Letters to the editor for Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016

Senseless murder impacts so many lives

So many young minds at work to set upon one individual. What is wrong with young people today? It seems to me the cohorts involved in the park shooting bit off more than they could chew. And just like a line of standing dominoes, more and more of them will begin to fall, more will be added to the list of those who were involved on that fateful night in the park.

It probably started out as a simple plan, but the moment someone pulled the trigger, it all became complicated. This whole incident shines a new light on that age-old saying, “boys will be boys.” But these aren’t young boys, but young men who threw their lives and freedom away at the chance of taking something that didn’t belong to them. But everything went horribly wrong — possibly it was from a nervous twitch and the gun went off, thus foiling their plans. I guess there is always the unexpected, isn’t there?

It’s not the original four involved in the shooting that bothers me; rather, it’s the others who knew and weren’t going to say anything. The seven in jail are each looking at wasted time behind bars. And though they are not their parents’ little boys anymore, they’re still their parents’ children, and I’m very sure they feel disappointed, not to mention hurt inside for their children’s actions. Such a shameful burden some children can become, no matter how much love their parents can give. I feel sorry for them.

Donald Paetz

Carson City