Yet Another Senseless Tragedy In Philadelphia

The crime scene outside the Lu family grocery store.

I challenge you to read this story and not feel sick to your stomach:

Lu Jiaxing and his family ran a restaurant in Delaware County, but the work was hard and the hours long. Two years ago, the immigrants from China's Fujian province bought a grocery store in Northeast Philadelphia, hoping life would be easier.

But the family, like many merchants in the city, lived with a sense of menace, selling goods at night from their shop at the corner of Colgate Street and Cheltenham Avenue through a slot in the protective Plexiglas barrier that is a feature in stores around the city. There was a robbery attempt at the store in November, and just last week, a resident was shot to death a half-block away in the Crescentville neighborhood.

Thursday morning, as Lu was alone in his store, there was another robbery attempt. This time, he fought back against two masked intruders. Lu, 49, was shot and killed during the struggle, which also drew in his 24-year-old daughter, Lu LiXia.

The Lu family, meanwhile, has given up on the city and plans to move to New York.

"I know Philadelphia is not safe. But I have never imagined this tragedy . . . could happen to my family. It is a nightmare," Lu LiXia said. (H/T - The Philadelphia Inquirer)

She's right.

The fact of the matter is that the city failed this family. And, as a police detective, I shoulder some of that responsibility. I cannot blame them for moving out of this despicable town, but I do feel guilty about it. No one - the city, the police, the citizens - is doing enough to stop this madness.

It's funny, but not "Ha, ha" funny.