“For more than half an hour 38 respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens. Twice their chatter and the sudden glow of their bedroom lights interrupted him and frightened him off. Each time he returned, sought her out, and stabbed her again. Not one person telephoned the police during the assault; one witness called after the woman was dead.”
– New York Times reporter Martin Gansberg on the murder of Kitty Genovese on this date in 1964.
Writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist investigates a crime witnessed by many people, all of whom watched instead of helping the victim.
https://allaboutwritingandmore.wordpress.com/2023/03/13/the-detectives-dilemma/