What a senseless tragedy. My heart goes out to their families, who raised their sons to succeed in life, and yet had to face this terrible loss. Guns. More guns. No good comes from these weapons. I don't want to hear anything about people's "rights" to own guns like this. They only lead to tragedy. RIP, Dwane. I hope the scholarship in your honor provides a legacy to deserving students who will follow in your footsteps as a student and athlete.
15
This murder is shocking and very very sad.
9
Tragic ... and heartbreaking that over and again the article emphasizes the victims’ stable backgrounds, middle class neighborhoods, and their parents’ professions presumably to assure NYX readers that these young men are worthy of our sympathy. White young men would not receive this kind of scrutiny.
18
My mother always said, "Nothing good happens after midnight, get home"
Good advice.
6
This is just really sad. Condolences to the Simmons family. As a father of two young boys, this act of loss to senseless violence really hit me hard. I find myself worrying even more as they get older. To think that young men out celebrating their successes can just be lost to random act of violence is heartbreaking.
8
Reading the comments one would think that the guns drove up and fired themselves. No, PEOPLE committed this unspeakable act of violence. Blaming inanimate objects redirects the focus from those who are responsible and prevents us from addressing the roots causes of the violence that pervades our society.
11
what is wrong with people that the answer to the question of "Does anyone have any drugs?" is to shoot people? Why are people so quick to shoot and resort to violence?
A young football player, Jasper Howard, was stabbed following a college party at UConn in 2009. Another life lost to senseless violence.
9
Somebody asked why there are so few comments to the story - we just don't want to look in the mirror and see ourselves. WE are allowing this to happen. WE need to vote to bend the arc of history back towards justice, so that young people can live, and celebrate their lives, in peace, instead of die in GOP-sponsored terrorism.
16
I sit here so sad for as a parent to lose a child, in any way, but in a way that didn't have to happen is so hard to even comprehend much less accept and live with. And while the story states the boys were "the innocent victims of a random act" it was no random act ... someone with a gun chose to shoot to kill, to wound.. i would hope given all the smartphones likely in hands that night there is video and arrests are made quick. I am so sorry the best friends won't have 70 years or more of friendship and sharing life milestones and sad for Dwane and his family as well as Corey.. it's time to stop the senseless loss.
21
I can't recall the last time I was this shattered by a newspaper story. Mr. Simmons, my heart breaks for you. What a massive and utterly senseless loss you woke up to that fateful night.
I sit here crying, some internal dam finally broken by all the lives lost to gun violence, deaths that might have been prevented if the United States were as collectively sane as, say, Australia. Whether sensible gun regulation would have prevented Dwane's death, three facts are inarguable: Dwane Simmons lived and died in a country at the mercy of gun fanaticism; those who oppose reasonable gun regulation form a small minority of the general population; the absence of reasonable gun regulation costs lives.
47
The extent to which parents, friends, and police feel they must go to reassure everyone that the victims were, in fact victims sickens me. Would any of us feel that need if they were white college kids named Biff?
50
@Neal, I noticed that too. It may have also been the writer.
3
Eight comments on a tragedy for those involved. Forty+ comments on Cactus and Papaya symbols in the NYC subways. Yep, I'm reading the New York Times.
7
@Fighting Sioux: It isn't because people don't care; it's because people don't know what to say/write in the face of such a terrible loss -- and because they don't want to write anything that would inadvertently cause Dwane's family and friends even more pain.
18
It is stunning how "fate" (or whatever you wish to call it) intervenes in our lives. I remeber a 5 year stretch in my mid to late 20s on my birthday each year something tragic and something extraordinarily wonderful occurred. All of these "deeds" were comepletely beyond my control. I cannot explain them - nearly 40 years later.
9
How tragic. To Navarro Simmons, thank you for sharing your pain with us, and telling us more about your son. Clearly he was an exemplary human being, and his death is a loss to all of us.
65
Condolences to the family and friends of Dwane Simmons. No one should have to know such sadness.
We are a nation awash in guns.
Nothing happy emerges from that.
69
Guns in public need to be:
1. Tightly regulated,
2. Have a lawful purpose &
3. Rare.
End of story.
98
What tragedy. That this nation had decided in guns and warfare versus people's right to life is what makes all of this so depressing. Had these guns been banned long ago, they would be laughing with each other and looking forward to life, together. It's just not right.
59
Had these guns been banned long ago, we'd have been British subjects until we became German subjects.
7
@Nan Clearly the national defense is not the issue proponents of gun control are raising. Your comment is tone deaf and very inconsiderate to Mr Simmons in his time of grief. Think about it as you lobby your views to a wider audience.
18
@Nan
Had we remained British subjects, slavery would have been outlawed in 1837 without a civil war, and the US as part of the British commonwealth, would have entered WWII in 1939. With out large manufacturing facilities and many scientists devoted to the war effort, we probably would have won the war earlier.
Of course our revolution and subsequent constitution changed the world for the better but that doesn't mean we have to let every psychopath or criminal run around with an arsenal.
28
Horrible. Another instance where random gun violence impacts so many lives, yet we still do nothing about it. As long as the NRA has a grip on cowardly lawmakers nothing will get done except thoughts and prayers.
55
Unfortunately and very depressing is that in todays world; going out to have a good time is a very risky adventure. I always told my kids who are older now "Nothing good happens after 12am on the streets or in the bars".
I was recently a bit nervous that my future son-in-law was out west celebrating with a bachelors weekend before his friend was to get married. Before he left I said " Like I tell my kids, nothing good happens after 12am on the streets or in the bars" I was relieved that this bachelor weekend was centered around rock climbing more than bar hopping. Be careful out there, nothing good happens after 12am.
39
@ThisIsSparta This was a college party to celebrate Corey being drafted. If your son was drafted to the NFL, I’m pretty sure you, your family, and your child would wanted to celebrated all his hard work. They didn’t choose to celebrate in a bar. Instead, they choose to celebrate with fellow teammates and friends from school, as they thought it would be safe. This party took place at an off campus house, surrounded by student housing, about a mile or so away from the school. The house was occupied by Washburn girls soccer team. The boys were surrounded by the football team, basketball team, and other fellow friends. A place they thought would be safe. As I mentioned, they did not choose to go to a bar or nightclub to celebrate. It’s important we understand this, because I t’s not your typical “nothing good happens after 12am” or bar story. These are good kids, from solid stable backgrounds. I know, because I’ve been friends with Navarro and Yasmine Simmons for over twenty years. These are smart boys who just wanted to celebrate a major accomplishment with their teammates in safe environment. This could’ve happened to anyone of our kids away at college. It’s sad when kids are in the RIGHT place, doing the right thing, and the WRONG people show up. We continue to pray for justice for Dwane and peace for the family.
159
@Chris05
My condolences to your friends. Your comment is spot-on.
6
@Chris05 Well said, and thank you.
6