A Deadly Game

Jean Charles de Menezes, age 27, last moments alive were spent (according to his cousin Alex Alves)"playing around with a friend in a game of chase outside the station" at Stockwell Tube in London. Alex Alves has yet to identify "the friend" with whom Menezes was playing with. This game of chase, done by a nearly 30 year old man, came about when the electrician was on his way to fix an alarm system. The electrician was wearing a zipped up heavily padded jacket, even though the weather was mild. His last game came 15 days after terrorists bombed 3 tube stations (such as the one Menezes was playing chase near) killing 56 and wounding hundreds and one day after a similar terrorist attack to tube stations left London basically unscathed, but even more psychologically traumatized.

Menezes lived in a building that contained 8 flats that shared a common front door. The police, who followed and eventually killed Menezes following his last sprint that had him vaulting a turnstile and rushing to an incoming train, were watching his building because one of the suspects in the bombings the day before had recently been staying in Menezes building.

Something is seriously wrong with this picture. Perhaps London police have been too quick to apologize. Was it a case of simply being foolish that led to Menezes death? Menezes cousin would like us to believe that Menezes was enjoying a light hearted frolic in the moments before his death. Possibly Mr. Alves needs to be spending more time with the police, than with the press. To suggest anyone of Menezes age, living in the heart of a city having endured not one, but two terrorist attacks, would be running about in play on his way to work, wearing the clothing he wore, having the job and knowledge he had is ludicrous.