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Shooting at Omaha Mall
- Thread starter swiftaw
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I live in the Bellevue/Omaha area and this has been an unfortunate event to have happened in our area. The shooter used to work at the McDonald's from where I work and lives close to all my co-workers. I remember seeing him in that McDonald's when he was first applying to work there and saw him again the other day when we went through drive thru.
Apparently, he was fired from his job, became depressed, and so he decided to do something stupid like this. From what the local news have stated a line that he wrote in his suicide note was that he wanted to "go out in style" and that's why he shot up in Von Maur. I know for sure our local community will be strong enough to get through this. Thanks for everyone's concern!
Apparently, he was fired from his job, became depressed, and so he decided to do something stupid like this. From what the local news have stated a line that he wrote in his suicide note was that he wanted to "go out in style" and that's why he shot up in Von Maur. I know for sure our local community will be strong enough to get through this. Thanks for everyone's concern!
This is something that should happen, but I do not believe that it is a driving force - in the end we are all responsible for our own choices, actions, decisions. If bullying was the issue that drove him to it then he is the ultimate bully by taking life of those he bullied with a gun.
We live in a society where it is easy to find a cause to an issue in someones childhood, but we all learn, grow and have to become responsible for our own actions and life choices.
Americans and Guns
Once again the world thinks "Americans and Guns"
You have to wonder just how bad an incident has to get before America actually does anything to protect its citizens.
Once again the world thinks "Americans and Guns"
You have to wonder just how bad an incident has to get before America actually does anything to protect its citizens.
I love the blame the parents crap. No one bothers looking at bullies in school and how much they can screw some one up. It does not matter how good the parents are bullies will screw some one up and make some one think very low of themselves and push them to the edge.
I am talking from experince. I k-12 I was that kid everyone pick on. The one they liked to make cry. 6th grade I came really close to killing myself. Now at 24 I still deal with the those scares and carry a lot of baggage from those days. I still hate the kid who made my life a living hell at school in 6th grade and do not know if I will ever be able to forgive him.
I come from a very loving family. Parents who took a huge amount of interest in me and I still almost killed myself. I barely was able to hold on then.
So yeah in the end yeah it was his choice but bullies in grade school will screw some on up for there entire life. The school systems really do need to do more to crack down on bullies but they are getting their hands tied.
People can analyze this as much as they want.. but it's not going to stop. Bullying is going to continue.. it always has. It's a basic human trait - I come from an Indian school where teachers were *very* strict.. and bullying was rare - but it still existed.
It all depends on the individual who is being bullied.. and how he can handle the situation at that time, and later on in his life. If no one is there to support him, or he is not strong enough.. obviously that *could* lead to problems later on.
Bullying, ragging.. whatever it is, is accepted as a way of life in schools and colleges. That cop who killed his girlfriend and her friends at a house.. do you think he went nuts because of bullying? No.. he was just mad because his girlfriend turned him down.
There will be innumerable reasons for anyone who is mentally unstable.. to pick up a gun and kill innocent people. It's better to have someone like that take his own life than have access to a weapon that can easily kill numerous people (please don't give me the 'but he can do the same if he had a knife'.. yes, he can kill with a knife .. but it's not that easy as compared to killing with a gun)
The bottom line is, to stay alert.. and protect yourself at all times. Some people react with a 'I can't believe this is happening at a mall' and don't move. Run! when you hear shots. Run when you see someone with a gun.
Or arm yourself. That's the only thing I can think of considering there is going to be no gun control in this country.
What the hell arey ou smoking thinking that bullie is acceptable. It is not an acceptable action and it is something that people need to step up and stop. Is it possible to completle no but it is possible to limit it.
Young kid need to be supported. You clearly never understand how bad bullies can get. It leaves people screwed for a life time and cause a lot of mental problems. I personally have huge self estime problems that date back to the hell I lived though.
It is one thing to deal with short term bullie that does not leave last effects but long term and never letting up is what leaves the damage.
We are growing when the problems happens and forming our understanding of life. Kid who gets pick on grows up everyone hate them and they are crap. Now later in life it is easier to deal with it we are adults but he damage from the when that person was a kid.
Uh.. where did I say that it was acceptable? It would be much nicer to post here if people actually read the posts without jumping to conclusions. I said it has been accepted as a way of life.. I don't promote it duh. Just like government corruption.. it's everywhere.. people certainly don't like it.. but it's always going to exist.
Sheesh.. never mind, someone who has trouble putting their words across obviously couldn't comprehend my post.
I believe below is where you stated it was an accepted way of life.
Yes, as in it's not something 'shocking'. I didn't say that *I* accept the practice of bullying. Did you get my government corruption analogy? Probably not.
I'm a little concern about all the media attention this is getting, not sure if it will be encouraging people who wanted attention before they go to do the same thing.
I remembered a year ago?, we had a suicide case on the railway, and the media was swarming all over it about the accident, life story etc, and for the next few months, we had similar cases happening, sometimes twice a month. The media learns to shut up and only did a small cover of it now.
I remembered a year ago?, we had a suicide case on the railway, and the media was swarming all over it about the accident, life story etc, and for the next few months, we had similar cases happening, sometimes twice a month. The media learns to shut up and only did a small cover of it now.
Holy Smokes
A kid loses his job, girl friend and goes nuts. He shoots several people at the mall and then himself. What the heck does this have to do with bullies? In typical fashion, everyone seems to be looking for a scape goat. The kid made a choice to kill those people. It was not because of some bully from his past, it was not because he owned guns, it was the choice of a sick kid who chose the coward's route out of his problems. No more, no less. The "government" is not responsible, I am not responsible, no one is other than the shooter. Personal responsibility has become a rare thing in this country - this incident and all these posts blaming bullying are a prime example. I am sorry for anyone who was bullied when they were kids, but that was a long time ago, move on. You can't blame everything on past events.
A kid loses his job, girl friend and goes nuts. He shoots several people at the mall and then himself. What the heck does this have to do with bullies? In typical fashion, everyone seems to be looking for a scape goat. The kid made a choice to kill those people. It was not because of some bully from his past, it was not because he owned guns, it was the choice of a sick kid who chose the coward's route out of his problems. No more, no less. The "government" is not responsible, I am not responsible, no one is other than the shooter. Personal responsibility has become a rare thing in this country - this incident and all these posts blaming bullying are a prime example. I am sorry for anyone who was bullied when they were kids, but that was a long time ago, move on. You can't blame everything on past events.
I went off about bullies because I know first hand how they can screw some one up for there entire life. Just those few short years in school will screw some one up for their entire life. I still struggle with self esteem issues. I have a tendency to think everyone is out to get me and be very defensive. I will lash out because of that at people I love and care about. I am still very closes off to the world to protect myself.Guess what those issues trace back to I want to say 2nd grade-10 grade crap I was put through. Now only 4 months away from being 25 I still deal with those issues on a daily bases. I am not a normal person. I have a lot of issues and a lot of baggage. Yeah over 10 years later from the worse time in my life I still struggle with those same issues.
Personally I feel it is important to trace back issues like this person making this choice on some of the rook causes that lead him down that path and then how to prevent it.
In this case he was using an illegal weapon so gun control was not going to stop it. He would of gotten the weapon and pulled this stunt. The best solution is to target the causes and that is hitting the issue when they are younger.
I think pinpointing bullies is pretty random and myopic.
We all deal with bullies, with girlfriends breaking up, with loss of jobs, sometimes with depression, and some of us go through things like bad family relationships or foster care systems or drug use, like the shooter did. But are we acting out like this? No.
The MOST IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE is that he did not COPE with these stresses and issues, and he fell through the cracks of the mental health care system. He no longer had insurance, his parents didn't have insurance, and the state did not cover him, much less would they cover his psychiatric care.
It's not violence in video games or gothic rock music or bullies in schools. This isn't happening once a day in every state... maybe other forms of violence, perhaps. This was the work of a criminally insane young mind that had been refused the care he needed and had lost all of his support network, and just so happened to be at the right place (a friend's house who was A GUN NUT with an AK-47) at the right time. If it weren't for that, he might have only shot one person, or just himself, or jumped off of a bridge.
It seems pretty clear to me that what needs to be done to prevent this is to (a) get some health (and mental health) care to the people of our country, and (b) make damn well sure that depressed 17-year-olds can't get their hands on semi-automatic weapons.
We all deal with bullies, with girlfriends breaking up, with loss of jobs, sometimes with depression, and some of us go through things like bad family relationships or foster care systems or drug use, like the shooter did. But are we acting out like this? No.
The MOST IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE is that he did not COPE with these stresses and issues, and he fell through the cracks of the mental health care system. He no longer had insurance, his parents didn't have insurance, and the state did not cover him, much less would they cover his psychiatric care.
It's not violence in video games or gothic rock music or bullies in schools. This isn't happening once a day in every state... maybe other forms of violence, perhaps. This was the work of a criminally insane young mind that had been refused the care he needed and had lost all of his support network, and just so happened to be at the right place (a friend's house who was A GUN NUT with an AK-47) at the right time. If it weren't for that, he might have only shot one person, or just himself, or jumped off of a bridge.
It seems pretty clear to me that what needs to be done to prevent this is to (a) get some health (and mental health) care to the people of our country, and (b) make damn well sure that depressed 17-year-olds can't get their hands on semi-automatic weapons.
Kind of the way people think "England and football hooligans" or "France and street riots", huh?
Kind of the way people think "England and football hooligans" or "France and street riots", huh?
re:England that is not so much the case nowadays we have done lots to clamp down on this with success. Also if you think English football hooligans are bad then you haven't seen anything. Continental Europe is worse but it is not a patch on south america.
Also the death rate of hooliganism is very small and it is hooligan on hooligan, not totally innocent by standers.
Yes, I had heard things were much better now. Good for you! I thought it was about 5 or 6 years or so ago, things sounded pretty bad.
Regarding this shooting, of course hindsight is 20/20, but I'd say maybe if a person with a history of depression threatened to kill a person, then spent 4 years "in a series of treatment centers, group homes and foster care" and was a drug abuser, maybe they should have had closer supervision after being released.
Regarding this shooting, of course hindsight is 20/20, but I'd say maybe if a person with a history of depression threatened to kill a person, then spent 4 years "in a series of treatment centers, group homes and foster care" and was a drug abuser, maybe they should have had closer supervision after being released.
That's a good guess that should be looked into. If he actually did want to go out "in style" that is.
Such a sad situation.
id say whats next will be an organized witch hunt for every kid showing even the slightest signs of craziness. an organized group being set-up to run standard tests and get these kids the help they need. hey, i'd even support it. preventing even one of these events in the future is worth annoying 10000 kids.
^^hard to read i know but shift button broken
I agree but that is not all, we need to work harder at not letting kids become depressed- by providing them with better schools to learn in, more loving homes that have better educated parents who pay attention to their children, what they watch, do see, eat, play, etc. so they can not only be involved with their children's lives, but can be on the look out for warning signals.
Sooooo many parents just ignore the warning signs by just saying...oh, that is just how all teenagers are now a days!! Unfortunately there are many teenagers in a depressed state...just like the adults in our world....this is such a big problem that there isn't one solution!!!!
But the best way to improve the situation is provide EVERY human being with an environment they can grow up in that is supportive, loving, and rich with real social friendships that are strong! Humans need to be respected and most of the humans that resort to this sort of behavior have not been respected in so many ways!!!