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Ex-Bush Aide Fatally Shoots Son, Himself
WA PO ^ | Saturday, July 15, 2006 | Tom Jackman and Stephanie McCrummen

Posted on 07/14/2006 9:27:43 PM PDT by woofie

Gunfire at McLean Home Followed Fight With Wife

A former Bush administration official, after arguing violently with his wife Thursday night, shot and killed his 12-year-old son inside their McLean home, then turned a shotgun on himself and committed suicide, Fairfax County police said.

William H. Lash III, 45, was an assistant secretary of commerce from 2001 until last year, then returned to teach at George Mason University Law School in Arlington, where he had begun as a professor in 1994. His wife, Sharon K. Zackula, fled the house before the shootings, and police said yesterday they were not sure what ignited the murder-suicide in a first-floor bedroom.

Friends and neighbors described Lash as devoted to his only child, William H. Lash IV, who was autistic. Will Lash had just completed sixth grade at Haycock Elementary School in the Falls Church area, Fairfax school officials said. The father and son could often be seen side by side on the swing set in their back yard, one neighbor said, and the pair often attended Washington Nationals baseball games.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: autism; commerce; dcsuburbs; deptofcommerce; fairfax; fairfaxcounty; fallschurch; georgemason; gmu; lash; mclean; murder; suicide
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To: D1X1E
Very sleazy. This tragedy had zero to do with President Bush. I voted for him so if I committed some insane criminal act would the headlines read "Bush supporter goes berserk"?

The liberal news media is doing everything it can to make the U.S. hand Iraq over to terrorists just so that it can score political points against President Bush.

So, the answer to your question is "You betcha!"

41 posted on 07/14/2006 10:55:08 PM PDT by Polybius
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To: woofie

What a scumbag. Special place in hell for someone who would kill his own child.


42 posted on 07/14/2006 10:58:22 PM PDT by streetpreacher (What if you're wrong?)
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To: leadpenny

I read the man's faculty bio. Seems he was involved in trade treaty compliance and the economic rebuilding of Iraq.

Very sad. The man had some G2, and he does this. Checking yourself out of this vail of tears is bad enough, but taking others with you is horrible.


43 posted on 07/14/2006 10:58:50 PM PDT by M1911A1
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To: M1911A1

It seems to show how much a person can keep from family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. Or, maybe something just snapped in him on the day of the tragedy?


44 posted on 07/14/2006 11:03:14 PM PDT by leadpenny
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To: Ingtar

People in the White House read FR, so we're all Bush aides too.


45 posted on 07/14/2006 11:04:56 PM PDT by July 4th (A vacant lot cancelled out my vote for Bush.)
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To: elkfersupper

Okay, that would explain a Scott Peterson (maybe) but not someone who was going to off himself anyway. He could have done that without killing the wife and kid. He was just a vengeful sick pos who wanted to hurt his poor wife by taking from her what mattered most. When this guy pulled the trigger, I'm sure he found himself in a worse predicament than having to pay child support.


46 posted on 07/14/2006 11:05:07 PM PDT by streetpreacher (What if you're wrong?)
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To: streetpreacher

Oops... meant to write "without killing the kid" not "wife and kid".


47 posted on 07/14/2006 11:06:10 PM PDT by streetpreacher (What if you're wrong?)
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To: woofie
May the Lord have mercy on everyone involved with this horrific tragedy. I can't begin to imagine the type of pain that preceded before and has resulted from this familial disaster. So many casualties.
48 posted on 07/14/2006 11:09:35 PM PDT by Ronaldus Magnus
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To: woofie

it's Bush's fault


49 posted on 07/14/2006 11:26:49 PM PDT by Cinnamon
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To: elkfersupper; Howlin; Graybeard58

I'm in a similar position, as regards 1/3 of my income for child support.

Gets tough sometimes. Boo hoo for me.

The 112,000th thing I'd think of involves any form of violence to my ex-wife or child.

Real men love their exes as much as they can, and their kids fully and absolutely.

This guy was a lunatic.


50 posted on 07/14/2006 11:34:20 PM PDT by JennysCool (Roll out the Canarble Wagon!)
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To: woofie

Expect loads of happiness about this from the lefties.


51 posted on 07/14/2006 11:45:29 PM PDT by Democratshavenobrains
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To: Howlin
Men eventually realize that there is no satisfactory exit strategy from a relationship involving children that goes bad.

What the HELL does that mean?

I don't know. I do know that there are far to many men (and some women) who are taking this way out.

Geez, to kill your kids.

There needs to be some serious thinking on how to stop so many divorces from turning tragic.

52 posted on 07/15/2006 12:02:04 AM PDT by Pikachu_Dad
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To: elkfersupper
Should that relationship with the woman go sour, the man finds himself under court order to write a check to the state every month, amounting to roughly 1/3 of his gross income.

That is the MINIMUM amount that can be taken. Part of the problem is that there is NO maximum amount. An order can exceed 100% of a persons income - before taxes are taken.

The amount is set based on the man's current earnings, and is difficult to adjust if those earnings decline.

This is one of the more common ways that the support amount becomes abusive. It is still not EVER acceptable behavior. However, we must be running close to one/day in the news these days.

53 posted on 07/15/2006 12:07:06 AM PDT by Pikachu_Dad
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To: streetpreacher
What a scumbag. Special place in hell for someone who would kill his own child.

I agree. Hey, what happened to all the women who come out to argue that it must have been (post partum) depression when a woman does it?

54 posted on 07/15/2006 12:08:31 AM PDT by Pikachu_Dad
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To: Ingtar
Assistant Commerce Secretary is a presidential aide?

No, but truth only appears in the MSM by accident. Lies appear by design.

55 posted on 07/15/2006 12:10:39 AM PDT by Wolfstar (Where you go with me, heaven will always be.)
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To: Mo1
Why did the police wait so long to go in??

Another 911 shades of Columbine tragedy?

56 posted on 07/15/2006 12:21:25 AM PDT by TYVets (God so loved the world he didn't send a committee)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

You mean... the Harpies?


57 posted on 07/15/2006 10:41:41 AM PDT by streetpreacher (What if you're wrong?)
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To: woofie

Oh, my. Lord have mercy. See tag line. Unbelievable.


58 posted on 07/15/2006 10:43:19 AM PDT by don-o (Proudly posting without reading the thread since 1998. (stolen from one cool dude))
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To: woofie

This is tragic. God be with his wife and mother of their only child.


59 posted on 07/15/2006 10:44:05 AM PDT by Palladin ("Governor Lynn Swann."...it has a nice ring to it!)
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To: Graybeard58
I wonder if it had to do with the son being autistic. May depend on the severity of the child's disability. Some folks see no way out of the suffering. But if this kid was in the 6th grade, it couldn't have been THAT bad.

Maybe it was a dispute with the wife, and the son got in the middle of it, then when the son was shot, the wife ran, thinking that her husband would come after her. He may have killed himself when he realized he'd killed his son.

Very tragic, and my prayers go out for all of them.

60 posted on 07/15/2006 10:49:35 AM PDT by SuziQ
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