Death of a 12 year old child – does this make sense to you?

Posted on February 19th, 2008 by Richard Catto 3,120 views

How much sense does this make to you?

You’re a mom with kids in your car (including your own) on the way to school and you stop off to pick up another kid. Whilst sitting outside in your car, a suspicious man comes out of the house and ignores your questions as to who he is and then goes back into the house you are waiting outside.

So you call Chubb Security (and only them, not also the police). Then you wait outside the house for security to arrive, instead of driving off to a safe distance. Then when security arrives, the criminals inside the house open fire on the security guards and one of your daughters inside your car is hit and killed.

Does it make sense to hang around in a potential battle zone with or without kids?

This is what happened on Tuesday, February 12 2008 to Emily Williams, a 12 year old grade 7 pupil, whose mother did not think to get clear of the area. Only after the gun battle erupted and after her daughter had been struck did she think it was now a good time to drive off, vainly trying to reach medical aid in time to save her daughter.

That’s like standing on the beach watching the tsunami waves rolling in, calling for help and only thinking of flight once the waves are already crashing over your head.

Surely it makes sense to run for high ground first and then call for help?

What was that mother thinking? Am I being insensitive for second guessing a woman who has just lost one of her daughters to crime?

Obviously, I am saddened by the loss to violent crime of yet another young person, but reading the account on iAfrica it just struck me how irrationally that mother behaved.

What do you think about this?

Tags: Chubb security, Crime, Emily Williams, SAPS, Trinity House Preparatory School
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