A sad day in the city

Yesterday, 20 people were injured after a lone gunman opened fire, killing one person at a college in downtown Montreal. I was about a 10 minute walk away from the scene. I was sitting outside on a university campus, eating my lunch when a girl walked over to her friend and said: did you hear? There's been a shooting at Dawson!
The other replied: What movie was it?
Shocked, the girl paused and then replied: It was shooting shooting - as in bang bang shooting! Apparently, one of my friends who works nearby said he saw a girl running down the street, hysterical screaming "He's got a gun, and there's blood everywhere!"

I sat there, trying to mind my own business, but perhaps the loud thud as my heart sank to my stomach was not as quiet as I thought.

I had been a student at that particular campus for 3 years as a night student in photography. I would often go during the day to print some of my pictures.

I was thinking of going back to the labs during the day to catch up some images I wanted to hand print.

I could have been there when it happened.

That shook me to the core of my very being...

I remember on December 6th, 1989 standing on the street downtown and hearing the sirens wailing - so many. A symphony of screams and explosions of lights.
I felt like something terrible had happened.
I knew it was something to do with death - many many people.
Blood everywhere.

I felt it in my gut.

When I found out that Marc Lepin had shot 13 women at the Ecole Polytechnique, I cried.

how could this happen?

We still don't know the answers.

And can't answer those questions about yesterday either.

My prayers and condolences go out to the families and victims of this terrible tragedy...

it is a sad day in the city...