Posted on 10/09/2010 2:01:05 AM PDT by South40
CARLSBAD — A man seemingly bent on violence and destruction stormed Kelly Elementary School in Carlsbad Friday and fired into a crowd of children on the playground, striking two girls, before being chased and tackled by nearby construction workers.
Brendan L. O’Rourke, 41, believed to be a transient, was arrested on six counts of attempted murder and various weapons charges, Carlsbad police said.
A trail of blood led to a classroom, which held two second-graders who suffered bullet wounds to their right arms, police said. The girls, ages 6 and 7, were flown to Rady Children’s Hospital for treatment and were doing well, Carlsbad Police Chief Gary Morrison said.
“We are grateful to God only two children were hurt,” Carlsbad Mayor Bud Lewis said. “We know in this tragedy, it could have been far worse.”
Several witnesses saw the gunman clad in black, running on the school grounds shortly after noon carrying a gas can and shooting at random during recess.
“He was dressed just like a bad guy,” in a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants, said neighbor Scott Chandler, who saw the violence unfold from his driveway near the schoolyard on Kelly and Riviera drives.
Chandler ran toward the school as fast as he could and caught up with two construction workers, Steven Kane and Mario Contreras, assigned to a cafeteria expansion project. They chased the gunman through the field and over a fence.
Carlos Partida, another construction worker, said he jumped into his black Ford F-150 pickup when his co-workers started chasing the gunman. Partida struck the man with his truck, knocking him to the ground, police said.
Partida, Kane and Contreras wrestled a .357 Magnum silver revolver with a wooden handle from O’Rourke.
Chandler said he noticed that one of the men was holding the gun and appeared ready to use it against the suspect.
“I said, ‘Dude, put the gun down,’ ” Chandler said.
As the men peppered O’Rourke with questions, the gunman’s only reply was a series of “growls and grunts,” Chandler said.
Witness Terry Lynn, who raced to the school in his van after seeing the shooting from his upstairs bedroom window, said the gunman came prepared to inflict damage.
“How many kids could he kill in five minutes?” he recalled thinking as he raced out of the house.
“He came prepared, with extra ammunition and reloaders packed in his pocket,” said Lynn, who waited with the men who captured O’Rourke until police came.
Bomb investigators examined a propane tank that was sitting outside the suspect’s car — a tan Crown Victoria parked at the curb near the field. A gas can that many saw him carrying during the shooting, which some witnesses described as looking like a jack-o’-lantern, was later recovered in the field.
Lt. Kelly Cain said bomb personnel found no explosive devices or hazardous materials in or around O’Rourke’s car.
He was taken to a hospital after complaining about pain to his back and neck and was later released for booking, Cain said.
No motive has been determined for the shootings.
About 100 parents gathered at Laguna Riviera Park, many in tears and making calls on cell phones trying to get more information.
Children, who were placed on lockdown, eventually reunited with their anxious parents at the park.
“This is crazy,” said parent Brian Rupert. “I can’t believe there are psychos like this in the world. It’s unbelievable we have to deal with people like this.”
Jared Peterson picked up his 6-year-old son, Louie, at the park.
“We’re happy they’re OK. We are just praying for the other families,” Peterson said, referring to the parents of the girls who were shot.
Louie said it was “great” to see his dad after all that had happened.
“It was just a huge lockdown, and we all had to go to the bathroom because we were hiding,” the kindergartner said. When they made it to their classrooms later, he said, they spent time at activity centers.
School board member Kelli Moors said students were locked down inside classrooms within three minutes of the shooting. The kindergarten-through-fifth grade school has about 450 students.
“This is exactly what we drill for. This is how it’s supposed to work,” Moors said.
Counselors are expected to be available at the school Monday.
Friday’s attack happened on a campus that has been in the news this year because of fears that a cancer cluster existed in the community and was linked to the school. After reviewing 10 years of data, state health officials concluded in June there is no cancer cluster.
“Just when things were getting back to normal, this happens,” said Caroline Garrett, parent of a fourth-grader.
“We’ve been through a lot,” she said. “We’ll get through this, too.”
Having been one all my life, Like most Americans, Most Construction workers,are those I would “ride the river with”.
I can hear the Plaintive Cry of the Libs now: WE MUST BAN GUNS NOW!!!
But I still have to ask, I thought schools were "gun free zones." How could a crazed gunman pull off this shooting in a place where it is illegal to carry a gun? /s
“He was dressed just like a bad guy,” in a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants, said neighbor Scott Chandler, who saw the violence unfold from his driveway near the schoolyard on Kelly and Riviera drives.
Chandler ran toward the school as fast as he could and caught up with two construction workers, Steven Kane and Mario Contreras, assigned to a cafeteria expansion project. They chased the gunman through the field and over a fence.
Carlos Partida, another construction worker, said he jumped into his black Ford F-150 pickup when his co-workers started chasing the gunman. Partida struck the man with his truck, knocking him to the ground, police said.
Partida, Kane and Contreras wrestled a .357 Magnum silver revolver with a wooden handle from O’Rourke. Chandler said he noticed that one of the men was holding the gun and appeared ready to use it against the suspect.
Was this the lone liberal talking to the press about the story? They had to add how this guy bravely stopped the REAL heroes from keeping this mental case from ever shooting seven year old's again? Excuse me while I go throw something.
It was said on the radio yesterday that “the suspect is refusing to talk to authorities”.
Grrrrr.....! We need to import some Russian cops for scum like this. They’d make him talk reeeeeal fast, JMHO.
Anyway, kudos and a medal for the construction guys, and “dude, put the gun down” can go f*** himself.
...Anyway, kudos and a medal for the construction guys, and “dude, put the gun down” can go f*** himself...
True. So why did they even talk to chandler who stood back at a safe distance while the heroes did the work? What a cringing COWARD!
The "hey dude" says it all. Probably another doper liberal a-hole.
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