I know what you are going to say, girls and you are right--Fantine never killed anybody. If anything, she did more harm to herself than anyone. But, the more that emerges about Jeffrey Johnson, the Empire State Shooter, the more I cannot help but view him as a tragic figure, with something rotten in the state of Hazan Imports.
Steven Ercolino was buried recently. I wish nothing but peace and condolences to his family and friends. But how much did Ercolino, and/or Hazan Imports, contribute to the problem, and why don't they face it?
Jeffrey Johnson, it appears, grew up in a town in Georgia, where his parents, who are still alive, reside. He was not an only child; there is at least one brother. By all recollections he was happy, but in sixth grade he suffered a biking accident--I think he was struck by a truck--and suffered blunt head trauma. He was hospitalized, in a coma, and not expected to recover. But he did. I know what all you Screen Queens must be saying right now--"Shades of 'Shadow Of A Doubt'!" And you may have a point.
Johnson was a Petty Officer in the Coast Guard which is how he acquired his gun, and skill in using it. He was also, during this period, married, but the union only lasted four years. He enrolled at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, then shortly came to New York. Had it not been for the personality clash between he and Ercolino, we might not be discussing this today--and Johnson might still be alive. But, to be fair, they did NOT get along, and NEITHER backed off. Ercolino was just as complicit in lashing out physically at Johnson--and did. Why the organization never dealt with this is something I cannot understand. When two people in a workplace take a dislike to one another--honeys, the things I could tell you--well, it happens! But if it escalates to physical violence in front of everyone, something needs to be done. And it wasn't.
Perhaps both families should jointly file wrongful death suits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Except, for Jeffrey, it was more tragic. He was let go, sometime last year, and did not take it well. I mean; who would???? But his self-esteem dropped, to the point where he was torturing himself by periodically returning to the place, trying to get his job back. Again, a sign of troubled behavior. He lived a life of social isolation; his beloved cats his only companions. And when one of those felines died, it was too much for Jeffrey. He was also faced with eviction, or, as one story goes, having to leave the apartment, because the owner (he was subletting) wanted to do renovations. Which left him with not many options. True, he could have gone to his family in Georgia, but, remember, by this time, he was not thinking rationally. And, through all this, his blame of Ercolino for all of it, built to the boiling point, where he knew he had to do something, and, unfortunately, made a decision to end not only Ercolino's life, but his own. The morning of the shooting, when Johnson left, he turned in his keys to his Super, saying he would not be back. I am sure the man was genuinely puzzled, until........
Was his death self-engineered? Was it suicide by cop? Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!
Again, I am not defending Johnson's actions, or mitigating the pain of Ercolino's family and friends. But underneath the surface is a sad and disturbing story that seems to happen with much more frequency in our society. The dispassionate complacency of corporate honchos, the economic situation, the powerlessness of workers, creates scenarios of sorts that can unite in one fusion, as it did with Johnson.
Clearly, Johnson needed help. And it was incumbent upon him to get it. If not able to think clearly, it should have been incumbent on his company to order that he get it!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps if he had, both he and Ercolino would be alive.
It is a tragedy all around. Moreso, because it ought not to have happened. And unless actions are taken and heeded, it will occur again and again.
Society must offer compassion and aid to the countless Jeff Johnsons out there!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment