My Hometown

Market Street in Clinton, Tennessee, in the 1940s. 

The Christmas Parade in my hometown,  this photo was made on Main
Street in Clinton, Tennessee.  I am in this group, closer to the front and
I remember it like it was yesterday.  My grandmother made
my beautiful blue velvet outfit.

My hometown of Clinton, Tennessee, has been in shock since yesterday.  One of our residents was shot and killed yesterday while working at a pawn shop.  My sister had called me and said something "major" was going on in the town.  She had gone to the grocery store and saw multiple emergency vehicles in different directions.

A 63 year old resident had gone into a local pawn shop and asked to be shown a shotgun.  This customer had brought in shells from home for the shotgun, loaded the shotgun and struggled with the employee, shooting him at close range.  Larry, the pawn shop employee,  was 58 years old and was in my brother's Clinton High School Class of 1971.  The other employee in the shop shot the man as he was fleeing the shop.

The injured man drove home, his wife seeing the gunshot wounds thought he had tried to commit suicide and she called 911 ten minutes after the shooting.  The police recovered the shotgun from the pawn shop and the man was airlifted to a Knoxville hospital. 

I am reporting from TV reports and newspaper accounts. It was reported the assailant was a "preacher" and worked for Habitat for Humanity. There are so many unanswered questions as to why this man shot Larry.  I keep thinking Clinton is an innocent town, things like this don't happen in Clinton.  This is Mayberry, well ... it used to be.  I truly do realize things like this happen, even in Mayberry and I am so shocked and saddened by it all.  So totally senseless.  Why?