This video contains very disturbing footage. What is striking is how brave and calm the school board members, particularly Bay City Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt, prove under pressure. The gunman has been identified as Clay A. Duke.
At one point, a female school board member [Ginger Littleton] who was allowed to leave returned to try to take the gun away. This looks like a case of “suicide by cop” to me.
After security guard Mike Jones wounded Duke, he appears to have shot himself.
I think the video shows members doing precisely what they should do in such a circumstance. The only exception would be Littleton, who was clearly quite brave. It was unlikely that she could overpower Duke and could have caused the gun to go off while it was pointing at the other board members. I also thought it was a commendable act of restraint by the officer not to simply come in firing. He waited to see if the gunman could be persuaded by the board members and only acted when the gunman fired toward the chair. There is an abundance of courage shown by people in this video.
According to this report, Duke’s wife was fired and claimed a violation of her employment rights, but never filed suit. Police have reported that Duke appears to have planned the attacks — circling the date on his calendar.
Nevertheless, this is a remarkably sad video and a sad statement of our times in his economy.
Clay A. Duke, School Board Gunman, Had Dec. 14 Marked On Calendar
| 12/15/10 02:27 PM | AM
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — The ex-convict who calmly held a school board at gunpoint and then began randomly firing had circled the date on a calendar found in his mobile home, evidence he had been planning the attack for some time, police said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/15/clay-a-duke-school-board-gunman_n_797149.html
Thanks for that link Bdaman. While not excusing what he did, he must have been in a whole lot of pain…
Did you check out the “human resources” vid?
More later… Must get some work done.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/fl-school-board-shooter-posted-suicide-note-railing-against-the-rich-linking-to-media-matters/
Bdaman:
is that true? Not about the weapon tilting left.
Clay Duke, the man who opened fire on a Florida school board Tuesday, posted a “last testament” on Facebook decrying the wealthy and linking to a slew of progressive sites including… Media Matters!
He missed shooting everyone because every time he held the gun up it tilted to the left.
There are so many “miracles” in this story that even though it broadcast craziness in our environment, it also makes a good holiday story in that the good were winners.
I guess we should’ve seen this one coming — it is Florida after all…
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/15/staring-at-death-god-blocked-the-bullet-fla-school-official/?ncid=webmail
OS,
So funny… LOL …and on that note, I have to get to work… Must get to work. Great addition to this thread, with much potential…
michellefrommadison: WTF????
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX161ulHrSA&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0]
Otteray Scribe and eniobob,
Important points, especially the need for counseling and treatment for PTSD…
It’s still somewhat controversial, but EMDR appears to be helpful in some cases…
Ginger Littleton acted in a matter that interfered with a documented active police investigation, and Ginger needs at least life imprisonment for her crime of what obviously could have potentially cost countless lives of victims in that case. Death penalty option for Ginger should also be reviewed as a possible option, and no one that cannot adequately disarm any offender should ever be allowed to attend anywhere the public is allowed to frequent. Everyone of those panel-members needs immediate training on how to protect oneself as their position of remaining sitting-ducks when they did not need to should be pounded into their heads. Disciplinary-notations need to also be made on each in panel-member in attendance and the issue brought back up next election cycle. They should all be ashamed at themselves. What an embarrassment to their families.
eniobob: You are correct. Speaking as one who knows, nothing focuses one’s attention more sharply than looking down the bore of a loaded gun.
I hope the members of the board so affected are smart enough to seek counseling to deal with their reactions, which almost certainly will turn into chronic PTSD if left untreated. It will be easier for them to deal with it early on rather than years from now.
“but emotionally they are done.”
Just watching news conference and one of the board members just validated that observation by saying “they will carry this the rest of their lives”.
Otteray Scribe
“For those unfamiliar with handguns, it is harder to hit something, even at close range, than you might think. I am not surprised he missed.”
========
Nor am I. During a past discussion about handguns with a couple of relatives in law enforcement, this same point was made.
The shooter seemed impaired to me — it seemed like he was under the influence of something, given the way that he lumbered about, his lack of responsiveness etc. Yes, to mental illness, as well…
He said that he wanted to die and that’s how it ended. As it turned out, it was partial “suicide by cop” — he had an assist.
eniobob said, “Words have meaning and all this loose talk on the airways about taking our country back etc,this is what happens.”
Yes, to that.
There are too many guns out there — many of them in the hands of the wrong people.
I have watched the video several times. For those unfamiliar with handguns, it is harder to hit something, even at close range, than you might think. The shooter does not seem to be aiming as a target shooter might, but aiming as one might learn from watching old west movies. In other words, not using the sights and simply pointing the weapon. I am not surprised he missed.
The security guard did not miss. As for speculation that this was suicide by cop, I doubt it. The shooter committed suicide after he was down from the guard’s rounds hitting him. He shot himself in the head, according to the news stories. The videos I have seen have been edited to end before he shot himself.
Words have meaning and all this loose talk on the airways about taking our country back etc,this is what happens.
Glad none of the Board Members were hurt phsycally,but emotionally they are done.
Mespo727272:
we don’t need to, you already did.
Thanks,
GN
Obviously a deranged man with all too easily obtained weapon. I can’t wait for the inevitable comment by the gun nuts that, had everybody in the room been armed, this would have ended better.
That is one disturbing video. Prof. Turley is right that this appears to be a suicide by cop situation. The shooter never does tell the Board what is wife did at the district and starts rambling on about tax issues. I believe that he missed on purpose. I have never fired a handgun in my life, but I think I would have hit someone after firing 2 or 3 shots at such close range. Such a sad event that gets repeated far too often.
Another video of shooting