AUGUST 6, 2008

       I never met the guy but I was still moved enough to attend his vigil last weekend at the Manitoba legislature.

       Of course I’m talking about 22-year-old Tim McLean, the murder victim from last week’s gruesome Greyhound bus attack.

       At press time last week we didn’t know who the victim was and details were slowly starting to come out about the person’s identity. Obviously we’d feel sorry for the person it happened to, but naturally we are more empathetic as the details come out and we learn about those involved.

       It was the apparent randomness of the attack that fateful night near Portage la Prairie that shocked not only friends and family, but strangers around the world hearing the story through various news outlets.

       Fast forward to the weekend after the attack: hundreds of people showed up for a candlelight vigil on the legislative grounds in Winnipeg. There were many tears in the eyes of attendees – including my own – and we had this bond that we felt bad for what happened to McLean.

       It’s interesting how people naturally cling together and share an emotional bond.

       The same thing happened with the other passengers on the bus that night. Most of them were total strangers but by the end of it they were like a family – crying with each other, being there for one another. Many were attached at the hip and developed strong bonds after witnessing the gruesome attack.

       Through all the negative attention this story has received (and it’s almost impossible to find a positive given how it all played out), for me, and a lot of other strangers to the McLean family, and possibly the family itself, it was good to come together as a community and lend support.

       Whether or not this brought closure to anyone involved in the situation is yet to be seen, but you’ve got to feel good about being there for a grieving family.