Authorities name the gunman and most of the 8 victims in last week's Erie mass shooting
Eight people are gone, and the only explanation on the table is a hint about mental health. That gap between a life lost and a reason given is where my mind keeps going. The chief named the gunman and most of the victims, but motives remain sealed.
I keep thinking about how we crave causes. We want the timeline, the trigger, the moment it tipped. Mental health is the easiest label, but it rarely explains anything on its own. Millions of people struggle with mental illness and never hurt anyone. So what was different here?
I'd want to know about the days before. The small conversations, the missed signals, the ordinary routines that suddenly broke. We may never get those details, and even if we do, they won't add up to a clean answer. That's the unsettling part. Some violence refuses to be explained.