Twice is coincidence....

Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times, it's enemy action. -Auric Goldfinger (from the novel by Ian Fleming)

 A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a couple of posts about the shooting murder of Hadiya Pendleton which took place in Chicago (here and here). It was notable not just because she was a promising young woman, but because she had performed at the presidential inauguration earlier in the month. At the time, I speculated that she was not accidentally shot as part of a gang conflict. I considered it possible, though unlikely, that she was specifically targeted as part of an orchestrated plan in order to provoke an emotional reaction in support of forthcoming gun control legislation.

Now comes the news of a suspiciously similar shooting in Chicago:

Two people are being questioned in the shooting death of a Janay McFarlane, who was shot to death in North Chicago hours after her little sister sat just feet away as President Barack Obama spoke in Chicago Friday about the violence plaguing the nation.

This is the second time that the following circumstances have occurred:

• A young woman was shot.
• She was shot in Chicago.
• She was allegedly shot by someone who intended to shoot someone else who was there.
• She had a connection to the President.

This is, most likely, a coincidence. However, if it happens a third time, it will be stretching the bounds of credulity. I will be watching.