The kind of horrific tragedy that never happens here — the kind we read about from a distance with fascination, sorrow and gratitude that it wasn’t us, the kind that leaves everyone wondering what the world is coming to — has visited Skagit County.

Six people are dead, four others are wounded, and thousands are forever touched and changed by the violent events of this week.

As a community, it is difficult for us to get our heads and hearts around this much instant emotional trauma. We are staggered by the monstrosity of it, the random senselessness, the unfathomable human condition that would compel someone to, one day, just start killing and not stop. We struggle to understand the fateful sequence of events and choices that put other people in harm’s way at a certain time on a certain day.

We are full of questions that may soon turn to accusations. How did this happen? Who is responsible? Could it have turned out differently? What will the consequences be? What about accountability? A part of us requires retribution, but we will not agree on what form that should take.

We feel a near-desperate thirst for news, details, immediacy. We are shocked and saddened at what we learn, but we feel a need to learn it.

We find ourselves in an intense international spotlight, intrigued and distressed at this strange kind of celebrity that we would rather not endure. We get phone calls and e-mails from distant friends and relatives, wanting to know if we are OK.

We will discover, if we have not already, that many of us are somehow connected to or know one of the victims.

We grieve at losses that we can’t imagine but are felt bone-deep.

We cycle through exhausting emotions: outrage, curiosity, anxiety, numbness, extraordinary condolences for families.

We relate as individuals but we react as a community.

This newspaper’s primary role is bringing you the best information we can as soon as we know it, first online at our http://www.goskagit.com Web site and then in print.

But we want to do more than that if we can. We would like to help members of the community share their experiences with the victims and their feelings about the events of the past few days.

If you were touched in some way by this tragedy or want to share memories about the victims or offer condolences, please feel free to post your comments on our Web site, at http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/a_communi/. We hope you will be moved to add your voice to others.

• Editorials reflect the consensus opinion of the editorial board and are written by its members: Publisher L. Stedem Wood, Editor Don Nelson and City Editor Dick Clever.