Aichi police officer let suspicious man at scene of double murder get away
AICHI —
Aichi prefectural police came under fire on Saturday after they admitted on Friday that a police officer who was on the scene of a double murder on May 2 spotted a suspicious man inside the house, but let him get away while he called for backup.
Police officers found the body of 57-year-old Kihoko Yamada on Sunday May 3 under a blanket in her closet at her home in the town of Kanie, Aichi Prefecture, after her two sons were stabbed the previous day. One of the sons died and the surviving son said an unknown man had attacked him in the early hours of Saturday morning and demanded money, according to investigators.
Yamada died of head injuries caused by repeated blows with a blunt instrument, believed to be a wrench found near the bathroom sink on the first floor. The autopsy report said she was not stabbed as originally suspected, that the injuries on her back were inflicted by the blunt instrument, and that there were marks on her neck indicating she had been strangled as well. Her second son, Masaki, 26, was found dead in a bedroom on Saturday, stabbed in the back and neck, after police visited the home following a call from a colleague concerned that Masaki had not turned up for work.
Initially, police said that when an officer arrived, he found the second son, Isao, 25, stabbed and tied up inside the house.
On Friday, a prefectural police spokesman said that, in fact, the officer on the scene found Isao trying to escape from the house through a window. His legs were bound and he told the officer that the assailant, who he said spoke Japanese with a strange intonation, was still inside the house.
The police spokesman said that the officer peered through the partially open front door and saw a man dressed in black crouching inside. He ordered the man to come out, but upon receiving no response, he retreated to call for backup. By the time other officers arrived, the suspect had vanished.
Aichi police officials said Saturday the officer did the right thing in calling for backup since he did not know how many assailants might have been in the house or what had actually happened. Tomohiro Tateiwa, chief of investigations, said: “The condition of the victims took priority at that stage.”
However, critics have asked why the police kept the details about the crouching man secret from the media, saying it is yet another embarrassing incident for the police. “Making those details public so soon would have hindered the investigation,” said Tateiwa.
Crime reporter Akihiro Otani said, “When police come upon a situation like that, making sure no one leaves the scene of the crime is basic procedure. To excuse themselves by making excuses like, ‘Before we knew it, the suspect had disappeared’ shows nothing more than incompetence on their part. In this particular case, the fact that the mother’s body was found more than a day after the crime occurred, and the way details of the initial investigation were given to the media are all extremely baffling.”
Hiroshi Kubo, a nonfiction author knowledgeable about police procedures, pointed out, “It’s ridiculous that supposed professionals, whose job it is to keep the peace, have claimed that it wasn’t their mistake. It’s exactly because they knew it was their fault that they failed to admit they let the suspect slip through their fingers. They should be embarrassed.”
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smartacus
The Keystone Kops strike again. This case is getting more bizarre by the day. Although I agree partly with the cop's decision to call for backup, since he didn't know how many perps were inside, I don't understand how the suspect could get away? The cop must have left the grounds to make his radio call. Or are we supposed to believe the suspect walked out the front door and waved goodbye to the son and the officer?
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bamboohat
Well, it's good that at least a couple of J-journalists/writers are on to the absolutely lack of professionalism of the J-cops. Guy was tied, up, then he wasn't tied up. Find a body the next day.
I hope the general public express their outrage enough to make a difference.
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Alphaape
I thought that the cops had radios on their uniforms, and all they had to do was press a mike. Also, I know this may sound a bit "western" but what happened to at least shooting the person (I know this it is difficult to aim but at least in the lower extremities) to make him stop. If he shoots back, then at least you know you had someone who probably did the crime. If he didn't, then you just say you are sorry and move on.
Come on J-cops, even the worst PD's in America may have been able to stop this guy.
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herefornow
bamboohat -- nice sentiment, put won't happen. "Public outrage", really, when was the last time anything even remotely like that occurred here? The politicians, bureaucrats, and other government officials like the police have so much lowered the bar as it comes to reasonable expectation of their perfomance, that they can get away with almost anything. And, personally, I blame the "free press" here for that, which is really an oxymoron, because any real investigative journalism about the level of incompetence and out right crime in these agencies would end up with the offending reporter losing their precious press pass. This country is a joke in many regards, and this is just one of the more obvious. Way too much coziness between parties that should be healthy advesaries.
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jonnyboy
most people will just say how "taihen" this must have been for the poor officer and the case is closed. people don't really expect anything of those in authority, it seems. they are just put there by god, i suppose...
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smithinjapan
This country is extremely laughable when it comes to police and their performance. They are an utter disgrace. I feel sorry when I say this because I actually have a few friends who are officers, and they work quite hard by the sounds of it, but this kind of article and screw ups when it involves major crime are becoming a very common thing. Sure, it's all good when you're vigilant about catching and fining a person who drives over the train tracks without slowing down (stopping first), or four officers diverging on a person to ask if their bike is stolen, but they need to try taking serious crime a little more seriously.
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knews
If the officer saw a guy in black crouching there and looking suspicious, surely that's when the officer would draw his gun and say, "Put your hands on your head and stand up slowly" or something like that. Isn't that one of the reasons why police are armed? I could maybe understand if this happened in the UK where police don't carry guns...
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Disillusioned
I still reckon the surviving son is responsible. Were they an extremely rich family? Why would they be targeted and killed at random? It's way too suss to be just a robbery. The surviving son was found half way out the window and 'claims' he thought the assassin was still inside the house and now, he says the supposed assassin spoke Japanese with a strange accent implying a foreigner. Sorry, but a large spoon full of nutto would be easier to swallow than this load of BS.
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Badge213
Situational awareness, you don't know how many there is, a dead first responder is no good to anyone. As for attending to the victim, In the US there's sometimes a problem when you arrive at a crime scene but some victims are still alive, render first aid first, EMS arrives, however during that time a lot of evidence could be potentially destroyed or damaged in the rescue efforts.
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sharky1
Japan's finest at their best. One good way to draw tourists to Japan is to let them know that they have nothing to fear from law enforcement in Japan. The only problem is that all the tourists will be criminals.
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whynothow
Again? Cops? Police officers? nahhhhhhh! i say a notch above boyscouts...barely... Poor folks...
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likeitis
So if the cop walked into the house and got himself killed, I am sure all you naysayers would issue a nice "RIP"?
The cop did the right thing as far as I can tell from the information here. I am sure both he and his wife would rather you save your "RIP" for a later date.
I would say that with people like this commenting, it is not baffling at all that the cops release details in a bizarre way. You got people breathing down your neck always looking for a problem you tend to clam up. And the public, very ignorant of the dangers of policework, eat it up.
I think the real problem here is the body of the mother being found a day later, not the perp getting away when a single cop has stumbled on a situation. He is not Superman. But cops massed at a crime scene should be finding bodies faster than that.
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yomuri
i said that the second i heard about this whole thing.
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WilliB
Nooo.... you don´t say! So the brilliant Aichi cop expected the guy to stay put, while "retreated". No wonder they tried to cover that up. I hope at least they are embarrassed.
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ptolemy
For all the JT legal experts you need to understand the Jcops are powerless to do anything. First, they can only pull their sidearm when they have been shot at. Second, a lone cop at a scene with the perp not responding, any cop here or in the West would seek safety and call backup. They didn't know if he was armed or not. Three, if the cop did shoot the guy and he died the cop would face murder charges. Real police work is not Cagney and Lacey pulling guns and blasting into the crime scene. All over the world cops have their hands tied behind their backs to do anything but ask "please comply". Everyone saying in the US the cop would have shot him, think again, remember all the cases a cop did and the ACLU filed cases and now cops in the US can only pull their sidearm under circumstances where they have been shot at. I have 2 cousins who are cops, one in Chicago and the other in Dallas and I emailed them both this story and they read the comments. They both said they would have done what this cop did and the posters know nothing of the criminal justice system. Before you crucify this cop try to get the reality that the justice system hinders cops from acting, just like back home.
Their hands are tied until changes are made to give them flexibility. But of course all of you will be the first to call cops when you need them, just like every where else. The perp is protected under the law but the cops aren't.
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mindovermatter
Oh... Ok... Then I guess all those warning shots we read about every other month don't count...? One of the few countries left in the world, that still allows cops to fire warning shots, in populated city areas...
Japan's Finest hard at work again.... At what, we don't really know...
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onewrldoneppl
when the call was made, how many cops responded? aren't they supposed to travel in pairs anyway?
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Den Den
Only one should ride on a bike(although I often see two riding up the wrong way of a one way street.
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PaulieWalnuts
cue 'yakkety sax'
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Alphaape
I am not a cop, and would have done the same thing, but like I said in my original post, don't they carry walkie-talkiw/radio on their uniform? A pulled gun on a person, in this case in Japan where more than likely the perp is probably not armed would do wonderst to stop a person. Not trying to play arm chair detective, but if a cop orders you to halt, while calling in on the radio and staying in one location keeping an eye on the suspect I would think that he could have had a handle on the situation, even without shooting.
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MeanRingo
Sooooo a radio on his person would have solved this case? Well, obviously this is now a technological limitation that can never be overcome. Kind of like time travel. Theoretically, he could have carried a radio, but logistically and realistically this is impossible. So, shoganai. Nothing could have been done.
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toguro
Although I'm no cop, i do play one on JT. It would seem to me that at the very least, this lone officer would've already called in for back up, and made sure that the suspect stayed put, also calling in the description and ything else that was on scene.
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Fadamor
Horrible title for this article. It shows severe bias. The officer did not "let" the suspect get away. He followed common sense procedures when faced with an unknown and obviously dangerous situation. How may non-dangerous situations can you think of that have a bound person trying to escape out a window?
One guy wriggling out of window while his feet are bound; Another guy crouching inside wearing all black and not complying when told to come out; Who knows how many other people are hiding quietly inside? I'm doing the same thing this guy did in 100% of these situations. Back out and take up a position where I can watch as much of the building as I can and call for backup. Unfortunately a single person is only going to be able to cover two sides of a building at any given time.
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RandomTask
They dont carry radios?
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Alphaape
MeanRingo, I hope that is said in a sarcastic manner. I mean if the common citizen can watch TV on a cell phone, a simple matter of a radio with a collar device that the officer can speak into (I guess you have not been to Narita lately and seen the gurads there with such same device) could have been used. And to top that off, no need to dial, they are all set to a specific channel, just a matter of speaking into the mike with one hand on the transmit button, and the other hand with gun in hand telling said suspect to remain where they are to get on the ground.
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WilliB
Exactly. And I have seen the constabulary in my neighbourhood use exactly that device (for example when they at their usual routing, stopping bicyclists on the sidewalk). In Aichi, they don´t have this??
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likeitis
Alphaape, the cop was outside peering though the partly open front door. Are you expecting him to draw his gun, burst through the door and into a house where he knows not what is waiting, cover the perp, and then call for back up while doing so?
Or, is the order to call for backup, draw his gun, burst through (and possibly get shot, stabbed, or grabbed a second and possibly even third previously unseen perp), and then cover the perp assuming none the things in brackets occurred?
If its two, I would like to explain to you that calling for backup takes time. Further, you give up a lot of nice little bits of information if you do not separate yourself from the perp first. Bits like the cop is all alone will get overheard. Not good. And I would like to emphasize again, that it takes time explaining where you are and what the situation is, which you must do or you will have cops running blindly into a situation.
And if its one, and the cop was unsuccessful in his one man Dirty Harry type bursting into a house, then how does he call for backup? Entering a doorway with a gun with the intention of cornering a perp is FRAUGHT with complications a single cop would have to be STUPID to test.
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GW
well from reading these "news bits" it basically impossible to even guess what actually happened & the chain of events but it seems clear to me the single cop shud have(if they didnt) called in for backup when they first arrived & knew there was a burglary or something maybe even in progress.
It appears the cop didnt call in & another one gets away.
Its all round daft but then so is the reporting, we all can only guess at what happened
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RandomTask
Draw the gun, tell him not to move, call for backup with the other hand. Tell him to come out slowly with his hands up? If he runs, give chase. Try to keep him in sight at least. Shoot him if he makes any threatening moves.
Of course its dangerous, but isnt that part of the the officer's job? A man dressed in black at the scene of a known(?) double murder? Surely its worth trying to catch him.
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mindovermatter
Absolute coward!
First of all he couldn't have known there were not other victims inside.
Any PO's first responsibility is to protect and save lives (Although I doubt that's Japan's policy) So, his first responsibility was to check for other victims inside.
When he saw this guy obviously trying to hide, (don't these guys carry flashlites....?)
He should have ordered him out at gunpoint, while calling for backup on his hand held.
Just FYI, they even teach mil cops at the bases how to tell japanese, "Stop or I'll shoot," in Japanese.
God forbid this country ever experiences any real crime... god help us all...
And it's quite obvious that "likeitis" as well as this JN cop has never had any law enforcement or military training....
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likeitis
When the oxygen masks fall from the ceiling on a passenger flight, do you secure your child's mask first or your own?
The same logic applies here. As said so concisely by someone above "A dead first responder is no good to anybody."
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likeitis
And you have? Ever heard the expression "Watch your six?" Apparently not, because while pointing a gun through a door only slightly open, that is precisely what you are not doing, and nobody else is either, save for possibly....a second perp, who graps your now unholstered gun.
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hoserfella
agreed that its cowardice on the cop's part. But then what do u expect when nothing more than a group of teenagers in front of the local 7-11 is enough to start JP knees shaking?
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Kapuna
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Alphaape
likeitis, I have never had to do that and I hope I don't but I do recall taht before I fall asleep when they go over the safety instructions that they ask you to put the mask over yourself first, then the child. So by your logic, he should have protected himself first, and dropped the suspect and then checked for survivors.
Telling someone to stop and freeze while calling for backup is a safe bet. What if someone else where in there? Then his going in and helping them would have left him open to attack. So it would have probably been wise to call for back up, tell the perp to halt, and hope that he could help in time to see about the victim.
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likeitis
By my logic he had to make very certain that he himself was safe before taking any other action. Opening a door with a gun in your hand while all alone is reckless in the extreme.
I would agree if this were an alley and both were clearly in the alley and the cop could put some distance between himself and the perp and still clearly see the perp. But it was not an alley. The perp was inside and the cop was outside. The only way for the cop to cover his own back was to step back, and as soon as he does that, he cannot see the perp.
In that order? Can't be done. It takes too much time to get to a safe location and call for backup and then come back to the door to cover the perp, which remains a dangerous place to be even after making the call. And you cannot hope to help victims while covering the perp.
And I have not even mentioned the potential for booby traps when entering an unfamiliar house where a nutcase has been killing people.
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Alphaape
likeitis, I guess you are not a big fan of COPS. If you ever watched it, you would normally see a cop chasing after someone, and talking on the radio for backup. I am not advocating that the cop in question play a roll in cops and go in gung ho, but just by watching, and speaking to cops, and having done a few shore patrols in my day, a person (if they are trained) can do more than one thing at a time. Not sure how they are trained here, but cops in US are taught to advance and call for back up. A lot of times you have to take charge of a situation.
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likeitis
You are right, I am not a fan of TV shows designed to brainwash you by never showing the footage they have of the heat failing to do their jobs and perps getting away.
But since you seem to be a fan, can you name one instance from the show of a lone cop drawing his gun and bursting into a house after a tied up dude flopped out of a window?
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Alphaape
likeitis, trying to make of the situation to fit your hypothesis is probably not a good idea. I think in all of my posts, I have been saying that the cop could have easily just keyed the mike and called for help. He should not have had to run back for 3 minutes to make a call for an assist. Also, he was outside and the person was inside. So, he could have just waited outside, since the perp had to come out eventually and since he could see him from the outside, and just remain in the area near the house and wait him out. If there would have been another person inside, at least he would have waited outside and would have at least one person in a secure position before help arrived and then they could have went in.
The whole point is the cop screwed up. Why leave the scene to call for help? Also, this morning while driving in to the base, I saw the J-cops standing outside. Funny thing on their uniforms, that had radios with the mike on their shoulders. I wonder will they use them in an emergency or leave the scene to go to the koban to call for assistance in the event it is necessary.
And by the way, I am not totally brainwashed. I know a friend cop back in the states who was in a scene on the show and I talked to him about it, and he told me stuff like that happens all the time. If you have been a reader and poster to this board, you will notice that in most of the posts concerning J-cops, the biggest topic is that the difference between J-cops and some American cops, and the differnce in techinques for going after suspects.
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likeitis
Yeah, but not EVERY time. Man, you just don't get it. Next time ask your friend about not about stuff like that, but about stuff like THIS. And hold your tongue and let him speak freely. You start saying "but, but, but" and he is going to just tell you what you want to hear. Not everybody is as patient as I am. You might even link him up to the article so that he can think for himself, rather than you give him your version of events so you can get what you want to hear.
Are you really that geometrically challenged? You cannot see what is happening on the other side of a house!
Where does it say he left the scene???????????????????????????? He retreated, probably no more than 20 meters. Its called covering you butt, a thing you cannot do while standing on the lintel nose to nose with a suspect.
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Alphaape
No I am not geometrically challenged. Most houses here in Japan are small and don't really have a "back yard" so to speak that someone could run and jump the fence and get away.
Also, in a related article to this one posted on this site, it goes into the fact that it took the officer 3 minutes to go back and call for help, and the suspect got away.
No he did not have to charge into the house, he could have stayed outside since he did have a visual on the suspect. Not knowing the dimensions of the house (do you?) but leaving the scene completely to make a call for back up is not a smart move. He could have stayed outside in the area, and called for back up keeping an eye on the place.
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Alphaape
likeitis, I guess you didn't read this part. But then again, he is just another "Monday Morning Quarterback" like the rest of us here.
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Alphaape
To answer your question:
likeitis: Follow up to this article is found here on the board. I provide this for your viewing pleasure.
In my "Monday Morning Quaterbacking" for this article, I suggest that you go ahead and "punt" this one away and try again on your next set of downs. You are not making much progress with the ball on this one.
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likeitis
Gone where? From the doorstep? Does not say he "left the scene".
And one still cannot see what is happening on the far side of a house! Size hardly matters! Neither do the dimensions. A house is three dimensional object each and EVERY time, hardly even made of completely transparent material, and that is all you need to know.
Apparently you are.
The only ball that needs progess here rests on top of your shoulders.
Actually I did. Look at the source. And he is offering an opinion, not specific details ie facts, of which I will put dollars to donuts he does not know this one.
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Alphaape
likeitis, true the crime reporter was offering opinion, but tell me, how many crimes have you been the lead reporter on or how often in your daily activites do you interact with police officials? Not saying that it makes him an expert, but let me just throw this one out for you. Norman Polmar is a leading expert on Naval affairs and has written numerous books. But guess what, he never served a day in the Navy. So, I would say to you that I take the opinion of the reporter (even a Japan newspaper one) over yours.
Like I have been saying, I understand size and spatial dimensions, and since you can't get it that the officer left the scene (since the J-cops themselves admit it) do you know the dimensions of the house. I guess that expression of "one in the hand is better.." probably eludes you. But then again, I guess to defend the J-cops this is a much better scene of having one cop loose a suspect that with the case of that British woman who is missing when her alleged killer walk calmly from the scene with more cops and "back-up" present.
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hoserfella
Alphaape- Its no use arguing. Certain posters have watched tons of "Matlock" and use the word "perps". They know better than you...
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dennis0bauer
welcome to "safe" Japan
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likeitis
He was NOT an alleged killer until AFTER he escaped. But why am I not surprised that 20/20 hindsight is yet another one of your faults? The facts of that case are readily available on the net. He did not walk calmy away.
Well I suggest you take neither mine nor his, but rather, get the facts and then judge. The FACT of whether he TRULY left the scene remains to be found out. Just how far is it to "leaving the scene". Where did he go? What did he do? Those questions remain to be answered. I do not mind that you take someone else's opinion over mine. I mind that you extrapolate facts from his opinion, facts he does not back up. I mind your sloppy approach that seems more about criticism than finding the truth.
And it still remains that he had a survivor and witness to protect. But hey, if you want to think that is not important, and he should be stalking into the house to apprehend an unknown number of perps, or making circles around it making sure the perp or perps do not get out, well you just right ahead. I don't give a crap anymore.
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likeitis
As much as I disagree with Alphaape, at least he has something to say about the case.
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hoserfella
I did have something tosay about it, likeitis. About a day ago. If you'd taken a moment away from pathetically arguing yourself around in circles, you might have noticed.
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