Whenever crimes are similar, one of my first questions is: could it be a trend?
That's a question I was asking this morning when I learned Jose Luis Castro was killed during a confrontation outside a Camarillo party. Authorities believe the confrontation began after uninvited guests were asked to leave the party.
That reminded me, and others, of the tragic killing last month of Andrew John Singler. Something similar happened in that homicide, according to Singler's mother, who told me she spoke with numerous people who were there.
I also thought of the killing of Sophear Riem. Riem was shot to death in 2007 at a weekend bachelor's party in Port Hueneme. He and four other men were shot after the groom-to-be denied beer to uninvited guests and asked them to leave, Sophear's father told me.
These killings, like all homicides, are tragic and disturbing.
But as a reporter, I have to be very careful what I describe as a trend.
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines trends this way:
2trend
Function:
noun
Date:
circa 1777
1: a line of general direction or movement <the trend of the coast turned toward the west>
2 a: a prevailing tendency or inclination : drift <current trends in education> b: a general movement : swing <the trend toward suburban living> c: a current style or preference : vogue <new fashion trends> d: a line of development : approach <new trends in cancer research>
3: the general movement over time of a statistically detectable change; also : a statistical curve reflecting such a change
synonyms see tendency
The similar circumstances in these killings are striking, but they don't necessarily mean that parties are becoming increasingly dangerous.
Capt. Ross Bonfiglio of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department says violence at parties is something he's seen routinely over the years.
Sheriff's officials don't think there has been an increase in groups of people crashing parties and spoiling for deadly fights.
As he sees it, the problem is that parties often bring together alcohol and or drugs and young people, who sometimes have conflicts that escalate to violence. He called them the "perfect breeding ground for violence," in fact.
"We think this is somewhat of an age old problem," Bonfiglio said.
If it's an age-old problem as Sheriff's officials assert, it's still something to be concerned about, but it's not a "statically detectable change," so it's not a trend.
But we should keep watch, because whether or not it's a trend, one killing is too many. And even if it's not a trend, if we can learn how to prevent violence by looking at similar circumstances, that's a good thing.
How we can do that is one more question I need to keep asking.
In this case, the advice from the Sheriff's Department is general. Officials want party planners to think, before they host, that in just the wrong circumstances, things can go terribly awry.
That's a question I was asking this morning when I learned Jose Luis Castro was killed during a confrontation outside a Camarillo party. Authorities believe the confrontation began after uninvited guests were asked to leave the party.
That reminded me, and others, of the tragic killing last month of Andrew John Singler. Something similar happened in that homicide, according to Singler's mother, who told me she spoke with numerous people who were there.
I also thought of the killing of Sophear Riem. Riem was shot to death in 2007 at a weekend bachelor's party in Port Hueneme. He and four other men were shot after the groom-to-be denied beer to uninvited guests and asked them to leave, Sophear's father told me.
These killings, like all homicides, are tragic and disturbing.
But as a reporter, I have to be very careful what I describe as a trend.
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines trends this way:
2trend
Function:
noun
Date:
circa 1777
1: a line of general direction or movement <the trend of the coast turned toward the west>
2 a: a prevailing tendency or inclination : drift <current trends in education> b: a general movement : swing <the trend toward suburban living> c: a current style or preference : vogue <new fashion trends> d: a line of development : approach <new trends in cancer research>
3: the general movement over time of a statistically detectable change; also : a statistical curve reflecting such a change
synonyms see tendency
The similar circumstances in these killings are striking, but they don't necessarily mean that parties are becoming increasingly dangerous.
Capt. Ross Bonfiglio of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department says violence at parties is something he's seen routinely over the years.
Sheriff's officials don't think there has been an increase in groups of people crashing parties and spoiling for deadly fights.
As he sees it, the problem is that parties often bring together alcohol and or drugs and young people, who sometimes have conflicts that escalate to violence. He called them the "perfect breeding ground for violence," in fact.
"We think this is somewhat of an age old problem," Bonfiglio said.
If it's an age-old problem as Sheriff's officials assert, it's still something to be concerned about, but it's not a "statically detectable change," so it's not a trend.
But we should keep watch, because whether or not it's a trend, one killing is too many. And even if it's not a trend, if we can learn how to prevent violence by looking at similar circumstances, that's a good thing.
How we can do that is one more question I need to keep asking.
In this case, the advice from the Sheriff's Department is general. Officials want party planners to think, before they host, that in just the wrong circumstances, things can go terribly awry.
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