Ala. shooting spree leaves as many as 9 dead

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: MSNBC

SAMSON, Ala. - As many as nine people were shot and killed Tuesday in south Alabama during a shooting spree that spanned two communities and ended in a Geneva-area parking lot.

The Web site of The Dothan Eagle newspaper reported that at least nine people were killed in the shooting.

Samson Police Chief Gary Weeks said the suspect was shot and killed. But it is unclear whether it was self-inflicted or whether he was shot by police near the Reliable Metal Products company outside Geneva.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here

The FBI bureau in Mobile sent an agent to assist the Geneva County sheriff's office and local police, a spokeswoman for the FBI told CNN. A message left by The Associated Press with the FBI was not immediately returned.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29623587/

[maxsolomon]

1. every 3 months something similar happens

and it can be anywhere in america. sometimes it's only 1 person & the shooter who die. sometimes it's 30.

we have either become numb to it, or collectively accepted this as the price we pay for our right to bear arms.

[depakid]

24. The pattern seems to be about 3-4 weeks, followed by tainted food

and mass recalls.

I know it's sprurious- but odd and true nevertheless.

[DBoon]

29. correlation != causation

both are facts of living in an America long dominated by Republican values. While not directly connected to each other, mass shootings and tainted food recalls share a common origin.

[depakid]

38. yet the pattern continues

In a couple of weeks- we'll see another American food recall.

And despite the obvious evidence- this time- like last, no one will end up accountable- no one prosecuted and in prison.

[AlphaCentauri]

44. could these pattern have something to do with the number of movies

released last year were serial killers are the main attraction?

[babylonsister]

2. Wow. Are mass killings becoming more frequent here? Seems so

to me.

[RJ Connors]

23. As the economy worsens people become more and more

despondent so yes, I think we are in for a lot more of this kind of thing.

[Tesha]

3. Another day, another mass-killing in America. "So it goes." (NT)

[Faygo Kid]

4. Whoa. Time to check the news. Wow.

Whoa, indeed.

[oldtime dfl_er]

5. These aren't kids killing kids

These aren't Columbine-like disaffected youth killings. Lately it seems they've been workplace oriented, or related to the hopelessness of unemployment and a wrecked economy. Another legacy of the Bush regime.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

8. It's tragic that what's happening in the economy (and the world in general) right now...

...wasn't happening to voters in the 2004 election. I wonder where we'd be right now if Bush's "mandate" had been limited to one term. The current situation has deep roots that played out over time. There were too many pigs at the trough. Right around the time that Junior was set to walk away without a scratch...he walked away without a scratch.

My desire for Barack Obama as our two-term president extends W-A-Y beyond the fact that I am a registered Democrat. He will be spending the majority of his first term cleaning up the mess that Bush left behind. I'd like to see him in a FULL 4-year term, without the current baggage.

Although many will say that baggage forges greatness. Right now, stopping the bleeding will be a major accomplishment.

:patriot:

[xchrom]

6. horrific. nt

[CLANG]

7. Probably lost his job, among other problems

was a little off, and then he blew up.

[geckosfeet]

20. No fucking excuse for shooting people like that. None.

[CLANG]

51. Who's making excuses?

And the news since has validated my points.

[geckosfeet]

52. You were. Losing his job is not an excuse nor an adequate reason.

There is no adequate reason for what he did.

[CLANG]

54. I was not making excuses. There usually are reasons for these things.

[espiral]

9. re: OP

RIP.

I am still not desensitized. The horror is unspeakable.

[dcindian]

10. If only they allowed guns on campus.

Then this wouldn't happen......... Oh ... wait.

[Plucketeer]

12. Yessir!

If we'd make it a LAW that everyone had to pack heat - NONE of this would happen! RIGHT (as in GOP)!

We're SUPER-CAREFUL not to let anyone carry weapons on board a plane. Wouldn't want someone killing several thousand by overtaking the plane by force. BUT.... let thousands of individuals kill other thousands - one at a time - well - what's the harm???

NRA Bozos->:crazy:<-NRA intellect

[villager]

37. If only the dead children were packing concealed weapons!

Surely they could've outdrawn the homicidal maniac and all would be well!

[MajorChode]

36. Only more gunnuts can protect us from the gunnuts

Why can't more people understand that simple concept?

[msanthrope]

11. 10 dead, says the update. Those poor victims and their families.

Why? Why kill your fellow humans?

[Rider Haggard]

13. I have a nephew-in-law (if that's a word) with family down there.

I can only pray they are safe. That said, there are far to many of these things happening lately. The church shooting and now this all within a couple of days. What to do?

By the way, hello, DU! Lurked for a while and this hit close to home so had to post.

[UpInArms]

14. Welcome to DU, Rider Haggard!

glad to have you here with us and keep posting!

:hi:

[OhioChick]

15. Welcome!

:hi:

[Rider Haggard]

19. Thanks, UpInArms and OhioChick.

I love DU's Latest Breaking News. It's second only to Google news for my news addiction. :)_

[Bluebear]

16. I am shocked that we haven't been lectured in this thread yet.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

28. What would you like to be lectured about?

[Rider Haggard]

31. Who are "We?"

People who go on rampages with firearms?

No. There's no lecturing to be done here. One of the first victims was a child. At this moment, I don't care what he used. A hammer or the Auto that the local sheriff is reporting.

This is just another useless tragedy that WE, as a nation, have to address and there are many areas of our current society that need to be addressed in situations like this.

[Bluebear]

35. The minute something like this happens...

someone usually comes along afraid that "the Dems" are going to steal their guns.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

39. A close inspection though will reveal a bunch of gun grabbers making light of...

the tragedy to make a political point.

David

[primavera]

40. And why are you here, David?

And on every other thread related to gun tragedies? To express your condolences? Or to make light of a tragedy to advance a political point?

[babylonsister]

41. +1. nt

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

43. For the discussion why else?

Really just something to do in between hands on Pokerstars.

David

[Bluebear]

53. +1

[Viva_La_Revolution]

17. more details via KO...

According to the sheriff of Geneva, 10 dead including the shooter. First victim was shooter's mother. At least one cop wounded. Shooter killed himself. 30-something white male.

[Rider Haggard]

18. Rachel Maddow is giving more details.

It sounds as if the guy was shooting at pretty much anything that displeased him.

Cops, two or three different stores, a work place and family.

This sort of thing needs to be looked at and we need to figure something out to make these incidents more rare than common.

[chollybocker]

21. He's lucky the Constitution protects his inalienable right to shoot at complete strangers.

Otherwise, this would be considered insane. <schnark>

[Pavulon]

26. I think murder is illegal

I always wonder how the swiss manage not to kill each other. Maybe their laws are more "serious" than ours. Oh yeah, they address root cause of violence.

Get back to me when no one ODs on heroin and you cant buy ass on the strip. I think that is banned too.

[AlbertCat]

27. Surely he knew his mother.

So you see you can shoot people you know as well as complete strangers.

[Dukkha]

22. get ready, this is just the beginning

The country is in it's worst shape in decades. People are very angry, desperate, increasingly unstable, and armed.
The 24 hour hatemongering in the media is certainly help fanning the flames of violence as well.

[Tejas]

33. Hopefully not

Won't be long before school is out + a hot muggy summer, unemployment will edge higher, a hurricane or two.....

[primavera]

47. I think you're absolutely right

People are very much on edge, full of hostility and the need to find someone to blame their troubles on, and are buying guns like hotcakes. Put it all together and it makes for an extremely volatile brew.

[RJ Connors]

25. "A message left by The Associated Press

with the FBI was not immediately returned".

I've always wondered about these kinds of statements. So does that mean that the call was returned, just not in a very timely fashion? Or could it mean that the call was returned much later, but you're just not going to tell us about it?

It would seem that a more clear statement would be, A message left by The Associated Press with the FBI was not returned. (immediately or otherwise)

[dixiegrrrrl]

30. Apparently he killed his family, set fire to his mother's house,

then went on shooting spree, killing 9 people, then ended up dead.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/03/coroner_gunmans_day_of_bloodsh.html

[Historic NY]

32. guns don't kill, family member with guns kill people......

:sarcasm:

[Blue_Tires]

34. i hope the victims' families find peace somehow

[Justyce]

42. How old was the shooter?

Just curious, don't see it anywhere in the article though I could've missed it...

[rvablue]

45. MSNBC website reported 27 years old. n/t

[Justyce]

46. Thank you. nt

[Mojorabbit]

49. apparently

he had police training

[fascisthunter]

48. it's gonna get worse as the economy worsens

apparently the right to bear arms(AKA=rights to manufacture more guns) is much more important than public saftey, right to form a union, the rights of gays to marry, and our rights to p[rivacy.

[Zorra]

50. Probably another Limbaugh loving RW wacko driven to insanity by

the hate spewed from the mouth of the dittohead master and leader of the republican party.