Sword Death Haunts workers...

[Cruentus]

Some lovely blade violence news from my home city :

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/sword22e_20041122.htm

This brings ups some interresting thoughts:

#1. After hacking and hacking away, the guy's head was only "nearly decapitated." This is something to think about. How much blood must have been in the room is also something to think about.

#2. Consider if you were there? What would you have done if YOU were there as a bystander? Would you have stood by and watched this happen?

#3. What role do you think the "satanic behavior" played? Detroit is actually very high for cult and "satanic" behavior and gatherings, so this interests me...

#4. What would you have done if you were attacked by someone like this?

Anyways, I think there is a lot to discuss here...

Paul

 

[KenpoTex]

#1. After hacking and hacking away, the guy's head was only "nearly decapitated." This is something to think about. How much blood must have been in the room is also something to think about.

Not to be morbid but if he was only "nearly decapitated" then either he didn't get the sword very sharp or didn't really know what he was doing. If the guy was laying on the ground his shoulders probably took most of the blows.

#2. Consider if you were there? What would you have done if YOU were there as a bystander? Would you have stood by and watched this happen?

I know I wouldn't be able to just stand by and do nothing but exactly what I'd do would depend on the circumstances and environment. For example, what weapons or improvised weapons are available? The article said one guy tried to use a shovel. If I could obtain a weapon I'd probably try to get behind him and take him out without bothering with trying to subdue him or "talk him down."

#3. What role do you think the "satanic behavior" played? Detroit is actually very high for cult and "satanic" behavior and gatherings, so this interests me...

Based on what little info. the article provided I'd be more inclined to believe that this guy was just some sort of nut-job rather than that the satanist stuff played a significant part. I'm not saying that people that are seriously into that kind of stuff aren't capable of this type of thing but with his past record I'd be looking more toward his general mental stability (and he obviously don't have much).

#4. What would you have done if you were attacked by someone like this?

Run like hell. Failing that hope you have a gun. Failing that, hope that you can find something like a pipe or piece of chain so you can strike while (hopefully) staying out of range of the sword.

 

[Flatlander]

#1. After hacking and hacking away, the guy's head was only "nearly decapitated." This is something to think about. How much blood must have been in the room is also something to think about.
Yes, yes I imagine it was all in all a pretty gruesome situation.
#2. Consider if you were there? What would you have done if YOU were there as a bystander? Would you have stood by and watched this happen?
No. I could not stand by and watch a lunatic attempt to murder a co worker with a sword. I would have intervened, and tried to save that man's life.
#3. What role do you think the "satanic behavior" played? Detroit is actually very high for cult and "satanic" behavior and gatherings, so this interests me...
That's difficult to say.... I have read the Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey, which I presume to be the foundational philosophy for all who proclaim to be Satanists. The article referenced here doesn't actually say that this loon was a Satanist, rather, that he had "begun his own religion". I think he was unbalanced. He could just as easily have been associated with any religion for all that's worth. Satanism doesn't explicitly promote violence, it promotes self gratification. So, it implies that one should do what they want to be happy, and that anything which makes them happy or gratifies them is an end to which any means used to reach it are justified. I found it (the book) to be quite simplistic, and lacking in intellectual depth.
#4. What would you have done if you were attacked by someone like this?
This is nearly impossible to answer with any degree of specificity. The article states that the crazy guy chased the victim around hacking at his neck. If no equalizer is available in this circumstance, I think that one needs to close that gap, get control of the weapon, and end the threat. When the attacker has a longer weapon, range is his friend, so that needs to be mitigated. It sounds to me as though this guy was not really an expert with the sword (chasing the guy around, hacking at his neck, unable to even decapitate the guy while he was down) so I think that he may possibly have been susceptible to a gap closure. Hopefully, his total focus on the weapon would leave him powerless and open to CQC techniques.

Or, I might have just crapped my pants and died. Tough to say without having experienced this before.

 

[raedyn]

Or, I might have just crapped my pants and died.

*giggle* Well, hopefully not. But as you said, tough to say. =)

 

[ShotoSan]

Well, I think I would have done this: Pretend to cheer the guy on! Get close to him and cheer, say that I hate him too... get close enough to physically disable the attacker... fast. I would be using farily leathal strikes, breaking knee joints, anything really - just get that sword on the ground.

Then call the ambulance for two people, and get some first aid done...

What else can you do? You cant run at him and tell him to stop, hell attack you back! Interesting question.

 

[Cryozombie]

#1. After hacking and hacking away, the guy's head was only "nearly decapitated." This is something to think about. How much blood must have been in the room is also something to think about.

This comes from the fact that 1) he did NOT have a sword, he had a sharpened steel rod. Not idea for cutting... and 2) even with a sword, from what I understand, it takes a lot of technique or a lot of luck to sever a head. That had to be a brutal and bloody slaying.

#2. Consider if you were there? What would you have done if YOU were there as a bystander? Would you have stood by and watched this happen?

I would have beaned the guy full on with the shovel, actually.

#3. What role do you think the "satanic behavior" played? Detroit is actually very high for cult and "satanic" behavior and gatherings, so this interests me...

None. I doubt seriously that this guy was a Satanist. I think he was pissed off and that the media picked up on keywords "satanism" and "dungeons and dragons" and went with it.

#4. What would you have done if you were attacked by someone like this?

Fought back as best as I could given the circumstances.

 

[MA-Caver]

#1. After hacking and hacking away, the guy's head was only "nearly decapitated." This is something to think about. How much blood must have been in the room is also something to think about.

This comes from the fact that 1) he did NOT have a sword, he had a sharpened steel rod. Not idea for cutting... and 2) even with a sword, from what I understand, it takes a lot of technique or a lot of luck to sever a head. That had to be a brutal and bloody slaying.

#2. Consider if you were there? What would you have done if YOU were there as a bystander? Would you have stood by and watched this happen?

I would have beaned the guy full on with the shovel, actually.

#3. What role do you think the "satanic behavior" played? Detroit is actually very high for cult and "satanic" behavior and gatherings, so this interests me...

None. I doubt seriously that this guy was a Satanist. I think he was pissed off and that the media picked up on keywords "satanism" and "dungeons and dragons" and went with it.

#4. What would you have done if you were attacked by someone like this?

Fought back as best as I could given the circumstances.

I agree full on with it what Techno had to respond. The media will run with the wording Satanism and anything related to that...knowing the public's lust for creepy stories like that. But having been around Satanists I feel that this guy was a wanna be. Most of those guys are generally low-key and you'd never know that they were (true) Satan worshippers. You can go through their house and not find anything unusual. They like low profiles and only "break-out" on (their) special occasions.

Ya, I would've fought back as well and fought hard.