late this afternoon a bloke with a shot gun killed 4 people and injured a fifth...he was out on parole. Police apprehended this bloke soon after, where he asked to be taken into protective custody...(so it seems it was against some bikies)...and therefore probably drug related. Being Darwin I thought I may well know some of the victims...no names have been released yet...but my brother just rang me and said it was the brother of a good friend of ours who did the shooting...my brother just spoke to him and he is obviously devastated that it was his brother, who he obviously loves very much. Anyway...thought I’d let you all know what’s happening in D town tonight.
I was talking to a cop only about a month ago and said to him that we have plenty of crime in Darwin but no gun crime...He agreed but then said that that would soon change with the rise and rise of Meth use in the Territory...And just a month later...! This was slightly different from a "normal" or random shooting...this bloke was looking for specific people...the first bloke he shot was probably a dealer, and the deal went wrong. He then was calling out names outside different locations (5 locations with one person shot in each) - The injured woman "shot in the legs" was actually "knee capped" a very bikie/biker thing to do. We have a number of these types of crimes over the years...many Territorians have firearms and the heat + drugs can set some people off. Its a different paradigm than a suicidal teen in schools. Above Ben Hoffman, the shooter.. Brother to Clinton Hoffman, a very successful and well loved member of Darwin and a mate of mine. He is obviously devastated...He and his mother put out a statement this morning sending their condolences to the families of the victims.
As the drug problem got progressively worse in this country in the 60s and 70s, so the violent crime rate here got worse. Drugs were so profitable that selling them and distributing them enabled even teenage punks to get hold of firearms. Most people who sell and distribute at the street level also use, and there are few things in this world more violent and unpredictable than a drug addict with a gun. I hope to God that Australia does not go down the drain with this the way we did. I'm very sorry to hear how close to home this has come to you.
Heres the legend... Thankyou Terry...it hasn't really affected me. After living in different parts of the Territory for 30 years ive seen plenty of people affected in some way, usually alcohol (the real gateway drug) - And seen some horrific acts. As ive said this happens from time to time in the Territory...Rod Ansell, the man that inspired Crocodile Dundee was also shot dead in a shootout with Police along the Stuart Highway as an example. Hoges and Rod Ansell
Oh yes, booze and guns have never been known to mix well either. I like Australians, but the only time I saw them nasty was when they'd had too much. It's the same everywhere. I've been reading the details of this story, just ghastly and sad. The killer appears to be a born loser, one of those guys who are their own worst enemies. There are a lot of guys like that on the fringes of the criminal world, too crazy and unreliable to work and not even smart enough to be successful as professional crooks. From what I read this fellow was headed for a disaster like this for a long time, it's such a pity that he dragged innocent people into his own madness. Your poor friend, his brother, must just be heartsick over all this.
Alcohol turns good people into losers. A big reason why I don't drink. He was actually described as normal up until 15 odd years ago, where his friends moved on and up, but he took to drugs and spiraled down. But if we are talking problem drugs alcohol trumps all other drugs put together in terms of death and injury and violence. We all accept alcohol so don't see it as the scurge to society it really is.
A lot of ways to choose to handle pain.you can't handle. After my fathers CO got a dishonorable discharge to go with his Silver Star with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster he spiraled down, got a gun and went on a robbery spree. Booze killed him young. Found out today that a fellow I know with a drinking problem shot a guy he was drinking with last week. The man wasn't killed so it never made the local news. Drugs are a definite epidemic here where I live. That's all I got.
