I'm afraid it might be even worse.
CARSON CITY, Nev. — A gunman wielding an AK-47 opened fire on a table of uniformed National Guard members at an IHOP restaurant on Tuesday in an outburst of violence that killed five people, wounded seven others and put Nevada's capital city on high alert.
Five Nevada National Guard troops sitting together at the back of the restaurant were shot — three of them fatally. Another woman was also killed, and the gunman, 32-year-old Eduardo Sencion of Carson City, shot himself in the head and died at a hospital.
Obviously the perp is a right wing tea party conservative who was inflamed beyond reason by Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. Time to bring civility back into our political discourse.
I have already been on the phone three times to newsrooms cautioning them on the “AK-47 automatic weapon” / “AK-47 assault weapon” crap.
Here’s another reasonable question, at least to my mind: How do we know the perp was, in fact, naturalized?
I'm afraid it might be even worse.
PING!
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20110907/NEWS/110909822/1070&ParentProfile=1058
Officers converged on the south Carson shopping center — which remained at a standstill all day — and once they learned the address on the minivan registration, they raided a home on Jodi Lane where at least one of Sencion’s six brothers lives. From there they learned that Sencion lived with his parents in East Carson City on Truckee Street. A third home, on Greenbrier, was also searched, said Furlong.
As scores of law enforcement processed the crime scene at the restaurant, members of the FBI and Carson City Sheriff’s Office made their way through the three homes. Affidavits in support of search warrants in the case were sealed, said Assistant District Attorney Gerald Gardner.
Although Sencion was born in Mexico, Furlong said, he was in the U.S. legally.
“He has a U.S. passport,” the sheriff said.
According to family friend Francisco Rosales, Sencion’s family has lived in Carson City for at least a decade. Before that, they lived in South Lake Tahoe, Rosales said as he stood outside Sencion’s brother’s house on Jodi Lane. Rosales wanted to be by his friend Gilberto Sencion’s side after seeing Eduardo Sencion’s picture on the news. Instead, he was greeted by a Carson City sheriff’s deputy telling him no one was home.
“I came right away to see if I could help with the kids,” said Rosales.
He said that while he hadn’t spoken much with Eduardo Sencion, the family contains “hard-working guys.”
As for Eduardo, “I noticed he was kind of slow,” he said.
South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler said his department had contact with Sencion in April 2000 during a mental health commitment. According to Uhler, Sencion fought with police officers during the incident, but was not charged with a crime. Uhler declined to provided further details, saying the report of the incident has been turned over to Carson City investigators.
He said he knew of no other contacts between Sencion and South Lake Tahoe police since the incident 11 years ago.
Furlong said there is no record within the Carson City Sheriff’s Office of contact with Sencion other than three instances recently when he pawned items.
The shooting shocked some who knew him, including Joe Laub, his lawyer in a bankruptcy filing in January 2009, who called it an “aberration of his character.”
“He’s a gentle, kind man who was very helpful to friends and family,” Laub told The Associated Press. “I couldn’t venture to guess what would cause him to do something as horrible as this.”
In the bankruptcy filing, Sencion listed more than $42,000 in outstanding debts for a car, several credit cards and some medical expenses. At the time, Sencion reported having $200 spread over three bank accounts and $923 in disability income per month, mostly from Social Security.
The answer will come slowly if ever. Covered up due to an ‘ongoing investigation’. Nothing to see here, now just move along; the gestapo has things well in hand.
Why are our uniformed service members NOT required to carry their firearms?
In Israel, their military is required to carry their firearms on duty and off duty. They've deterred, interrupted and stopped terror attacks for decades.
After all of this, why are we disarmed?