Posted on 03/16/2006 6:17:53 AM PST by 300magnum
PISMO BEACH, Calif. - A homeless man who entered a Denny's restaurant at lunch time muttering and looking dazed opened fire, gunning down two people, wounding a couple and then turning the gun on himself, police said.
The gunman, holding a semiautomatic handgun in one hand and a revolver in the other, entered the restaurant Wednesday and began shooting within a few steps of the front door, sending patrons and workers fleeing to the restaurant's bathrooms and kitchen.
The dead were identified as Frank Velasquez, 65, of Oceano, who was killed in front of his wife and 5-year-old great-granddaughter, and Harold Hatley, 73, of Grover Beach.
"They were just enjoying an innocent meal," Police Chief Joe Cortez said of the victims.
The gunman, identified as 60-year-old Lawrence Edward Woods, also wounded a married couple before fatally shooting himself in the head, police said.
Authorities were trying to determine whether Woods had a history of mental illness or whether there were drugs or alcohol in his system, Cortez said.
The gunman didn't appear to have a grudge against the Denny's chain or the specific restaurant off Highway 101 in this small town known for its beaches and clams. Cortez said Woods may have had an "economic motive" for the shootings.
Velasquez's wife, LaVina, told her son the gunman said "it's all Mid-State Bank's fault," the Los Angeles Times reported.
Cortez and a hospital spokeswoman declined to identify the injured couple, both 58, who were released from a hospital after being treated for gunshot wounds.
Denny's said Wednesday it was cooperating with police.
"We are shocked and saddened by this tragic incident," the Spartanburg, S.C.,-based restaurant chain said in a statement. "This appears to be a random act of violence."
POS should have put his revolver in his own mouth first and squeezed. Too bad there was nobody else nearby who was carrying and could have put him down before he did all the damage.
How horrible! I suppose no one will ever know why people do things like this. So tragic for all involved.
Hmmmm........then why wasn't he at the bank instead of Denny's? Sounds like the guy should have been under the care and feeding of the local state hospital. Sad.
I thought the 15 day waiting period and the ban on assault weapons was supposed to take care of this problem. (/sarcasm)
Prayers for the dead, wounded, and their families.
TROP?
My ? is what was he even doing with a weapon....he should have been in a mental hospital, not out buying weapons...and who sold them to him???? He was homeless???? How did he pass the background test????? To many ????? here.....
Doesn't sound like an illegal immigrant.
Reason #1 why I carry a 1911 .45cal ACP, concealed.
Zactly what I was thinking....
susie
I wonder if you could have a CCW in Pismo Beach, and if you could, did the restaurant have a no weapons allowed sign on the door?
Blame shifting again.
This is the kind of thing I always expect at a Waffle House. They seem to attract some of the strangest people. We will stop at one when we are on the road in a rush and eat a cholesterol-filled breakfast. They're quick and good but I'm always watching some of the other customers out of the corner of my eye.
If that had been the case, they most likely would have been carrying illegally, as it is almost impossible to get a CCW in the PRK.
At least the dead can take comfort in the fact that they weren't breaking any laws.
Yikes!
Should have been in the hospital? Naw, if he lived in Seattle they would have put him in one of the shiny new condo - 'for the worst of the worst homeless population.'
Thanks to Liberalism, thousands of mentally disturbed are on the streets and not institutionalized where they belong to ensure their safety as well as the average citizen.
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