find that we owe it to ourselves to put in the extra effort even if it’s just to smile at someone.
If you get the chance listen to someone who might be trying to ask you for help. And don’t get me wrong; don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation or anything, but chances are that at some point in time previous to stabbing and decapitating people something could have been done.[/quote]
We don’t know the person, we don’t know if he has ever expressed the need for help. He could have kept whatever it is inside of him forever. No matter what was on his mind at that given time, it wasn’t up to anyone else but him to realize it is wrong what he was thinking then doing.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:04 pm
[quote comment="60125"]Holy fucking shit, litterally I woke up to this in my mind. When I go to bed, I always fall asleep with the TV on because I need the background noise and for ease sake, I always leave it on CBC Newsworld. I get the news I need in the morning, and there’s no shouting from the slew of morning hosts on the other channels, and because my dreams can be really fucking lucid, half the time the news feeds into my dreams.
Just before I woke up was when they aired the interview with the witness - my dream was well graphic this morning. :S
[quote comment="60108"]Yeah, no, we are suppossed to fly in December and I’m considering cancelling cuz this is the shit that doesn’t make your mind stop wondering ‘could that happen to me’.. it’s so disturbing.[/quote]
I hear yah - I’m flying next week. It’s always, always the case when you book a trip that really fucked up shit like this makes the news. Mainly it comes in the form of accidents, but this is beyond the beyond…[/quote]
Actually I now realized why Matt said that about paying the extra cash to fly. It’s much safer to fly these days.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:05 pm
[quote comment="60119"]It’s weird how it takes something like this in our own place to make us shake our heads in complete stupor. I mean stuff like this happens on a regular basis in some areas. The man who committed these actions is obviously sick. From personal experience I am seeing individuals, dangerous individuals, with no where to go, they are so sick they cannot even get help and chances are they have been completely almost forgotten by society.
I am be no means justifying nor am I trying to defend this individual, however, I do feel the need to express the obvious cry for help humans are asking for. There is serious neglect in the care of human beings.
Everyone has problems, but not everyone knows how to fix them. How many times have you heard that one.
As “sane” individuals of society I find that we owe it to ourselves to put in the extra effort even if it’s just to smile at someone.
If you get the chance listen to someone who might be trying to ask you for help. And don’t get me wrong; don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation or anything, but chances are that at some point in time previous to stabbing and decapitating people something could have been done.[/quote]
Totally agree
July 31st, 2008 at 8:05 pm
disturbed.
shouldnt some details of that news been kept quiet?
surely enough people have alraidy been traumatised by the event alraidy.
i heard it on day radio.pretty sure i wouldnt want my kids to hear that.
fkd up.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I think we can all agree this guy is seriously disturbed in some way. Whether that turns out to be a mental illness is yet to be seen, however I almost hope not. Popular stereotype sees the mentally ill as “deranged” killers-in-waiting who could strike at any time, when that is far from the truth. This event is tragic on many levels, including the cause of mental health education and destygmatization (is that a word?) should he turn out to be truly mentally ill.
Ya, it’s going to get lots of airplay, precisely because it is such a bizarre, gruesome event. Within hours politicians and the media were talking about the need for “tighter security” on buses. Oh, come on! Unless there are some copycats, this event is SO out of the norm…it’s not like it’s happening every day! I so hope there isn’t the typical knee-jerk, over-response to mollify the masses. I recommend everyone read The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, and Fearless, also same author. Put this into context and see it for what it is, a very tragic, bizarre event.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:16 pm
stranger than fiction
July 31st, 2008 at 8:16 pm
yeah that’s beyond ridiculous, times like that you wish someone else was carrying a weapon and would have stopped the guy.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:19 pm
I just watched CTV news and the approx. the first 7 minutes was spent on this story, with interviews with some of the people on the bus describing it over and over again. Pretty gruesome, but they totally overdid it with the multiple accounts of what happened. Gore sells.
I don’t think we’re not safe just in buses, or on planes… this could be anywhere, anytime. But if you let that stop you, none of us would ever leave the house.
As much as I *wish* it didn’t happen, it does.
My sympathies to both of those families… one is gone, one is incredibly ill….
July 31st, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Freaky and scary! Makes me wonder who stands next to me on the street. I feel sorry for this young man and his friends and family. Never saw that coming… RIP
July 31st, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Very, very disturbing. I live in Brandon and my workplace had the individuals who spent the night at a hotel here come into the store to replenish the items they could not get from the bus. Greyhound paid for it all. Spent a good hour this morning chasing the vultures (media) off the property. Only when they were threatened with charges of trespassing did they move across the lot onto someone else’s property to set up their cameras. A few of the passengers came and talked to me about what happened. I didn’t ask any questions but it was evident they wanted someone to talk to. This was before the media had ahold of a lot of the details so I was completely shocked when the one man told me about the killer walking around holding just the head. This is stuff that happens in horror movies… not in Manitoba, let alone Canada. I had to drive to Portage this afternoon for business and the bus was still on the side of the road around 6pm. The police had a detour set up for the eastbound traffic and driving past it was so eerie, seeing all the police around it and stuff. Gave me chills.
My thoughts go out to the victims family.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:47 pm
[quote comment="60139"]Freaky and scary! Makes me wonder who stands next to me on the street. I feel sorry for this young man and his friends and family. Never saw that coming… RIP[/quote]
Yes, I have been so disturbed by this today that I completely forgot about what his family must be going through.
I’m so protective of my kid that I can’t even imagine what that would be like for him to see something like that. I heard there were kids on the bus seeing this. JESUS.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I’m getting a kick out of the people saying that the passengers should have attacked the man with the knife.
Because I know my first instinct would be to run AT the large man with the butchers knife, as opposed to away from him.
My condolences go out to the victim’s family. This is a horrific and senseless crime and I hope the right actions are taken to prevent this type of thing from happening again.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Ugh. It’s so horribly grotesque and regrettable, in every way. What an awful way to die, act to witness, and have to come to terms with for the family and friends of the victim.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I’M SORRY FOR NOT READING THROUGH THE POSTS BUT I DON’T KNOW IF THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID.
What they didn’t tell you on the radio and on the news, is that he started eating the flesh. My friends father works for the news here in Winnipeg, and he has pictures of the shit. He wouldn’t let us see them, but he told us the guy actually had blood all over his face and flesh from the victim in his mouth. It was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:55 pm
[quote comment="60158"]I’M SORRY FOR NOT READING THROUGH THE POSTS BUT I DON’T KNOW IF THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID.
What they didn’t tell you on the radio and on the news, is that he started eating the flesh. My friends father works for the news here in Winnipeg, and he has pictures of the shit. He wouldn’t let us see them, but he told us the guy actually had blood all over his face and flesh from the victim in his mouth. It was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard.[/quote]
This reminds me of Jeffrey Dahmer. Oh God!!!
July 31st, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Get out!!!!!!!
July 31st, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Never taking the bus again seems a little ridulous. Random act, first of it’s kind really, in this country at least.
Sit at the front, profile the shit out of the guy next to you.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:03 pm
As long as we’re on utterly depressing subjects none of us is able do anything about . . . can we have the “fulfilling relationship/dating” post from yesterday back. This is getting to be too much for me.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:10 pm
He’ll get eighteen months in the slammer for that
July 31st, 2008 at 10:19 pm
My mother called me about this story but of course I had already heard all about it. She seems to think it’s now necessary for bus lines to have safety checks the way airlines do. I told her not to be ridiculous, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear a public outcry for such a thing. One bad incident and the whole industry goes into a panic. What’s next? Taxi cab drivers get to pat you down before you get in?
July 31st, 2008 at 10:24 pm
[quote comment="60167"]As long as we’re on utterly depressing subjects none of us is able do anything about . . . can we have the “fulfilling relationship/dating” post from yesterday back. This is getting to be too much for me.[/quote
Here’s my take on fulfilling relationships 101. Passion intamacy commitment = “I want it all.” Don’t settle for anything less.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:29 pm
[quote comment="60167"]As long as we’re on utterly depressing subjects none of us is able do anything about . . . can we have the “fulfilling relationship/dating” post from yesterday back. This is getting to be too much for me.[/quote]
OOPS, thats goes with this up there, sorry
July 31st, 2008 at 10:43 pm
[quote comment="60158"]I’M SORRY FOR NOT READING THROUGH THE POSTS BUT I DON’T KNOW IF THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID.
What they didn’t tell you on the radio and on the news, is that he started eating the flesh. My friends father works for the news here in Winnipeg, and he has pictures of the shit. He wouldn’t let us see them, but he told us the guy actually had blood all over his face and flesh from the victim in his mouth. It was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard.[/quote]
No, it hasn’t already been said, thanks for making my night.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:50 pm
. . . .I took the greyhound to Calgary when I saw you in June. HOLY CRAP!! I’m NEVER taking a grey hound again! I didn’t like taking the bus in the first place cause the people on them freaked me out.. and apparently its good that I was cautious. Yikes!!
July 31st, 2008 at 10:52 pm
I think more and more people need to just carry pepper spray. I go for a walk in my complex and bring bear spray. it’s highly illegal but I know in my mind if someone came at me, I’d have a weapon.. they can try to throw me in jail all they want, it is for your own protection.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Yup, I completely agree with you, people ( especially women ) need something to protect themselves with. I just can’t believe a guy got his fucking head cut off on a bus full of people.. You would think someone would have done something, the guy was probably totally out numbered.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I think when something like this happens so fast, you are in shock for a few minutes. The dude was a mad man… I think it’s just really shocking at first, then something kicks in, but it was just too late, I guess.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:16 pm
This incident reminds of that American POW that got his head cut off on film… i saw the tape somehow on youtube or another link and it gave me nightmares for weeks… i cant believe that thought process is actually in someone to carry out such an act. Truly scarey what some people are capable of. Whats the world coming to really???
July 31st, 2008 at 11:57 pm
[quote comment="60194"]I think when something like this happens so fast, you are in shock for a few minutes. The dude was a mad man… I think it’s just really shocking at first, then something kicks in, but it was just too late, I guess.[/quote]
Your right. I mean if I was to actually put myself into their positon I wouldn’t be first to run up and help ( not that I wouldn’t want too ) but I’m to big of a chicken to go rescue someone from a madman with a knife.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:02 am
Terrible thing to happen to the (obvious) victim, and for the enduring trauma for those passengers witnessing the event.
Was it written anywhere the victim and the attacker knew each other, or was it entirely random?
Imagine if he attacked the driver at hiway speed, we would have had many more injured or killed.
Life is random indeed.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:12 am
I can’t even stomach watching movies that have this kind of stuff in them….my God, how awful for those on the bus who witnessed it. For the poor guy he killed. Killed doesn’t seem like the right word. My God.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:48 am
[quote comment="60158"]I’M SORRY FOR NOT READING THROUGH THE POSTS BUT I DON’T KNOW IF THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID.
What they didn’t tell you on the radio and on the news, is that he started eating the flesh. My friends father works for the news here in Winnipeg, and he has pictures of the shit. He wouldn’t let us see them, but he told us the guy actually had blood all over his face and flesh from the victim in his mouth. It was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard.[/quote]
Remind me never to read Matt’s blog before bed. :( It’s bad enough I’ve already put the news on…
[quote comment="60133"]
My sympathies to both of those families… one is gone, one is incredibly ill….[/quote]
This is something that’s been going through my head all day (aside from the visuals…). He’s quite obviously an extremely sick individual…but because it was so fucking horrific, how the fuck do you even begin to figure out how to punish/detain?
I personally I don’t think I’d make it on the possible jury duty.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:39 am
I don’t think anyone has mentioned it yet but… What the hell is wrong with people these days??
From what I’ve read and watched from various news sources, the guy seemed completely normal during the earlier legs of the trip from Edmonton. They say he was just another passenger, talking and smoking cigarettes during breaks with other passengers.
Obviously this fellow wasn’t just another normal passenger. You don’t just go from being normal one second to cutting the head off of the person beside you the next second without having something extremely wrong upstairs.
August 1st, 2008 at 4:28 am
I can’t believe he got off the bus alive…….
Save us all the trouble and money.
Man one bullet is so cheap.
Poor fucking kid.
I am crying.
August 1st, 2008 at 5:38 am
Don’t know if anyone posted this already, but friends have named the victim. Here’s the story:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/08/01/stabbing-victim.html?ref=rss
August 1st, 2008 at 6:09 am
I’ve been reading some of the comments on the CBC’s website…
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/08/01/stabbing-victim.html
People are actually berating the other passengers on the bus for not doing anything to stop the attack.
What do you want? If anything the people on the bus probably saved lives by doing what they did.
As unfortunate as is sounds, there was probably little that could have been done to help stop the attack and save the life of the victim. People on the CBC are talking about it as if they would have just jumped right in and stopped it from happening.
Until you are actually faced with that kind of incident happening before your eyes, no one knows for sure how they will react. The passengers did the right thing by clearing the bus and ensuring that the attacker did no further harm to others.
There is not much else that could have been done without endangering more innocent lives.
August 1st, 2008 at 6:29 am
Now that Ive had a day to ponder this FAR TOO MUCH the man who did this must be suffering from some illness…you just dont do this shit otherwise…while it is harder to have empathy for a person after knowing they did something so friggin nasty it does make me wonder about him….I mean, what do u have to be suffering from or have endured to make u stab and cut someones head off on a bus? It is truly mindboggling….
I will bus again but fuck no way will i sit in the back…..its kind of annoying all this news BS about BUS SAFETY….i mean some ppl have to walk through metal detectors to go to school…so why not add b4 getting on to a bus into the mix….but…really….this one thing does not make bus travel unsafe….anymore that drinking coffee in starbucks….now living in a war torn country…thats a whole other issue.
August 1st, 2008 at 6:46 am
yeah, someone is now terrified to take the bus to brandon
this girl :(
August 1st, 2008 at 6:47 am
[quote comment="60119"]As “sane” individuals of society I find that we owe it to ourselves to put in the extra effort even if it’s just to smile at someone. If you get the chance listen to someone who might be trying to ask you for help. And don’t get me wrong; don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation or anything, but chances are that at some point in time previous to stabbing and decapitating people something could have been done.[/quote]
So true! I’m sure we all have acquaintances who we know that sometimes just need 10 minutes of our time to LISTEN or simply to just sit with. I know that I’ve been on the receiving end of this support and also on the giving end of this and it’s incredibly powerful
I don’t know anything about this man but I am interested to learn. I can’t even wrap my mind around this… and although I do believe that we’ll never fully understand, it may help in some small way to know where he was coming from.
As for the boy…my heart goes out to him AND his family! As a parent, I would die of a broken heart with just the thought…
When I was just 17, I used to travel by bus to Montreal from Toronto ALL THE TIME to visit my mom. I was super green and so naive.
August 1st, 2008 at 6:54 am
Ugh. I feel nauseous. I think between yesterday and this morning I’ve heard this story a dozen times. The decapitation was the part that really made this horribly graphic scene come to life for me. I’m having a tough time shaking the images my brain is conjuring up of this unspeakably horrific act of violence. Even more chilling - the reports of the casualness of his demeanor.
Here in Quebec, the story of a 44 yr old man who killed his son’s 17 yr old girlfriend. What nearly made me spit out my morning coffee was the reaction from the killer’s girlfriend at the courthouse - she claimed that he was a really great father and never would have done it if he wasn’t on drugs.
WTF.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/07/31/teen-found-charges.html
August 1st, 2008 at 7:00 am
Knifings are so much cooller than shootings.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:27 am
[quote comment="60203"][quote comment="60194"]I think when something like this happens so fast, you are in shock for a few minutes. The dude was a mad man… I think it’s just really shocking at first, then something kicks in, but it was just too late, I guess.[/quote]
Your right. I mean if I was to actually put myself into their positon I wouldn’t be first to run up and help ( not that I wouldn’t want too ) but I’m to big of a chicken to go rescue someone from a madman with a knife.[/quote]
Yeah and there could have been parents on the bus that have kids who weren’t with them. I know when I’m on the road and see a potential car accident, I go into extreme terror shock and can’t move, thinking my kid might end up without a parent and never remember me if I die.. as shitty as it is for me to admit this, I would have probably been that person who ran away… but then again, in every situation you just never know how you are going to react… it’s instantaneous (sp?) and something kicks in.. this sounds like it happens so damn fast no one knew what to do.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:29 am
[quote comment="60230"]Knifings are so much cooller than shootings.[/quote]
“Cooler” is spelled as such. With regards to this event, there is nothing cool about it. You sir, are an idiot for even saying that.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:48 am
[quote comment="60235"][quote comment="60230"]Knifings are so much cooller than shootings.[/quote]
“Cooler” is spelled as such. With regards to this event, there is nothing cool about it. You sir, are an idiot for even saying that.[/quote
Thank you pointing out the obvious.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:56 am
Shit, I was quoting INAB above. Anyone in their right mind can figure that one out, except the one who spells “cooller” :)
August 1st, 2008 at 8:36 am
Spelling mistakes aside, the point I was trying to make was that there is nothing cool and surely nothing funny about what happened on that bus.
Anyone who would make reference to such a vile act as being “cool” is a complete idiot. That is the obvious point. I shouldn’t have to point it out.
Also, you spelled my name wrong. It was obvious. Just thought I’d point that out too.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:07 am
[quote comment="60239"]Spelling mistakes aside, the point I was trying to make was that there is nothing cool and surely nothing funny about what happened on that bus.
Anyone who would make reference to such a vile act as being “cool” is a complete idiot. That is the obvious point. I shouldn’t have to point it out.
Also, you spelled my name wrong. It was obvious. Just thought I’d point that out too.[/quote]
You must of misunderstood the point I was trying to get across. The “obvious” was that I totally agreed with what you said. Pointing out that this person is an “idiot” for saying something like that. I could care less about how they spelling. I hope you really didn’t think I was that stupid. :)
August 1st, 2008 at 9:23 am
[quote comment="60246"][quote comment="60239"]Spelling mistakes aside, the point I was trying to make was that there is nothing cool and surely nothing funny about what happened on that bus.
Anyone who would make reference to such a vile act as being “cool” is a complete idiot. That is the obvious point. I shouldn’t have to point it out.
Also, you spelled my name wrong. It was obvious. Just thought I’d point that out too.[/quote]
You must of misunderstood the point I was trying to get across. The “obvious” was that I totally agreed with what you said. Pointing out that this person is an “idiot” for saying something like that. I could care less about how they spelling. I hope you really didn’t think I was that stupid. :)[/quote]
Oh, and please don’t point out my little mistake in that second to last sentence. Just kidding!!! :)
August 1st, 2008 at 10:58 am
I kind of figured that, my bad. It was a little vague, no different than the details regarding this story, hence the misunderstanding there friend. Again, my bad.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:03 am
The story is very distressing, but there were two points in Matt’s opening post that seemed to imply non-existant fears and theories…
“There go Conservative theories that decapitation is the sole province of Muslim extremists.”
…what?
“Now. Who’s doling out that extra cash to fly?”
Name any other violent attack of that sort on a Greyhound… sometimes incredibly disturbing, bizarre, but random events do occur.
The idea that this could be a completely random like this could happen is terrifying, but apart from the grim imagery of the event, school shootings are certainly more common and often damage or destroy more than one “random” life.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:20 am
From what I gather from the reports I read, the guy who killed that kid did not even know him. Therefore, he was bonkers. Simply a nutcase. Even if you believe the accounts that say he did it because the kid’s music was too loud, you don’t kill someone because their headphones are blasting music.
What gets me about this, is that some are calling for higher security for bus transit. You could get gutted walking in a park by people just as crazy as this guy. You may save a couple lives, but seriously. This is a freak case, and is very unlikely to happen again.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I was reading some comments on another site about the reactions of people who thought the bystanders should of jumped the guy and overpowered him. My initial reaction was the same too. However, when the reality of it hits, we shouldn’t come to a quick judgement, because we were never placed in a horrific situation like that. I’m positive many of them will suffer from PSTD as a result. They are victims too in a sense, right?
This got me thinking of a story recently in the news about a 78 year old man that was hit by a car, and left lying in the middle of the street while “citizens” went about their business, and didn’t bother to go assist him, etc… Cars were even going around him as if he were roadkill in the way of their path. I forget how long it took until someone FINALLY came to his aide. This was a case of a quick opportunity ignored by people without a moral compass. I said the same thing about this, WHAT THE?
August 1st, 2008 at 1:32 pm
quoting polarbear: “I was reading some comments on another site about the reactions of people who thought the bystanders should of jumped the guy and overpowered him.”
Ya I saw those too. Just my perspective but I’m not sure they would have been able to save the poor kid anyway as it sounds like he’d hit him a few times before anybody figured out what was going on, and it would likely have resulted in more injuries or fatalities. Under certain circumstances it makes sense to jump in and help folks out in trouble - I think all of us that are decent people would like to think that, in an emergency, we would do that. i guess we’d also hope our fellow citizens would jump in to save us too.
From another angle though, it is not always wise to go inserting yourself into situations were you don’t know what’s going on. Sure - a little kid in a lake about to go down for the last time - I think that’s a given. However, two guys in a fight - that’s another thing entirely. I know it was not the situation here, but in my former life doing some police work I saw a lot of Good Samaritans get hurt by inserting themselves in dangerous situations. It’s a tough call - but I agree with Polarbear - people should not be criticizing the passengers on the bus for not disarming the guy - that is ridiculous.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
[quote comment="60265"]What gets me about this, is that some are calling for higher security for bus transit. You could get gutted walking in a park by people just as crazy as this guy. You may save a couple lives, but seriously. This is a freak case, and is very unlikely to happen again.[/quote]
Agreed. This is a very tragic and disturbing incident, but people get completely irrational after events such as this and start demanding policies that are, quite frankly, stupid. A knife registry? That is beyond ridiculous. I can easily MAKE a knife. If I want to stab someone, finding an unregistered object to do so with isn’t going to be a challenge. Heightened security on buses? Is that really what we need? Should we start showing up hours early to take the bus a couple towns over so that we have time to go through the same shit as at the airport?
Neither Greyhound nor the government was to blame for this (although a decent case could possibly be made against the latter with regards to deinstitutionalization and poor mental health care, but I won’t touch that one since I don’t know this man’s history). A terrible thing happened. Changed policies won’t change the fact that soon something new will happen to scare us into wanting MORE policy changes. I’m not saying that policy is never to blame. In this case though, I can’t see how it is.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I saw that on the news last night and I almost threw up. There were children on that bus as well. Supposedly the killer did this all very calmly. That is just horrifying.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:47 pm
[quote comment="60278"]I was reading some comments on another site about the reactions of people who thought the bystanders should of jumped the guy and overpowered him. My initial reaction was the same too. However, when the reality of it hits, we shouldn’t come to a quick judgement, because we were never placed in a horrific situation like that. I’m positive many of them will suffer from PSTD as a result. They are victims too in a sense, right?[/quote]
Yeah, those comments were actually pissing me off. Everyone thinks they’re Batman until they’re put in a situation like that. One of the witnesses said that three men actually went back on the bus to try and help the victim before being chased off. In my eyes, that’s FAR more heroism that you normally see in the real world, and if that part of the story is true, those men are probably much braver than me. 37 people (some of which were children) could probably take one guy, but some of them would definitely not have made it out. A bus aisle is narrow, and basically only one or two people at a time would be able to reach this guy…my money is on the crazy guy with a knife.
Those witnesses will never be the same. I’m almost more disgusted by people who try and blame them then I am by the actual crime itself.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:51 pm
[quote comment="60222"]I’ve been reading some of the comments on the CBC’s website…
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/08/01/stabbing-victim.html
[/quote]
Ugh. Has anyone read the comments? It’s almost more terrifying than the murder itself. I realize so much of it is an emotional reaction to something that is incomprehensible, but there are a whole lot of people talking about the death penalty. I mean - holy shit! Like every second entry!
I think I’ll just hang out here with more like-minded folk and give my poor brain a rest……
August 1st, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Unreal.
Rap music on headphones psychopath = chaos and muder
August 1st, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I am thinking day release patient - not enough beds to go around - same thing happened here years ago.
No cutting off of the head just a plain stabbing in the stomach several times to a pregnant mother.
They were involved - they were both out patients of the local psych ward - he needed a bullet too but he turned himself in.
Make a choice - suffer the consequences - can’t deal with your life - get help.
No one can be absolved of their own actions due to circumstance it isn’t fair to the victim.
I am still sad for the child (yes a child of 20 or so) that could have been my child.
The man on the bus - like the man who killed my high school friend - isn’t worth preserving.
Can’t honestly fathom that anyone has even an ounce of sympathy for him.
But then this is the sad world we live in.
Hope
August 1st, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Forget the very minute chance of being attacked by a person with a knife on a bus….THIS is what we should all be VERY afraid of:
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/08/01/border-searches.html
US Border Guards will have the power to search everyone’s laptop, cell phones, etc. and make copies of any and all information and analyze it “off site” as well as share it with other government agencies, etc.
Be afraid…be very, very afraid.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I myself am a frequent greyhound traveller,for the past 12 years , i take the 24 hour journey from winnipeg to sudbury.
I never imagined this could happen on a greyhound bus, i take it cause its cheaper then flying ,plus great scenery past thunder.
you meet some great ppl on the bus though wich is why its hard to imagine this happened, i was thinking teh train to take next year, but they dont do any searches either, As a frequent traveller, hope security for searches steps up big time.
August 1st, 2008 at 4:30 pm
In regards to the comments on the CBC from individuals berating the passengers who managed to flee the bus…
In my opinion, there is no excuse for judgments of ANY kind to be made about those who were involved with this incident. To even think about this happening and to read about it I am sure is indeed traumatic to many. Imagine the impact that it could be having on those who were involved! And to compound that by adding to the doubts that I am sure they ALREADY HAVE about what they did… it is unbelievable. No one has the right to say that what those passengers did was right or wrong save for the passengers themselves. What they need is support if they are going to be able to heal, and those who have the audacity to say they did wrong by doing what 99% of people would do without so much as a single thought are the same people whose ignorance allows our terrible mental health system to exist.
Start thinking about other people for once.
August 1st, 2008 at 5:29 pm
My thoughts go out to the victim’s family.
This has to be the most horriffic thing to ever happen in Canada.
For a inoccent man to be butchered during a trip home on what is considered a safe way to travel in this country. This makes me never want to travel again. I used to travel on Grayhound often. I would meet interesting people & save $. I always wondered if any plainclothes gaurds were on board. I never understould why there where no visable security after 9/11.. Now this? Until they put police on busses & planes I’ll stay in my hometown where I feel safe. A horrible line has been crossed, nut cases will be coming out of their basements & closets to ride busses for some attention.
[quote comment="60265"] You may save a couple lives, but seriously. This is a freak case, and is very unlikely to happen again.[/quote]
I bet they said that about school shootings…..
August 1st, 2008 at 7:31 pm
All this talk about never riding the bus again is as foolish, short-sighted, and destined to be as short-lived as the panicking people who claimed they would never fly again after the WTC attacks. Granted, some manner of baggage screening should be done, but it would be expensive.
As for the comments from the CBC about how passengers should have jumped the guy, wow. Nothing like uninformed, unqualified judgments from the peanut gallery. Even with appropriate training, given that the attack occurred near the back of the bus (think confined space) and proximity of younger and elderly passengers, attempting to subdue Li would have been untenable. It would have put more lives at risk, and the chance of saving the youth’s life sadly would have been slim.
And I second what davey has said about the survivors likely already replaying things in their head, “what could I have done differently” type of thoughts. It would be that much harder for them if more people had been injured or killed…
August 2nd, 2008 at 5:28 am
I just heard about that story in the german news. What can I say, this is so horrible that it is beyond imagination.
It sort of reminded me a bit of the story of the corean student killing 33 people at a university in Virginia last year. The guy also went completely mad at once, totally in contrary to how he was perceived by his fellow students throughout his studying time.
Too much killing games on PS? Who knows…