Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Update on the California Oikos Shooting

The booking photo for Oakland school massacre suspect One L. Goh. (Alameda County Sheriff)
The booking photo for Oakland school massacre suspect One L. Goh. (Alameda County Sheriff)
It has been reported that the shooter, was formerly from Virginia, including during the period of the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.  It was reported through a variety of media sources this evening that the shooter - the 'alleged' shooter who has confessed, and who has been identified by victims and by-standers, had legally purchased the gun used as much as six weeks before the mass shooting. 
He is reported to have been expelled, and to have been angry that he was teased for his poor language skills.  He also appears to be angry that he was attending school with younger people than himself.  He asserted - it is reported that he was 'gunning' for a female administrator, and instead shot a female receptionist, which suggests to me that he may have had a problem with women in some kind of official or authority positions.
He was reported to have had anger issues.
“It’s very, very sad,” police Chief Howard Jordan said.  “We have seven people who didn’t deserve to die and three others wounded because someone who couldn’t deal with the pressures of life.”
Police have released little background information about Goh, other than to say he had become a U.S. citizen.
A nursing professor who taught him said Goh would often tell a story about beating someone up who tried to mug him in San Francisco.
Romie John Delariman said Goh would say that he picked fights at a park when he was bored.
“Sometimes he would brag that he was capable of hurting people,” Delariman told The Associated Press.
“He said he was too old to go school with all the young people, and he said all his classmates were mean to him.”
Jordan said officials kicked Goh out for unspecified behavioral problems and that he had “anger management” issues.
This appears to have been planned.  while there has been nothing reported - so far - that suggests this alleged / confessed shooter has the kind of disabling mental illness associated with people like Jared Loughner from the shooting of Gabby Giffords and other innocent strangers in Arizona a little over a year ago, or like that of the demented gun obsessed Anders Breivik in Norway from last year's Norway shooting.  This appears to be a case only of a person who was maladjusted and unhappy, angry, not suffering from psychotic delusions beyond his control.
It is deeply disturbing to me that this man with his anger issues and his predilection for violence - at least for claims of violence - could so easily get his hands on a legally purchased firearm without challenge or difficulty.
And perhaps the most disturbing,
"Police said Goh has cooperated with officers—though he would not reveal where he left the semi-automatic pistol used in the shooting—and is being held without bail on suspicion of seven counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and other charges."
Oh, goody; no one except the gunman (alleged / confessed) knows where the gun is or if anyone else has it.

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