Notice we have again the influence of Rousseau -- namely, the assertion that society is not natural for man, and so the "less society, the better off man is". If you believed that, you'd assume that people would be happier/better off in a small town, because they are that much closer to the freewheeling animal state that man is meant for.

Hence you often have people say "I'm so surprised to hear about a crime in such a small town..." etc. Why are you surprised? Human nature is still wounded by Original Sin -- in Podunk, Arkansas or New York, NY.

Another thing to note -- the passions were involved. Specifically, the reproductive department.


 (CNN) -- A sheriff's deputy shot and killed six people in Crandon, Wisconsin, early Sunday before dying himself under circuмstances that remain under wraps, the town's police chief said.

The assailant, Tyler Peterson, also worked part-time as a Crandon police officer.

Forest County Sheriff Keith Van Cleve said Peterson was "about 20" and was not on duty at the time of the shootings.

Schools superintendent Richard Peters told The Associated Press that three Crandon High students were killed and another three who died had graduated within the past year.

The victims were at a house party together. Residents say one of those killed is or was the shooter's girlfriend.

A survivor of the shooting was in critical condition Sunday night, and a Crandon police officer was treated for minor injuries, according to AP.

"I'm waiting for somebody to wake me up right now. This is a bad, bad dream," Jenny Stahl, mother of 14-year-old victim Lindsey Stahl told AP. "He took them all out."

Karly Johnson, 16, told AP she knew the shooter.

"He was nice. He was an average guy. Normal. You wouldn't think he could do that," Johnson said.

She said he had helped her in a class and had graduated with her brother. Peters, however, said he could not confirm whether the shooter graduated from Crandon High.

Police Chief John Dennee would not say Sunday evening how Peterson died.

Crandon Mayor Gary Bradley said the assailant had been brought down by a sniper, AP reported.

The shootings took place about 2:45 a.m. at a home in Crandon, a town of about 2,000 people 220 miles north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Neither Dennee nor Van Cleve would discuss details of the shootings or identify the victims. They said officials would address questions Monday. Dennee told AP the victims were having "a pizza and movie party."

Marci Franz, who lives two houses south of the duplex where the shootings occurred, told AP the gunshots awakened her.

"I heard probably five or six shots, a short pause and then five or six more," she said.

Then she heard eight more shots and tires squealing, she told AP.

"There's never been a tragedy like this here," she said. "There's been individual incidents, but nothing of this magnitude."

The state attorney general's office will investigate the case, Van Cleve said.

Kevin St. John, a spokesman for the state Department of Justice, said the agency's criminal investigation unit routinely investigates cases of a "statewide or significant nature."

Van Cleve called the situation "very difficult" for his officers and the community. Video Watch how the small town is handling the shock of the shooting »

Bud Evans, an elder at Praise Chapel Community Church, said relatives of some of the victims of the shooting were gathering at his church.
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Evans said watching members of the community suffer left him with "a helpless feeling."

The Crandon School District canceled classes for Monday.