Timing is important

I caught a glimpse of a “breaking news story” last night as I was getting ready to turn in for the night, something about a lone gunman going postal at the Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City. My memory of the Trolley Square Mall is minimal at best; having been there only once, the night before my daughter Jennifer got married.

We decided to eat at a popular place, one I’d never heard of, The Rodizio Grill, a South American themed restaurant where the waiters dressed up like Gauchos. It was a great idea and I was impressed with the variety and quality of meats that they cut and served right there at our table. We had a feast, one that marked a spot on our family’s event list.

This morning I read about the nightmarish event and looked at some images posted on the Foxnews site. There were photographs of panicked citizens, not sure how to react to the carnage which had been brought to their own quiet lives, some shopping, some out for a walk and, no doubt, some out to have a special family meal. There were pictures of police officers going about the business of protecting the citizenry, some in protective gear going through the parking lot, others inside stationed at various positions of deployment.

I saw one picture (linked via title bar) that brought my thoughts into focus, three police officers standing together, one of them holding a shotgun as he peered cautiously down from his location; the large Rodizio Grill neon sign in the background above them.

“For hours after the rampage, police searched stores for scared, shocked shoppers and employees who were hunkered down awaiting a safe escort.”

Timing is important; being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or, in our case, being able to look back and breathe a sigh of relief that we’d been in that same exact location so many years ago and been blessed to have a peaceful family dinner together.

The last line in the article summed up my thoughts, both as a retired police officer who has seen the ugliness in our society and as head of my family, one who desires to shield his family from those dangers.

"We are devastated and shocked by this senseless, random act of violence and tragedy at Trolley Square, owner Tom Bard said in a statement posted on the KSL-TV Web site. "At this time our greatest concern and prayers are with the victims, their families and loved ones."