A Tale of Two Mass Shootings
Actually, just one. The other one was foiled, thanks to a tipster. But there is one glaring similarity - laws are not being enforced
Scores of celebratory parades, concerts, and fireworks demonstrations occurred on Independence Day, as they always do across America. Sadly, at least one of them ended tragically, with a 21-year-old shooter killing at least seven people in the pleasant and peaceful north Chicago suburb of Highland Park. Two Philadelphia police officers were also injured by gunshots at a July 4th celebration, but there are lots we don’t know about that incident, other than the mayor wants to quit his job so he “can enjoy some stuff.”
You know about the first one, along with its back story about the killer (I never mention the name or feature photographs of mass shooters. Such coverage only inspires copycats). He was clearly a disturbed and troubled young man caught up in gangsta rap culture who once threatened not only to kill himself but others. An apparently delinquent father enabled his son’s fantasy’s for guns, while a “red flag” law in one of America’s strictest gun control states was ignored.
You may, however, not know much about the second one, this one in Richmond, Virginia. While the local newspaper, the Richmond Times-Dispatch gave the arrest considerable coverage, the Daily Caller wrote a better and more informative story. Emphasis added:
Two men who were allegedly plotting a mass shooting in Virginia are in the state illegally, with one of the men having been deported several times, according to authorities.
Richmond Chief of Police Gerald Smith said during a press conference Wednesday that “a hero citizen picked up the phone and overheard a conversation there was a mass shooting being planned here in the city of Richmond, Virginia,” according to NBC 12.
“There’s no telling how many lives this citizen hero saved from one phone call,” Smith said. “One phone call saved numerous lives on the Fourth of July.”
Authorities arrested 52-year-old Julio Alvarado-Dubon and 38-year-old Roman Balacarcel, who allegedly planned to shoot up Richmond’s Fourth of July celebration. Both men were charged with being non-citizens in possession of a gun. Smith said the men are roommates.
Alvarado-Dubon had two rifles, a handgun and 200 rounds of ammunition and was arrested July 1. Balacarcel was surveilled by authorities and arrested Tuesday with the same charges.
Smith said it was “frustrating” that one of the men had been deported several times and was able to re-enter the country.
Missing from the Times-Dispatch story was any mention of the immigration status of the alleged perpetrators, or the police chief’s quote about the repeated deportations. But the newspaper was sure to feature this tweet in its online version from a city councilman blaming illegal guns and the state’s Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Sears.
I’ll bet my bottom dollar that neither of these illegal immigrants has ever heard of Lt. Gov. Sears. Or the deluded city councilman, Michael Jones, either. But this is the kind of irresponsibility and senseless partisan distractions we get from attention-seeking, agenda-pushing politicians and their fellow travelers in the media.
Kudos to the Police Chief for at least highlighting the “hero citizen” who tipped off the police. And kudos to the Richmond Police for responding quickly and effectively. There are many heroes in this story.
The episodes highlight, again, that existing laws either aren’t being used (red flag laws in places like Illinois or New York) or are not being enforced (immigration laws). The Biden Administration’s open border policies - nearly 500,000 illegal immigrants have skirted apprehension by the Customs and Border Patrol this fiscal year - are undoubtedly contributing to our growing crime problems, even though, inexplicably, the federal government doesn’t keep statistics on crimes committed by illegal aliens.
Don’t expect the White House press corps to ask about the Richmond incident, especially the immigration angle. Nor should anyone expect a response, should it come up. But at least you know.