Tuesday, November 25, 2008

a little too much excitement in san mateo...

this morning started like any other...except that i remember talking to my uncle and telling him how there was a shooting last nite 4 blocks away from where i was having dinner...we were in the financial district in san francisco...how much safer can you be??

i told him that no place is safe anymore...

fast forward 1 1/2 hours...it is 9:30 or so...and i head out to my car...as i am driving out of the driveway...i look to my right...and see a cop car...i think that this is a little strange...then look left...it looks clear...so i proceed out of the driveway...turning left...only to be blocked by two other cop cars...i stopped at that point...wondering...should i keep driving? do i stop?
a police officer frantically motions for me to keep driving...

as i'm driving away...i had no idea that i would not be back in my home until a little after 4pm...

returning to my street 30 minutes later...my street was completely blocked off...no one could drive in...i parked my car...and stood waiting for the news...

15 minutes earlier there were gun shots...pop pop pop...it was like a movie...and then silence...so surreal...

as the minutes passed...different stories emerged...the bank on el camino had been robbed..and then the robbers ran and invaded a home on my street...four doors down from my house...four doors!!

now the story is that there was no bank robbery...just a home invasion...as the robber barged in...the mother was able to txt her husband...who called the police...

one neighbor i stood by...his room mate was still in the apartment when there was a knock on the door...he answered it to find snipers at his door needing to come in and set up...

our one tiny block...blocked off at each end with police yellow tape...had about 25 police cars, the swat team, the sniper team & hazmet services...

as the stories unveiled...the family that had recently moved in...two children ages 1 and 3...were home with their mother...as the mother was throwing her children out of the window...she was shot in the back...and later died...

what is our world coming to? san mateo has got to be one of the safest neighborhoods you could live in...this was so random...

we were finally allowed back into our homes a little after 4pm..as i sit in my living room...half the block is still taped off...police officers are everywhere...forensics are here...news reporters from every station...

and all i could think of is this poor mother...24 years old...risking her life to save her two young children...

my phone has been ringing off the hook...as people are either watching the news on tv...or have driven by my neighborhood...everyone wants to make sure i'm ok...and once again i am reminded...of how blessed i am in my life...with so many people that love me...

my prayers are with these two small children...and their father...who now must work through this ordeal and the loss of their mother/wife...

we are really living in crazy times...and this is a reminder...that no one is promised tomorrow...live your life each day as best you can...

1 comment:

Corey Matelli said...

That's so crazy. I saw the story online, but didn't bother to read it. I just knew it was tragic. Tonight I saw the story again online, only it had a picture of the house. I actually recognized the house, or at least thought I did. Then I read the story and confirmed that it was on your street.

So sad. I'm glad you're ok, but very heartbroken for how it turned out. Thankfully the kids were saved.