A 14-year old child in Serbia is in custody after a school shooting that killed eight children and a security guard in the capital city of Belgrade. Another six children and a teacher were injured in the attack, which took place in a country with some of the highest levels of gun ownership in the world. Officials say the boy used his father's gun to carry out the shooting.
The boy called the police after the shooting, told them what he did, and waited in the schoolyard to be arrested, according to authorities. Mass shootings are incredibly rare in Serbia and in the wider Balkan region; none were reported at schools in recent years. The last mass shooting involved a Balkan war veteran in 2013 who killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.
In any other country on the planet, this tragedy is headline news that will likely lead to legislative changes that prevent it from happening again in the future. Unfortunately, we reside in the one country where these things don’t even make the front page anymore.
Side Items
Under No Circumstances: The Grizzlies of Memphis, Tennessee announced yesterday that they will not be re-signing unrestricted free agent Dillon Brooks and that he will not be brought back under any circumstances. You understand this man really asked the team for more shot attempts and they told him, “sir, NEVER set foot on this premises again please and thank you.” It’ll be a long fall from grace, but I can already envision Brooks lighting up the Chinese pro league next year
Texas Shooter Apprehended: A four-day manhunt in Texas ended yesterday when the gunman accused of killing five neighbors was discovered hiding underneath a pile of laundry in the closet of a house. Francisco Oropeza, 38, was captured without incident near the community of Conroe, north of Houston and about 20 miles from his home in the rural town of Cleveland. Oropeza will be charged with five counts of murder and his bond was set at $5 million
One is the Loneliest Number: According to the US surgeon general, widespread loneliness poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily! About half of US adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, according to Dr. Vivek Murthy in an 81-page report from his office. “We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing. Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right. That’s why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.” Be safe out there folks and reach out if you need a friend, I’m always here for y’all