Gunman Opens Fire at Florida School Board

[DrPhil]

I watched this story on Anderson Cooper. The video that they showed on Anderson Cooper was CRAZY and it covered everything, even the gunshots and when the gunman fell! The gunman was CRAZY. I think he shot and killed himself. No one else was harmed because his gun shots supposedly missed.

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Gu...111873684.html

He says he was angry because his wife was fired. I commend the guy (I forgot his name but he's the one who was on Anderson Cooper--I didn't think he was the superintendent but maybe he was) who risked his life by basically saying "you want to talk to me, I'm responsible for hiring and firing" to save everyone else. He told Cooper that he said that because he wanted to put his life on the line and he knows where he's going if he was to die (which sounds awesome at first but then I thought "but do you have a family?").

The video showed one of the board members try to sneak up behind the gunman and knock the gun out of his hand with her purse. She was unsuccessful and he just knocked her down effortlessly. She wasn't harmed.

[NinjaPoodle]

Sad. I saw this on CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/14/...ex.html?hpt=T1

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I think he shot and killed himself. No one else was harmed because his gun shots supposedly missed.

I don't believe he actually intended to hit them. He was at point blank range and missed all six of them. I think he was there to demonstrate his anger and then to commit suicide.

I commend the guy (I forgot his name but he's the one who was on Anderson Cooper--I didn't think he was the superintendent but maybe he was) who risked his life by basically saying "you want to talk to me, I'm responsible for hiring and firing" to save everyone else.

I thought he was just the board chair, but superintendent sounds more likely.

He told Cooper that he said that because he wanted to put his life on the line and he knows where he's going if he was to die (which sounds awesome at first but then I thought "but do you have a family?").

The whole video was terrifying to me, but the part where the gunman pointed the gun at the board member and the board member just said, "please...don't" was absolutely chilling.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

I don't believe he actually intended to hit them. He was at point blank range and missed all six of them. I think he was there to demonstrate his anger and then to commit suicide.

I thought about that and also that he wanted to either be shot or shoot himself after terrifying some people. He isn't the first person to unintentionally miss multiple shots (I don't think he was technically at point blank range) but I can see the misses as intentional. Afterall, he had plenty of people to kill and plenty of opportunities to kill if that's what he wanted.

He had put the date on his calendar and wanted to protest how the "haves" take advantage of the poor, such as himself. His "V for Vendetta" obsession makes it all the more chilling.

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

The whole video was terrifying to me, but the part where the gunman pointed the gun at the board member and the board member just said, "please...don't" was absolutely chilling.

The "please...don't" was so chilling.

[dekeguy]

The "please...don't" was so chilling.[/QUOTE]

The "please...don't" comment reminded me of an incident that one of my Dad's troops who was at the same Post where we lived and who had served with him in Viet Nam told us about. Much to Dad's embarassment the Sergeant told us about a guy from another outfit who wandered into Dad's Company Area waving a .45 around and yelling that he was "gonna get him an officer". Dad stepped out of the Company Orderly Room and confronted the guy. The guy pointed his .45 at him and said something about how he hated officers and he was going to 'off' one. The Sergeant said "your Dad looked him straight in the eye with a stare that was hard enough to chill a blast furnace and said, 'go ahead and take your shot - but dont miss, I won't!'
The guy turned pale, dropped the .45, and started shakeing. Then your Dad took him into the Orderly Room, fed him a big cup of black coffee and told him to sleep it off on the cot in the Day Room (company lounge and reading room). He told one of the NCOs to let him sleep it off, chew his ass, and then let him go as nothing had really happened and he didn't want to screw up the guy's record. Next day a very contrite guy came in to apologise to Dad and ask if he could transfer to Dad's outfit. Dad told him to go think through his problems and if he still wanted to transfer he should come back in a week or so and they would talk.
As it turned out the guy did come back, volunteered to extend his tour, got his head screwed on straight, stayed in the Army, and made it to Master Sergeant before he retired a few years later after we heard this story.
We were all a bit surprised when we asked Dad if he knew where that guy had ended up. He said, 'You all met him, he was the Sergeant who told you the story'.

[PM_Mama00]

Wow thank you for telling that story. It actually made me tear up. I wish everyone could be like your father. Maybe there'd be less psychopaths in the world.

[Senusret I]

I told my mother (who isn't much older than Ginger) that if she is ever in the same situation, she BETTER NOT be a hero. That was so ridiculously irresponsible of her.



But funny in its absurdity.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

I told my mother (who isn't much older than Ginger) that if she is ever in the same situation, she BETTER NOT be a hero. That was so ridiculously irresponsible of her.



But funny in its absurdity.

I heard a radio story that she is selling that purse on Ebay and donating the proceeds to the injured person's family or something.

ETA: Update on that.. Ebay has pulled the purse auction..

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?se...rld&id=7852192