It Happened Again. Here.

The unthinkable has happened. Again. A gunman has taken multiple lives. The difference this time? It happened here, in Alameda.

We are an island, both physically and psychologically. I spend a lot of time explaining to people that our focus is Alameda, and Alameda alone, so our coverage doesn’t usually include stories as horrific as this one.

But this time, a man who lives in our coverage area, in the sleepy, Mayberry-esque city of Alameda, shot his entire family —his wife, her two parents, and his two sons, ages 1 and 6. All of them have died , except for the youngest boy, who is in very critical condition. That’s four people dead so far, which qualifies this as a mass shooting, even if it happened inside the victims’ home.

I don’t know what led up to this horrific act. I don’t know the frame of mind that would drive someone to choose to shoot and try to kill his entire family, nor do I wish to.

But what I do know from statements from the Alameda Police Department is that multiple weapons were found inside the house at the scene of the crime. Guns make some people feel safer, but according to a report in Time Magazine , “people living in homes with guns face substantially higher risks of being fatally assaulted.”

This mass shooting was another example of a domestic violence situation being amplified out of control by the shooter having easy access to firearms. Chances are extremely likely that the outcome would have been far less severe if there were not guns in the house.

Alameda is probably the safest community any of us will ever live in. Our crime rates are fractions of those of surrounding cities. Our police force is responsive and well-funded compared to those of surrounding cities, as well. Car theft is likely the most severe problem APD faces on a regular basis. But an event like this reminds us that domestic violence has nothing to do with actual systemic crime.

Something like this can happen here, and now it has. APD couldn’t have prevented it from happening. Yet, it could have been prevented. Gun safes and trigger locks are a start, and counseling before thoughts lead to violence can make a difference too. Yet the fact remains, keeping guns in the house makes residents more likely to die from gun violence.

We are not less safe as a community because of this shocking tragedy—the shooter has been identified and arrested and likely will never have the opportunity to shoot again. If we are less safe as a community, it is because people handle firearms irresponsibly and keep them readily at hand.

And that is a situation that is not unique to Alameda. We learned that this week, and our heart as a community has broken because in that regard, we are NOT an island.

If you need help

If you are in immediate danger of family violence, call 911 and leave as soon as possible. If you believe it may happen again, call 911 and go to a neighbor’s house or other safe place or call a friend or relative to pick you up.

Then you can find a family violence shelter by calling APD at 510-337-8340. For additional information and assistance, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Hotline: at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or The Victims of Crime Resource Center: 1-800-VICTIMS (1-800-842-8467).

Adam Gillitt is the Publisher of the Alameda Post . Reach him at publisher@alamedapost.com . His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Adam-Gillitt .

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