Disgruntled Employee

Looking out of my office window late Friday afternoon I saw three helicopters hovering over a Santa Clara neighborhood just across Highway 101. I also noticed three Highway Patrol cars pulling over an SUV on the freeway and flashing lights throughout the office park area across the freeway from where I was sitting.

There have been helicopters before and I have seen many traffic stops and accidents, but this time something serious was going on. The helicopters hovered for more than an hour and made low sweeps over the neighborhood. Initially I didn't think much of it, but then I pulled up the Web site for KCBS, the local AM radio news station.

"3 Shot Dead in Santa Clara" read the headline on the KCBS Web page and a short article explained that a man hunt was on to find the perpetrator. This morning the story is a bit more detailed. The San Jose Mercury News reports:

"A recently laid-off high-tech employee opened fire inside the Santa Clara office where he used to work late Friday afternoon, police said, killing the CEO and two others and sparking a massive dragnet that spread throughout the area. "

So this is a recession or depression murder, perhaps a sign of more to come as people get laid off and get desperate instead of rational and work their way through the downturn. I must admit, this scares me.