Shots fired in McKinney, Collin County Community College

[74novaman]

You're right. My initial post was made as the only news we had was a shooter was "on campus". As more facts came out about it, that changed my view on it.

But I did have to get my OC tweak in for the day, right?

[Excaliber]

What is important and still not answer, how the assailant was gunned downed, or is it a self-inflicted wound?

From the video report, http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=56778@ktvt.dayport.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The shooter had intent to "detonate" his bomb truck in similar fashion to OK incident. The fire did not ignite the fertilizer. He opened fire and tried to run away. Most likely took his own life after being hit from returning fire from LEOs.

Ammonium nitrate fertilizer alone is not explosive. It acquires that characteristic only when properly mixed with certain petroleum products and set off by another primary explosive charge.

I have no doubt that the suspect intended it to be explosive in this case, but he didn't put any serious effort into understanding how to make it work. The mix of items in the trailer (wood chips, fertilizer, road flares) suggests impulsive preparation rather than careful planning.

From the initial facts as reported, this looks like an incident which has a serious undiagnosed mental illness rather than any criminal or terroristic motivation at its root. That could change as more facts come out, but, as Steve Rothstein has pointed out, it violates several long established patterns for other types of incidents. The fact that lots of wild shots were fired without hitting anyone, even though people were outside and would have been easy targets for a rifleman at 50 yards, strongly suggests that mass murder was not the real intent.

[Hoi Polloi]

The fact that lots of wild shots were fired without hitting anyone, even though people were outside and would have been easy targets for a rifleman at 50 yards, strongly suggests that mass murder was not the real intent.

Over 100 shots fired from cover and he didn't hit with one shows he either wasn't intending to OR he was intending to and was not capable of doing so because of poor planning or poor control or both.

[para driver]

the contents of his bomb materials, sounds a lot like the guy in NY at Time Square.. the ammonium nitrate and road flares (plus gasoline).. he was trying to make an incendiary device.

[UpTheIrons]

WOAI in San Antonio just reported that the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

I'm still thankful he was the only casualty.

[para driver]

not trying to be cruel, but why don't we just set up suicide centers where these people can go and 'do their thing'..

[LarryH]

not trying to be cruel, but why don't we just set up suicide centers where these people can go and 'do their thing'..

probably because then they wouldn't get their names in the paper

[MojoTexas]

I agree, after learning more about the incident, I agree this has nothing to do with concealed carry on campus. It appears he planned to pull a Timothy McVeigh and blow up the McKinney public safety building that houses the police and fire department. It sounds like when the explosives in his trailer didn't go off as planned, he retreated to the south (which just so happened to be the college campus, but was also the nearest cover) and started shooting. I didn't see it in person, nor do I have inside information, but I've driven by that location many times and that's the best guess I can come up with given the few facts I know. Perhaps he did intend to die, but I think he also wanted to take some people with him. Otherwise he could have just blown his brains out at home and saved everybody a lot of trouble. I think he deserves to win this year's Darwin Award.

For what it's worth, I am definitely not going to use my concealed handgun to engage an attacker that is 50+ meters away and armed with a rifle, especially if I have the opportunity to escape or achieve sufficient cover.

I am still just very grateful that no innocent people were harmed.

MojoTexas

[para driver]

For what it's worth, I am definitely not going to use my concealed handgun to engage an attacker that is 50+ meters away and armed with a rifle, especially if I have the opportunity to escape or achieve sufficient cover.
MojoTexas

50 yards is possible, but not my choice either.. it would have to be a 'hail Mary' shot, from good cover.

[Excaliber]

The fact that lots of wild shots were fired without hitting anyone, even though people were outside and would have been easy targets for a rifleman at 50 yards, strongly suggests that mass murder was not the real intent.

Over 100 shots fired from cover and he didn't hit with one shows he either wasn't intending to OR he was intending to and was not capable of doing so because of poor planning or poor control or both.

Or because his intention was to create enough commotion to get the police to take care of what he didn't want to do himself - but ultimately did anyway.

[para driver]

maybe the clever idea is publish to construction schematics, that self detonate?

[Keith B]

Or because his intention was to create enough commotion to get the police to take care of what he didn't want to do himself - but ultimately did anyway.

I think you hit the nail on the head Excaliber. From things that he apparently had posted on social networking sites, he was looking to check out. With 100 rounds of ammo fired, I think he would have hit someone if he had even tried at all. My gut says that he wanted to make sure he died during the incident, and when he realized they possibly could take him alive that he terminated his own life rather than be caught. I could be wrong, but all things are starting to add up to that scenario.

[Excaliber]

Or because his intention was to create enough commotion to get the police to take care of what he didn't want to do himself - but ultimately did anyway.

I think you hit the nail on the head Excaliber. From things that he apparently had posted on social networking sites, he was looking to check out. With 100 rounds of ammo fired, I think he would have hit someone if he had even tried at all. My gut says that he wanted to make sure he died during the incident, and when he realized they possibly could take him alive that he terminated his own life rather than be caught. I could be wrong, but all things are starting to add up to that scenario.

Keith:

I agree. His actions fit "suicide by cop" better than any other pattern of behavior.

I see his "spray the building" tactic not as a lack of marksmanship skill, but a way to draw attention to himself to "come get me."

The materials and methods used to create the vehicle fire are also more consistent with a call for attention than with an attempt to harm others.

[03Lightningrocks]

Or because his intention was to create enough commotion to get the police to take care of what he didn't want to do himself - but ultimately did anyway.

I think you hit the nail on the head Excaliber. From things that he apparently had posted on social networking sites, he was looking to check out. With 100 rounds of ammo fired, I think he would have hit someone if he had even tried at all. My gut says that he wanted to make sure he died during the incident, and when he realized they possibly could take him alive that he terminated his own life rather than be caught. I could be wrong, but all things are starting to add up to that scenario.

Keith:

I agree. His actions fit "suicide by cop" better than any other pattern of behavior.

I see his "spray the building" tactic not as a lack of marksmanship skill, but a way to draw attention to himself to "come get me."

The materials and methods used to create the vehicle fire are also more consistent with a call for attention than with an attempt to harm others.

He should have gone to Vegas. The police there would have been more than happy to help him out. He wouldn't have needed a gun or anything.

[VMI77]

According to the reports the shooter didn't have a criminal record and was acting out of character. I read of another recent incident in Texas where a guy in his 50's, also without a record and supposedly acting out of character, started a crime spree by attempting to abduct some children and shooting their grandmother. It makes me wonder if something else is going on in these cases? Specifically, if either of these guys, or some of these other shooters we keep reading about, were taking any psychotropic drugs like Zoloft or Prozac?