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First hand account of Canton tragedy...

Evil Creamsicle

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Working at a library [not the Canton library, but close] I get a lot of... inside info from libraries in the area. I came across this in an email from a coworker from a friend of hers that does work at the Canton library...
ALL NAMES IN THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT HAVE BEEN CHANGED AND ARE NOT ACCURATE.

Tuesdays are my day off. But I switched with a coworker so she could go visit her grandchild in Columbus, OH. There was something about yesterday that didn't sit well. My facebook post was "Tuesday. Please go away and come back another day." Weird.

I got to the street that divides the library/police station/park and slowed to let a couple cross. He was black, she was white. They were just people coming from the park to the parking lot. But I noticed by her body language that she seemed "pissed" and assumed something like an affair must have ended. She was dressed in a dark pantsuit and heels like on her way to work. He was in a tshirt/shorts/flipflops like on his day off. It's was already warm and humid for the start of autumn. His flipflop slipped off in the wet grass. Usually people in the park are walking, jogging, out with their dogs so this couple seemed a little out of place.

I turned towards the library and was the first librarian there to open it. I was on teen desk, at the far end so I didn't see or hear anything. I heard on the pa system "get away from the door! move away from the door!" I thought someone broke the door or got stuck. Then a patron was standing by our big windows and pointing and saying "oh my god!" So I went over by him and asked "what's going on?" He said, "there's been a shooting!" I said, "No way! Not here. At the library?!" He said, "two people are on the ground!" So I hurried to the front of the library and asked my coworker what happened. She said a patron came in screaming that people had been shot in the parking lot. I asked "who is shot?" She said "a man shot a woman." I said "was he black and she white because I passed this couple on my way in!"

My coworker Wendy had called 911 while my other coworker tried to get reception to press the panic button (it goes to police station who are right across the parking lot) but she was now answering the phone ringing off the hook. Edna took off to secure the back door and ran into another coworker who just arrived at 9:15am and witnessed the man shoot himself in the head. The director was not in the building but other dept heads were and was handling securing everybody inside. The library went on lockdown. Some patrons in the library who were doing their studying or work and didn't seem aware of the tense situation unfolding in the parking lot. Patrons were in the parking lot, some with their kids, witnessed the tragedy and called 911. The 5 patrons in my area were by the windows with me watching a unbelievable scene at my library: a body being loaded into an ambulance, crime tape going around that part of the lot, detectives with clipboards, a dozen of police cars lighted up, a relative I assumed arriving and running toward police and what looked like being told of something awful.

Later, I gave my statement to police, which was nothing except seeing the couple a half hour before the shooting. We were told to go home at 11:30a and that the library would close the rest of the day. A woman died in our parking lot, who was a cop, by a cop who was her husband. And he was a homicide detective, and featured on The First 48. It could've been much worse and I'm glad no one else was hurt. But so sad. And wondering how work will go since what happened is still sinking in.
 

hopnpop

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That'd be a horrible thing to witness. I don't think I'm the type who'd dwell on it much tho. I've witnessed some crap that was really shitty to see but I never seemed to be really traumatized by them. Just the other day my wife came home from work really frazzled/shaken. At an intersection 2-3 miles from the house she had just seen an "old lady who wasn't paying attention" hit a kid crossing the street on his bike. The kid got right up and seemed fine other than being pissed about his bike. I didn't realize til then that she just hadn't ever witnessed anything like that 1st hand. It made me think how lucky she is not to have been in the right place at the right time to see something horrific.

I spent some time several years ago with a small town quick response team. I normally only saw the aftermath of accidents and incidents. Only by freak chance I've witnessed aclassmate getting completely run-over on his bike by a Ford Ranger; 2 boys on foot crossing a busy street get clipped, the 1st hit by the truck and the 2nd got clipped in the head by a lift-up ramp on the back ofa mower trailer it was towing; 2 friends driving ahead of me in Toyota 4x4 lost it & rolled it 3x; an ex-girlfriend in front of me lost it & went airborne & rolled her Beretta; a co-worker in an F-550 1-ton flatbed get hit, rolled, and tossed by a freight train; a co-worker had a guard removed on the machine he was working on and it severed most of his index finger; and multiple traffic accidents of varying severities.

Crazy. Never know what you'll see when you walk out the door each day.
 

springerdave

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I know what you mean, Hop, in my younger days I worked in a shop that did industrial processing of lumber(pallet factory). I witnessed a lot of carnage while there, fingers cut off, cuts from saws the long way up the hand, one guy didn't wait till the gang saw stopped to clean it(come to think about it that was his last day on the job:shock:). one guy sawed his arm in the re-saw,ouch! The rollers stopped at his shoulder, not a good day for him. My coworker double tripped the nail press when my arm was in it:shock::shock:, he said he was sorry:X. I got out with all my parts though.springerdave.
 

hopnpop

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springerdave wrote:
I know what you mean, Hop, in my younger days I worked in a shop that did industrial processing of lumber(pallet factory). I witnessed a lot of carnage while there, fingers cut off, cuts from saws the long way up the hand, one guy didn't wait till the gang saw stopped to clean it(come to think about it that was his last day on the job:shock:). one guy sawed his arm in the re-saw,ouch! The rollers stopped at his shoulder, not a good day for him. My coworker double tripped the nail press when my arm was in it:shock::shock:, he said he was sorry:X. I got out with all my parts though.springerdave.
Sounds like you ought to count your blessings! Also just read in another thread that you served and wanted to say that I, too, thank you for it. Glad you made it thru that as well.

Speaking of carnage stories, several yrs ago I became came in good acquaintance with the head of the Accident Reconstruction Division of the 5th District state police post. They only get called to fatalities. HE had some doozies. Got together one time and he brought a couple photo albums. Stuff that really made ya wince. Not the job for me...oh no
 

springerdave

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Hop, I think you may have mistaken me for some one else,
"Also just read in another thread that you served and wanted to say that I, too, thank you for it. Glad you made it thru that as well." as I have not been in the service. The "draft lottery" was the only lottery I ever won. 1A card and the draft ended. I wasn't there but I still care! I have a deep respect for the men and women that have served this country, and yes I DO count my blessings.springerdave.
 

Michigander

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Perhaps I'm being a bit insensitive, but...


The library went on lockdown.

laughing4.gif







 

hopnpop

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springerdave wrote:
Hop, I think you may have mistaken me for some one else...
Well that's a little embarassing! LOL My bad, sorry! Now I don't recall what thread I'd read that in so I can't go back and see. I'm positive it was someone else with "springer" or possible "springfield" in it. Thought it was you. Well in that case, glad you didn't have to serve!! :lol: Thanks for letting me know about the mistaken identity tho.
 

hopnpop

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Paw Paw, Michigan, USA
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Michigander wrote:
Perhaps I'm being a bit insensitive, but...

The library went on lockdown.

laughing4.gif



Yeah I gotta say I was a little shocked that they even had a lockdown protocol!! I'm thinking for REAL?! Funny as it may be, I guess some plan's better than no plan, regardless of the odds...

Have to ask, tho... I hate the lack of emoticons offered here and have wanted to use others. How the heck do you use other emotes here? If you got an answer for me just PM it.
 

Michigander

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Copy and paste image locations. But I see in the other thread you already figured it out. ;)

There are thousands and thousands of emoticons available with a simple web search.

113.gif
 

hopnpop

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Michigander wrote:
Copy and paste image locations. But I see in the other thread you already figured it out. ;)

There are thousands and thousands of emoticons available with a simple web search.

113.gif
Was wondering if I could stockpile my own emotes somewhere, where I could open a window and grab whatever I want and post it. I didn't think just a copy & paste would work til I tried it on that other thread. I also didn't think you could take emotes from one site and use on another. Cool!
 

Evil Creamsicle

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Michigander wrote:
Perhaps I'm being a bit insensitive, but...


The library went on lockdown.

laughing4.gif







Michigander, as to whether or not you are being insensitive, I offer you the following response:
MichiganderFreeway.png

If anyone does not understand this response, you aren't intended to... but Michigander gets it, and is currently laughing his ass off.:celebrate
 
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