Omar Thornton is a name that evokes many strong feelings which for the most part are confused and unclear. Omar Thornton, the shooter in the Connecticut Beer Warehouse shooter, is a name that is now centered around a mystery with nine people dead, and numerous loose ends, question marks, and illogical measures added in.
For those of you DP devotees, you know that situations such as this one are pretty clear and cut – Thornton was wrong. He is a murderer. Never will I ever condone grabbing a gun and running through a warehouse picking off others with a weapon because of one’s misfortunes. He was wrong. I know it. You know it. We all know it.
Yet, why is there such a hazy feeling when it comes to the situation?
Why is there a feeling in my gut that isn’t 100% convicting of Thornton the way I have for other criminals?
And once again, Why am I not the only one that feels this way?
The situation is one of the weirdest stories and situations that have come around in a long time. And the effect the story has on race relations is interesting as well. Thornton, long complained about being the victim of racism on the job, including pictures of nooses and the “N” word placed with his name on it in the bathroom, for months. After complaining, it seems the Beer Distributor and his union did not consider the current working conditions important. After reaching his breaking point, Thornton decided to take matters into his own hands.
However, during this time, Thornton was caught on camera for stealing beer from the job. He was given the ultimatum of resigning, or be terminated.
The situation is a mine field of failed communication and wrong-doings on both ends. Yet, nine are people dead. All of whom Thornton precisely targeted as repeat and common offenders of the racially charged treatment in the warehouse. While Thornton is indeed a murderer, there still remains sentiment or some sort of “but…” in the case of Thornton’s actions.
What further bothers me the most is the tone in which Thornton revealed himself to a 911 operator. He was often described as a calm and nice young man by many who have come in contact with him. In the audio of his 911 call, Thornton still remains calm after all of the shootings. In fact, the nature of the conversation just adds more intrigue and cloudiness to a situation that should be very clear.
There is no doubt that racism still exists. There are still individuals in this world that are ignorant. At the same time, there is no denying the power of racism, and what it can drive a person to do.
However, murder is murder. And there are now nine grieving families due to a vicious act.
And while we don’t know (and probably never will) the extent of the truth from either the Beer Manufacturer and/or Omar Thornton’s allegations, there will still be a sense of incomplete conviction of the murderer.