Those are the words that went through my mind when the BBC news at 6 a.m. this morning announced the death of Raoul Moat, the man who'd been a stand-off with police following shootings earlier in the week which left two people injured and one dead.
Deeply sad that there is so much violence and easy access to weapons that kill
Deeply sad that a woman has lost her lover and her former partner in the same week
Deeply sad that children have lost their father
Deeply sad that a police officer was shot in the line of duty
Deeply sad that no 'way out' could have been found
Deeply sad that terror filled the hearts of ordinary people
Deeply sad that there was ghoulish fascination (the BBC website this morning has a 'step by step' account of events with eye-witness comments; and of course having clicked on the page, I'm no better...)
Deeply sad that someone, no matter who or what they'd done, spent their final hours in the rain, surrounded by armed police
Deeply sad that so many people are now left to grieve
Deeply sad that, all too soon, the commentaters and critics will pass judgement
Deeply sad that soon new horrors will replace this as news
Deeply sad.
Lord, have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy.
Comments
Thank you for this Catronia, and Amen.
Fully agree with your comments Catriona. Particularly the dreadful circumstances in which a human being lost his life, feeling un-loved and being trapped like a hunted animal. That's in no way meant to diminish the hurt and grief that his actions have inflicted on many people, but nevertheless it is a sad end to a sad life.
Your comments on the BBC website cause me to reflect on the coverage by the BBC's Jon Sopel (their main man on the final night) and the rather less sensationalist coverage by Sky News, which I normally do not watch. Sky adopted a far more level headed approach than the BBC, whose correspondent just seemed intent on grabbing anyone passing the scene simply to grab any nugget of gossip or opinion.
Hi Richard, good to hear from you!
Alas the BBC seems to get worse... on the news front page today is a link (which I refused to follow) that says "dramatic footage showing the final stand-off between amred police and gunman Raoul Moat is obtained by the BBC". Whatever happened to tast and decency?