Two women are shot to death in Smyrna before a suspect fatally turns a firearm on himself during an ensuing police chase into Maryland.Three people die in Clayton, in what police describe as a homicide-suicide. A Delmar police officer dies from injuries suffered when confronting an assailant during a response, while a couple across the street is severely beaten in a related incident. In Dover, a woman’s vehicle is struck by several rounds of gunfire after she leaves a cemetery gathering for a recent homicide victim. All of that violence occurred in a three-day span.
- Beginning of the end. Totally lawless society. — Kimberly Faye
- Spare the rod, spoil a generation. — Gary Showalter Jr.
- Sadly, what we’ve seen in the last four to six years is looking like the new normal, especially when we have politicians and government officials and nonprofit organizations spewing the kind of rhetoric we hear and turning a blind eye to hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage to cities, only furthering their burden on their communities. — Christopher Joyce
- Truthfully, I pretty much agree the violence has been trending upward for years now. However, the past year, with the COVID outbreak, has driven society crazy. People are spinning out of control, in more ways than one. The horrible divide we have among races is scary. It’s sad that our country has come to this. I do not even watch the news anymore because all you hear are bad things. Yes, we need to know those, but why not start in the media, showing acts of good or kindness and showing positivity? — Heather Lynn Long
- I do believe that we are all suffering from a level of COVID exhaustion. Tired of closures; tired of no jobs; tired of being home; tired of kids not being educated; tired of shots; tired of yes to vaccines, then no; tired of “follow the science,” then “no, let’s not.” Add to that the stress this has put on relationships. Humans are not pack animals, meant to be together 24/7, months on end. Humans are social. All of this has pushed people to their limits, then add our normally poor mental health care, with very little in-person contact! This is a recipe for a ticking time bomb. Not surprising people are at their wits’ end. We need much better mental health care, and we need to bring back institutions — however, much better monitored! I will not go as far as blaming our governor or current president, but dear God, please give us our freedoms back. I fear this is just the beginning. — Diane Butters-Eastburn
- Deteriorating material conditions and social alienation are the causes of most criminal trends. — Pete Schonert
- Mostly in liberal-run areas. Yes, conservative ones aren’t immune, but the difference is exponential as far as violent crime growth. Good news is in conservative areas, victims can defend themselves. Glad I moved out of Delaware. — Kelly Lord
- “Bail reform,” revolving-door justice departments…. — Lou Bialota
