A week and a half after the shooting at Trolley Square, most of the pieces of the puzzle are in place. We know all the facts of that fateful Feb. 13 evening when 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic went on a shooting rampage that left six people dead and four more wounded. But we are still missing the most important piece – why?
Salt Lake City police successfully discovered when and where Talovic purchased the shotgun he used in the murderous rampage; it’s only a matter of time before they trace the .38-caliber handgun. But they’ve yet to discover what caused the young man to turn those guns on his fellow human beings. Over the past week, we’ve learned many details of his life, but nothing conclusive enough to tell us what thoughts were in his head as he approached Trolley Square with a backpack full of ammunition.
We human beings are not content with the superficial questions of action; it’s not enough that we know the who, what, where, when or how of any particular deed – we need to know the why. This desire to know is what compels us to delve into Talovic’s childhood in Bosnia-Herzegovina where he fled with his family from Serb military forces. It’s this force that turns us to his friends, families and acquaintances seeking answers.
It is the craving for motive that can lead some to resort to extrapolation and simplifications. Within 24 hours of the shooting, posts across the blogosphere attributed the motive to Talovic’s ties to Islam. It’s true he is a Bosnian Muslim, but to conclude his actions are purely a product of his religion are pre-emptive to say the least. Police investigators have stressed repeatedly that no evidence yet indicates religion was a motive in the shooting. Moreover, they’ve been quick to dispel rumors that Talovic was shouting “Allah akbar” (“God is great”) as he carried out the shooting.
It is not a mere tabloid fascination that compels us to learn what we can about Talovic. It is a genuine attempt to discover the reason why this young man decided to deal out so much death, grief and suffering to so many people with an apparent smirk on his face. Discovering his motives – no matter how irrational they may be – is part of the healing process. It has everything to do with resolution, more than titillation.
The motive helps us make some sense of a senseless act. Sadly, real life is not always like the movies and TV shows we are all accustomed to. Sometimes there is no satisfactory rationale for irrational action.
So far, police have found nothing to answer our questions. It’s likely Talovic took that final piece of the puzzle with him to the grave. In these situations, we need to pull together as a community to let the healing process run its course, and remember that sometimes there are still loose ends at the conclusion of a case.
