Why did he do it? Why didn’t they know? Why couldn’t someone stop him? Why?
I was sixteen when I first realized evil wasn’t something hidden within the darkness of a nightmare or on a movie screen, it was real. That was the year Charles Whitman killed his mother, his wife and thirteen others from the University of Texas clock tower. Why? Was it the brain tumor they found after his death?
A Michigan man became irate when he learned of a tax increase to pay for school construction. That man, Andrew Kehoe, blew up Bath School, killing forty-five people. Why? The year was 1927, long before violent behavior could be blamed on movies, television, or video games.
In 1991 I stopped taking my children to Luby’s Cafeteria. That was the year George Hennard ran his truck through the window of Luby’s in Killeen, Texas. He took out a gun and killed twenty-three people. Why? Was it because he didn’t respect his mother?
Columbine, Jewish Community Center, Jonesboro School, Capitol Hill Massacre, the Beltway sniper, the Amish school, to name just a few, and now Virginia Tech has been added to the list. Why? Is it anger, mental illness, or just plain evil? We may never know what causes an individual to act in such a violent manner.
Could these horrific acts have been avoided? In hindsight, maybe. In reality, probably not. We can report unusual actions, but until a crime has been committed, there isn’t anything law enforcement can do.
Reports indicate the Virginia Tech killer was taking psychiatric medications. Was he being treated for mental illness, and if so, would his medical records have warned the University? Our rights as Americans also tie our hands. Are we willing to give up the laws that keep our medical records private? I think not. What is the answer? There doesn’t seem to be one. Why?