Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Cornered by thugs, ex-Marine kills 1, rejects hero label | ajc.com

Cornered by thugs, ex-Marine kills 1, rejects hero label | ajc.com

There's a few things that I noticed about this story. When I saw the headline "ex-Marine" I assumed he was a recent Afghanistan or Iraq veteran. He served in Desert Storm and was discharged in 1992. 14 years later, and he's working 3-11, waiting tables on Memorial Day. He goes on to say that "growing up in New York" shaped his response more than his military training.

The robber who died, a 17 year old named Amy Martin, was described as a 10th-grade high school student. Obviously not a scholar. Her family, predictably, blames her death on falling in with the wrong crowd.

There's a videotaped interview with Thomas Autry on CNN here. He seems like a soft-spoken guy.

I don't know why I find this story so sad.

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