Horrific news - Homicide in Lansdowne (Norfolk, Leesburg: homes, shop, gangs)

[oneasterisk]

Originally Posted by Samara11

Well yes, we do realize that crime can occur anywhere. We do keep all our doors locked all the time, double check them at night and and park our car in the garage, not in the driveway.
My husband was also considering getting a concealed handgun permit since Ashburn has been hit with all those house burglaries recently but I was not comfy with him getting a handgun with a child in the house. Should I re-consider? Or maybe we should get a security alarm system.

But then, what about outside? I would never carry a handgun, no way and he can't go walking with me to the nearest park all the time or grocery-shopping to the nearest Shopper's. I guess I have to limit my ventures outside to during daylight and not when its dark.

An alarm is just another layer in your security plan, it should not be considered the only thing you do IMO. Even if your alarm comes on, the company still has to call you and then send help. All this can take 10 minutes, even longer. Can you wait 10 minutes? I'm not trying to scare you, but just letting you know the reality of things. Those commercials where ADT calls in seconds just doesn't happen. Also police can't be everywhere all the time, so do not think they are your first layer of defense. The first layer of defense is yourself.

If you are worried about having a firearm in a house with children, they do make home safes that you can keep your firearms in. These are smaller safes that authorized people can gain entry in quickly, but will keep others out. Just be aware that a determined person with enough time and the right tools can break into them. They are more designed to keep curious or the casual thief out.

If you are not comfortable with a firearm, there are alternatives. You can keep pepper spray on your keychain. You can even carry a taser. I'm not sure if you are a stay at home mom, but burglaries happen in the daytime too. Thieves figure most people are at work during the day so the house will be empty.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by oneasterisk

I'm not sure if you are a stay at home mom, but burglaries happen in the daytime too. Thieves figure most people are at work during the day so the house will be empty.

In my opinion, the best way to prevent crime in your neighborhood is to get out and about. Garden. Take walks. Take walks with your neighbors. Or at the very least stop and talk with your neighbors. Be part of the solution. Spending time outside makes your life more enjoyable, too.

[lchoro]

When I first saw it on the news, I thought it was the conservative talk show host William Bennett and his wife. The attack occurred between 3:30 AM and 5:30 AM on Sunday morning. There aren't going to be a lot of people out, even the dog walkers.

Loudoun Attack May Have Been Random (http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/032409_loudoun_couple_attack_may_be_random - broken link)

[Caladium]

I wonder if the police are playing up the random attack idea as a way to get people to come forward. They're asking people in the area who have outside security cameras to review their tapes--and there's nothing like the fear of another random attack to make local residents more likely to step forward if they have something.

[kevinm]

Originally Posted by FromVAtoNC

LOL, "sandwiched"?????? Sterling is 14-15 miles from Lansdowne. That's one loosely packed sandwich!

This is a puzzling story. Why would someone commit a random murder on Riverside Parkway? It's a speed trap, just about any other jogging path would be a more likely site for a murder. I mean, come on--the Parkway often has cops around. It has newly planted trees that don't exactly provide coverage. You'd think someone wanting to commit a random murder would choose an easier spot like the National Conference Center. Lots of joggers there. Easy to hide, easy to cover your tracks, easy to get away.

The timing is odd, too. I can believe a gang initiation at 1:30 a.m.--but not 5:30 a.m. That doesn't fit with any of the gang stories I've heard. And 5:30 is a wierd time for a random murder, too. Think about it, 5:30 is ridiculously early for a murderer to go searching for a random jogger. It was a cold morning, you'd think a random murderer would have waited until 6:30 or so when it was more likely a jogger or two would be out.

To me it sounds like they were targeting a specific person who had a habit of jogging on that Parkway at that time. That would also explain why they dragged him across the Parkway and killed him--but left her on the other side alive. He was being targeted, she just happened to be with him. Just my opinion, but that's what I think.

Anyway, it's a sad, sad story. My prayers go out to the victims and their families. Meanwhile, I feel safe and have no intention of changing my habits. I'll be jogging near there tomorrow morning justlike always.

It is 14-15 miles of NOTHING else to target.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by kevinm

It is 14-15 miles of NOTHING else to target.

Wow, no holes in that theory. Now that you've explained there's a 14-15 mile radius around Sterling Park filled with nothing. Just one big bare empty field, huh?

If your theory is that some kids from Sterling got bored with petty crime and decided to murder someone for kicks... why wouldn't they simply murder someone in Sterling? Plenty of people go jogging there, too.

[Margery]

Originally Posted by kevinm

It is 14-15 miles of NOTHING else to target.

Did Ashburn vanish overnight?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Margery

Did Ashburn vanish overnight?

Yes, apparently it got beamed into space along with Reston, Herndon, Cascades, Chantilly, and Vienna...

Oh, and parts of Great Falls, too. That's within a 15-mile radius.

[5stones]

I agree while sad...something doesn't add up.

5:30 is not a time "gang banger or drug dealers" etc... are out. (think why do almost ALL police raids on such people occure around 6am??) they are up late at night but are almost always "crashed" by 4-5am.

It really does read like a target.


AND...LOL to the big "crime NESTs" of sterling and LEESBURG!!!

[SteelCityRising]

Leesburg a "crime nest?" LMBO!