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Farmington Man Stabbed to Death in Florida | NBC Connecticut

sad story

antokelly

thats terrible news.

shipwreck

Its unfortunate that this happened to a touring cyclist, but its important to realize that nowhere in the article does it infer that he was stabbed because he was a cyclist. It seems to be a terrible case of wrong place at the wrong time.

My deepest sorrow for a life taken.

fietsbob

Hate to say .. the chain burger joints seem to be loitered around in a lot of places .. by less than model citizens..

Louis Le Tour

My approach is to check my six o'clock position on a regular basis and sit with my back to a wall where I can see all entrances. Also, I never use a urinal in the men's room, always a stall.

indyfabz

It would be a sad story if he weren't on a bike tour.

He wasn't killed in the bathroom while taking a leak. In fact, it sounds like the victim was walking towards the attacker.

Yes, Bob. Chain fast food places are magnets. Maybe that free McDonald's wi-fi and electricity doesn't sound so appetizing right now.

Lone

don't go to florida.

ak08820

The assailant 'thought that he was using his cell phone to organize an attack on him". So, any cell phone user in the parking lot could have been attacked by this deranged person.

edthesped

Very sad indeed, it sounds like the perpetrator has schizophrenia or some other mental issues.

Maybe I'm paranoid about Fla because I read too many Tim Dorsey novels, or maybe I read Dorsey because I found Fla to be so messed up. Either way I only go to Fla to dive in the Keys or as a layover on my way to somewhere else.

fietsbob

Gov Reagan let all kinds of institutionalized crazies loose and closed the hospitals and made mental heath treatment unimportant.

then he ran for President..

Philly Tandem

Really, this calls for a mini political diatribe? Sigh.

fietsbob

It's just History of the State of California.. My Mother (1922-1999)Was a RN in one of the remaining State mental hospitals , as a surgery Nurse.

Doohickie

But how does what Reagan did in California all those years ago have ANYTHING to do with this topic?

Walter S

I think the suggestion is that more emphasis on mental health treatment would prevent some of these episodes.

rebel1916

100% accurate. I work for the Dept. of Corrections in NY and their is no place to put the crazies, and they all come to prison. Where we are ill equipped to handle them. And good news they are just a year or two from closing one of the last few remaining forensic psych centers in the state. That should really make things worse.

alan s 

Reagan was the governor of California from 1967 to 1975. This happened in Florida 40 years later. Kinda hard to connect to dots.

bikenh

Gee, the only trouble is something like this could happen anywhere. It doesn't take McDonalds or Burger King or a family restaurant or a local diner/pub to give the correct situation for something like this to occur. Remember what happened in the movie theater in Aurora, CO a few years back, or Columbine or 9/11 or... It doesn't make McDonalds or free wifi sound any less appealing to me at all. I realize it can happen anywhere at anytime.

Heck, two years ago while on a trip I stopped by the McDonalds at I-81 & US20 to go to the bathroom and fill up the water bottles and ran into a guy that wanted to 'suck me'. I ended up having getting 'held hostage' for 45 minutes until I was able to get him out of the parking lot so I could leave. I was back at that same McDonalds last week and only got 'held hostage' when a car caught on fire on the off ramp right across the street from the McDonalds...totally destroyed the car. Would I go back to that same McDonalds again, if I'm in the area...sure I would. I don't let small things like that bother me.

Anything can happen anywhere at anytime. You never know when your last breath is going to be taken, and there isn't anything you can do to make sure it isn't the next one. When it's your time to go, it's your time to go and you won't stop it no matter what you do.

indyfabz

Relax.

cycle_maven

I don't go to McDonalds.

indyfabz

I don't do Wi-Fi or go to McDonald's.

mdilthey

Neither do I anymore... This is a confirmation that it's better to stay off the radar.

BigAura

Dang, you sound kinda paranoid too!

etsisk

I don't think that maintaining situational awareness is being "paranoid", you know? It's a great world out there, and I love being out in it - but there are still a number of folks that don't, in fact, have my best interests at heart! Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. I'm a former biker (of the motorcycle sort) and went for all but two or three of 18 years without having a car or truck, putting around 500,000 miles on motorcycles during that time. Almost all of it riding solo, or nomad (but not affiliated with any club). I'm also an ex-police detective/private murder defense investigator. I know that there are a lot of unpleasant sorts out there - they're the minority, but they're out there just the same. I don't go around armed - don't see the need to do that. But neither do I go around oblivious. I think our safety is a personal responsibility and paying friendly attention to what's going on around me is nothing more than due diligence.

BigAura

lhendrick

Sad that someone lost their life. This could happen to anyone, anywhere. Not a touring issue, not a McDonald's issue. Florida does attract what appears to be a disproportionate number of loonies. Maybe weather related. I live 8 miles from that McD's, ride there all the time. Always some lost soul hanging about. I do like to keep my eyes open when out and about. Sign of the times.