# Strange statements from officials **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 4, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257 "2009-11-04T05:04:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/1 "2009-11-04T05:04:27Z")
Just looked at this article about four persons killed in a home in North Carolina: > [@](#): > > Police on Tuesday were investigating the apparent gunshot deaths of four people in a home in the upscale Haymount neighborhood of Fayetteville, North Carolina, authorities said. > > Police were called to the residence at 8:08 p.m. Monday by someone who reported there were bodies inside, Police Chief Tom Bergamine said in a news release. > > Bergamine said police were able to see the body of a woman in the house before entering. Once inside, officers also found the bodies of an older man and two juveniles – a male and a female. Police did not name the four. > > **“At this time, there is no reason to suspect foul play; however the investigation remains in its early stages,”** the release says. Bolding is mine. So, they died of natural causes? Four people were killed while they were all cleaning their guns and they unexpectedly went off? It was a hunting accident? Just seems to me that four persons killed at one time is pretty much the definition of foul play. Now, had they said, “There is no reason to suspect this was caused by an outsider” I could go with that, since it seems like it might have been a murder/suicide. Still foul, though. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/2 "2009-11-04T06:47:11Z")
Carbon monoxide poisoning comes to mind as a way four people could die without foul play. ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/3 "2009-11-04T07:43:57Z")
That was my first thought, too, but it does say ‘apparent gunshot deaths’ in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/4 "2009-11-04T09:03:24Z")
Yeah, the “apparent gun shot wounds” trigger a foul play reaction in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/5 "2009-11-04T10:16:57Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Just seems to me that four persons killed at one time is pretty much the definition of foul play. Now, had they said, “There is no reason to suspect this was caused by an outsider” I could go with that, since it seems like it might have been a murder/suicide. Still foul, though. _Hey, I shoot them up fair and square!_ ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/6 "2009-11-04T16:56:27Z")
Either there’s a hell of a Darwin Awards story here involving ricochets and “watch this!” or else someone’s operating on auto-pilot and not really thinking about what he’s saying. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/7 "2009-11-04T23:22:46Z")
Swine Flu + Bad Luck? I’m not joking. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/8 "2009-11-05T06:53:39Z")
> [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](#): > > That was my first thought, too, but it does say ‘apparent gunshot deaths’ in the OP. Doh! :mad: In my defense, I was an idiot, very likely still am. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/9 "2009-11-05T14:51:32Z")
> [@SlowMindThinking](#): > > Doh! :mad: In my defense, I was an idiot, very likely still am. Just keep on thinkin’, you’ll get there eventually. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/10 "2009-11-05T15:03:19Z")
Maybe it’s just a euphemism, meaning that they’re neither ruling it in or out? It gives the impression they’re approching the case purely procedurally, thus reassuring the public, kind of like when the Brits say “…is currently cooperating with authorities”? ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/11 "2009-11-05T18:19:33Z")
Here’s another one. About a week ago, in the first story I saw about that convicted rapist who was arrested after they found six bodies in his home, at the end of the story they said (not an exact quote) “the police are now looking into the possibility that he is a serial killer.” Gee, do ya think? ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/12 "2009-11-05T18:40:08Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Here’s another one. About a week ago, in the first story I saw about that convicted rapist who was arrested after they found six bodies in his home, at the end of the story they said (not an exact quote) “the police are now looking into the possibility that he is a serial killer.” > > Gee, do ya think? Well, there is the possibility he could have killed them all at the same time. Therefore making him a parallel killer. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/13 "2009-11-05T18:48:04Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Well, there is the possibility he could have killed them all at the same time. Therefore making him a parallel killer. I think that’s called “spree” killer. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/14 "2009-11-05T18:51:27Z")
The rapist could also be a grave robber, rather than actually having murdered anyone. Highly unlikely, mind you, but was something to be ruled out. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/15 "2009-11-05T19:29:30Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > I think that’s called “spree” killer. woosh. geek humor… ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/16 "2009-11-05T19:56:46Z")
Years ago a man was arrested in Washington, DC, foir trespassing onto the White House Lawn armed with a katana. The police official quoted in the Post said he was charged with “entering White House Grounds with a prohibited weapon.” Of course that immediately brings to mind the question, with what kinds of weapons ARE you allowed to approach the President? It was just an odd statement, why not “armed trespassing” or something? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/17 "2009-11-05T20:00:13Z")
Not officials, but a paraphrase of officials. When the Aldritch Ames case first broke, the headline was “Officials say there might be spies in the CIA”…really? Spies? In the CIA? Alert the media! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/18 "2009-11-05T21:29:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Police on Tuesday were investigating the apparent gunshot deaths of four people… So were there extra holes in these people or not? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-statements-from-officials/516257/19 "2009-11-05T22:13:12Z")
Doesn’t foul play actually mean murder in this context? - I mean, would a suicide pact be classed as foul play?