Unimaginable! These things may have happened in Oklahoma but they're merely the tragic expression of a much larger problem. There are no words. No words at all.
2
I read these articles of tragedy and weep! I ask "why" but never get an answer. The feelings, behaviors and problems of individuals are NEVER fully known and understood.
I’ve read this article three times, and I keep being drawn to the description of the students’ bravery: how they called 911, directed police, tried to save their classmates through CPR and jumped over a fence to pull a fellow student out of the water. What brave and composed young people they are.
Yet my heart breaks because these children shouldn’t have to called upon to be this brave, direct police officers, and save their classmates lives.
It is a tragedy for the students of Moore high school for sure, and for the community and the nation.
6
There are some strange and irresponsible, and even alarming assumptions being made in the comments here. I wonder how many commenters read only the headline, and skipped the story.
Max Townsend appeared to be inebriated, reportedly, in a field test after this incident (whether it was an accident or deliberate act has not been determined). However, his inebriation has not yet been proved. He does have previous DUI arrests, and has left the scenes of accidents before, so he has a history as a dangerous driver.
The son he lost was 28, not a high school student. And he died in a one-car wreck. So the idea that this man looked for a bunch of teens to mow down, as an act of retribution, is a stretch.
If he was drunk or wasted, it’s just as likely that he saw these beautiful kids and focused too hard on them, and drive in the direction of his gaze. In other words, this doesn’t necessarily indicate anything about society. It could just be a stupid act by a sad, old drunk or addict who should not have been behind the wheel of a car. A failure of the justice system, perhaps, but nothing to do with ISIS, as another commenter suggested.
What I choose to take from this story is that that these teens — who must have been stunned by what they witnessed — jumped in immediately to help their injured schoolmates. That is amazing. Let’s celebrate young people being selfless, and brave, rather than speculating about the motives of a sick, old drunk.
8
Those poor kids! They didn't have a chance.. All they wanted to do was practice! This makes me sick to my stomach!
2
"I can't have my son, so neither can you."
-- drunk narcissist baby
He had a long list of DUI's, drug possession, and several leaving the scene of other accidents by all means lets give this guy a understanding take. He should have been locked up long ago. We in society have the right to be protected by those that in reality can't live among us. My god, he threw one girl over a fence just think how fast this guy was going and lets stop using the excuse he was in grief. As a former cop I know these guys they use anything as an excuse, but I am sure his lawyer will cry the blues for the poor man and who get forgotten the young woman whose lives are gone their families and the others injured. I have grown tired of feeling bad and making excuses for deplorable people. Jim Trautman
9
Motor vehicles should be banned. They kill 30,000 people every year. Wake up America. And to think the government kept GM in business.
According to the linked article in The Oklahoman, the victim from the same school who died in the December accident described in the NYT's second-last paragraph was driving a 2014 Nissan Sentra. A Nissan Sentra is not an SUV, as the victim's vehicle is referred to in the NYT article. It is a compact car.
There is no amendment to the Constitution that protects an individual's right to own or operate a motor vehicle. A simple background check should have kept the truck away from this clearly unqualified driver.
19
@Harpo. The background check would be a state approved drivers license. Bottom line is the driver should not be operating a motor vehicle impaired.
5
Words just can't describe the tragedy here. Senseless violence, beyond belief cruelty and vileness at work.
All I could think of was: Did this guy get ideas from ISIS? For God's sake what is happening in this country?
51
@InTheKnow, The people in this country look after themselves and no one else. It is the dominant culture. Why were family not with this man after the death of his son?
6
@InTheKnow I'm horrified by this and scared for my children. What is happening to this country! AMERICA THE VIOLENT!... So sad for the deceased and their families..
9
@InTheKnow
ISIS? All he has to do is look at the senseless killings of Black boys by police, or the senseless killings of school children by their armed peers, or the senseless killing of peaceful citizens by white supremacists in cars. Who needs ISIS?
16
So much pain in such a short period of time. I going to hold out that this horrible situation might have been a grief induced episode and that the grieving father might - just might - have had a physiological episode rather than a psychological one that cause hi to lose control of his vehicle.
I need to believe this. I need to believe it because there is already so much purposefully inflicted hurt and pain in the world that i don't know how much more it (or I) can bear during these trying times.
2
Unless we have experienced the excruciating pain of losing a child, we can not sit in judgment of this man. We do not know his pain. Obviously, his crime is heinous and has devastated an entire town; however, he too is the victim of a recent tragedy and this likely influenced his (poor) decision to numb with alcohol/drugs and then drive into those children. I am not attempting to excuse his act - merely to stop others from the heartless condemnation of this man who has also lost a child. My heart aches for every parent, sibling, friend, classmate, and neighbor involved.
@R Taggart Fine, and he should go away for life. The guy had a history did you read the article of DUI's, drugs and oh, my leaving the scene of car accidents. Jim Trautman
4
Writers of this piece set it up to appear that a grieving father, overcome with his recent loss, is driven to mow down some innocent teenagers on the sidewalk. Yet, we don't know that to be true. He had a history of intoxicated driving and also leaving an accident scene and police suspect he was intoxicated when killing these victims. Was he acting out his feelings, as the writers set up this piece to make us wonder or was he so drunk that he drove off the road? Whatever the case, he and his tragedy are given priority over the greater tragedy of two innocent kids killed. What about the tragedy their parents faced? What about their pain? That's not given prominence in this piece. Very strange priorities, not to my liking at all.
4
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Townsend should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no viable excuse no matter what he or anyone else would say.
There is enough continuing violence occurring on a regular basis of us against each other.
2
Horrible tragedy.
He was under the influence of something.
Does NOT excuse his behavior.
1
I'm sorry he lost his son, but was it that he wanted to make others hurt like he was and drove into these kids? Distraught or not, he took the lives of two innocent kids and destroyed two families. He needs to pay for his actions, regardless of his emotional state.
1
The tone of this story -- and particularly the headline -- is disgraceful.
No doubt the death of this man's son in an accident that - based on the story - was not in any remote way caused by any of his victims -- may explain his actions.
But there is almost an implication that we should feel sympathy for someone who in his "grief" essentially murdered two innocent teenagers.
That didn't "widen" the circle of grief. It created it. This monster - who the story notes has a history of driving under the influence, fleeing accidents and other disgusting behavior - needs to be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and any human feelings reserved for his innocent victims.
Just a terrible piece of storytelling.
5
@Philboyd Agree. It's tone is the death of his son as the focal point. One does not even know if he cared the man was a drunk who drove all the time which says whether he cares or not and had left scenes of accidents before so his son death had nothing to do with it the guy drank and did not care, but now the excuse is poor man because his son was killed. He was also speeding the scene of that accident will haunt everyone. My friend a fire fighter quirt for a simple reason tired of the carnage at car accidents and how society did not seem to care. Jim Trautman
1
@Philboyd - Except if you read the comments, hardly anyone has sympathy for the driver.
Readers are smarter than you think. When a reporter gives the facts of the story, the readers usually come up with the right understanding.
2
How is that someone who has had previous arrests for driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident, STILL has a license to drive? We need to seriously reconsider why we let people drive who are clearly not fit for it. If this man had prior convictions for shooting people, he would not be able to own a gun.
6
I offer my condolences to the families involved and to Moore, Oklahoma.
So sorry for the injured kids. Please get well and know that all who read this are thinking of you.
People who drink/use drugs and drive should be punished to the fullest extent of the law and never be allowed to drive again. We have to figure out a way to keep these unrepentant drivers out of the driver's seat. Those with a history of abuse should not get second and third chances to maim and kill.
Someone needs to look at his driving record and see who is responsible for letting him drive again.
1
Unfortunately, it seems as if nearly all of these types of rage killings involve men. They hurt, and so for them it is only logical to hurt back. When facing unbearable heartache, women tend to hurt themselves instead of others.
Why?
2
Sometimes bad things happen to bad people, in this case the driver.
Sounds like there are a lot of unnecessary car accidents in this town. Sorry for these kids and their families.
Terrible. Terrible for all the victims, including this desperately hopeless father who thought that taking more lives would somehow make his loss better.
I am sure his defense will be he was grieving. I live on a road where a man was hit and run killed this week. No one knew he was there for hours large ditch. I am back from visiting LA where it seems almost every day someone is killed by a hit and run. One camera even caught the poor hit man on the hood while the car back off fast to dump him off. We live in a society where not only is life cheap, but we make excuses for especially people that kill someone with a car. Two young lives gone families destroyed, others injured this man needs to go to jail for life. Come on he hits all these kids and then leaves the scene. I have been a criminal justice reformer for a very long time used to be a cop, but now we make excuses and let these people back out onto the street. I would hope no bail or will it be turn in your lic. and we know how that works. Notice how many get rearrested for driving on a suspended lic. these people don't care. What sort of a society allows senseless incidents like this and they are increasing. What kind of I won't say animal since I believe animals have more kindness, leaves someone in the road to die. I hit a dog once and was sure it was gone, it ran out and neither of us could stop in time. I waited until Animal Control care came to see if he could not be saved. Jim Trautman
2
Perhaps the most stunning detail in this horrendous case is that the man's son was not even killed by another person causing an accident. HE was the one responsible for flipping his own car!
This is just an act of inexplicable, inexcusable insanity.
5
I wish the term 'lost' would be replaced by the more accurate terms: died, dead, death, was killed, murder (if that is the case), etc.
This is not to be harsh.
But the man didn't 'misplace' -- lose -- his son. His son died.
~ 9/11 family member
3
According to older cultures, you don't leave alone someone who lost their beloved ones. Our individualistic lifestyle has eroded much of what humanity has developed over centuries to cope up with challenges. And we don't seem to appreciate what we have lost. In older cultures, close families/friends stay with the grieving person round the clock (for a few days). Now, we are too busy prioritizing work/money over healthy social life. Being in such a severe grieve...you don't know what the grieving person would do. It might be tempting to judge this father. But it is also obvious he doesn't know what he is doing. Grieve could make you lose your consciousness.
9
@Smith What a thoughtful and heartfelt comment. Thank you for posting something worth reading, the only posting here worth reading in fact. I wish you well and thank you.
Interesting how they charged him with manslaughter. If he killed two people with a firearm I doubt that would be the charge. Sadly, this it too common.
People who kill with cars are rarely treated like the criminals they are. The media exacerbate this problem by often referring to these deaths as "accidents" which with very rare exception they are absolutely NOT.
Just because a motorist didn't intend to kill someone doesn't make it an accident. Almost all car related deaths are preventable and the direct result of criminal negligence be it distracted driving, running red lights, DUI, etc. Yet despite the massive carnage they inflict (cars are the leading cause of death of children in the US per the CDC) law enforcement and society are too often reluctant to hold drivers accountable for their actions and treat those drivers like the dangerous criminals they are.
All of this is avoidable. Compared to many other countries the US has an unacceptably high fatality rate for the same number of miles driven. We need tougher penalties and enforcement of traffic laws, the media needs to stop referring to traffic fatalities as "accidents" and we need tougher licensing standards.
19
WOW. It's only the beginning of a new month in a new year and already the number of horrific and painful stories about parents killing their autistic child, a parent driving into a bunch of kids because his own child was killed in a car wreck, a long-time vet abuses many of the pets under his care . . . seem to be overflowing in the news.
No one has a clue as to why this grieving father would drive his pickup truck onto a crowded sidewalk, killing two innocent kids and injuring many others.
The only thing that comes immediately to mind is a reminder to hold, hug and cherish those nearest and dearest to us not only today or tonight, but every day and night.
This kind of tragedy continues to remind me to not take those I love for granted or to assume I'll "see you later."
As a matter of fact, after I submit this comment for review, I'm calling my perfect husband to say hi and that he is the most important person and part of my life.
Profound condolences to the families, loved ones, friends and classmates of those who perished.
10
Indeed
Bring on self driving cars!
The drunk driver who killed four young people when he drove into a crowd at a music festival in Austin in 2014 was convicted of capital murder. Why is this man only being charged with manslaughter? How do any of the factors mentioned - his grief, his history of drug use, accidents, and DUIs - bear any weight at all in softening the fact that he murdered people and then fled the scene?
20
@K They are investigating. They have to make sure he wasn't having a stroke, or something like that. Charges may be upgraded later.
1
@K Imagine if he weren't white or an immigrant!
This reminds me of one of those commercials where someone does something courteous for a stranger, like holding a door open. Then that person carries the good deed forward and gives up his taxi just hailed to another person. Who then lights up a lonely elderly woman on the street by saying how beautiful she looks. Good deeds can be infectious. And so can bad ones.
6
Why did this happen? Because he was drunk. People want to make meaning out of tragedy, but there isn't a lot of analysis needed here.
108
@Lucky
In vino veritas. The question isn't the vino, it's the veritas.
2
We allow violent criminals to walk and drive our streets every day. We have endless excuses for their behavior and their lawyers do their best to insure their clients never get into any trouble at all.
You kill someone with your car and have a record of DUI or DWI you should be charged with first degree murder and should go to prison for life. We all know what drinking and driving does- it isn't a secret.
69
@Willt26 Manslaughter seems the appropriate crime for most drunk-driving deaths-- assuming it isn't actually intentional. I think we could cut down a lot of DUI deaths by limiting DUI offenders to something like small scooters-- which would limit the amount of damage they could do, but also allow them transportation that could get them to and from work-- if not comfortably-- and let them continue to function in society.
6
@Alexander Do you really think that would stop them. I used to be a cop and guess what they need to go to jail and not some excuses about treatment and second chances. Jim Trautman
4
The insane varieties of evil are unending, aren't they? Tragic that this poor man was turned into a homicidal maniac by the death of his own son, an event which in a better human being would have made him much more kind, humble, and empathetic, not less.
4
NO Sympathy for the devil who slaughtered innocents the day after his child was killed in a car wreck. The correlation does not stand up.
9
There are no passes for drunk driving and certainly none for deaths due to drink driving. Mr Townsend had a choice when he drank to call an Uber and he didn’t. Now he will die in jail and many families are changed forever because he is selfish and self absorbed and careless and angry. Don’t write about him. Write about those he hurt.
12
Isn't this where that tornado wiped out a school?
1
Manslaughter for using his vehicle as a deadly weapon? What happened to his son is terrible but this guy now deserves the death penalty.
6
@RM There is no jurisdiction in this country that imposes the death penalty for manslaughter. Manslaughter is a lesser included offense of intentional murder.
I always comment: We are broken.
Especially in this case.
3
What terrible thing to have happened. Why would anyone do such a terrible hateful thing?
4
He can think about his son in 6 foot by 6 foot jail cell for the next 25 years. I'm sorry for his son. I have no sympathy for the father. He senselessly took two lives. Enjoy your new accommodations courtesy of Oklahoma.
10
Another victimized middle aged white man throwing a tantrum because no one suffers as much as he.
17
I hope local and county print, TV, radio, and online journalists make it a practice to consistently identify by name the judges and jurisdictions that are easy on DUI and reckless driving offenders.
19
@Maura3
We need better laws as well, and not just limited to DUIs. This case will likely go differently because it's high profile and the age of the victims, but most pedestrian deaths go ignored. In many jurisdictions the law treats the lives of pedestrians and cyclists as essentially disposable. Negligence while driving is generally not considered criminal, even when the driver kills someone, and there is often a higher bar to prosecute than in other kinds of homicides. Only five years ago, New York arbitrarily required there to be two traffic violations to prosecute negligent homicides involving a vehicle, not just one. New York still does not consider a negligent act in operating a vehicle that directly leads to a death to be a crime. You can run someone down because you're not even looking at the road, but as long as you didn't have "criminal intent," it doesn't matter. And in many places, DUIs are treated as a case of "boys will be boys." Most jurisdictions consider the lives of cyclists and pedestrians to be worthless.
Automobiles are useful but also inherently dangerous tools. In many ways they are like firearms. Negligence in operating an inherently deadly piece of machinery must be legally considered criminal negligence. Impaired driving, whether it's due to alcohol or drugs or distraction, is a fatal accident avoided only through luck. It's truly disgusting how little someone's life matters as long as their killer is behind the wheel of a car.
14
This is just terrible! Thinking of a quote from the news story, rising to the challenge — including coping with trauma, grief, addiction, etc. — is of critical importance. But will we?
1
We don't know and may never know if Mr. Townsend intended to run those poor kids over but we will eventually find out if he was intoxicated when he did. My guess is he was driving very intoxicated--again--which makes his intentions at that horrible moment irrelevant. He's a repeat DUI offender and no matter how grief stricken he was at the time, he certainly knows that he must never drive while intoxicated.
And if he got drunk and drove, he intentionally put the public in harms way and now many people will pay the price for his actions.
22
So many senseless deaths caused by automobiles. Surely there must be better ways of creating cities which don’t come with such a high risk of death??
6
@Benjamin Patience
Yes, the automobile has been involved in killing over 3.6 million Americans since Henry Ford, more than all wars combined. I don't think he realized that he helped create a weapon of mass destruction.
I know that I have lost two friends and one family member to auto crashes.
Self drive vehicles won't eliminate all deaths, but if they can even cut it in half, there will be thousands a year that will have a chance to live.
1
Why do american reporters put so little of the story into print. It never ceases to amaze me. Let me take a stab at it. The man was out of his mind with grief. A temporary insanity if you will; much like your lover being caught in the bedroom and a instant kill. The courts ruled that when the person waits to long to kill his rival; he/she is guilty of murder. This will be debated on that heat of the moment so to speak... in court. But I digress; the guy likely thought his son could have been saved with proper and timely care. So maybe he felt at several steps in the process for saving his son; the care was lacking and thus in his metal state; decided to run over the communities kids. Maybe he was crying and full of tears and did not see the incident before it was to late. I suspect it was all of the above.
@Larry not if he was drunk! If so he’s headed to prison!
3
@Larry It's because reporters aren't there to speculate like you just did. Leave that to the readers.
9
SO awful!
In the NW, I see people with GIANT pickups all the time. I know several people who have them and don’t need them for work.
I drive a small, fuel-efficient car and I constantly feel threatened by all the big pickups on the highway.
We either need special licensing for large vehicles or we need gas to be more expensive. (Or both).
This is crazy that someone having a bad emotion can impulsively kill others so easily.
11
@Mel I'm pretty sure your small fuel-efficient car can kill people just as easily as the GIANT pickups.
Whether he is evil or not, the situation speaks to the consequences of someone with burning rage/anger in his heart in possession of a mechanism for killing. In this case a car and in so many others, a gun.
5
@Mike
Yes, I’ve been wondering how this story would have read and what the local reaction would have been if he’d taken his (legal) gun and just shot everyone.
1
This was an act of pure evil. Peace to all of the victims, family and friends.
3
Misery loves company. So sad for his loss and the losses he created for no good reason. He needs to be locked up forever.
4
I am tired of young people having to step in and tend to the injured and dying after adults make stupid, selfish, and predictably bad decisions.
The teens who sprang to action to help those who were gravely wounded are heroes. It takes a great deal to act in a situation like that. To act selflessly and with compassion is an even greater thing.
24
He wanted others to feel the pain he was feeling. In that way it feels similar to a mass shooting. Many take their child's death and look for ways to avoid someone else from suffering. (like creating Amber alerts) He choose to cause more pain. I have less sympathy for Mr. Leroy now.
34
It is a common theme in american culture that bullying and violence and intimidation are pervasive. Take note of the current president who rarely fails to bully, intimidate and advocate violence whenever he can.
41
@HT
I yield to none in my contempt for Trump, but he has no role in this tragedy, even indirect.
10
@HT this is not about trump. when people make these crazy statements republicans register to vote. and this incident was not about bullying violence or intimidation.
why don't you blame video games, films and rap music?
4
I am impressed by the students of Moore High School, who reacted to a horrible, tragic emergency perfectly. They had the presence of mind to pull one victim from a duck pond, call 911 on their phones, perform CPR, and watch where that pickup truck went afterwards. They were the first responders. Good job in the face of unspeakable horror.
119
"A day after losing his son in a car wreck, a grieving father drove his pickup truck onto a crowded sidewalk near a suburban high school outside of Oklahoma City, killing two teenagers..."
It is hard to imagine that the manifestation of a person's "grieving" is to plow his car into crowd of innocent teenagers. That sounds like the opposite of grieving to me. It sounds to me like uncontrolled anger/rage, in this case coupled with substance abuse.
110
I would argue that the one of the many different faces of grief can involve flashes of anger. Especially when it’s a grief from a trauma, in this case of losing a son. I’m not mitigating this man’s actions, and the fact that he may have acted on that anger. I think of soldiers in battle who lose a friend and comrade in fighting. The next day they fire indiscriminately into a market square. This is the reality of war, and very few are charged with the action.
The point is that violence begets violence.
Grief begets more grief.
Intense anger can be a face of that grief.
The terrible part is that the victim of his anger are more innocents. As it all too often is.
2
@Dan88 Don't forget entitlement.
3
@BradMcRoberts Your point is taken, and you are not wrong that in some sense "anger" and even "rage" can be part of the grieving process. But it is anger directed in a more reflective way and toward a more abstract target, like anger at one's fate, that someone was taken too young, etc. I think we would agree that a healthy grieving process does not include murderous actions toward complete strangers and innocent victims.
6
Grief is a strange process that can unfortunately cause people to do the unthinkable. We do not talk about the reality of death and grief enough and prefer to sweep it under the rug, which is a disservice to us, especially men who are largely taught to bottle up their grief. My heart hurts for his family and everyone who was affected.
14
@K
I was hit while I was crossing the street 25 yrs ago on sept 16, 1995. my daughter (starting sr yr of high school)was also hit. we had life threatening injuries.
at the time I had been working in surgery as an RN/BSN for around 16 yrs.
my daughter stepped in front of a five yr old who would have been killed. this was at 12 noon. the man left the scene and was high on PCP and drunk.
he hit a car at another corner and that car re-ended a van and a nine yr old died in the back seat. the seats of that car were in the trunk. it was the only child of a female preacher. she ended up with permanent double vision. In that 25 yrs I have had 34 surgeries.
did I go out and run a bunch of kids down . no. this man was drunk. and his kid who wrapped his car around a tree prob was speeding.
71
@K "Grief is a strange process that can unfortunately cause people to do the unthinkable."
Really - its going to drive people to kill teenagers preparing for a jog?
6
@jennifer t. schultz I am sorry that that happened to you. Grief affects everyone differently. If he was already an alcoholic or drug user then he would use substances to try to process grief. I am not discrediting your experience by any means but everyone reacts differently to trauma.
This is a heartbreaker. I feel very sorry for EVERYONE involved.
While not exactly the same thing, there was an incident in Atlanta some years ago that comes to mind. And it's haunted me for years even though I have no connection to anyone involved. One night four or five "mean girls" in high school toilet papered the home of a girl who was, shall we say, less popular. It was a cruel act, not a fun-loving prank. The father of the tormented girl came outside. The girls fled in their car. The father gave chase in his car. The girls' car, driven by a teenager, lost control, killing two of the girls. It resulted in tragedy for EVERYONE.
The father who tried to protect his daughter from cruelty was reported to be quiet and painfully, tearfully reflective during the trial, as was his wife. As I recall, the judge dismissed the charges against everyone. This was a tragic mistake that would haunt them all. Their self-inflicted punishment was more than adequate.
Some years later a follow-up story appeared in the local paper writing about one of "mean" girls who survived the crash. She's "living" alone with a cat in France, far away from the scene of the crime. She can't work. She can't function. She has no friends. She's in perpetual therapy. But there is no distance that can remove her from her anguish. Fortunately, her parents have money and can support her.
So, so sad. I know all of this Oklahoma community must be grieving.
35
I grew up in a similar suburb of Oklahoma City. Driving under the influence is shockingly common and poorly policed. More than one of my high school classmates was killed by a drunk driver.
My young nieces run cross country in Oklahoma, their practices taking them along both neighborhood streets and narrow country roads. I have always worried something like this could happen to them. Frankly, in Oklahoma (a lax open carry state), I’m just glad there wasn’t a gun involved.
My heart is sick for the families of those killed in this senseless act. Wishing the injured students and the school community comfort and healing.
50
Why isn't this terrorism? If he was a foreign national it would be cast under a very different light.
24
@David It seems like you are really trying to dig at some sort of identity or race politics here where it is not needed. Because nothing about the situation points towards that being a possibility. Everything is pointing to a grief stricken parent with a history of substance abuse and DUIs, not someone that wants to further their political or social objectives through violence.
17
@David
Terrorism requires a political motive. Nothing remotely like that has been presented here.
You are right that there would be paroxysms of outrage from the usual right-wing suspects if Townsend was instead Tariq or Tomaso.
5
@David Terrorism is defined as "the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims."
What political message was he trying to send by this action?
This was not terrorism, this was simple murder.
6
So he lost his son who at first glance must have been medicated. He also drove into another car.
No excuses whatsoever. Like Father, like son.
22
@Mary Rivkatot Like father, like son - when there is no intervention. That is how cycles of violence and addiction recur. Had this man lost his right to drive after the first incident and been compelled to alter his behavior in order to regain the privilege, he may never have ruined these lives.
6
A second or third DUI should, upon conviction, lead to a lifetime drivers license suspension. Too many lives have needlessly been destroyed by drunken drivers. We should not have to wait until they actually kill or gravely injure a person.
91
@Eric S
Agreed- but how to keep someone without a license from using an automobile, their own or a willing family member or accomplice?
3
@Eric S
Plenty of people with suspended/revoked licenses because of DUI continue driving.
Addressing chronic impaired driving takes a combination of law enforcement and medical treatment.
3
@Eric S
I hear you, but honestly, they'd just drive without a license. Taking away the car may be an option, unless innocent family members will be unfairly punished. How do the wife and kids get to work and school? No easy answers to a persistent problem.
From the TV footage of him being given a sobriety test, he was obviously drunk. And, he had a history of DUI and drug possession. No big mystery here--Townsend did what he did because he was flat-out drunk and got behind the wheel of his truck. Add to that the fact that he was grieving the death of his son, and you have a very lethal combination.
58
When reporting on injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle accidents the media routinely leaves out one of the most critical facts: was the victim wearing a seat belt? They may be rightly hesitant to report anything that might blame the victim. However, such reporting might prompt more people to use seat belts.
This is not relevant to the current report, but how about Mr. Townsend's son? Maybe he would be alive.
1
@A Doctor
okay seat belts have nothing to do with this incident. he MOWED down six kids. two are dead and one in critical condition. no excuses.
6
“...Townsend...had previous arrests for driving under the influence, drug possession and leaving the scene of an accident.”
So much for grief and rage as excuses.
43
I am very impressed by the students who came to the aid of their classmates and performed CPR under such tragic conditions. The ability to perform under such chaotic and stressful circumstances speaks well of them.
Kids these days are better people than we often give them credit for being.
274
There really is nothing to say here but what a terrible, terrible occurrence. Words cannot express the sympathy I feel for the parents of the students killed and injured in this horrible, as yet to be determined, accident or crime. My thoughts and prayers also go out to the students at the high school who witnessed or have to deal with the aftermath of this. My prayer is that all of them can get through this difficult time with the love and support of their families, friends and community.
24
Max Leroy Townsend seems to have been in the grips of an anger that he released on the wrong people or was he trying to replicate some part of his son's fatal accident by striking pedestrians instead of another vehicle as he son had fatefully done? Was he trying to instill empathy to the community by murdering more young people so their parents would know how he felt? Was he on Ambien or some amnesia inducing medication? Was Cody, when he lost control of his vehicle? Was the officer who is accused of vehicular homicide on drugs or just alcohol? It's amazing what people do by accident on purpose, isn't it?
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I.
Don’t.
Care.
He deliberately killed two young people. He’s repeatedly been DUI’d, and fled an accident...which he did here as well.
He goes to jail forever. Longer, if that can be arranged.
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Why did it happen? Because he is a person who drives under the influence caring only for himself. Don't pull in the recent death of his son. Likely would have happened either way. But good way to tee up his defense.
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@The East Wind
Wow, when the police shoot a minority because they fear for their life, they get over by the jury all the time.
This man lost his son and now he has infected unbearable pain on innocent people. now the chain reaction of grief has inflected pain on everyone who has nothing to do with the crash. The emotional pain is to hard to even try to internalize. If only, we ask if only.
Since when did we become judge and jury ? Have we no compassion and understanding . can we not stretch our minds and do the hardest thing in the world. show forgiveness and remember God is the judge and jury not us.
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The senseless tragedy of vehicular homicide and manslaughter is too often brushed to the side, attributed to “being in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
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@Doug Squirrel
Indeed, the individual victims are usually just determined by random chance. Make or miss a traffic light and someone else is the one maimed or killed.
BUT, nearly thirty people die daily from impaired drivers. That’s an ongoing series of horrific and needless tragedies that reflect badly on any society that allows them to continue.
Alcohol is the drug most costly to society. We need to quit thinking it’s less harmful because it’s legal.
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I'm sorry for the loss at his son, but I don't think that his grief has anything to do with his actions here--
Sergeant Lewis said Mr. Townsend, who does not live in Moore but has relatives in town, had previous arrests for driving under the influence, drug possession and leaving the scene of an accident.
The fact that he hadn't killed anyone before this is simply luck.
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@Lizbeth
"The fact that he hadn't killed anyone before this is simply luck." Sounds like the same is true of his son who was killed.
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@Lizbeth ...the fact that he was allowed to remain on the streets driving is not luck. Its mere fact and certainly not unusual or coincidental.
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I lost my elder daughter, Teresa, in a car crash. She ws a passenger, not the driver, of a vehicle that was in an accident, killing my daughter. My pain was indescribable. How evil Mr. Townsend must be to inflict that sort of pain on another person's parent. And, worse, to end another person's life because he,Townsend, was angry and hurting.
I understand his pain. but I am truly disgusted by his evil act of retaliation.
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@Dorothy I'm sorry for your loss. I too have lost a child. But you have no right to condem this man as evil. You, nor anyone else right now know his motive or the complete circumstances.
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@Dorothy I'm so very sorry for your loss and for the renewed sense of outrage you must be experiencing right now.
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@Dorothy I am sorry for your pain and loss. Sincerely. There can be no greater anguish than the loss of a child.
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My heart is broken for these students and their families. Sending love and prayers for the children involved in this crash.
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This is shocking, but we don’t know the facts yet. Was he so grief-stricken that he felt somehow justified in taking more lives? Was he drunk and had a terrible accident? The fact that we can ask both these questions is a window into society today. Is being homicidal a plausible justification after a tragic personal loss? Most people would feel more empathy for life and survivors after a loss, not less. But, we live in a world of narcississm, where empathy is not embraced as tightly as emotional expression and anger.
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@Prant
being drunk and killing people is not an accident. it should be classed as murder. did someone put a hose in his throat and force him to drink or take drugs? no.
and we know the facts. he was bombed . obvious when he couldn't walk a straight line.
the largest narcissist is living in the WH.
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@Prant
it doesn't have to be a window into society. It can just be one broken person.
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@AP ...but it's not; there's a pattern.
1
It's hard not to see this as another example of the way that, in our culture, men are not taught how to appropriately process strong, negative emotions. Many see violence as the only acceptable way to express their grief, frustration, or fear.
My heart hurts for these families.
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@C. It doesn't appear that the driver intended to hit the runners. He has a history of DUI, so it is true that he is using alcohol to process his emotions instead of handling it in an appropriate way, but I don't know that he meant to hurt anyone.
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@Lawren
Whether he meant to or not his reckless actions are inexcusable. He killed two innocent people and hurt all of those that cared for them. If he was that grief stricken he should have taken his own life.
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@Lawren
Didn't intend to hurt anybody?
It is basic, common knowledge that driving while impaired is a danger to ALL.
Seriously.
In 2020, is there anybody who doesn't understand that?
I guess so.
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How does someone with that track of driving get to keep his license for so long? Penalties for drivers with serious violations need to be much harsher.
Also, of course the perp was driving a pickup truck. For most people (those not in construction trades or in the farming industry), pickup trucks are nothing but a sign of excess and threatened male ego.
In my opinion, there needs to be a separate permit for pickup trucks along with a hefty licensing fee (exempt for those that legitimately need their utility).
It's only fair, given that pickup trucks cause more damage in accidents and get into them more frequently than other types of cars.
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@Leo
I agree that pickup trucks have become huge and sometimes people jack them up to absurd heights. Usually the bigger the truck I see, the less likely someone is actually using it for work since the bed is so elevated.
I drive an old toyota pickup that is no bigger than a small passenger car and gets about the same MPG. I wish they still made small pickups like this, they are very utilitarian.
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@Leo Kind of a reach on that line about pickup trucks equaling a threatened male ego, no? I know plenty of women who drive trucks in my area and with the weather we get, a truck or SUV fares much better than a car.
22
@K People often drive trucks because they use them at work and have to haul things that won't fit in a car---Drive 10 minutes from Moore and you are in a rural area. Ordinary trucks without all the 50K bells and whistles are just ordinary vehicles there. Your urban sense doesn't translate to this area of the country, and it's unfair to lump all drivers of trucks into such a small group
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DUIs and DWIs often appear on the records of individuals who commit these senseless tragic acts. Why won’t legislators work to make the first of such offenses carry stiffer penalties and stronger interventions? Because too many Americans drive after having a drink, whether they admit it or not.
My condolences to all involved.
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My thoughts are with the families of the two young women who were senselessly killed.
My thoughts are also with Mr. Townsend. I am sorry for his loss. Grief is a strange thing, but those children certainly should not have paid the price.
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@Gen
Call me un-empathetic, but I'm not exactly feeling sorry for a guy who chooses to bulldoze teenagers on a sidewalk for any reason, including a recent death in his family. What if we all acted in this way?
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@Human Be-ing Even if not deliberate, he was drinking. That's enough for me to lose any sympathy.
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@Human Be-ing
I did not say I agree with what he did if he did act maliciously (the investigation is still ongoing per this article). He will be punished accordingly and rightfully so.
My initial reaction to reading this was anger but, as I said, grief is a strange thing. It is sad and disturbing that he chose to pass it around instead of going through it.
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