Charles Whitman: The Father Of School Shootings?

[muntrv]

Sadly, the tragedy at Va Tech is a rerun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I remember him well...

I guy I dated back then knew him.

[MnFats]

2. "Texas Monthly" revisited that tragedy recently...bet it's still online...

....chaos something like what we saw today.
an autopsy showed Whitman had a very small tumor on his brain....whether it had anything to do with his killing spree is just a matter of speculation...to this day..

[pitohui]

8. whitman himself believed he was ill

many years ago i read some of his letters or notes (can't recall exactly) but he did seek help without success and also left a request that his brain be autopsied to see if anything could explain the strange thoughts and impulses that kept entering his mind

i guess we'll never know but for my part i have always thought it must be the most horrible thing to have something going wrong w. your brain and to feel impelled to hurt someone you don't want to hurt -- he also killed his mother before the shooting

if not the brain tumor i bet he did have some unknown illness, it seems certain that he believed he wasn't right

[Gabi Hayes]

3. sooner or later this was going to come up........

http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/K/kinkyfriedmanlyrics/kinkyfriedmantheballadofcharleswhitmanlyrics.htm

[qdemn7]

6. Sniper by Harry Chapin

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Sniper-lyrics-Harry-Chapin/43ED51ADE719915748256CAA002CD045

[glaeken777]

4. here's a bit of creepiness for you...

Last night I pulled out my old copy of THE DEADLY TOWER, which is a dramatization of the Texas shootings with Kurt Russell playing Whitman.

It was too late for me to keep my eyes open, so I shelved it intending to watch it tonight, as I hadn't seen it in years.

Imagine my shock to see that this tragedy happened this morning. Foreshadow doesn't begin to describe it.

[MADem]

10. That sort of thing happens to me far too often for my comfort, frankly! NT

[BrklynLiberal]

5. What a tragedy..then and now.

[kskiska]

7. I remember that well

Lynda Bird Johnson was a student there at the time, when her father was President.

[Blue_Tires]

9. yeah, that was what i thought of as well

sad to think he "only" killed 16 people when compared to today...

[REP]

11. What About Unruh?

Not a school, but a lot of people in a very short time (13 people, 14 shots, 12 minutes).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Unruh