Spain: Lunatic beheads woman in supermarket

[seamusTX]

In Tenerife, an island off the west coast of Africa that is a territory of Spain, a lunatic stabbed and beheaded a 62-year-old retired British woman. The man was identified as a Bulgarian transient. Witnesses described him as "disheveled."

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This is, of course, a gun-free zone.

- Jim

[mgood]

Crazy.
You know, I don't think you can behead someone with a quick swipe with a knife. That would take a heavy sword and it doesn't always work so well then. He had to hack and work at this for a while. . . . And no one did anything?

[Keith B]

Similar incedent on a bus in Canada a couple of years back. Just goes to show there are whacko's everywhere.

[seamusTX]

You know, I don't think you can behead someone with a quick swipe with a knife. That would take a heavy sword and it doesn't always work so well then. He had to hack and work at this for a while. . . . And no one did anything?

I think you're right. I've never cut the head off a mammal, but it is difficult enough just to cut up a joint in raw meat. Butchers use power tools.

Probably two elements were at work here:

The first is the so-called bystander effect, where people stand around and watch because everyone feels like someone else should do something. Partly this is risk avoidance, and partly it is caused by the general attitude that the "professionals" should take care of emergencies.

The bystander effect can get quite ugly, like that recent attack in a McDonald's in Florida where someone took video and narrated it like a TV show.

The second is the sheer horror of seeing a sudden violet attack right in front of one, in a place that is considered familiar and safe. Few people are mentally prepared for that.

Frankly, I don't know what my immediate reaction would be if I was picking up a bag of apples at Kroger and someone stabbed another person in the chest. I do keep an eye out for creeps and thugs, but they can sneak up on you.

- Jij

[mgood]

I like to think that in Texas, someone would have given him Excedrin headache number 45. But you're right, you just really don't know until it happens.