Shane Short

Ronald Shane Short
July 17, 1972- March 10, 1995


My son was shot and killed March 10,1995 at the age of 22 yrs, 7 months, and 22 days. We were told
for 33 days that this was self-inflicted though we all knew better. Shane wrote poetry and I have
many of his and mine on his site, Lighthouse 4 Jesus. His fav saying was " you gotta love yourself
for others to love you and I am in Loooooooooooove with myself." We told the officers this and 2 of
the officers did quit over this coming to us and telling us it definitely wasnt self-inflicted.
There were 6 other young plp there that nite and none of them were tested for gun residue. Someone
had come to tell my only other child, Shawn that there was an argument and a gun was out and he was
running in the back door when the gun went off. Ginger (GF) screamed and ran out of the living room
(only 1 door in and out of this room) followed by Shanes best friend Brian, screaming and eyes
bulging out of his head. Shawn ran in and saw Shane laying on the couch, a double barreled shotgun
across his body, on top of both arms laying cross ways across his chest? Shawn threw the gun, picked
Shane up, screaming and kissed him. He then proceeded to wreck the room and ran outside, trying to
get to her sitting in the police car to kill her. She was told to not come to the funeral but did go
to the cemetery immediately after and left the bottle of wine he had bought for their dinner that
evening empty with a red bow tied around it and 2 wine glasses for me to find. The girl that she had
taken with her signed an affadavit that Ginget poured the wine into both glasses, toasted Shanes
grave, drank 1 glass and poured the other into his grave, emptied the bottle into his grave and left
it there as a memento for his mom. (me) The police still did nothing? 33 days later, we received the
autopsy report saying further investigation needed, 000% self inflicted, 000% drugs or alcohol. I
was told even pot would have shown up if he had smoked any in the past 36 days. The police didnt
even finger print the gun, didnt even take the gun that nite???? I also had Nevada and Calif police
dept look at the crime scene pics and the measurements, etc. They said Shane would have had to be
7`6 for that gun to have been used and there would have been at least 87% gunpowder residue on his
hands? There was 0000???? Shane was 6"2 . When I got this report, I dont even remember 2 yrs of my
life but I drove to the police station screaming explain this????? The officer who had been the head
detective told me they had gotten the report also and they had made a mistake!!!!! They didnt do
residue tests of the plp there that nite and now it was too late!@!!!! I dont even remember what I
said or did but know or was told they called some of my family to come get me cause I tried to
strangle the detective??? This girl called my house for 2 yrs asking for Shane, then laughing and
hanging up, left me letters on his grave, horrible letters. I would take them to the police ,
nothing was ever done nor ever will be??? They say its a public place but it isnt? My family have
lived here many many yrs, my dad was born and died here, as did his dad. The whole front of the
cemetery belongs to us, plots bought when I was born in 1955 cause they said I wouldnt live. She
couldnt say she was at the next grave? We own the whole front??? She has done so many cruel things
thru the yrs. I had open heart at 38 yrs old in 1993, 2 yrs before Shane was killed. In less than 6
months, I had 5 heart attacks, documented ones, then 2 more the next 6. I have had 3 strokes now
with the last 1 hitting abt 3 weeks ago. I dont know why God is bringing me thru these cause I am so
ready to go be with Shane. I had 2 nervous breakdowns, admitting myself into a depression hospital
both times. I knew as I read the part abt God taking u somewhere or u knew that there was somewhere
u could go and never have to talk or hear anything again, I knew the very room you were referring
to??? I knew that it was like my brain was a house with rooms and I could go into this one tiny room
and close the door and never have to face reality again? I came to myself 3 different times with
over 100 zanax in one hand and a coke in the other w/o any remembrance of getting them? Yet, I heard
a voice say what about Shawn? What abt Colton???? This brought me back and I know it was Gods voice.
Colton is Shanes illegetimate child that he didnt even know abt til he was 2 1/2 cause we lived in
another state. So we didnt even know til we moved here abt Colton. His other gps and I fought SS to
get him Shanes SS. As soon as they got the backpay (5 yrs) and started getting the cks, they took
him away from us? Anyway, this girl even broke into Coltons GPS storage room when they moved out of
state for a few months and stole Shane and Coltons things that I had given him from there? She did
go to jail for this where she first told there was a struggle for the gun and it went off but it was
an accident???? Why, then, did she lie? Shawn saw her run out of the living room the instant the gun
went off but her report of that nite says she was at the very bk of the apt in her bedroom???? No
justice will ever be served for my precious Shane. I ran into this woman who took my son from me the
other day in Walmarts. I didnt recognize her at first but when I did, I tried to get to my niece as
fast as possible cause I tht I was going tp pass out? As I turned, she had the audacity to speak to
me!!!!!! Saying Hi Donna??????????? I lost it completely then and if her bf hadnt grabbed her and
ran with her, I thk I would have killed her with my bare hands???? Many of Shanes friends have
called her the last 2 days telling her she had better NEVER speak to any of my family again,
especially me!!!!!! I was unble to drive, walk or even speak for hours after this??? Shawn had to be
called to come and drive us home. I went to every pawn shop in this town the 6 days I waited for my
son to be brought back from the Arkansas Crime Lab. None would sell me a gun cause they knew and
they all told me she wasnt worth it. I finally found one of my dads guns which the family had hid
from me and went and sat across from her house in a field. I had her right in the sites of the gun
and tried with all my power to pull the trigger? I had been raised hunting and can shoot a snake
outta water. My sons were raised in Calif and never held a gun in their lives. I couldnt pull the
trigger no matter how hard I tried. I knew then that it wasnt in me to kill another human being,
even one that had taken my life away forever.


Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want
to lose.
If you suppress grief too much, it can well redouble.



Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal
Grief can`t be shared. Everyone carries it alone. His own burden in his own way

Don`t wish me happiness-I don`t expect to be happy it`s gotten beyond that, somehow.
Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor-I will need them all
Grief is the price we pay for love.


If anyone knows who wrote the poem below, please let me know so I can obtain permission to use it
and give them the credit for writing this or remove it, whichever they choose. I write poetry and so
did Shane and I let mine and his be used as long as the copyrights are intact. I dont mean to
intentional infringe on anyone`s copyrights and wish to give credit to the author. TY, DJ French


Some people have come to the misunderstanding that all I do is sit around, crying and wringing my
hands, unable to funtion through my grief for my child. I`m about to try to set the facts straight
for myself and other grieving parents. We DO go on with our lives. Are you ready to hear how a
typically " normal " day goes for us? Take a deep breath and start reading. We get up in the
morning, go through our daily bathroom routine, decide what to wear for the day, go to work, choose
where and what we are going to eat lunch, come home ( for those who work outside the home ) do
household chores, decide what to have for dinner, play with kids/grandkids/pets ( if we have them )
make and keep doctor/denist appointments, help kids with homework ( if we have them ) read the
paper, watch TV, walk the dog, go visit relatives/friends/neighbors, run errands, replace a burned
out lightbulb, go shopping for groceries/ Christmas/Birthdays, sit at the computer reading email,
surf the net, write to friends, talk on the phone,eat a night-time snack, take a bath/shower, go to
bed and try to sleep. What? Did you say that sounds like a typically "normal " day in YOUR life?
Imagine that. Well, guess what folks? We are just like you. Our day is pretty much the same as
yours. The only thing is, in everything we do, in everything we think about, we always carry with
us, the underlying feeling of sadness. We can be happy, even laugh at jokes or funny movies. But
that happiness will never be joy again, because something is missing. If we had lost an arm or leg,
not a single person would tell us to get over it and get on with our lives or expect us to get back
to normal. Why not? Because our loss would be visible one for the whole world to see. Yes we could
use crutches or prosthetics, but we would never again be completely back to the way we were before,
And THAT would be acceptable. But let our loss be that of a child and everything is different. Our
sadness isn`t on display as a missing limb would be. We look normal so therefore, we are expected to
act to act normal. If we have to grieve, it must be under the cover of darkness, lest we be told,
enough of this self-pity! It`s time to get back to normal now! You`ve grieved long enough! When you
say those things to us, You are telling us to forget our child. We could not forget our children any
more than we could forget we were missing an arm or leg. Some days are more difficult for us than
others. Holidays, Birthdays and Anniversaries really hurt. But we also can`t forget the days that
Might have been like weddings, first jobs, grandchildren that we will never be. When we see a child
the same age, as ours would have been, we wonder, What would our child have looked liked at that
age? When we catch a glimpse of a slender, longhaired blond girl and our hearts catch in our throats
because for a split second, we think, There she is! and just as quickly, the flash of joy is
replaced by sadness: It isn`t her. Our minds that were but a couple of seconds ago, remembering our
shopping list, now remember our loss. This remembering isn`t something we consciously make ourselves
do. We don`t want to hurt like this anymore than you want us to hurt. We try to go about our daily
lives as best we can. When thoughts of our child sneaks in unexpectedly, It hurts, When we see so
many reminders of our loss, we hurt. When we platitudes to get over it and get on with our lives, we
hurt. For the rest of our lives, we will live and we will hurt. There`s no getting around grief.
Ignore it long enough and it comes back doubled. Well, as you can see, we do get on with our lives
and they`re pretty much the same as yours. Only, in our lives something is gone. In your lives
something isn`t. Aren`t you the lucky ones? We think so. You see, we used to be you. We envy you
more than you could ever imagine. We now have, the knowledge learned only be the tragic loss of a
beloved child. Ignorance is Bliss, What I wouldn`t do to be ignorant again.
Author Unknown to me




I was born on Feb 10.1955 1 month early.My due date was March 10. Shane left this world on the day
that i was due. He wrote me a poem on my 40th birthday,1 month before his death and I want to share
this, GB,DJ


FEB 10th 1995 Mom
For 40 years you have struggled to survive thru it all, with your family and friends,
with a tender heart,whose love knows no end.
Caring for us with each and every passing day.
Showering us with love and affection in each and every way.
Now we are grown, you made us two fine young men.
We thank you for the happiness, all the smiles and grins,
Thank you for a childhood that could have been no better,
Giving us everything we wanted,your desires didnt matter.
Nothing can ever tear you away from the ones you love.
I can only close my eyes and thank the Lord for sending you from up above.
Sometimes our words and actions cause each other pain,
But always we forgive and forget and the sun chases away all the rain.
My love for you will never die, in any way, shape or form.
Happy Birthday, I love you Mom. Signed your first born,
with love, Ronald "Shane" Short