According to Reuters, the police in Newport, Rhode Island, were so concerned by the bizarre behavior of Aaron Alexis that they notified the Navy Police weeks ago.
According to the Los Angeles Times:
Just five weeks before he killed 12 people at the Navy Yard in Washington, Aaron Alexis told police in Newport, R.I., that he was hearing voices in his head, that he feared three people were going to harm him and that the voices sometimes came through “the walls, floor and ceiling” of a Navy base in Rhode Island where he was working as a civilian contractor.Somebody dropped the ball, and now the bodies have piled up.
Alexis, 34, who was killed by police at the end of the rampage Monday, also said the individuals were using “some sort of microwave machine” to send vibrations through “the walls, floor and ceiling” of a Navy base in Rhode Island where he was working as a civilian contractor.
Alexis, 34, who was killed by police at the end of the rampage Monday, also said the individuals were using “some sort of microwave machine” to send vibrations through the ceiling of his hotel room to keep him from falling asleep...
Meanwhile, the issue of gun control is being politicized as a direct result of what happened at the Navy Yard on September 16, 2013 — never mind the following:
No AR-15.On another note, one of speculation at this point, Pastorius of THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS has asked an interesting question: Could Aaron Alexis have been suffering from a brain tumor? Age 34 is late for onset schizophrenia; certainly a lot of people with a history of anger issues don't commit mass murder.
Just a shotgun.
Like Uncle Joe [Biden] advised people should buy for self defense instead of an AR-15 or pistol.
And a handgun stolen from someone he shot....
Charles Whitman, the shooter in the tower at the University of Texas in Austin in 1966, had a brain tumor. Whether or not Whitman's brain tumor caused his violent actions has been a subject of debate for a long time.
I've done a great deal of reading about what happened at the Navy Yard on Monday.
ReplyDeleteI can't provide a source for the following information other than to tell you that I read something astounding in the Washington Post:
Two people who work at the Navy Yard have stated that it is possible to bypass the security guards inside the facility by entering from the garage. The side door from the garage requires only an access card.
How did Aaron Alexis access the building? I've read conflicting stories on that matter.
According to last night's news "AA" had OFFICIAL CLEARANCE to get in and out of the Yard at will. The NAVY gave him a PASS.
DeleteWe're not allowed to punish or otherwise detain or violate the Civil Rights of lunatics UNTIL they commit murder, even when we "know" POSITIVELY they have every intention of doing so. It's The LAW. One more proof -- as if you needed it -- that the The LAW is an ASS.
Apparently, Alexis entered through a main gate -- not a side entrance which might have bypassed security guards. He had the shotgun in his backpack, I think. The shotgun didn't have a regular shoulder stock.
DeleteExcellent comprehensive article about Aaron Alexis in today's WaPo: "Before Navy Yard shooting, gunman heard voices and sought help."
ReplyDelete"Alexis, 34, who was killed by police at the end of the rampage Monday ..."
ReplyDeleteHAL-LE-LU-JAH!
HAL-LE-LU-JAH!
HALLE-LUJAH! HALLE-LUJAH! HAL-LE-LU-JAH!
WO HOO! Somebody FINALLY did something RIGHT for a change.
Personally, I don't want to "understand" people of this ilk; I just want to see them DEAD.
FT,
DeleteOne good thing that we should all recognize at this point: the fate of Alexis is not that of Charles Manson, whom we the taxpayers are supporting until the day he dies.
I agree with FreeThinke. I hold to "The Doctrine of the Last Shot Fired." Massacre in progress and blood flowing? It is time for the sniper teams.
ReplyDeleteLet God sort it out.
I think everyone should be armed like the useless cop he hot first.
DeleteTammy,
DeleteIn my view, the officers who killed Alexis made the right choice.
Now, we await the results of the autopsy.
Instead of outlawing guns, the government should outlaw hate, insanity, stupidity and any criminal behavior. When everyone abides by these new laws, we can all live in peace and tranquility.
ReplyDeleteSo the response will be another executive order from dear leader. And he will go for it this time. Better yet, include it in a new rule in obamcare somehow.
ReplyDeleteBut duck, you know that guns kill, people don't. Granted the shooter may take out one or two but his odds lesson after that if enough people are armed.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I heard he bought the gun legally from a shop, which means background check. Doesn't that mute the argument of gun registration. I am not opposed to gun owner registration but still don't feel it will have any impact of gun violence.
Well skudrunner, here's what makes me angry and frustrates me to sarcasm.
DeleteI consider this a serious issue. Now,"The Doctrine of the Last Shot Fired" is not only numbingly foolish but it indicates a complete unwillingness to discuss the issue.
This guy was seen by doctors before he purchased the firearm and told them a microwave device was beaming voices through the walls at him and preventing him from sleeping.
His background had more "Tilts" than a pinball machine and you (forget Tammy) aren't willing to go further and ask both should he have a firearm and how to prevent him from getting one?
All levels failed pretty miserably in this case but some fall back on "The Doctrine of the Last Shot Fired".
Why do so many on the right insist on acting like children.
Try to discuss an issue with them and you can't get very far. Like information on the health insurance exchanges which are appearing to reduce insurance costs for part time workers (yes, reducing costs).
Now, what this may mean is the ACA may be a step toward single payer and a sane insurance system.
The right doesn't care about vision, just defund it and go back to gouging.
Tea Party. The Party of Stupor.
Duck,
DeleteTammy Swofford is former military.
She is also a nurse and sees first hand what happens when a man with a gun runs unchecked and inflicts mayhem.
FYI, she is not falling back on the Doctrine of the Last Shot Fired.
If indeed the murderer sought help, this is a failing of the medical system. I personally knew a man who sought help at the VA. He stated he was hearing things and he KNEW it was insane. They told him to take a pill and calm down... They would try to get him into counseling. This happened THREE TIMES. He later murdered his wife and hanged himself afterward, leaving an apology note.
ReplyDeleteBrooke,
DeleteHow awful!
Such failings happen at medical facilities and medical offices outside the Veterans Administration too.
I well recall a case here in Northern Virginia -- a case much along the lines of what you mentioned and a case not involving military medicine.
ReplyDeleteObama once again proved that he is a laughing stock, This has been true long before Syria. He proved this in his speech yesterday
He sure didńt sound like a Commander in Chief who had an attack and loss of 12 people on one of his military installations. A Jimmy Carter redux, only more socialist and more destructive to real American values! I blame the Progressive idiots out there who crammed this clown down our throats!
Political Chic,
DeleteHe sure didńt sound like a Commander in Chief who had an attack and loss of 12 people on one of his military installations.
No kidding!
He should have postponed the agenda portion of the press conference. That he didn't do so speaks to his lack of empathy.
Once again the Dems leapt to immediately politicize this issue in their never ending quest to punish ALL gun owners. Their effort comes at the expense once again of focusing on the REAL PROBLEM of mental illness that is at the heart of ALL these mass shootings.
ReplyDeleteWe need to disarm the military so murderers feel safer. And don't forget the "No Gun Zone" signs out front. Will that make you happy Piers?
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the military community for the past 15 years, nothing has galled me more than the way those that volunteer to defend our country cannot defend themselves on base.
DeleteI always knew it would cause deaths. The came Ft. Hood as confirmation. Now this. So so so so frustrating. Did you see the MRC video about a Marine who said they could have stopped him at the first building?
http://cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/matt-vespa/if-we-had-ammunition-we-could-ve-cleared-building-son-navy-yard-told-dad
No woodie we need to continue to militarize the police like those low functional cowboys who shot up a few civilians in Times Square the other day.
DeleteKeep arming them, beef up the surveillance and once in a while put on the SWAT uniforms and run around playing Halloween dress up.
Yeah, if you've done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear (unless you're in Times Square or any number of other places).
And pretty soon the control and surveillance increases while we watch and we become docile with our resistance and creativity bred out of us.
Just folks buying what they tell us to buy. Walking in to a supermarket with rows and rows of soda and potato chips making us marvel at the glory of choice.
So you can join FT and I in railing against the crap cultural content this is producing but I warn you, I don't want to join FT back in the 18th century.
But put your faith in the police and the military like a damn fool.
No One of Any Import,
DeleteMaking military installations, particularly one such as the Navy Yard, gun-free zones is madness. Clinton had a hand in that one. **sigh**
Did you see the MRC video about a Marine who said they could have stopped him at the first building?
I haven't see the video you mentioned. But I took a look at the link and found this:
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‘If We Had the Ammunition, We Could’ve Cleared that Building,’ Son at Navy Yard Told Dad
September 17, 2013 - 5:24 PM
By Matt Vespa
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1874 587
Today, we celebrated Constitution Day, and Dan Joseph took to the streets to ask people how they felt about our founding document. He also asked people if there was anything they would change. In the wake of the horrific shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, one individual made an interesting point about yesterday's mass shooting at the Navy Yard in the nation's capital:
"I know a lot of people are concerned about guns these days, but you know if everybody had arms, then there wouldn't be these problems.
"My son was at Marine Barracks -- at the Navy Yard yesterday - and they had weapons with them, but they didn't have ammunition. And they said, 'We were trained, and if we had the ammunition, we could've cleared that building.' Only three people had been shot at that time, and they could've stopped the rest of it."
I read in today's WaPo that Alexis removed the shotgun from his backpack in a restroom on the 4th floor and came out firing. At some point, he moved to another floor; if he hadn't taken a wrong turn there, the officers wouldn't have been able to take him down nearly as quickly.
Duck,
DeleteA bit too much hyperbole and supposition in your comment for me to take that comment seriously.
The fact remains that the gun dealer who sold that shotgun to Alexis had no basis to deny him the weapon (a weapon typically not used in mass shootings, BTW); the gun dealer did deny Alexis the purchase of handgun.
Odie,
DeleteClearly, gun-free zones and disarming active-duty military aren't solving the problem of mass shootings.
The police arrived as fast as they could to the Navy Yard. There were already several dead individuals by that time. In my view, on-site security -- armed guards -- might have made a big difference in the body count. A guess on my part, I know.
Duckys here said:
ReplyDelete"But put your faith in the police and the military like a damn fool."
I will thank you, and you put your faith in the Commie Rat Bastard Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama and the rest of them..
You know you've reached a new low when you trust Vladimir Putin.
The Russians are gloating!
Debonair Dude,
DeletePutin has in garnered so much admiration because Obama comes across as weak. I don't trust Putin, but I must say that he doesn't come across as a weakling who utters threats that he can't follow through on.
Putin hates small and big business, loves high taxes, loves dictatorial power and state control, and hates the rich. Sound Familiar?
ReplyDeleteMy Conservative Thoughts,
DeleteSomewhat along the lines of "out of the pan and into the fire," huh?
What is done is done. Humans are always dropping the ball and missing the warning signs. For God sake we are only human and capable of only so much. We need to stop beating ourselves and everyone else up. Furthermore, there should be no gun control. We have the right to bear arms according to the Constitution - PERIOD! It is PEOPLE that kill people, not GUNS! Guns is only one method, remove guns and you have molotov cocktails flying or bombs detaining and going off. If someone is determined to kill they will. People need to get with reality.
ReplyDeleteLiz,
DeleteYes, humans dropped the ball and will often do so.
But the ball in this case got dropped too many times -- and shouldn't have been, IMO. Several checkpoints, if you will, were in place.
You are absolutely correct that guns themselves are not the problem.
In fact, the largest mass murder ever at a school in the United States occurred at Bath Consolidated School in Michigan in 1927; explosives were used.
It is a shame that these things are occurring regularly around the country. It is always easy to blame. Check points in place, but the ball is dropped. Mind-boggling. It makes me wonder what do we have them for in the first place if we do not even act on them. I cannot explain what was in those people's minds but this is no one's fault except this disturbed man turned killer.
DeleteAll the arguing, recriminalization, finger pointing, and just plain shouting when people like Alexis go off their rocker is now completely predictable. What is not predictable is when we will be able to do something about it.
ReplyDeleteBy doing something, I don't mean more gun control. The only kind of gun control that would have worked is total gun control. Since this is not realistic, we must look to other areas for help.
As in pretty much all the other mass shootings and killings, the perpetrators are people that have had problems for some time. Where is our mental health community to support us with prior warning of these people? Where are the school administrations that learn of these people at early ages? What about law enforcement agencies that respond to incidences where people have voices in their heads, shoot at their ceiling, and do other weird things?
Where are all these people, and how can we integrate their information into some sort of comprehensible fashion that would give us fair warning that a schizophrenic is among us.
When all you hear from our government is that it is too bad that folks have all those guns, there's not much thinking going on.
Bob,
DeleteI found myself nodding in agreement while I was reading your comment.
Psychiatry is an imprecise science -- and that's a generous statement on my part. Psychiatry doesn't have the answers, and we see evidence of that reality over and over again.
Despite that imprecision I just mentioned, it seems that we do need a way to integrate their information into some sort of comprehensible fashion that would give us fair warning... The conundrum, of course, is doing so and, at the same time, protecting the rights of the individual.
"recriminalization" Did I write that? Sorry. These darned spell checkers are the worst. The checker should have typed, "recriminations". instead.
ReplyDeleteHey, folks!
ReplyDeletePlease take a few minutes to watch this video. Quite something!
Did somebody get the word to those schmucks that Reid quite forcefully stated there would be no gun control legislation on the floor?
DeleteFeinstein (D - War pig) is playing for the home town fans and knows damn well nothing will come to the floor.
Strictly kabuki for the suckers and I do mean suckers.
Duck,
DeleteI can't say that I trust the word of Reid or Feinstein.
I wonder if BHO will put into effect some kind of gun control measures via executive order. I wouldn't expect him to do so before the 2014 elections have ended.