There Were 2 Different School Shootings Yesterday in the Uni

Living as we do in an assassinocracy, government by those who are left, it behooves us to think deeply on the topic of mass murder. For example, whenever a political assassination occurs, many witnesses are also dispatched to that realm from whence no testimony issues. The notion that murderers are merely evil is quite misleading. Most often, they are employed.

There Were 2 Different School Shootings Yesterday in the Uni

Postby admin » Sat Oct 10, 2015 7:39 pm

There Were 2 Different School Shootings Yesterday in the United States
by Ian Millhiser
October 10, 2015

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With two more school shootings reportedly taking place yesterday, there have now been 144 school shootings in the U.S. since 2013—something has to be done to stop the violence.

Early Friday morning, a freshman student at Northern Arizona University drew a handgun and shot four other students during a confrontation. One of those students, Colin Brough, is dead.

Police reportedly arrested the shooter, Steven Jones, after he stopped firing.

Then, just hours later, another shooting occurred near Texas Southern University’s campus. Two people were reportedly shot in that incident and one is dead. The campus is currently in lockdown and classes have been canceled. Police say that a possible suspect is in custody.

According to Everytown For Gun Safety, there have been 144 school shootings in the United States since 2013, an average of one a week. On Friday, the nation did not even make it an entire day before another shooting happened.
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Re: There Were 2 Different School Shootings Yesterday in the

Postby admin » Sat Oct 10, 2015 7:48 pm

Northern Arizona University deadly shooting followed fight, police say
By Michael Pearson, Amanda Watts and Steve Almasy
CNN
October 9, 2015

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(CNN)A freshman accused of shooting four fellow students at Northern Arizona University has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of felony aggravated assault.

Steven Jones, 18, said "Yes" when a Coconino County judge asked him over a video feed Friday afternoon if he understood the charges. Bail was set at $2 million.

Prosecutors said Jones was involved in a fight with other students around 1:20 a.m. Friday and ran to his car where he picked up a handgun. This is not a case of self-defense, the prosecution said.

Colin Brough was killed and Nicholas Piring, Nicholas Prato and Kyle Zientek were wounded, the university said.

University Police Chief Gregory T. Fowler said at a morning news conference that Jones was cooperating with investigators.

Fowler said it appeared the victims had been shot multiple times.

The victims were all members of the Delta Chi fraternity, the organization said Friday. The suspected gunman was a pledge in another fraternity -- Sigma Chi, according to that organization's national office.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of the victims, as well as the entire community in Flagstaff," Delta Chi said in a statement. The organization said it was seeking the university's help in providing counseling to its members.

Sigma Chi Executive Director Michael Church sent his condolences to the victims.

"Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of the individual killed and those who were injured," he said. Church added that the incident was "in no way associated with any chapter event," but the chapter has been suspended and Jones removed from the pledge program.

University President Rita Cheng said the school had experienced "a terrible tragedy."

"This is not going to be a normal day at NAU," she told reporters. "Our hearts are heavy."

Students shaken up

Students, appearing weary and shocked, attended a morning news conference on the shooting. Some questioned why it took more than an hour after the shooting for text notifications warning of danger to go out to the university community.

Junior Megan Aardahl told CNN she awoke to text messages from the school and her family checking to see if she was OK. She said the incident rattled her and other students.

"There's a huge sense of community here, so everyone's just trying to like reach out and make sure everyone's OK, but it's a little anxious not knowing who's involved," she said.

Fowler said he couldn't immediately explain the messaging delays but said officers sent initial alerts out of an abundance of caution even though the situation was under control and there was no danger to students.

Gov. Doug Ducey pledged state support to help police investigate the shooting and to help those injured recover.

"This heartbreaking incident will impact many of our fellow citizens, and I ask all Arizonans to keep them and the family of the individual lost in their thoughts and prayers as they cope with this tragedy," he said.

Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, also issued a statement.

"My thoughts and prayers are with families of the person who was killed and the three others who were wounded in the horrific shooting on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff early this morning," he said. "I appreciate the efforts of all state and local law enforcement officials, first-responders and school administrators, and continue to pray for the recovery of the injured, as well as all those in the NAU community who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy."

The shooting comes the same day President Barack Obama visited Roseburg, Oregon, and the families of those slain in the October 1 massacre at Umpqua Community College.

The gunman in that case, Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, killed nine people before killing himself, according to police.

CNN's Shawn Nottingham, Faith Karimi and Tina Burnside contributed to this report.
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Re: There Were 2 Different School Shootings Yesterday in the

Postby admin » Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:06 pm

1 dead, freshman arrested in N. Arizona University shooting
by Doug Stanglin and Matthew Diebel
USA TODAY
October 9, 2015

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Students embrace outside a hospital emergency room in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Oct. 9, 2015, after an early morning fight between two groups of college students escalated into gunfire, leaving one person dead and three others wounded, authorities said. The shooting occurred outside a dormitory near the Northern Arizona University campus.
(Photo: Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun via AP)


A male freshman at Northern Arizona University opened fire on a group of fellow students at the Flagstaff campus early Friday during a confrontation in a dormitory parking lot, killing one student and injuring three more, the campus police chief said.

The 18-year-old suspect was identified as Steven Jones, an NAU student, said NAU police chief Gregory Fowler.

Fowler told reporters that the suspect did not leave the scene and was arrested without incident. He said the suspect was cooperating with police. He said the shooting occurred around 1:20 a.m. local time.

"Two separate student groups got into a confrontation, the confrontation turned physical and one of our students, Steven Jones, 18, produced a handgun and shot four of our other students," Fowler said. "One of our students is deceased."

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Steven Jones, 18, is accused of shooting four Northern Arizona University students Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. (Photo: Northern Arizona State University)

The victims — all males — were shot "multiple times," he said. They were being treated at Flagstaff Medical Center.

School administrators identified the victims as Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring and said the deceased student is Colin Brough.

Prato, Zientek and Piring were being treated for gunshot wounds at Flagstaff Medical Center, according to a statement from the university.

A Flagstaff Medical Center representative declined to provide any information on the conditions of the wounded students.

Jones appeared in court Friday via a video feed from a Coconino County jail. He was wearing a dark, button-down shirt and had no visible injuries. Jones bowed his head as the charges were read against him: one count of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault.

He gave his name and his family's address in Glendale, saying he had lived there his entire life.

Burges McCowan, an private attorney hired to defend Jones, asked that Jones be released into the custody of his parents, arguing that he was a lifelong resident and had no serious criminal history.

"He has no other place to go," McCowan said. "He is not a flight risk."

Deputy Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker answered that first-degree murder is capital offense and is not bailable when there is strong evidence against a suspect.

Judge Paul Christian set bail at $2 million and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Oct. 15.

The mood on campus Friday morning was somber on a day when few students schedule classes.

Anna Valdez, a 20-year-old from Southern California, said she was awakened about 4 a.m. by family members who had heard about the shooting and wanted to make sure she was not involved.

"This is not something that happens here. We’re a really close-knit community. Everyone is just shocked and speechless," said Valdez.

The shootings hit closer to home for other students, particularly members of the university's Greek community.

John Karter, an NAU sophmore, said Brough had been a friend.

"I lost a good friend today," he said. "I don't want to believe it's true."

Karter said he met Brough through Greek activities, although they belonged to different fraternities. He stressed that the different Greek organizations on campus all get along.

Reflecting on Brough, he added, "I just know he's a good guy."

The shooting erupted in a parking lot outside the Mountain View Hall dormitory on the northeast end of the Flagstaff Campus, Fowler said.

The dorm houses members of fraternities and sororities. Fowler had said that it wasn't immediately clear whether any members of the Greek organizations were involved. But the national chapter of Delta Chi Fraternity in Iowa City, Iowa, released a statement confirming members' involvement.

"Delta Chi Fraternity was made aware of a shooting that took place early Friday morning allegedly involving some of our members. We have investigated this matter and can confirm that there were members involved.

We do not have any information on the victims nor do we know if the deceased individual is a member of the Fraternity. At this time, we can confirm that this incident had no ties to the chapter."


The NAU Delta Chi president confirmed that all three of the men wounded in Friday's shooting are members of the fraternity.

Fowler said state law prohibits anyone from carrying a gun on campus, but that gun owners are allowed to keep a weapon in a locked area of a car on campus.

The university, which has an enrollment of around 20,000, was not placed on lockdown, although an emergency alert sent out by the school asked students to remain indoors. University leaders said classes would not be cancelled on Friday.

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NAU President Rita Cheng called the shootings an "isolated and unprecedented incident" and assured students that the campus was safe. Cheng said classes would continue as normal Friday but that "this is not going to be a normal day at NAU."

"Our hearts are heavy," she said.

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A candlelight vigil was held to show support for the NAU shooting victims, Oct. 9, 2015, on the North Quad at NAU, Flagstaff, Arizona. Mark Henle/The Republic

Alcohol- and drug-related offenses account for the vast majority of arrests the past three years, according to the university’s 2015 annual security report.

Disciplinary referrals for on-campus alcohol use are far more numerous than arrests, according to the report. On-campus police reported 1,737 alcohol-related referrals in 2012, and 1,767 in 2014, the report said.

In comparison, there were 24 on-campus forcible sex offenses reported in 2014, 15 aggravated assaults and 71 burglaries, according to the report. There were no arrests for weapons possession in 2012, 2013 or 2014, the report said.

NAU’s code of student conduct allows students 21 years and older to consume alcohol in rooms of certain residence halls, as well as other designated areas.

A NAU official has confirmed that the suspected shooter is in police custody. While the investigation is ongoing, one father says his daughter, a student at the school, met the suspected shooter only hours before the incident. VPC

In a statement released early Friday morning, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said: "My thoughts and prayers are with families of the person who was killed and the three others who were wounded in the horrific shooting on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff early this morning."

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who is in Israel attending an international water conference, also offered a statement, saying he was praying for the victims, their families and the NAU community.

"This heartbreaking incident will impact many of our fellow citizens, and I ask all Arizonans to keep them and the family of the individual lost in their thoughts and prayers as they cope with this tragedy,” Ducey’s statement said.

Daniel Scarpinato, Ducey’s spokesman, said the governor and Cheng spoke early Friday. Cheng updated Ducey on the latest and he “expressed support and said his office and agencies will help in any way possible," Scarpinato said.

Student Maria Gonzalez told The Associated Press that she at first suspected firecrackers.

“I was studying for an exam so I looked out the window and see two people running, and that’s when I realized they weren’t fireworks they were actually gunshots,” she said.

Contributing: Dennis Wagner, Scott Craven and Yvonne Wingett, The Arizona Republic; KPNX-TV, Phoenix.

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Re: There Were 2 Different School Shootings Yesterday in the

Postby admin » Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:21 pm

Deadly NAU shooting in Flagstaff stems from fraternity party dispute
by Dennis Wagner, Scott Craven and Anne Ryman
The Republic
October 9, 2015

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1 student killed and three others in serious condition; suspect Steven Jones, 18, held on $2 million bond....

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Braedon Day (from left), Christopher Huston and Michael Zowada pray during a vigil outside of the Northern Arizona University student union, Flagstaff, Ariz., on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015.
(Photo: Mark Henle / The Republic)


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Daniel Drum prays during a vigil held for the victims of Friday's shooting at Northern Arizona University, Oct. 9, 2015, in Flagstaff, Arizona. Mark Henle/The Republic

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Thalia Espana prays during a vigil held for the victims of Friday's shooting at Northern Arizona University, Oct. 9, 2015, in Flagstaff, Arizona. Mark Henle/The Republic

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Melodie Prevost signs a card for the victims of Friday's shooting at Northern Arizona University, Oct. 9, 2015 in Flagstaff, Arizona. Mark Henle/The Republic

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Brittany Kurtz prays during a vigil for the victims of a shooting on Northern Arizona University's campus, Oct. 9, 2015 in Flagstaff, Arizona. Mark Henle/The Republic

For the second time in eight days, the sound of gunshots rang through a college campus, leaving a trail of dead and wounded.

This time, it occurred in the middle of the night, close to home at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

Before the day was over, there would be a second campus shooting -- this one in Houston; a bogus report of an active shooter at a technical college in Louisville, KY.; and a call to action as President Barack Obama addressed the families of the victims of last week's campus shooting in Oregon and said it was time for the nation to address the epidemic of gun violence.

The Flagstaff shooting early Friday rocked the community of 68,000. Unlike the Oregon shooting, this one erupted after a fraternity party dispute. Police say the suspect, who has posted dozens of photos of himself posing with guns on social media, went to his vehicle to get a weapon, returned and opened fire, killing one and wounding three. He was taken into custody without incident.

Hours later in Houston, a Texas Southern University freshman was fatally shot at a student housing complex. Police there say they had two suspects in custody and were seeking a third. All were students at the school.

In Flagstaff, NAU administrators identified the student who was killed as Colin Brough. The wounded students were identified as Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nocholas Piring, all of whom were said to be in serious condition at a Flagstaff hospital Friday night.

Police said the shootings came on the heels of what NAU Police Chief Greg Fowler described as a confrontation between "student groups" that resulted in 18-year-old freshman Steven Jones retrieving a gun and firing multiple shots that struck four people at about 1:20 a.m.

"There's a guy outside and he's shooting people," a student looking upon the scene from a dorm window hurriedly told a 911 dispatcher. "We're at Mountain View. He has a gun. He shot people, and he's yelling right now."

Mountain View Hall houses a number of fraternities and sororities on campus.

Jones appeared in court Friday afternoon via a video feed from a Coconino County jail. He was wearing a dark, button-down shirt. He blinked often and occasionally grimaced, nodding as Judge Paul Christian questioned him.

Jones bowed his head as the charges were read against him: one count of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault.

He gave his name and his family's address in Glendale, saying he had lived there his entire life. He told the judge that he understood the charges against him and his rights. He also said that he had not been carrying a full-time schedule as an NAU student.

Burges McCowan, a Valley private attorney hired to defend Jones, asked that he be released into the custody of his parents, arguing that he was a lifelong resident and had no serious criminal history.

"He has no other place to go," McCowan said. "He is not a flight risk."

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Steven Jones is accused of shooting four NAU students, killing one. (Photo: Northern Arizona University)

Deputy Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker answered that first-degree murder is capital offense and is not bailable when there is strong evidence against a suspect.

Barker said the incident began as a confrontation between fraternity members, first verbal and then physical. It started on one side of the street and traveled across the road.

"The defendant then ran to his car, retrieved his gun and then went back to the fight," Barker said. "I just want to be clear, there is no indication of self-defense. The defendant shot four unarmed individuals, killing one of them."

He said Jones' weapon was a .40-caliber handgun.

He said Brough was shot twice. Witnesses identified Jones as the shooter, Barker said, and Jones admitted it to the police.

Victims advocate Erica Padrick quoted Brough's father, Douglas, as saying, "He killed my son. He (Jones) shouldn't be allowed to go anywhere. He needs to be in custody."

The advocate also quoted a witness as saying, "He killed my best friend and I watched him die in front of me."

Even as Jones was preparing to make his court appearance, talk on the campus centered on what had happened at Mountain View Hall. As students gathered for breakfast and prepared for another school day -- classes were not canceled -- nothing was the same. The shooting may well echo for weeks, if not months, among students of Arizona's smallest, most intimate state university.

Brenna Chambers, an 18-year-old freshman from Gilbert, joined her friend Lexi Webber for breakfast at the Student Union on a Friday morning that was anything but typical.

"It just feels wrong for you to go on with your day," Chambers said.

Webber, who was studying late into the night when she heard a rapid series of pops, felt the same way.

"No one can really focus," she said. "You're not really sure what you should be doing."

Several thousand students, faculty and staff filled the North Quad of the Flagstaff campus Friday night, many dressed in black, hugging each other and crying. They clutched candles and formed a tight semicircle around a lighted podium. Large poster-size pictures of Colin Brough, the student who died, flanked either side of the podium.

Chris Schmit, the president of the Delta Chi chapter at NAU, thanked everyone, on behalf of the fraternity, for showing up.

"Colin Brough, I know you are watching right now. I want you to know we will always love you. We will always miss you. We will never forget you. Please rest in peace my brother," he said.

NAU Student Body President Alexandria Buchta told her fellow students she was at a loss for words and couldn't fathom the pain the families were going through.

"There's nothing that can be said that can remedy the heartbreak," she said, her voice breaking at times.

NAU Dean of Students Cynthia Anderson told the students they were bright, shining examples of all that was good in the world. She asked them to light candles for the victims or use the lights on their cellphones.

"Even when the dark comes, it can't overcome the light of you," she told them.

The candles were first lit around the perimeter of the crowd and then the lights spread to the center.

At the end, they raised their candles high for several minutes. Sobs filled the air.

The crowd parted, and the Delta Chi members returned to their house.

Jose Trujillo, a lacrosse coach at Castle View High School in Castle Rock, Colo., said Brough was an inspirational student and player.

"A lot of the younger kids looked up to him, he was a real leader," Trujillo said. "I didn't get the chance to coach him personally, but I saw how well everyone respected him. He was a real happy-go-lucky kid. He was such a positive influence. It's just a shock what happened."

A family assistance center was set up on campus and school administrators were encouraging parents to call 928-523-0007 for information. Counseling services at the school will be available Saturday, and school officials said the Office of Student Life and Health and Learning Center would also be open.

Webber was working on a paper at her dorm near the central part of campus when she heard what sounded like shots.

"Is that gunshots?" the 17-year-old recalled thinking. "No, of course, it wouldn't be gunshots."

But then people began text messaging and tweeting about a shooting.

Webber sent a text message to her parents, who live in Gilbert, at 1:56 a.m. to reassure them.

"Hey I'm pretty sure there was just a shooting on campus. But I'm OK and safe" it said.

Safe, but not the same.

NAU President Rita Cheng called the shootings an "isolated and unprecedented incident" and assured students that the campus was safe. Cheng said classes would continue as normal Friday but that "this is not going to be a normal day at NAU."

"Our hearts are heavy," she said.

Early Friday, there were evidence markers in the street and on the sidewalks surrounding the fraternity-and-sorority residence compound, a collection of 4-story brownstone buildings bearing Greek lettering in the windows.

The entire two-block area was ringed by police tape. As police investigators worked out of a command post, students, bleary-eyed, were wondering what had happened.

Andrew Walsh, 19, a sophomore who lives across the street from the crime scene, said he was awakened by gunfire. He said he heard two groups of gunshots.

"I looked out the window and I heard someone yelling, 'Where's Colin? Where's Colin, dude?' Someone else yelled, 'I just got shot in the neck ... call 911,' " Walsh said. "It was really intense and then the cops arrived minutes later."

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Arizona Board of Regents policy dictates firearms and other weapons are prohibited on campus unless they are being transported or stored in a locked vehicle and are not visible. Each university may require vehicles transporting firearms to be parked in specific areas.
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