Community College Shooting

[FCFC]

Not good for the CCW-in-schools movement, I daresay, if the shooter is a student.

Shooting reported at South Mountain Community College
July 24, 2008
http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=909460

A man opened fire Thursday afternoon in a computer room at South Mountain Community College, wounding three people, two critically, authorities said. A man suspected of being the shooter was later taken into custody.

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m.

Phoenix police spokesman Ruben Gonzales said the suspect was arrested at a home about three to four miles away, near 22nd Avenue and Broadway Road.

The suspect, who hasn't been identified, was arrested after police took a description of the man from witnesses.

"We then, using that information, were able to locate a possible suspect who we then detained," Gonzales said. "At that point, our officers were conducting what is called a one-on-one identification with that possible suspect, using the witnesses, and they positively identified this person."

The shooting allegedly occurred after a fight in the school's computer lab.

The victims were transported to a county hospital.

CBS-5's Tammy Leightner spoke to the father of a 22-year-old victim in and said he is living every parent's nightmare.

"He said that his daughter, after she was shot, she called her mother on the phone," Leightner said. "Her mother was able to get over to the school in time to ride in the ambulance over here to the hospital. He was standing here waiting for them. Obviously, obviously distraught. He did not know the extent of his daughter's injuries. He just said that they are very bad."

The man Leightner spoke to said his daughter is a pharmacy student at the college. She was reported to be in critical condition.

A 25-year-old man is also in critical condition, while a 17-year-old boy was in stable condition, said Mark Faulkner, a division chief for the Phoenix Fire Department. No other information on their injuries was available.

Yessenia Lara was in the computer lab when she heard the shooting rang out and said she thought the argument she overheard was someone joking.

She told reporters the gunman said something before the shots rang out. "He just said 'do something,' like ‘do something about it,' because they were arguing."

Lara said people were screaming following the shooting, and that she ran to a phone and called police.

College spokesman Robert Pryce said the school was in lockdown for about an hour, meaning doors were locked and people weren't able to come in or out.

An electronic sign outside the school said all classes were canceled Thursday and students could be seen leaving the campus calmly. Pryce said the campus would be closed on Friday, which is typical during the summer.

Situated at the base of Phoenix's South Mountain, the college has more than 8,000 students each year. Its student body is made up mainly of people seeking associate degrees and certificates of completion.

 

[Soybomb]

Not good for the CCW-in-schools movement, I daresay, if the shooter is a student.

I must have missed something, why? I see no mention of him being a permit holder or anything.

 

[bensdad]

I'd say it's another compelling argument IN FAVOR of school carry. The nuts won't ever care what the law says.

 

[Reddbecca]

Not a permit holder, not a fellow student, just a random madman who had no right to be where he was.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

This is exactly why students should be able to carry.

 

[Soybomb]

Another news article I just read said it was a gang related dispute.

 

[Robert Hairless]

Not good for the CCW-in-schools movement, I daresay, if the shooter is a student.

Wouldn't it be better to pass a law prohibiting people from shooting other people in schools?

 

[doc2rn]

Wouldn't it be better to pass a law prohibiting people from shooting other people in schools?

I sure hope you where pointing to the duality of futillity these laws do to protect us in the gun-free-zones.

 

[71Commander]

Quote:
Wouldn't it be better to pass a law prohibiting people from shooting other people in schools?

I sure hope you where pointing to the duality of futillity these laws do to protect us in the gun-free-zones.

Sarcasm, I do believe.

 

[wagoneer1019]

another article about ccw in schools in arizona does anyone know what's going on with this bill?

Measure would allow weapons on college campuses
Scott Wong
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 3, 2008 12:00 AM
To get her gun bill through the first legislative skirmish, state Sen. Karen Johnson needed to scratch language that would have let people carry concealed weapons on public K-12 campuses in Arizona.

Now, the Mesa Republican says she will have to give up more ground in the battle over her divisive proposal if it has any chance of surviving in the state Legislature.

"You have to be a realist and know that many things have to be compromised to move along," says Johnson, an outspoken gun-rights proponent known for keeping a .22-caliber pistol in her purse. advertisement




"You still end up with the ability for students, teachers and administrators to carry guns on college campuses."

Senate Bill 1214 may be considered by the full Senate today, but Johnson isn't sure she has enough votes. In a last-ditch effort, she was meeting Wednesday evening with gun lobbyists and trying to sway key lawmakers still on the fence.

In its current form, the bill would allow people with concealed-carry permits, restricted to those 21 and older, to bring guns onto community college and public university campuses.

It's something supporters say would give students, teachers and administrators a chance to protect themselves during a mass shooting.

But under amendments Johnson plans to propose on the Senate floor, students, teachers and administrators who want to carry a gun on campus would have to go through additional gun training and pass a shooting proficiency test.

That would earn them a special sticker that would be displayed on their concealed-carry weapons permit. Residents can obtain a permit after eight hours of gun training and a background check.

Also under proposed changes, universities and colleges would be allowed to set policies regarding how weapons are stored in dormitories and other on-campus housing facilities.

The record shows that SB 1214 has been holstered since late January when the Senate Judiciary passed the bill on a 4-3 vote.

Since then, however, Johnson has been working behind the scenes, tallying votes, addressing concerns of unconvinced Senate colleagues and refining her proposal.

The new amendments come as states across the country grapple with legislation to permit people to bring guns on college campuses.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives overwhelmingly endorsed a bill that would allow people with military or law-enforcement background to carry a concealed gun on public university and college campuses.

But earlier this week, Senate leaders abandoned the proposal after vocal opposition from school administrators, including former governor and University of Oklahoma President David Boren.

Similar gun legislation was defeated in Alabama, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia, where a gunman slaughtered 32 students and faculty members at Virginia Tech last year before turning the gun on himself.

The Arizona proposal has come under fire from campus police chiefs, school administrators and the Board of Regents, which governs the state's three public universities.

On campuses, where students frequently engage in heated classroom debates or have disputes with instructors over grades, guns could easily be used to threaten or intimidate others, says Velvie Green, president of Glendale Community College. It armed its small campus police force only within the past six months.

"We don't want our students to have to worry about or fear concealed weapons that would disrupt the learning environment," said Green, who added that none of the proposed changes satisfies her concerns. "We need to focus on the reason for our existence: providing our students with access to higher education."

Yet others, including the Arizona Citizens Defense League and National Rifle Association, say letting people arm themselves offers the best chance of keeping students and others safe on campus.

To guarantee safety, schools would have to subject people to metal-detector screenings such as those at airports and courthouses, says Peoria resident Jon Massey, 29. He is studying global business at Arizona State University's West campus.

"That is unrealistic. You've got a college campus of 60,000 people and you can't screen everybody," said Massey, who completed his concealed-carry training last weekend and plans to bring his Springfield XD .45 handgun to school if the bill becomes law.

"If there's somebody (with a gun) who can defuse the situation, it gives everyone a fighting chance."

Massey's father, Robert, a former police officer, firearms instructor and adjunct faculty member at Avondale's Estrella Mountain Community College, also backs Johnson's bill.

But the elder Massey, 59, says he won't be carrying a gun into the classroom or onto campus.

"I don't feel that I need to, but I respect those that do have the permits and do want to carry," he said. "It's a personal choice."

 

[bnkrazy]

Thankfully in VA it's not illegal to carry on campus. You only have to worry about the school policy of expulsion if caught. I hope the victims pull through and heal quickly.

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

Our great (being facetious), lezzy Governor, Janet Napalitano vetoed the bill allowing CCW on college campuses.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

[Poper]

Our great (being facetious), lezzy Governor, Janet Napalitano vetoed the bill allowing CCW on college campuses.

And the Az Repulsive continues to give her a pass.

I wonder what J.D. will have to say tonight on his radio show? Great supporter of the 2nd and great critic on "Jane-o".

Poper

 

[neviander]

I anticipate the day when I see the headline: "Concealed handgun permit holder puts down murderer on college campus, saves lives"

On the other hand, would they actually put it as a headline, or bury it on A11....ppbbsh

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Might want to look at Pearl High School and Appalachian School of Law for armed civilian stopped school shootings.

 

[Jimmy Dean]

and those were buried on page A11.... :/

 

[Oana]

I don't see why it would necessarily be bad for CCW in schools, beyond the usual whining.

The fact of the matter is that we've already tried the no-guns-in-school method. For decades. Mysteriously , we've had multiple school shootings. "Campuses awash in blood", literally. It's time for the anti crowd to take off the blinders and realize that maybe, just maybe, their precious medicine is actually a placebo, and a poor one at that.

 

[FCFC]

Not a permit holder, not a fellow student, just a random madman who had no right to be where he was.

Check on the permit. Possibly iffy on the not a fellow student. Probably not a random madman with no right to be there.

And.....sounds like a possible case of self-defense. In which case we may have to defend the shooter.

Need more details before doing that, though. It's a messy situation, that's for sure.



July 25, 2008, 9:55PM
Shooter at college was punched first, police say
Simmering feud began in December in gas station brawl

By AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press

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PHOENIX — The most seriously wounded of three people shot in a community-college computer lab had punched the gunman, an old enemy, in the face before he opened fire, police said Friday.

Isaac Deshay Smith was sentenced to jail for attacking Rodney Smith in December, and the two unrelated men had gotten into verbal confrontations every time they met since then, Phoenix Detective Reuben Gonzales said.

On Thursday, police said, Isaac Smith, 19, punched 22-year-old Rodney Smith during a confrontation at South Mountain Community College.

Rodney Smith, a former student of the school like Isaac Smith, then pulled a handgun from his waist and opened fire, according to a probable cause statement released Friday. School officials say 20 to 30 people were in the lab, which is open to the public.


Critical condition

Isaac Smith was trying to hide under a table when he was shot, the court document said. Gonzales said the bullet entered his body through the groin area, traveled through his stomach and into his chest cavity.

He underwent emergency surgery overnight and was in critical condition Friday at Maricopa Medical Center.

The other victims, identified as Otisha Charee Williams, 20, and Christopher Lee Taylor, 17, were in stable condition early Friday.

Williams and Taylor appear to have been innocent bystanders, police said.

At a court appearance Friday, Rodney Smith pointedly apologized to the "innocent victims" of the shooting after the judge advised him that anything he said could be used against him in court.

"I didn't mean for any innocent victims to get hurt," he said. "I apologize to the innocent victims and their family."

Court documents say the December fight began after a man who was at a gas station with Isaac Smith tried talking to a woman who was with Rodney Smith. Isaac Smith and two others punched and kicked Rodney Smith repeatedly as he lay on the ground — breaking his jaw in two places — and the woman was punched in the stomach when she tried to stop them, documents say.

The three attackers pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault. Isaac Smith was sentenced to three weekends in county jail and two years' probation, and was ordered to pay an unspecified amount of restitution to Rodney Smith.


Interference

Rodney Smith was arrested soon after the shootings at a home about three miles from campus. He was booked for investigation of aggravated assault, endangerment and misconduct involving weapons; bail was set at $200,000.

It was not known if Rodney Smith had a lawyer yet.

There was no immediate response to a request for an interview made through the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

Smith's parents and three other people were arrested at the home on charges of interfering with an investigation and failure to obey a police officer after they crossed police tape and demanded to go back inside, Gonzales said.

Situated at the base of Phoenix's South Mountain, the college has more than 8,000 students.

Most students are seeking associate degrees and certificates of completion.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/5908366.html

 

[myrockfight]

I must have missed something, why? I see no mention of him being a permit holder or anything.

I believe FCFC was making the point that, as dillusional as the public tends to be, they would see this as a reason for people not to have guns on campus at all - Even if they were permitted everywhere else, as the case is now - obviously.

 

[SCKimberFan]

Here is what I see - No mention of a permit, R Smith was a former student, previous bad dealings with the "victim". The shooter was assualted, at least twice, by the "victim". He may a chance at self-defense, although that may be a bit tough. Other than that, we will have to wait and see what else comes of this.