MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH CRIME
When I was growing up, I often heard my parents telling us that “crime does not pay.” At that time, I was a little bit too young to understand what this crime meant. Nevertheless, a flashback to this was significant to me whenever I came across anyone breaking the law. I remember one day vividly, as we were on the streets with my friends James and Kimberly. This must have been the most frightening experience in my whole life. I never thought that the roads could be as messy as they were that day. The environment was intolerable, while the prevailing circumstances were harsh.
The instance was my first encounter with police officers in an anti-robbery operation. At first glance, I thought that was in the hands of terrorist attackers, but unfortunately, this was different. Hearing the sound of those gunshots was not healthy for us. I once thought of my family back at home and wondered why I had not opted to stay at home with them. One question kept disturbing me, “Why was I here?” within a few minutes, everyone at the scene was lying down on their berries asking for forgiveness. Ironically, all were repenting for crimes they had not committed nor knew anything about.
All over sudden, I heard sirens all over the place. I noticed two ambulances. Interestingly, I thought of myself dead out of the dispute, yet nobody and nothing had touched me. More officers could be heard and seen reporting to the scene presumably to boost the effort of their colleagues. What made me feel as though I was not to live another extra minute was the various commands “shoot,” “kill,” and “target.” Target me? Kill my friends? Shoot us? It was not easy to imagine the answers. Following this was a few minutes of silence, probably 10. There was no more shooting, but the commotion was in progress.
Twenty minutes later, we were ordered to all stand up as there was no more danger. Upon getting on our feet, what we saw was heart-breaking: seven dead people. Yes, seven. What! I could not believe my eyes. Fear and trembling were all over my body. The circumstances were unbearable. There was a continuous stream of blood from the point where the bodies were placed. All were next to the officers, breathless. Their masks were still intact on their faces.
From the information we got from the operation team, ten armed robbers had attempted to rob a nearby bank. Fortunately, the security officers in charge raised the alarm promptly. The response was coordinated in minutes; hence the gang could not escape. Due to ignorance of the surrender order raised by the police, the officers inevitably shot seven to death. Learning this took me back in time when my parents tell us that “crime does not pay.” It was evident that, indeed, it doesn’t! Once the assembly was over, we hired a taxi and headed home. The memories were too strong for us. Whenever I narrate this story, my audience has a reason not to engage in such behavior. I will never act in a manner that breaks the law. The ambiance of the law is inevitable for anyone who wants to lead a peaceful life.