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12:54 October 25th, 2007

Unwitting victims

Posted by: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Editor
Tags: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Canadian slaying claimed two unwitting victims

bodies-160.jpgSURREY, British Columbia (Reuters) - Two of six victims of what Canadian police called a “cowardly” killing died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, police and relatives of the men said on Tuesday.

Police said the killings, which took place on the 15th floor of a suburban Vancouver apartment building last Friday, were related to gang activity. They said that two of the dead were murdered because they chanced upon the crime scene.

Regarding “Canadian slaying claimed two unwitting victims,” I’m willing to bet all the victims were unwitting. The two referred to might be better described as unintended, innocent, accidental or (shudder) “collateral.”

Gord

Point taken. We could have chosen a better word in the headline. Having said that, your alternate suggestions aren’t ideal, either. It’s pretty subjective to call some victims innocent, but not others. There are problems with unintended and accidental, too: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Lyle Stafford

One comment so far

The victims were not in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was the killer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The victims were where they were supposed to be. The killer was not.

- Posted by Max Edison

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