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I can understand that thinking if the shooter was still alive but that's not the case here. The shooter is dead. He's not gloating, proud, or satisfied with his new found fame and notoriety...just dead. Thank God.
The point is that if we stop mentioning the people who perpetrate these types of acts, thing that takes away notoriety from future perpetrators. Many people who commit these acts believe that society owes them something, so if they can't have it in life, at least they get a dose of fame in death. I we simply referred to the shooter as a 23-year old jackass from the area, you're preemptively taking away something they often seek.
That doesn't necessarily mean that these events won't occur..it takes a really messed up person to do these sorts of things and they clearly aren't rational. It does take away a measure of the gratification people find in this, which might help deter a couple to simply go take a walk in the woods and anonymously blow their own brains out. As long as we have guns and relatively lax gun and mental health laws, that is about all we can hope for.
Well, I suppose the man can't be the model of perfection like your very own Ross Mirkarimi. You know, the sheriff who intentionally releases aggravated felon illegal aliens so they can prey upon the good citizens of San Francisco like Kate Steinle?
One has to wonder how such a man can be elected sheriff, but your posts provide clear insight to the buffoonery of your average San Franciscan and who they place into public office.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin still refused to name the shooter who had killed nine people and wounded nine on Thursday at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon.
The gunman has been identified elsewhere as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer. But speaking at a Friday morning press conference, Hanlin said, "Again you will not hear anyone from this law enforcement operation use his name," Hanlin said.
I can understand that thinking if the shooter was still alive but that's not the case here. The shooter is dead. He's not gloating, proud, or satisfied with his new found fame and notoriety...just dead. Thank God.
From what I've read, though, both this shooter and the Charleston shooter were influenced by the notoriety gained by the names of other mass shooters. Notoriety in death is sufficient motivation for people like them.
Exactly. The utterance of the shooter's name by the LEO or anyone else is a one time event. It's the news media that will spend hours sensationalizing the event that makes it infamous.
The LEO giving a press conference is being used by the media. The sheriff knows his words will be repeated ad nauseum around the world...so he chose not to have the killer's name be one of his words to be repeated.
If is attitude is "You won't hear that sumbit's name from my lips, " I don't fault him for that.
It seems respectful to the injured and dead, and their friends and families to not speak the name of the one who did this. Make him a non-entity.
That's the problem--thinking that survivors and victims' families (and now, friends?) should be running the show. That's not how it works.
The sheriff is a public official, and if he's holding a press conference, he should be providing information to the public. Otherwise, he should shut the hell up, go cry in his beer, and let someone who can handle the job do it.
The sheriff is a public official, and if he's holding a press conference, he should be providing information to the public.
Holding a press conference is just media relations. It's not a requirement of his job. Where the release of information is mandated--such as letting the press examine weekly blotters--he can do as little as that and he's done his duty. He's not required by any law to hold a press conference at all.
If it's logical that not speaking his name will stifle his notoriety; it would also follow that suppressing news of the event itself would be even better in that regard. Then of course keeping the trial secret for those ones who don't off themselves.
Now all you've got to figure out is how to keep a few hundred students and parents muzzled.
Dumb. In many of these shootings the crime that caused them to become famous isn't the only serious crime they committed. Unsolved or not. Hiding the name of the suspect also can prevent other crimes from being solved or attributed. In this case where the suspect is dead this is less of an issue but it doesn't go away entirely.
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) should be running the show. That's not how it works. 
