We thank God that no one was killed as a result of the violence and ensuing chaos that erupted early Sunday morning in Charleston.
There have been many rumors and unsubstantiated reports about the incident. Police, citing their ongoing investigation, are being particularly tight-lipped about the incident.
What we have gleaned from various reliable sources is that at least one person among a large crowd of late-night outdoor revelers in the nightclub district area of West Main and North Church streets opened fire about 1 a.m. Sunday. Three people received non-life-threatening gunshot wounds and another person was injured while trying to flee the scene.
Social media has been ablaze with comments from people who were either there when it happened, heard the gunshots from blocks away, or were sharing a thought about the incident on someone else’s post.
One recurring unsettling theme has this somehow related to Labor Day weekend festivities in Charleston surrounding the National Charleston Day Organization’s celebration of 50 years of annual reunions.
We see no connection other than the timing.
Charleston Day activities — basically, a festival featuring merchandise booths, food vendors, music, a car show and a lot of visiting and getting reacquainted — were held around Court Square Saturday, but they were concluded by 6 p.m. No officially sanctioned Charleston Day events were scheduled in the area where most of the violence broke out later that night.
It is unfortunate that the reputation of this 50-year-old national nonprofit comprised largely of present and former residents of Charleston, Mississippi, many of whom are senior citizens, has been called into question by some due to this criminal activity that was perpetrated as a part of Labor Day, not National Charleston Day Organization, festivities.
It goes without saying that this gun violence should not have happened. Could it have been prevented? Probably not, unless all of the partiers had been run through a metal detector and all of the potential weapons confiscated.
We live in a world where too many people have too little regard for law and order, the sanctity of life and the rights of others. Possibly mix in a little alcohol or other substances, and that is a recipe for trouble with a capital T.
All too frequent reports of mass attacks, both in this country and abroad, reinforce the sad truth that where there is a perverse will or a disturbed psyche, there also is a danger of violence anywhere, at any time.
