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The [Unnamed] California Shooter
He shot six innocent people,
In punishment for sin
Left broken families
He called it ‘retribution’
Targeted a sorority,
The most well-known he found,
“Hottest house of UCSB”
He gunned them to the ground.
Lives tossed aside in one man’s rage
Kill them like they’re nothing
Sobs, screams, flashes of light
Oh, hear how the choir sings
“A little bit of an outcast,”
(How he described himself)
Is now dead, famous, and hated
Only lacking in wealth
He was alone; no love, no loans
To remedy his groans
His parents knew he was violent
But still gave him a home
Let us not forget those who died
Just days before today
Remember life ended quickly
On that tragic Friday.
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This piece was inspired by the shocking Isla Vista killings (California shootings) motivated by the shooter's heartbreak in 2014, and the media's excessive coverage of particularly violent events. In my poem, the shooter is unnamed because the media already attracts enough attention to the name on its own. Also, shooters are not arbitrary people we may not know; they can be our friends, our boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, partners, etc. Even if a shooter commits suicide, the problem still exists. There are still thousands of people in the United States alone who display violent tendencies similar to those displayed by the California shooter. I hope that my piece will inspire people to take gun control and police intervention more seriously in the future to prevent similar tragedies.