Why? A Gun.

“It is unlikely there will be any additional information to release in this case,” Llewelyn said in an email Wednesday morning.

Why?

Why, why, why?

Why are two brothers dead in Columbia, Maryland?

Howard High Student is victim of apparent murder-suicide in Columbia, police say, Ethan Ehrenhaft, Howard County Times 

I will admit to being curious enough that I looked up the address of the house. I was surprised. That’s when I realized that sneaky underlying bias inside of me. “But this is a nice house. An expensive, detached, single-family house.”

So often violent crime is sold to us as something that happens only in certain neighborhoods, amongst certain kinds of people. The responses on social media tend to look something like this:

Well, what did you expect?

Where are the parents?

Straight outta Baltimore, baby.

Columbia has really gone downhill.

Responses to this incident have been markedly different:

So sad. Peace for the parents.

Praying for the family.

So heartbreaking.

Wow, how awful for the parents.

It could be the very same crime, but the responses will be based not on the tragedy, but on where they lived, how much money they had, and what they looked like. 

Honestly, I find this practice despicable. Deaths like the two that happened this week in Columbia would be tragic no matter where they happened and no matter who the victims were. But our society often doesn’t see it this way. Have you noticed?

Perhaps a good rule of thumb would be:

If you wouldn’t say it about the people in the $700,000 dollar house, don’t say it about anybody.

Right now everyone and their dog is posting this story on social media to get clicks. Lurid crime sells. You don’t have to get sucked in. Be aware: for the next several days our immediate market will be saturated. Make an effort to look beyond that. The spokesperson for the police, Sherry Llewelyn, has indicated that they’re not going to be releasing much additional information. You don’t have to click on every story just to keep up.

Over time, and after the investigation is finished, the public may learn more. Perhaps not. For now the answers to all our questions are simple. Why are two brothers dead in Columbia, Maryland?

Because there was a gun in the house.

*****

Howard County Moms Demand Action will be gathering at the George Howard Building on June 2nd at 6 pm to kick off National Gun Violence Awareness Day. You can learn more here.