Washington State Park Closed After Shooting; 2 Dead, 4 Wounded

Lake Sammamish State Park will remain closed while authorities investigate a shooting that left 2 people dead and 4 wounded over the weekend. The state park near Seattle was the sight of a deadly shooting that sources say stemmed from an argument at a party held there.

According to MSNBC, the shootings took place at about 9PM. The News Tribune reports that a 33-year-old from Kent, Washington, and a 30-year-old from Seattle were the two killed. Names have not been released until family members can be notified.

It seems the party was in celebration of one of the victim's birthdays. Two separate groups were holding gatherings at the state park near the lake. Apparently an argument started between members of the two groups, and the shooting was a result of that.

When authorities arrived on the scene they found numerous park visitors hiding out in park buildings; having taken shelter there when the gunfire erupted.

Dawn Hilliker told the News Tribune she and her two teenage sons spent the celebratinga friend's high school graduation by the lake. They were packing up their car to leave when they heard several loud bangs.

"I thought some kids were setting off firecrackers, but 30 seconds later, I saw three cops driving down the street," her son, Austin Hilliker, told The Times. "I saw three people arrested, two of them no more than 20 feet from our car. It was super scary."

The family waited nearly two hours to be able to finally leave the park, as police stopped every vehicle as a safety precaution, on the way out.

Senseless killings seem to be escalating. Two groups of friends gathered at a lake at a state park should not result in 2 deaths and 4 people wounded. What could possibly be so bad that one needs to pull a gun and shoot another human being. Is our society becoming unaware of the power of words? Do they not know that words can result in violence but can also mend fences? I wish I could understand the anger and seemingly short fuses that these shooters are wired with. The entire concept that people are walking around like this these days is beyond unnerving.

What do you think?