Too bad she did not get a chance to mature in her thinking...
"...you are prolly right in that her lefty beliefs and reaction to the shooter led to her death."
Normally, I might be offended by the tenor of this comment but I think at the heart of it you may be right. Liberal altruism sometimes clouds practical realism.
Its Brooklyn at 3am. Its dark and there are two couples. The boyfriends do not look like construction workers and the girls are way too slim. It also seems from the description that the men are walking ahead of the women and when danger starts, the men try to keep walking. I may be wrong but that seems odd. Overall, they look like easy marks. Ego and emotion ride high on the part of the amateur stick up team and incredulity, self involvement and maybe alchohol seem to cloud the judgement of the two couples.
The questions that come to mind are many. Why party in Brooklyn til 3am? Why walk the streets of Brooklyn at 3am? Why not arrange for a cab or car service (car service is the number one means of transportation by many Brooklynites). Why argue with muggers? Why are the men ahead of the women? Why push past the assailants? Why challenge them after the violence begins?
This tragedy is really the sum of many errors in judgement on both sides. When you live in a big city, the wallet is replacable. When you are pistol whipped, it helps to tell those around you that the attacker has a gun. That might aid in their decision making process. The question by the girl was tantamount to saying, "Please, blow me away."
Its sad because the worst might have been avoided. Still, it almost makes you cry when you think of girls in high schools all over the Midwest who dream of going to the big city to learn to be an actress. This one followed her dream and became a rape and murder victim as a result. I hope her family has a strong faith as they try to sort out the futility of all this. Prayers all around on this one...