There is rarely an excuse for violence. Self-defense is one reason. Getting kicked out of a party is not. As many are aware, the death of Jamail Johnson, a former AU student, can be attributed to the shooting that took place at his fraternity house.

The two attackers, Columbus Jones Jr. and Braylon Rogers, fired multiple bullets through Johnson’s head, hips and legs after the victim tried to push them out of the house in order to defend his friends. In addition to Johnson’s death, a total of 11 people were injured, including one individual who is suffering a critical head wound.

The attackers’ justification for the shooting? Reports say a verbal dispute was involved. Jones and Rogers were likely kicked out of a party they were not invited to. After all, they didn’t even attend Youngstown State University.

Details seem to be shrouded amidst the biggest tragedy-the loss of a life-yet in the end, the reason behind the attackers’ violence does not matter. No matter what words were exchanged, no matter what degree of rejection Jones and Rogers may have felt to the point of lethal hostility, it cannot be justified.

On the other hand, what could possibly spur on such violence? The motivation behind such a heinous act might never be fully understood, though we can take a couple guesses. There is always a reason, no matter how nonsensical, behind the willful killing of individuals. The attackers must have felt wronged in some way, or their pride might have been damaged from an insult. Or, maybe they possess a personal vendetta against fraternities. Rejection is a bitter pill to swallow.

Reasons aside, people need to learn how to act in mature ways, communicating their frustrations instead of letting a gun do the talking. Language is the crucial difference between civilization and barbarism. Not to mention, people who violently react out of anger echo back to the time when they were mere toddlers, in which they would scream and stomp their feet when they didn’t get their way.

Resist using violence as the catharsis to your pent-up feelings; even if it’s “just” a punch in the arm. You are conditioning yourself to think it is okay to cause physical harm. One day, it might just be too easy to lash out.

A final thought: think before you act. You never know when the time will come that you lose control and reach a point you can never return from.