Mrs. B - No one is questioning your curiosity and concern. If someone was shot/shot at/shooting at someone/murdered, I would definitely want to know about it as soon as possible.
Where you might have been more tactful was in your labeling of the thread. "Homicide" is a strong word and is bound to evoke an unnecessarily emotional response.
Rewording the title to something like, "Does anyone heard of a possible shooting?" still solicits the information you're seeking, but doesn't elicit such a visceral, sky-is-falling, OMGWTFinterrobang, less-than-ideally-informed reaction.