I’ll be doing a “virtual” ’90s movies themed trivia game tonight. I’m pretty strong in the ’80s movies category, haven’t yet tested my ’90s movies mojo, so..we’ll see!

I haven’t been terribly inspired on the blogging front lately. I don’t get out of the house much, except to go to work (I actually like that little bit of precious independence), and occasionally my husband and I go out for drinks (outdoor service only). We try to get out for walks on weekends.

Ironically enough, we wanted to go out Wednesday afternoon, but we were on a “stay inside” order by the local sheriff’s department because of the barricaded gunman (which ended with his suicide). Even the roads nearby were all closed (we were able to get out after 8:30 p.m. All of this went down in a neighborhood that doesn’t normally see much crime (Superior Township, MI).

I know a couple who live right next door to this guy. They hunkered down in their basement while this was all happening. It sounds like he was…not right in the head. He said “fuck you, bitch” to his female neighbor when she had the audacity to say “hello.” His Twitter account revealed a disturbed, paranoid man whom claimed to be stalked by drones and harrased by the cable company. He apparently got into it with a couple of members of his condo association’s landscaping crew. Hey, I don’t like when they come mowing the lawn before 9 either, but it’s their jobs, and our dues pay for it. Then he sealed his fate and set in motion a whole new series of events when he shot a deputy (whom I have heard was not seriously injured). Bullets struck his neighbor’s car and condo as well…

I uncovered this guy’s name on a public parcel map for Washtenaw County, MI. I knew the adress range (8300 block of Lakeview Court, Ypsilanti MI), knew the names of the couple whom I knew lived next door to him -and narrowed it down from there. I’m not revealing any of those names here out of respect for their privacy and out of respect for the dead man.

A local discussion board of my area had a post about the guy’s twitter presence. Apparently he’s a bit of a nutjob.

Rewinding a bit, my last experience with a “barricaded gunman” was in the early 2000s. A guy held some folks hostage in a Livonia industrial park building. He was upset about losing his job or some shit. I thought nothing of going to the scene to try chasing down the story (though my husband freaked out when he found out where I was).

Chasing a story is one thing, but having it unfold close to home is another matter. Yeah, I got a bit upset, but I stayed calm. Being able to access the scanner chatter online was quite helpful! I liked being able to hear what was going on (until they sent in a SWAT team and they had to change channels).

You just never know what might set someone off and turn them into a monster. I’ll never forget hearing an officer say this on the scanner:

“Remember your rules of engagement – if he comes out unarmed, you are not authorized to open fire.”

He never re-emerged from his house….wonder what was going through his mind before that final moment?