So we have another flipped-out guy taking out a bunch of folks in a shooting spree, this time in Alabama.
You and yours are not among the victims, I trust, Sampiro? Although, if so, you’d hardly be posting from the great beyond to tell us.
Oh, shit. Apparently, some of the killings took place in Kinston. A close friend of both mine and Sampiro’s is from there. I need to contact her.
Added: I don’t believe Sampiro was anywhere near Kinston, Elba, or Samson. I’ll try to check in with him as well.
The story I heard said many of the victims were relatives of the gunman. Given some of Sampiro’s stories, and his recent lapse in happy pill supplies, I’m not sure if that increases or decreases his chances of having been involved, on either side of the gun. Here’s a hope that he wasn’t.
Enjoy,
Steven
Sampiro’s most recent post was around 1 a.m., so I’m pretty sure he is fine. I hope his and Ogre’s friends and family are okay as well, and the same goes for our other posters in the area.
Sampiro is fine.
ETA: thanks, Marley. I’m fine as well.
Zomg, a shooting in the same state? I heard there’s a war someplace on Earth, I better call all my relatives and make sure they haven’t been butchered.
Be that as it may, this is threadshitting. Stop it.
There was speculation last night that the shooter had recently lost his job, but it turns out he actually QUIT his job this week, he wasn’t fired or laid off. So we can only speculate what this crazy guy’s whacked-out motive was. 
Perhaps his snarky tone was inappropriate for the forum, but seriously, I was thinking along the same lines. In a state with 4.5 million people, the statistical probability of 10 being anyone we know is so remote, it’s pointless to even consider, so why would anyone make that assumption? Especially since the names of the victims have been released already.
Heaven forbid that anyone be concerned that a friend might be hurt.
Nobody assumed Sampiro was dead, they just asked.
It’s true- the chances of anyone we know being involved in the shootings are extremely remote (even if you know where in Alabama this happened and where our AL dopers live). But people were expressing concern and checking in, and making fun of them for it isn’t appropriate for this forum.
At the time this thread started, I don’t think that was the case. Here’s the list, anyway.
“You’re gay? I know a gay guy in Denver–maybe you know him?”
Just noticed the thread. I don’t live anywhere near there, but as Ogre said we have a good friend whose family is world famous in Kinston. Surprisingly for such a tiny town (about 600) she didn’t know any of the people involved to my knowledge.
I love such lines in the media as these
(from CNN earlier, but they seem to have changed it):
Yeah… cause killing sprees is what people do when the economy is bad and they’re broke. In fact they’re indicators: “Hold onto your GM stock for three, maybe four small town killing sprees, then it’ll go back up, at which time sell and buy Xerox”.
Or my favorite of the media coverage of the “Michael McLendon Massacre” (as it’s alliteratively being called):
The What do you think made Michael McLendon snap?
Oooh, I know I know! He was fucking nuts! The end.
It always pisses me when there’s an event like this (even though I’m really no emotionally closer to this one that most people living in Utah or Guam) that the media always. brings. on. the. same. fucking. experts. to try to explain it and make meaning of it and, God forbid, “help healing” when it’s utterly inexplicable, meaningless, and incapable of being healed for those affected by it [i.e. those who’ll still remember it six months from now, which I’ll admit freely probably excludes me] save for the dulling brought by time.
Wow, that’s an awfully simplistic way of looking at it. I, for one, sure would like to understand as much of the motivation as possible. If you’re interested – though I guess you aren’t, obviously – here’s a related thread about the “why”.
Besides, understanding why people do things may be key in preventing their future occurrence.
I voted for “Family Dispute”, though I suspect it certainly goes far, far beyond that. We’ll never know for sure, but most likely he had some kind of severe, ongoing issue with his family, perhaps even a problem exacerbated by his family, and he finally snapped. People don’t just pick up a gun and start massacring others just because it feels like a fine day for a killin’ – not even crazy people do that. Someone, something drove him to the brink, and many innocents paid the price.
It’s sad, and it’s tragic, but what’s even sadder is that most people merely shrug at these events and say, “He was nuts, couldn’t have been helped.” That’s such a defeatist way to look at it, because it does nothing to FIX the problem.
This problem is already beyond fixing. As far as preventing similar situations, I’m sure more can be done to improve awareness of mental health issues and to reduce stigma, but seriously, this guy burned his mother alive and went on a shooting spree. Maybe the even that set him off was having a family fight or losing his job, but are you proposing we don’t fight with our families anymore and that people stop being fired? Most people get through those situations without killing a bunch of people.
What about ME?? Doesn’t anybody want to know if I’m OK?
Nobody loves me! sniffle
Seriously, though, glad to know that Ogre and Sampiro–and their friend–are all right.
I’m glad you’re okay, Sampiro and Chanteuse.
Wasn’t our Doper John Carter of Mars in Alabama? I don’t remember having seen him post in a long time. I don’t want him to feel left out, too!
Have they linked it to computer games yet?