Hours before a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on a food court in a suburban mall near Indianapolis on Sunday, he appears to have posted a grim message on the notorious imageboard site 4chan. "Name is jonathan and today seems like a good day to die," he wrote.
The post was accompanied by a colorized image of a wedding in Nazi Germany. He also shared a link to the image-hosting site Imgur, which contained several images of himself wearing a white button-down shirt, blue jeans, a face-covering, and posing with two AR-15 rifles, a handgun, and multiple magazines.
Evidence of the shooter's presence on 4chan first began circulating online Monday, raising questions about his motive. The infamous anonymous imageboard site has been linked to a slew of ideologically motivated killings in recent years.
Gunmaker Sued in IL 4th of July Parade Mass Shooting
On Wednesday, an unprecedented coalition of big-name law firms, from both the defense and plaintiffs' bars, teamed up with anti-gun violence nonprofits to accuse Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. of responsibility for a mass shooting at a July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois that left seven dead and dozens wounded.
The new lawsuits, filed in state court in Lake County, Illinois contend that Smith & Wesson deliberately marketed its M&P 15 assault rifle to appeal to violence-prone adolescents like the Highland Park shooter, designing advertisements that falsely linked the M&P 15 to military and police forces and posting marketing videos that intentionally mimicked popular video games like "Call of Duty."
According to the lawsuits, Smith & Wesson's targeting of susceptible young men through these militaristic ads and videos is a violation of Illinois' consumer fraud and deceptive business practices law.
The same brand gun was used in the Parkland shooting.
Hopefully they win, Smith & Wesson is found liable and then we have a deluge of similar lawsuits against Smith & Wesson and all the other gun manufacturers who have used similar practices.
Uvalde School District Suspends Entire Police Force
The Uvalde, Texas school district—still facing withering criticism over its police department's failings both during the May 24th elementary school massacre and since—announced the suspension of the entire district police force on Friday.
The district said it has requested more Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to be stationed on campuses and at extra-curricular activities, adding, "We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition."
Victims' families, led by Brett Cross, guardian of 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia, had been holding a round-the-clock vigil outside the school district headquarters calling for change. The families are now commending Friday's announcement.
You know, if someone gave me a gun when I was 15, I'd fire it. I'd first fire it in the woods and find things to fire at. I'd also use it as a threat and think of ways to use it for intimidation. I'd probably be watched by the police too.
__________________ Sig by Nuke Nixon Last Edited by Blakemore on Jan 1st, 2000, at 00:00 AM
Mass Shooter's Father Gets 60 Days for Enabling Son
The father of the man accused of killing seven people and wounding 31 at the 2022 Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois pleaded guilty Monday to seven counts of misdemeanor reckless conduct for his role in allowing his son to obtain firearms.
Robert Crimo, Jr. had been charged for recklessly sponsoring his son's gun ownership application, and allowing him access to firearms and ammunition, even though he was aware that Robert Crimo, III had threatened violence and expressed suicidal thoughts.
A Lake County judge accepted the plea and sentenced Crimo, Jr. to 60 days in jail, two years' probation, and 100 days of public service—far less than the three years in prison he could have faced at trial. He must surrender any weapons he possesses and his firearms owners identification card.
I blame society today because of all these new laws. If parents could just beat their kids like in the good old days, children would be scared shitless because of the consequences at home. Now, kids today are growing up with weird values, confusing norms and guns being left all over the place.
That's because you are a Millennial and you believe kids have rights. Discipline and setting boundaries at a young age gives any kid strong moral values. Just to be clear I do not mean punching or breaking bones. I grew up in a generation where you spoke back to an adult or a teacher, you would be disciplined with a slap or belt by dad. And in school you had a wooden mallet or cane that you could use to discipline kids.
DOJ Report Blasts Police Failures in Uvalde Shooting
On Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department released a withering report into the hundreds of Texas law enforcement officers' fumbled response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, finding "cascading failures of leadership, decision-making, tactics, policy, and training."
The long-anticipated 575-page report detailed the many failures of the May 24, 2022 response, but concluded the most significant was that officers should have immediately recognized that it was an active shooter situation and confronted the gunman, who was with victims in two adjoining classrooms.
It noted that since the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, American law enforcement officers have been trained to prioritize stopping the shooter while everything else, including officer safety, is secondary. "These efforts must be undertaken regardless of the equipment and personnel available," the report found.
A jury has been convened in Uvalde to determine if law enforcement officers will face criminal charges related to the attack at Robb Elementary School. On Friday, January 19th, a dozen people were selected to serve on a special grand jury that is expected to spend at least six months studying the May 24, 2022 Robb school shooting investigation.
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