rivettingKateTaylor

The man who shot Rose Ives, the teacher who was shot while brushing her teeth at a DOC campsite in the bush, has appeared in court.

Are you the type of person who cries when people cry on TV? When they show funerals on the news? I am.

I choked up when I heard about the life of the lovely teacher cut short, I cried when I read how her partner was there when she was shot and tried to save her, I cried when they had her boss and people who knew her, I cried tonight when they showed the man who is alleged to have killed her.

He has made a terrible, terrible mistake that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. He was being a dork by behaving illegally with a gun, but to have such tragic consequences.  There are so many people out there who hurt other people on purpose.

Covering court as a journalist and seeing coverage on the TV, there are so many blank faces, so many faces looking down at the ground or staring defiantly out in to the courtroom, that today’s coverage caught me. He looked so sad, so distraught. His wife supporting him as they came out of court, the young toddler whose life has been changed so drastically because his dad made a terrible decision.

I totally agree with this stuff.co.nz story about his apology not being able to stop the agony. Understandable. If you have a minute, read the story. It gives a good account of how the shooter was asleep in bed already when his mate woke him and said he’d seen deer and they should go spotlighting. Why wasn’t it him holding the gun?

There is no condoning what has been done. There is total recognition of what has been done to the Ives family, what they’ve lost. Give them your sympathy, not the one who caused it.

But think of all the stupid things you’ve done in your life – how easily could things have gone wrong for you. How easily one wrong decision could have stuffed up everything you’ve ever worked for, planned for… or loved.

Take more care out there.  I’m sick of tears over the six o’clock news. Let’s hope it’s never us… on the receiving end of crime or the ones making a mistake.