Thanksgiving Shooting in Florida leaves 6 year old girl dead

A family in the Jupiter region of Palm Beach Florida has little to be thankful for today as they mourn the loss of 4 family members, including 6-year-old Makayla Sitton.





At the time of the Jupiter Palm Beach shooting massacre, 17 friends and family had gathered at the Sitton home at 104 Via Veracruz. At this time, authorities have no idea as to why 35-year-old Michael Merihige of Miami opened fire on the house full of thanksgiving revellers. Palm Beach Police have now issued a nationwide manhunt for 35-year-old Michael Merihige of Miami who was last seen leaving the scene in a 2007 blue 4 door Toyota Camry with Florida license plate number W42 7JT. 35-year-old Michael Merihige is reported to live on S.W. 88th Avenue in Miami and he is considered armed and dangerous.

Shortly before the Thanksgiving shooting which left 4 family members dead, Makayla's father, Jim Sitton, had tucked his 6-year old daughter into bed Thursday night. He said she was eager for her performance in the Nutcracker on Friday. An upset and grieving father, Jim Sitton told local television crews "God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body."




Dead at the scene of the Florida Thanksgiving shooting were Michael Merihige's sisters, Lisa and Carla Merhige, as well as Ramon Joseph. 6-year-old Makayla Sittondied later in hospital. A fifth man is currently in hospital as a result of injuries sustained during the Palm Beach Florida Thanksgiving shooting.

Jason Rodriguez Arrested in Florida Shooting

40 Year old Jason Rodriguez, as well as a former coworker of Jason Rodriguez were arrested in connection with a Florida Shooting rampage. The Florida Shooting rampage occurred in a Florida High-rise and resulted in the death of 2 and serious injury of 4 others.




Orlando Regional Medical Center said it is treating three men and one woman, in connection to the Florida High rise shooting. All are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, the hospital said. The victims range in age from 23 to 49 years old.

Mike Bernos spokesman for Jason Rodriguez' previous employer, Reynolds, Smith & Hills said Jason Rodriguez was an entry-level engineer who was fired in June 2007 after working there for a year. According to Bernos, "His performance wasn't up to our standards, so we terminated him."

Camille Previlon the niece of one of those injured in the Florida High rise shooting rampage said her Uncle, engineer Guy Lungenbel, was shot in the back and was able to talk, however, he has not said much about the shooting which left him in a Hospital bed. "He is stable," she said. "He's just hurting real bad in the back."



According to financial records, Jason Rodriguez was in serious debt and has been working at Subway. Prior to the Florida High Rise shooting, Jason Rodriguez was divorced in 2006, lost his job at the engineering firm in 2007 and filed for bankruptcy in February 2009.

George Sodini - LA Fitness Shooter Diary of a Madman

Only hours after the shooting massacre at the Bridgeville PA LA Fitness, authorities have found an online blog of sorts of the shooter, George Sodini. Reading through the blog of George Sodini, one must shake their head and wonder how this could have been missed. Yes, George Sodini looks like an average white male who has problems getting layed.

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In his blog diary, which started in December of 2008, George Sodini outlines his discontent with life the universe and everything. Particularly his inability to attract women and his "constant rejection"
In his December 2008 entry, George Sodini indicates his frustration with single life.

I actually look good. I dress good, am clean-shaven, bathe, touch of cologne - yet 30 million women rejected me - over an 18 or 25-year period. That is how I see it. Thirty million is my rough guesstimate of how many desirable single women there are. A man needs a woman for confidence. He gets a boost on the job, career, with other men, and everywhere else when he knows inside he has someone to spend the night with and who is also a friend. This type of life I see is a closed world with me specifically and totally excluded. Every other guy does this successfully to a degree. Flying solo for many years is a destroyer.

In later blog diary posts, George Sodini started to point out his anger and discontent towards family and other acquaintances, speaking about his father, George Sodini said "He was just a useless sperm doner." feeling, I guess, that he should have been more of a role model or support system.

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In his blog/diary George Sodini later went on to lament about his mother, brother, sister and other family members. He referred to his mother as a controlling, his brother as a bully and his sister a victim who exercises too much control over her children.

According to George Sodini's blog / diary postings, the original LA Fitness shooting was to take place at 8:15 on January 6th, 2009, except he changed his mind at the last minute. Perhaps the one indication of any sanity in his mind. Unfortunately for his victims, George Sodini continued to fantasize about his plan.

Throughout his blog / diary, George Sodini goes through rants about life the universe and everything, blaming everyone for his misfortunes and not taking and responsibility for his shortfalls. In a June blog entry, George Sodini went on to say

I was reading several posts on different forums and it seems many teenage girls have sex frequently. One 16 year old does it usually three times a day with her boyfriend. So, err, after a month of that, this little hoe has had more sex than ME in my LIFE, and I am 48. One more reason. Thanks for nada, bitches! Bye.

Even after a promotion and raise in July of 2009, George Sodini was still not happy with his life.

Everything still sucks. But I got a promotion and a raise, even in this shitty Obama ecomomy. No more grunt programming. Go figure! New boss is great. He tactfully says when you did something wrong or complements on good things. Never confused with him. But that is NOT what I want in life.

In his final blog / diary entry on August 3, 2009, George Sodini took the day off work to "practice". Indicating is displeasure over his one moment of sanity in January, George Sodini said he needed to remain focused and that the "positive and upbeat" nature of his neighbour was a distraction.

I took off today, Monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished. I need to work out every detail, there is only one shot. Also I need to be completely immersed into something before I can be successful. I haven't had a drink since Friday at about 2:30. Total effort needed. Tomorrow is the big day.

Unfortunately I talked to my neighbor today, who is very positive and upbeat. I need to remain focused and absorbed COMPLETELY. Last time I tried this, in January, I chickened out. Lets see how this new approach works.

Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them.

I will try not to add anymore entries because this computer clicking distracts me.

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The rest of this story continued with the mourning of the families of the lost souls. Innocent people caught in the psychosis of a madman with a lack of concern for anyone but himself. George Sodini may blame all those in his life for his actions, as evident in his online ramblings, however he only has himself to blame for his life and the direction it took.

LA FITNESS MASSACRE IN BRIDGEVILLE PA

There is news tonight of a deadly shooting / massacre at a LA Fitness in Bridgeville Pittsburgh which has taken the lives of at least 5 people including the shooter.

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At approximately 8:15 PM on Tuesday August 4th, a shooter entered an L.A. Fitness Center in Bridgeville PA. According to reports, the LA FITNESS SHOOTER came in through the excercize room glass double doors and walked to the back of the room near some weights. At that point, the LA Fitness Shooter set down a bag, fumbling with it for a few minutes and came up with what appeared to be two guns and began shooting up the Bridgeville PA LA Fitness centre.

The LA Fitness Centre shooting victims were taked to at least three different Hospitals in the Bridgeville area. UPMC Mercy Hospital says the admitted five critically injured women. Allegheny General Hospital says they received two women with gunshot wounds from the LA Fitness Massacre. St. Clair Hospital indicated that one of the victims of the LA Fitness shooting died at their hospital.

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According to St. Clair Hospital Spokesman Rich Sieber the woman who died was shot in the chest. He says two other victims were taken to his hospital, both are currently in stable condition.

Bridgeville PA is a small community of about 5,000 residents not far from downtown Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh International Airport. The Bridgeville LA FITNESS location is located in the Great Southern Shopping Center and is fairly new, having been opened for only a year.

According to reports, there were several programs going on at the Bridgeville PA LA Fitness Center at the time of the shooting. Neither the name of the LA Fitness Shooter or the victims of the LA Fitness Massacre have been released. A motive for the LA Fitness shooting is not known and Pittsburgh police continue to investigate this tragic LA Fitness Shooting.

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HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SHOOTING

At approximately 1 a.m. Hampton Police Division along with the Hampton University Police and the Hampton Fire and Rescue Division received a complaint of a shooting in the 700 block of Hunnington Avenue located on the campus of Hampton University. When officers arrived on scene they found 3 males suffering from gunshot wounds.

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Police revealed that the suspect is an 18-year-old Richmond man, Shooting Investigation: 700 Block of Hunnington Avenue

On April 26, 2009, at approximately 1 a.m., the Hampton Police Division along with the Hampton University Police and the Hampton Fire and Rescue Division received a complaint of a shooting in the 700 block of Hunnington Avenue located on the campus of Hampton University. Once officers arrived on the scene they located three males all suffering from gunshot wounds. entered a dorm building located in the 700 block of Hunnington Avenue. Once inside, the suspect shot two men, a 62-year-old Hampton man and a 43-year-old Hampton man, before turning the gun on himself. All three men have been transported to local hospitals where they are currently being treated for their injuries. No current students at the University were involved or injured during this incident.

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Authorities say an 18-year-old shot the night manager and another man inside a dorm at Virginia's Hampton University earlier today. They say the teen then turned the gun on himself. All three have been hospitalized. The college says no students were involved.

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OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING and COLUMBINE SHOOOTING - Still searching for answers

It has been 13 years since the OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING and 10 since the COLUMBINE SHOOTING MASSACRE. Both of these events are still on the mind of millions as the world continues to search for answers as to why? We know the who and when and have various versions of why but none of this really helps those who have lost and suffered from these tragic and sadistic events.

My wife for one. She was born and raised in OKLAHOMA CITY and was in fact supposed to be at a meeting in the ALFRED P. MURRAH FEDERAL BUILDING that day but schedules made it impossible. Although she survived the OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING, many of those close to her did not. For this she still mourns 13 years later.

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As for the COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING, one has to wonder how society has sunk to such a low as to somehow give a couple of teenagers the moral ability to commit such a heinous crime. As with the OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING, many innocent lives of children and adults were lost. This was and will continue to be a black mark on society along with other atrocities such as the 911 ATTACKS and the various other HIGH SCHOOL and COLLEGE SHOOTINGS which followed.

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On a similar note, the TV hit series SAVING GRACE is doing a really good job of helping those effected deal with the tragedy of the OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBINGS. Although I was not directly effected, the thoughts of "What if" often run through my mind. At the end of the day though, there is no true way to know. All I know is I would not have such a wonderful wife and I would be none the wiser for this tragic loss.

Days like this should be used to remember what was an be thankful for what is, as life is short enough and it is a sad thing when that time frame is further reduced by the actions of those without conscience.

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Florida Mother MARIE MOORE shoots her Son at a shooting range

Florida Police seek VIDEO in MARIE MOORE MITCHELL MOORE Shooting range shooting

CASSELBERRY, Fla. — A Florida woman fatally shot her son and then turned the gun on herself at a central Florida gun range, authorities said.

Marie Moore, 44, of Altamonte Springs and her 20-year-old son, Mitchell, were sharing a firing lane at the Shoot Straight range Sunday, Casselberry police said. Shooters in an adjacent lane said the mother and son seemed to be getting along fine. A security video shows Moore walk up behind her son, point a revolver at the back of his head and fire a single shot, police said. She then put the gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger.

The son died at the scene, and the mother died later at the hospital. Family members told police that Moore had a history of mental illness.

The gun was rented from the shooting range.

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Marie Moore and her son, Mitchell, were taking target practice at a popular shooting range Sunday when, without warning, she shot him in the head and then turned the gun on herself.

Mitchell Moore, 20, died at the scene. Marie, 44, died a short time later at Florida Hospital Altamonte. There was no argument or any other sign of a problem, said Casselberry police Lt. Dennis Stewart. Witnesses said Moore, of Altamonte Springs, just pointed the gun at Mitchell and shot him at the range, Shoot Straight on U.S. Highway 17-92. "Nobody knows why," Stewart said. "There was no argument or anything before."

Mitchell Moore also lived in Altamonte Springs but at a different address than his mother. Marie Moore had a history of mental illness, Stewart said, but he had no details. The shooting happened about 4:20 p.m., said Casselberry fire Chief Don Harkins.

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Officials were still at the scene at 10 p.m. So was a crew from the company that operates the range's video surveillance system. Police called them, asking for video of what happened. A crew of Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime-scene technicians also was there late Sunday, carrying out bags of evidence.

Other customers at the range, once they saw what was happening, "went running like crazy," Stewart said.

Rumour has it, a copy of the VIDEO OF THE MARIE MOORE SHOOTING has made it on YOUTUBE and is circulating the internet.

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23 Year Old Man DECAPITATES HIS 5 YEAR OLD SISTER at her Birthday party

Kerby Revelus, 23, was shot dead after beheading his sister Bianca on her fifth birthday, fatally stabbing his 17-year-old sister Samantha and wounding his nine-year-old sister Sarafina.

It was Sarafina who made the 911 call, which saw a local police officer arrive at the door within a minute.

“As the officer entered the door, (Revelus) decapitated (Bianca) in front of him,'' Milton police Chief Richard G Wells Jr told The Associated Press.

“He actually walked into a killing field. He walked into such carnage, as far as the atrocity of it, I've never seen it.''

Revelus was shot by four officers who arrived at the scene as he attacked Sarafina.

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She was rushed to Boston Medical Center with serious stab wounds, but authorities say she is expected to survive.

North Carolina: Eight killed in nursing home shooting

"In policing, we see the raw human emotion every day, but to think that a human being could afflict such an atrocious, violent act on his own family is unbelievable,'' Police Chief Wells said.

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"When I walked up to the first officer (on the scene), I could see the whole story right in his face. This just told me that this was something very bad."

The children’s parents were away from home, although it is believed their grandmother was in the basement doing laundry at the time of the attack.

Police have no idea what sparked the killings on Saturday, but said Revelus has been in a fistfight with a next-door neighbour the previous day.

Revelus targeted his 17-year-old sister Samantha first, before attacking five-year-old Bianca as her birthday cake sat on a table nearby.

Revelus had recently been released from jail after serving time on a gun charge.

The details of his criminal history will be released when courts open later today.

The officers involved in the case were receiving counselling from the Boston Police Department stress unit.

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NURSING HOME SHOOTING IN NORTH CAROLINA

CARTHAGE, N.C. (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a North Carolina nursing home Sunday morning, killing at least six people and wounding several others, police said.

The gunman was also injured before he was apprehended by police after the 10 a.m. shooting at Pinelake Health and Rehab in the town of Carthage, Police Chief Chris McKenzie told several television stations. A police officer was also hurt.

"It's a horrible event in any size town, particularly, though, when you deal with a small town such as Carthage," McKenzie said. "It's hard. This is my home, my small town. I was born and raised here so, yeah, I take it to heart a little bit. All you can do is move forward."

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Gretchen Kelly, spokeswoman at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in nearby Pinehurst, said six people were brought to the hospital from the nursing home. Kelly said two of the injured died at the hospital, but it wasn't clear if those two were among the six initially reported dead by police.

Kelly said two other patients had been discharged, while two were still being treated. She wouldn't release further details on the injuries or conditions of those hospitalized.

McKenzie said the gunman wasn't a patient at the nursing home, located about 60 miles southwest of Raleigh, but didn't offer any further details on what the gunman's motive might have been.

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Late Sunday afternoon, authorities appeared to be conducting a search of the nursing home's parking lot, which they had blocked off with yellow police tape. Among the items they found was a camouflaged-colored rifle or shotgun, which was leaning against the side of a Jeep Cherokee.

The road leading to the home was filled with parked cars, both of police and relatives of those living at Pinelake. Howard McMillian, of Lakeview, said he raced to the scene as soon as he heard about the shooting. His 56-year-old sister lives at the nursing home, and McMillian said his brother had gotten a call from officials saying she was unharmed.

"I know she's real nervous," McMillian said. "I just want to make sure she's OK."

A nursing home Web site said the facility that opened in 1993 has 110 beds, including 20 for those with Alzheimer's disease.

Calls to the nursing home by The Associated Press rang unanswered Sunday, and McKenzie and several state law enforcement agencies didn't immediately return messages or declined to comment. Police planned a news conference for later Sunday afternoon.

Carthage is a small town of roughly 1,800 people in the North Carolina Sandhills, an area popular among retirees and home to several noted golf courses, including the famed Pinehurst resort and its No. 2 course that regularly hosts the U.S. Open.

Pinelake Health and Rehab was last inspected in May, and the review resulted in an overall five-star — or "much above average" — rating from federal Medicaid officials.

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Gov Arnie Flying to California to Honour the 3 POLICE OFFICERS SHOT IN OAKLAND CALIFORNIA

Three Oakland police sergeants were shot and killed and a fourth officer was critically wounded Saturday in a pair of related incidents that together rank among the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in California history. A fifth officer, a member of the SWAT team that killed the suspect police held responsible for the shootings, was treated for minor injuries and released.

The first incident happened about 1:15 p.m. when two traffic officers were gunned down after what police described as a "routine" stop of a 1995 Buick in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard in East Oakland, not far from the Eastmont Town Center. About two hours later, after some 200 officers from Oakland Police, Alameda County Sheriff's Office, BART Police and the California Highway Patrol combed the area for the suspect, three SWAT officers were shot when their team found him hidden in an apartment on 74th Avenue near Hillside Street, police officials said.

In all, two SWAT officers and one traffic officer died in the two incidents; one traffic officer was on life support late Saturday. "In these moments, words are extraordinarily inadequate," Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums told reporters at a news conference Saturday night at Oakland police headquarters. "We come together in shock, in grief, in sadness and sorrow. Our hearts go out to the officers' families who are experiencing a level of tragedy that goes beyond our ability to comprehend." "These folks leave their homes in the morning, with every expectation of returning," Dellums said, "but they did not."

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Killed Saturday were motorcycle officer Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, and Sgts. Ervin Romans, 43, and Daniel Sakai, 35, both members of the SWAT team. The other motorcycle officer, John Hege, 41, was in grave condition, officials said. The suspect, whom police identified as Lovelle Mixon, 26, of Oakland, shot at the SWAT officers, who "returned fire in defense of their lives," said Officer Jeff Thomason, a department spokesman. The suspect, who police believe was acting alone, was killed. Officials said the suspect was on parole after being convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and was also wanted on a no-bail warrant. Officials did not explain the nature of the warrant.

"All four officers dedicated their lives to public safety and selflessly worked to protect the people of Oakland," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Maria and I join the Bay Area in remembering their service and honoring their sacrifice." Schwarzenegger said Capitol flags would be flown at half-staff. He is flying from Washington to Oakland Sunday to meet with the mayor and Howard Jordan, Oakland's acting police chief.

Oakland City Council member Larry Reid called the incident "one of the worst days in the history of Oakland." Saturday's shooting appears to be one of the state's most horrific police killings. The most notorious such slaying is referred to as the "Newhall incident," a Los Angeles County shootout in 1970 that left four California Highway Patrol officers dead and changed the way state law enforcement officers approach high-risk stops.

Saturday evening, as word of the shootings circulated in the Bay Area's law enforcement community, about 100 officers gathered outside the entrance to Oakland's Highland Hospital emergency room, waiting desperately for information about their fallen colleagues. Some of them were wearing SWAT gear, while others were wearing baseball jerseys after having raced to the hospital from a game.

At the Oakland Police Officers Association office near Jack London Square, hundreds of officers assembled to mourn their colleagues.

"It's shock and disbelief," said Oakland Police Sgt. David Faeth. "We lost a lot of good people today. Good officers, good friends. It hasn't really set in yet."

Shortly after the 9 p.m. press conference, religious leaders from the Oakland community formed an impromptu prayer circle.

Pastor David Kietley of Shiloh Christian Church said, "Let us pray for the Shalom of this city and for peace to reign in every part of this city."

First reports of the incident came from a 911 call at 1:16 p.m., reporting that two officers had been shot, possibly with an assault-type rifle. The suspect fled from the scene on foot, sparking a door-to-door manhunt in East Oakland that involved officers from at least five law enforcement agencies.

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An anonymous tipster told police that the suspect was in an apartment building just blocks from the original shooting. The SWAT team was called to the site and took control of the area around the building. After repeated attempts to communicate with the suspect, SWAT officers entered the building around 3:30 p.m.

According to law enforcement sources, the SWAT team officers entered an apartment and approached a closet. Suddenly the gunman, hiding in the closet, opened fire through the door, killing two officers and wounding a third. Officers fired back, killing the gunman.

All during the afternoon, from the time, just after lunch, when the shootings started, until it became dark, East Oakland was swarming with police cars, dozens of them parked on block after block, as officers conducted their investigation and neighbors came out and stood on the sidewalk, watching.

On nearby 73rd Avenue, a man who declined to give his name said he was working in his backyard when he heard four gunshots, followed by a four-second pause, then two more gunshots. It was the start of the first incident.

He looked up and saw a police officer running down MacArthur Boulevard with a gun drawn, heading toward the Dolphin Pharmacy, in front of which the shootings occurred. Within seconds dozens of police cars and helicopters descended on the intersection, he said.

Another neighbor, Antonay Jackson, said she saw officers visibly shaken, some with bowed heads, as they began taking pictures and taping off the crime scene.

"It's crazy," she said. "The police station is right there. We can see it. I don't know, this is too close to home."

Neighbors described the site of the second shootings as an older, two-story, cream-colored eight-plex apartment building on a usually quiet block.

Beatriz Gomez, who runs Beatriz Hair Style salon on 73rd Avenue, said she and her customers were frightened when they saw dozens of police officers swarming around her store, which backs up to the apartment building on 74th Avenue.

"I never saw so many police," she said. "We were scared. We didn't know what happened. Customers were calling all day to see if we were OK. But it's sad - the police do a good job protecting us."

Hours after the shooting, dozens of officers still surrounded the shooting sites, with Oakland police joined by CHP officers, Alameda County sheriff's deputies and BART police.

Young people gathered on street corners, as police shut down parts of MacArthur Boulevard and Hillside Street to make room for investigators.

Keith Sykes, who lives behind the apartment building where the suspect was killed, knew there was trouble when he heard the rush of sirens.

"When you see six or seven police cars, you know a cop's been hurt," he said.

Neighbors said they didn't believe that the gunman lived in the building where he was slain, but said "there's a lot of fussing" in that apartment building.

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"It's sad," said Mark Green, another local resident. "I'll tell you this much, I'm going to church tonight."

There have been problems in that neighborhood.

Oakland police opened a substation at the Eastmont Town Center in 1992, responding to neighborhood complaints about crime and violence in the area. But the substation, built in an old tire shop, did not end the neighborhood's troubles.

In 1996, a rowdy rap concert in the mall turned into a melee, with a crowd lobbing bottles and rocks at police, cars and buses. Some of the concertgoers started racing their cars up and down the streets, and two men died after their car crashed through the fence of a nearby school playground.

In 1999, an Oakland police technician was shot at outside the police substation. In 2002, Michelle Horton of San Leandro was shot and killed as she drove on Bancroft Avenue near the mall.

ALABAMA SHOOTINGS

16 dead
He was killed in a shootout with police at a car dealership roughly 30 km (20 miles) from the school. Two passers-by died in the shootout and two policemen were seriously wounded, bringing the total death toll to 16 including the gunman.

Several school shootings have shocked Germany in past years. In 2006, a masked man wearing explosives and brandishing rifles opened fire at a school in the western town of Emsdetten, wounding at least 11 people before committing suicide.

In April 2002, Germany suffered its worst school shooting when a gunman killed 17 people, including himself, at a high school in the eastern city of Erfurt.

Alabama shooting copycat?
Wednesday's shooting followed a rampage in the United States on Tuesday in which a gunman shot dead 10 people then killed himself in southern Alabama.

Joachim Kersten, from the police academy in Muenster western Germany, suggested on N24 television that the news of the Alabama shooting might have encouraged the gunman in Germany.

"For someone on the verge of (wanting to commit such an act), there's nothing more appealing than such pictures," Kersten said. "Such people...are very interested in the media description of such events," he said, referring to the images of the Alabama shooting spree.

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At least 10 people including the suspected gunman have been killed in a shooting spree across two towns in Alabama.
The gunman shot at least nine people before taking his own life, the Public Safety Department said in a statement.

"This is a very complicated investigation that is unfolding," it added.

Initially four adults and a child were found shot dead inside a residence in the town of Samson.

The killer, who has not been identified, gunned down another individual at Samson Pipe and Supply, firing at a state trooper's vehicle on the way.

He apparently killed another victim at a service station before heading to Reliable Metal Products where he "fired an estimated 30-round burst."

The local police chief was grazed by a bullet but escaped serious injury because he was wearing a bullet-resistant vest.

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The gunman entered the facility and "within minutes" shots were heard from inside.

Law enforcement officers found him dead from they believed were "self-inflicted gunshots," the statement said.

Police are also investigating a fire at a nearby house where an 11th body was recovered.

Reports have suggested the fire could be at the home of the gunman's mother.

Several other people were wounded during the shooting spree. Police say they do not yet know what sparked it.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 11 (Reuters) - Authorities grappled on Wednesday for the reason a 27-year-old Alabama man shot dead 10 people, including his mother, before killing himself after a gunbattle with police and a car chase down a rural highway.

Michael McLendon, who lived with his mother, killed five of his victims in Tuesday's shooting spree at a mobile home in Samson, in southeastern Alabama, according to a local coroner and Wynnton Melton, mayor of nearby Geneva.

The victims at the mobile home included the wife of a local deputy sheriff and her child. He also killed two people at a convenience store and a man in a pickup truck who died during a car chase as McLendon apparently fired at random, said Melton.

"We sent 11 bodies to Montgomery (the state capital)," said Robert Preachers, the coroner in neighboring Coffee County who said he knew most of the victims including the killer.

"He (McLendon) was a nice quiet kid, no trouble. He was always polite and nice," Preachers said. Asked about a possible motive, he said: "He carried it with him to the grave."

Rural southeastern Alabama, which borders Florida, is a largely agricultural area with many low-income families.

Mass shootings have become more frequent in the United States in recent years.

Guns are widely available for purchase in the United States, a country that prides itself on the right to own weapons for self defense and hunting.

MOTHER KILLED WITH FAMILY DOGS

The website of the Dothan Eagle newspaper quoted Coffee County District Attorney Gary McAliley as saying the gunman had been armed with both pistols and assault rifles.

The shooting spree began in Kinston, a small town in Coffee County, and continued to Samson, where McLendon killed his grandmother, uncle and others, said the FBI, local police and Preachers.

It ended after a car chase and gun battle in Geneva, the county seat about 12 miles (20 km) away, they said.

Describing the car chase, Melton said: "Officer Ricky Morgan rammed his car to distract him and was rewarded with a hail of bullets .... One bullet grazed the shoulder of police chief Frankie Lindsey."

A police officer in Geneva said the gunman "shot at several vehicles on the highway and then he shot at Wal-Mart and Piggly Wiggly," a grocery store.

McLendon also shot the family's dogs, Preachers said. "He killed her (his mother) and her dogs. He shot the dogs in the head. Then he piled them up and gassed them (poured gasoline on them and lit it). He laid the dogs next to her," he said.

In one of the worst recent shooting incidents, a gunman dressed as Santa Claus killed nine guests at a Christmas Eve party, before taking his own life in Covina, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.

On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech, a university in Blacksburg, Virginia, became the site of the deadliest rampage in modern U.S. history when a student gunman killed 32 people and himself.

In Germany on Wednesday, a 17-year-old gunman went on a shooting spree at his former school in the southwest of the country, killing up to 15 people before dying in a shootout with police, authorities said.


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SCHOOL SHOOTING IN STUTTGARD GERMANY leaves at least 10 Dead

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The shooter fled into the center of town after the attack, which occurred around 9:30 a.m. The police issued a public warning to motorists not to pick up hitch-hikers and said the town center at Winnenden, a town of 27,000, had been sealed off.

News reports said other schools in the area were evacuated as helicopters circled above.

Winnenden is located in southwestern Germany:

STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 7:54 a.m. German media outlets including Spiegel and N-TV report that the shooter is apparently dead.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 8:14 a.m. The Associated Press reports that 11 people have died. A police news conference is expected to begin soon.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 8:20 a.m. German speakers can see video from the the Albertville school in Winnenden on the German broadcaster ZDF’s Web site.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 8:23 a.m. The BBC has an English-language report with video showing heavily-armed German police at the Albertville school. The BBC also has a slide show of police outside the school after the shootings.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 8:35 a.m. CNN, citing The Associated Press, now reports that 16 people have died. German news media report that the gunman died in a supermarket in a nearby town after being caught by police. A news conference is expected soon.

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STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 8:50 a.m. Germany’s N-TV reports that the gunman has been identified as “17-year-old Tim K.” Police sources confirm that the death toll is now at 16 people, including the gunman. Police say that nine students and three teachers were killed at the technical school in Winnenden, where Tim K. had previously been a student. During his escape from the school, the gunman killed one person near the school and two passers-by. Two policemen were seriously injured.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 8:52 a.m. Spiegel’s Web site has a slide show of images showing the Albertville-Realschule in Winnenden in the wake of the attack.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 8:55 a.m. The English-language Web site of the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports that the gunman was killed during a shoot-out with police:

Stuttgart police said the 17-year-old black-clad gunman was killed 40 kilometers away from his former school where he opened fire in a classroom.

The gunman is reported to have fled in a car to the neighboring town of Wendlingen. Police said the gunman was killed in a shootout with the police near a supermarket. Authorities say the total death toll has risen to 16.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 8:57 a.m. German chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to speak soon.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 9:04 a.m. According to Spiegel, the German newspaper Bild has reported that the teenage gunman’s parents were in the possession of 18 weapons and that his father is a “wealthy entrepreneur.” Spiegel Online says that “Special units of the police stormed the house of Tim K’s parents, his mother was interrogated by the police.”
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 9:15 a.m. The Twitter feed of the German newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports that the shooting began at 9:30 a.m. local time at the technical school in Winnenden. Spiegel reports that the gunman had entered two classrooms and started firing.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 9:23 a.m. The Web site of German broadcaster ZDF explains that the name of the school, the Albertville-Realschule, is related to the fact that the town of Winnenden in Baden-Württemberg is twinned with the French city of Albertville, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1992. ZDF adds that there are are 580 students registered at the secondary school and 32 teachers. ZDF also reports that the person killed outside the school as the gunman made his escape was the school’s gardener.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 9:37 a.m. The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that Helmut Rau, the minister of culture for the state of Baden-Württemberg, where the town of Winnenden is located, said that the former student who carried out the attack “was never conspicuous,” and had graduated from the school in 2008.

STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 9:42 a.m. German media reports say that there is a primary school right beside the secondary school where the shootings took place today. Spiegel’s English-language Web site reports that in the aftermath of the shootings:

More than 1,000 pupils were led to safety. German news channel N-TV reported that there was chaos around the school complex as parents were gathering there. “You can see the shock and horror in people’s eyes,” one eyewitness said.

STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 9:55 a.m. An article from the archives might give some perspective on today’s shootings. In 2000, a team of reporters and researchers at The New York Times looked in detail at the phenomenon of mass killings for an article published on April 9, 2000 under the headline: “They Threaten, Seethe and Unhinge, Then Kill in Quantity.” The article was written by Ford Fessenden and sketched a profile of:

102 killers in 100 rampage attacks examined by The New York Times in a computer-assisted study looking back more than 50 years and including the shootings in 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., and one by a World War II veteran on a residential street in Camden, N.J., in 1949. Four hundred twenty-five people were killed and 510 people were injured in the attacks.

Mr. Fessenden also wrote that:

Though the attacks are rare when compared with other American murders, they have provoked an intense national discussion about crime, education and American culture.

But in recent years, as this timeline of recent school shootings compiled by the BBC today shows, there have been attacks of this kind in several countries outside the United States, including: Finland, Canada, Argentina, Scotland and Germany.
STUTTGART GERMANY SCHOOL SHOOTING UPDATE 10:32 a.m. The German newspaper Bild and CNN both report that German police have released the name of the 17-year-old who carried out the shooting attacks. He was Tim Kretschmer.

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ALABAMA SHOOTING RAMPAGE

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There were no other injuries in the incident, which occurred on the Osgoode subway platform at about 10:45 a.m., said Supt. Hugh Ferguson. The station is near several courthouses and the city's opera house. The shooting occurred after a dispute among a group of males who exited a train together at the platform, Ferguson said. It wasn't immediately known how many other people were on the platform at the time.

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An SUV and a military-style Hummer were parked in the driveway.

In midafternoon, authorities approached the house with guns drawn, shouting, "We're police! We have a search warrant!" When no one responded, they used a battering ram to get in. More than two hours later, officers carried away four shotguns, a handgun, wrapping paper and a fuel tank like the one Pardo used in the attack.

SANTA SLAYER Sets house on fire after SHOOTING RAMPAGE

A label on the red tank read, "WeFuelFun.com," the website of a company that specializes in fueling devices for all-terrain vehicles. Buchanan, a 30-year police veteran, said the tank Pardo used in the attack was "nothing that we or the arson team had ever seen."

Recently, Pardo had been living in the Montrose home alone, said Det. Antonio Zavala. Court records show that his wife divorced him last September. He "was apparently going through a bad time in his marriage," Covina Police Lt. Pat Buchanan said.

Neighbors said that Pardo had lived in the house with his wife, Sylvia, 43, and her three children for a few years, until she and the children moved out last spring.

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The family was often seen walking their dog in the neighborhood.

Pardo, several neighbors said, was a quiet, unassuming man who enjoyed tending his garden and regularly ushered at the evening Sunday Mass at Holy Redeemer.

"Bruce?" said an incredulous Jan Detanna, the head usher at the church, when told about the attack by a reporter on the phone. "I'm just -- this is shocking. He was the nicest guy you could imagine. Always a pleasure to talk to, always a big smile."

Bong Garcia, Pardo's next-door neighbor, said he last saw Pardo between 9 and 10 p.m. Christmas Eve. Pardo, who was dressed in regular clothes, said he was on his way to a party.

Pardo's former wife and her parents, Joseph Ortega, 80, and Alicia Ortega, 70, are believed to be among the dead. Authorities said Thursday afternoon that the bodies found in the house were so badly burned that dental records would be needed to identify them.

The Ortegas lived in a bucolic neighborhood -- their street lined with large homes with swimming pools, valued upward of half a million dollars.

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Tom Minter, 78, who lives a few doors down from the Ortegas' house, was washing dishes when he heard a loud bang. Soon after, police SWAT officers rushed a man and two women who had been at the party into his home, sat them down in the hallway and turned off all lights in the house, Minter said. Both women were crying and the man was talking into his cellphone, saying 'They're all dead, he shot them all,' " Minter recalled.

Neighbours and Family hope for more information on the VICTIMS OF THE SANTA SLAYINGS

Gazing at the scene of destruction on Christmas morning, Frank Castillo, 46, stood at the yellow police tape barrier trying unsuccessfully to obtain information about relatives he said had been at the party.

"I want to make sure [they] are OK," he said, choking back tears.

The bizarre case continued to unfold into the night. Bright lights brought in by police illuminated the crime scene in Covina. In searching the rental car in Sylmar, the L.A. County sheriff's bomb squad found a suspicious object.

As they attempted to render the object safe, the car erupted in flames, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. James Bender. Later, police evacuated houses close to Pardo's in Montrose, concerned that he might have left behind bombs.


FOR MORE ON THE COVINA CHRISTMAS SANTA SLAYINGS

CHRISTMAS EVE SANTA CLAUS MASSACRE IN COVINA CALIFORNIA

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo is seen in an undated photo provided Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008, by the Covina, Calif. Police Department. Covina Police have identified the 45-year-old Prado as a "person of interest" after a man in a Santa suit opened fire at a Christmas Eve party in a suburban Los Angeles home that subsequently caught fire, leaving three people dead.

SANTA CLAUS CHRISTMAS EVE MASSACRE

In Covina, Calif., police say a man Bruce Jeffrey Pardo reportedly dressed up as Santa Claus and opened fire at a Christmas Eve party being attended by his ex-wife, who is still missing. (So are her parents, who owned the house.) Police found six bodies in the house, which was set on fire during the attack. Three other people were injured. Pardo was later found at his brother's house, dead of an apparent gunshot wound.

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The L.A. Times has a very detailed account. Apparently, an 8-year-old girl answered the door -- and Pardo shot her in the face. (Though it sounds like she made it to the hospital.) Pardo, an aerospace engineer who recently lost his job, reportedly used some kind of homemade device to spray a material used to spread the fire.

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The Los Angeles County Coroner's office says eight bodies have been found in the rubble of a home set ablaze after a Christmas Eve shooting massacre. Investigators ended their search Thursday night for other possible victims of the rampage. Authorities planned to return to the scene Friday.

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A Los Angeles County coroner's official says a ninth body has been recovered from a home where a gunman shot up a Christmas Eve party and set the house ablaze.

Coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz says the ninth body was found Friday morning in the gutted structure.

All of the bodies recovered from the home were badly burned and none have been positively identified.

Residents of a Los Angeles suburb where a man dressed as Santa Claus shot dead at least nine people have spoken of their disbelief at the killings.

Another body was found on Friday in the ashes of a house in the suburb of Covina that was gutted by fire.

Bruce Pardo burst into a Christmas Eve party at his ex-wife's parents' home, shooting and then starting the fire.

He took his life with a single shot to the head at his brother's home about 25 miles (40km) away, police said.

A Los Angeles County coroner's official has now confirmed that a ninth body has been found - all of them badly burned and none as yet positively identified.

Local media have reported that Pardo's ex-wife and in-laws were among the dead but this has not been officially confirmed.

Covina police chief Kim Raney and Lt Pat Buchanan hold a news conference
One of Pardo's co-workers at a Catholic church, Jan Detanna, told the Whittier Daily News that the unemployed aerospace engineer was "the nicest guy" who "always had a smile".

Details have emerged that Pardo, 45, had reached a divorce settlement just a few days before the attack.

Court documents showed the two-year marriage ended with an award of $10,000 to Sylvia Pardo along with their dog and her wedding ring, while Bruce Pardo took the house.

Bruce Pardo's lawyer, Stanley Silver, told the Associated Press news agency his client had fallen behind on marital support when he lost his job in July.

Pardo had knocked on the door of the home just before midnight, shooting in the face an eight-year-old girl who answered the door, police said. She is being treated for her wounds.

He then sprayed the 25 guests with bullets before setting fire to the house with a home-made incendiary device.

FOR MORE ON THE COVINA CHRISTMAS SANTA SLAYINGS

Isaac L. Zamora Turns himself in in connection with the SKAGIT COUNTY SHOOTINGS

Six people, including a sheriff's deputy, were killed in northwestern Washington state after a shooting spree that ended when a 28-year-old man suffering from a mental illness surrendered himself, police said.

Isaac Zamora turned himself in to police following a 16-mile (26-kilometer) car chase on Interstate 5. Investigators secured the crime scenes and were scheduled to resume investigations at dawn, State Trooper Keith Leary said today in a phone interview.

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Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire called for an independent investigation into yesterday's incident. Zamora had been released from jail in the first week of August after serving time for felony drug possession and was under state supervision, the Seattle Times reported.

``I was informed by state Department of Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail that the suspect in today's tragic crimes, Isaac L. Zamora, was under DOC supervision for three weeks,'' Gregoire said in a statement on her Web site late yesterday.

``Due to the gravity of the situation, I am calling for an independent, third party review,'' led by the state's Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and a prosecutor, she said. ``I will be directing them to look into how this case was handled and provide an initial report to me within 10 days.''

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Leary said police hadn't yet compiled a full criminal history of Zamora for release.

``He was known to law enforcement in some sort of supervised fashion, but we don't know exactly at this point what that entailed,'' Leary said.

Drug, Alcohol Tests

Vail said Zamora had reported as instructed and passed tests for drug and alcohol use, the Associated Press reported. ``I want to extend our profound sorrow and heartfelt sympathy for the victims of the shootings in Skagit County,'' AP cited Vail as saying in a statement.

The 40-year-old Skagit County deputy, Anne Jackson, was shot at about 2 p.m. local time while responding to a call from Zamora's mother near the town of Alger, the Seattle Times said.

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The bodies of four other people were discovered in the area. After driving south on the Interstate, the suspect wounded a State Patrol trooper who was pursuing him in a vehicle and killed a civilian driver on the highway, as well as wounding a motorcyclist.

Zamora surrendered at the sheriff's office in Mount Vernon, where he was being held. Leary said the trooper was shot in the arm and went home after treatment.

Gov. Chris Gregoire Tuesday night expressed her condolences to the victims of the six murders in Skagit County and called for an independent review of how the suspect, Isaac Zamora, was handled by the Department of Corrections while under that agency's supervision.

This is her statement:

“This evening I was informed by state Department of Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail that the suspect in today’s tragic crimes, Isaac L. Zamora, was under DOC supervision for three weeks. I asked Secretary Vail to issue a statement this evening detailing the known facts.

“Due to the gravity of the situation, I am calling for an independent, third party review led by Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs President Colleen Wilson, and a prosecutor to be appointed by the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. I will be directing them to look into how this case was handled and provide an initial report to me within ten days.

“I have directed Secretary Vail to conduct a thorough review of the suspect’s files and provide this information to me, and the review team by Thursday.

“Public safety continues to be a top priority of my administration. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families of the victims of today’s tragic crimes.”

ALGER, Wash. – A terrifying shooting spree that stretched from a small northwest Washington town onto the state's busiest highway left six people dead and four more wounded on Tuesday.

The dead included a Skagit County sheriff's deputy and the wounded included a Washington State Patrol trooper shot while trying to chase the shooter down on Interstate 5, the State Patrol said.

The victims were not immediately identified.

The man who turned himself in was known to authorities as "someone with a mental illness," Trooper Keith Leary said. State Department of Corrections officials are "99 percent sure" the man is Isaac Zamora, 28, who has a lengthy criminal record, spokesman Chad Lewis said. Zamora was released from the Skagit County jail on Aug 4.

Events started just after 2 p.m. when Skagit County Sheriff's deputy Ann Jackson responded to someone being shot at the 19800 block of Silver Creek Drive in the town of Alger. The deputy and one person were later found dead at the scene.

Shortly after 4 p.m., dispatch received a call that deputies were under fire in the 19300 block of Bridle Place. Another person was found dead at the scene.

Around the same time, a man on a motorcycle appeared at the Alger Shell station with a gunshot wound to his arm.

Then shots were fired at a WSP trooper on the freeway. He was injured in the arm, but managed to drive himself to the hospital in Sedro-Woolley. His injuries were non-life-threatening.

Police are investigating seven different crime scenes in a shooting spree that left six dead Tuesday in Skagit County, Wash.
Police then received word of a fatal collision at mile post 238. It was discovered that the victim had been shot. The victim's car could be seen in the middle of the median near the Bow Hill exit.

Two construction workers were later found dead at a nearby house in the 19500 block of Silver Creek Road.

From there police believe the suspect headed toward I-5, shooting a motorcyclist in the arm at a nearby Shell gas station. That victim is said to be OK.

The suspect is known to police in the area.

"It's a very dangerous job, we all know that, and it's the last thing we want to hear. That one of us has been ... regardless if you're state patrol, city, county, federal agencies, it doesn’t matter. We're all in that same, right in that same family," said trooper Keith Leary. "My heart goes out to the family at this point."

The first shootings were reported shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday and the suspect was in custody by about 4:30 p.m.

Statement from Governor Chris Gregoire

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families of the victims of today's tragic crimes. The victims included innocent civilians and a Skagit County sheriff's deputy. In addition, a Washington State Patrol trooper was injured. Our law enforcement heroes are the first line of defense against crime and they risk their lives everyday to protect others.

I have directed Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste to assist local law enforcement in the investigation of the crimes and the suspect.

Tonight I ask my fellow Washingtonians to pray for the friends and families who suffered such a terrible loss.

On behalf of the Department of Corrections I want to extend our profound sorrow and heartfelt sympathy for the victims of the shootings in Skagit County. This is a senseless loss of the lives of innocent citizens and a member of our law-enforcement family.

We have done an initial review of Isaac L. Zamora's supervision. He was sentenced by Skagit County Superior Court to six months in county jail and one year of community supervision. Zamora was released in the first week of August from Skagit County Jail.

Following his release from jail, in August he reported to his community corrections officer twice as instructed. A urine analysis indicated no drug or alcohol consumption. He was next scheduled to report to his community corrections officer on Sept. 10.

We will cooperate with local law enforcement during their investigation.

Additionally, following our policy after an incident like this, we will have an internal review of his supervision.