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If a murderer pointed a handgun directly at you, you'd notice, right? A recent incident in San Francisco proves that you might not - if you're staring at a cellphone.
Nikhom Thephakaysone boarded a crowded Muni train near San Francisco State University in September, and a security video now reveals that he repeatedly took out a .45-caliber gun and pointed it directly at passengers. But even after brandishing the loaded weapon several times, not one passenger noticed him,
distracted as they were by their cellphones and tablets.
Only after Thephakaysone allegedly shot and killed Justin Valdez, a 20-year-old college student who was on the train, did the oblivious passengers take notice.
"These people are in very close proximity with him, and nobody sees this," District Attorney George Gascón told the
San Francisco Chronicle.
"They're just so engrossed, texting and reading and whatnot. They're completely oblivious of their surroundings."The fatal shooting that occurred in San Francisco - and the way the alleged killer was repeatedly ignored by dozens of people - highlights the degree to which people are increasingly absorbed in cellphones and other devices, to the extent that they're endangering their own lives and the lives of others.
Comment: Was the explosion ignited by meteorites from above? There certainly has been an enormous increase in fireballs lately:
Breaking News: Meteor sightings in the 1000′s across the U.S. are reported to American Meteor Society