Posted on 10/04/2015 3:26:21 AM PDT by tired&retired
A darker picture emerged Friday of slain Umpqua Community College shooter Chris Harper-Mercer as a deeply troubled, anti-religion, anti-government recluse obsessed with guns.
The U.S. Army discharged him just five weeks into basic training in 2008. Records indicate he graduated in 2009 from a high school catering to troubled and special-needs students. Multiple media sources reported Friday he left behind an angry note that is now in the hands of investigators.
The Los Angeles Times said Harper-Mercer's note was several pages long and talked about his anger and depression.
Sofia Camarena of Long Beach, California, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she used to date Harper-Mercer's father."I used to change Chris' diapers when he was a baby," she said, upset after learning that he was the shooter in Thursday's massacre and was himself dead. "He was born with problems. He was hard to discipline. If you told him 'no,' he would scream like you had just hit him."
Camarena said that she had heard Harper-Mercer's mother was having "a hard time" with him and that he attended a special school.
Camarena said she last saw Harper-Mercer when he was 18 and she had asked him how he was doing. "He said he was doing good," said Camarena, whose son went on to marry Harper-Mercer's step-sister.
There are a number of indications that Harper-Mercer had mental health or behavioral issues. His screen name on some social media sites was "lithium love." Lithium is used as a psychiatric medication.
The U.S. Army confirmed Friday it discharged Harper-Mercer just halfway through his 10 weeks of basic training in 2008. "A review of Army records indicate that Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer was in service at Ft. Jackson, S.C., from 5 November-11 December 2008 but discharged for failing to meet the minimum administrative standards to serve in the U.S. Army," said Lt. Col. Ben Garrett.
Garrett declined to elaborate on what those "minimum administrative standards" were.
Amid the dysfunction, there were also hints of normalcy. Harper-Mercer found a home of sorts at the Umpqua Community College Theater Arts Department. He worked as a set designer for the department's spring musical. He took a theater class this summer, confirmed Dr. Rita Cavin, Umpqua Community College interim president, and was listed among the set crew for the department's fall production of Blithe Spirit.
Harper-Mercer was born in the United Kingdom, stepsister Carmen Nesnick told CBS Los Angeles, moving to the United States when he was very young. He grew up in the Torrance area. His parents, Ian Bernard Mercer and Laurel Margaret Harper, divorced in 2006.
Violent crazy people have been running rampant ever since, and voting Democrat multiple times in each election.
These bastards murder others under the sick impression that the notoriety makes them worth something. (Even John Wilkes Booth was enthralled by the idea that assassinating Lincoln would give him eternal fame). They seek out information about prior cases, and imitate them. Oregon boy seemed inspired by the Colombine losers and Adam Lanza, and particularly the way that resentful Vester Flanagan got lots of attention. Denying “celebrity” to killers potentially breaks the cycle.
That’s at least the theory. It’s not about PC or gun control.
An elected official that understands:
http://putnamcountysheriff.org/message.php?id=7
“
January 14, 2013
Hon. Saxby Chambliss
United States Senate
416 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Chambliss,
I write you today at a point in my life where I have grave concerns about the future of our nation. Come this April, I will begin my 40th year in the field of public safety. I have been very fortunate in my career to have worked in almost every aspect of law enforcement, both in rural and urban areas, along with a stint in corporate security for one of the largest banks in the country. I have just been reelected to my fifth term of office, and I serve as the Director of my county’s Emergency Management Agency. I am also the President of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, but this letter is written from me individually as the Sheriff of Putnam County and in my capacity as an American citizen.
The recent incident where children and staff were murdered by a deranged individual at the school in Newtown, Connecticut and the many similar incidents that have occurred in the past are horrific tragedies, and they most assuredly warrant measures and policies to prevent such acts in the future. While I may have never had personal experience with an incident of mass murder, I have unfortunately responded to and investigated untold numbers of assaults and murders during my long career. All of those incidents were also tragic and often senseless, but I know that firearms were not the cause of these crimes.
Erroneously, the national media immediately focused on guns as the cause of the crimes at Sandy Hook. In addition, from much of what I have heard and read, it appears Congress seems to be going in that same direction. This is what precipitated my fears for the country. In my county, and in every community where I have served as a police officer, I have found the most patriotic responsible citizens are those who own firearms. These people are the first to stand at attention and pledge allegiance to our flag, the first to bow their heads in prayer, the first to pay their taxes, and the first in line to vote on Election Day. They know the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution, and they know that their right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed upon.
I expect my citizens to defend themselves from harm until we arrive on the scene, and I have a sense of comfort in knowing the vast majority of them are well armed and have the ability to protect themselves. I also find great solace in the fact that they have the ability to come to the aid of me and my deputies should some circumstance warrant it.
It is very clear to me that the public has little faith in most of its elected officials at the present time. Polls related to confidence in Congress glaringly reflect this, and I believe the same attitude trickles down even to the local level. Should Congress enact laws that ban, or even require the registration of firearms, it WILL NOT keep guns out of the hands of criminals. The end result of such legislation will make criminals out of our best citizens, as I am absolutely certain that the vast majority of Georgians WILL NOT surrender any of their firearms, magazines, or ammunition, nor will they comply with any law that mandates they register their weapons with any entity of government.
The functionality of our government is completely dependent upon the majority voluntarily abiding by the law. It is my greatest fear that legislation banning or requiring the registration of guns the public can now legally posses will force our best citizens to a precipice where they will turn their backs to the law. Beyond that point, there will only be a slippery slope where only more laws will be ignored and not complied with.
I find it absolutely incredulous that there seems to be little discussion about the real issues that are at the root of people who commit crimes with firearms. Although a general decline in morality coupled with an insatiable appetite for illicit drugs are contributing factors, I believe the primary causal components of most violent crimes are a combination of mental health issues and our failure to prosecute, punish, and keep recidivist criminals in confinement.
When it comes to mentally deranged people, the State of Georgia has simply abandoned its responsibility to protect them or the public they endanger. I can explain the mental health problem in three sentences. When I went away to college some forty years ago there were about 4 and a half million people living in Georgia and there were 17,000 people institutionalized at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville. Today there are 10 million people in Georgia and there is virtually no one confined in Central State. The sheriffs of Georgia have evolved into being the largest providers of mental health services in the state as a significant proportion of the inmates in our jails suffer from a myriad of mental problems. This shouldn’t be our duty, and it is something we are not equipped nor funded for.
As for the failure to appropriately deal with recidivist criminals, I will offer you just a few recent examples. On December 17, 2012 a young Clayton County Police Officer named Sean Callahan was murdered in the line of duty as he responded to a domestic disturbance call. Tremaine Lebis, the hoodlum who murdered Officer Callahan, was out of prison on parole at the time of the crime. He, of course, had several weapons in his possession (including a so-called dreaded “Assault Rifle”) and had been released from prison early after being convicted of Aggravated Assault in Gwinnett County in 1992 where he brutally shot a man in the head with a handgun. He got 20 years to serve for that crime and escaped while in a prison in Baldwin County in 1995. He got three more years for the Escape charge in Baldwin and was paroled in May 2008. He was to remain under supervision of Parole until April 2016.
Lebis was arrested, yet again, in Henry County for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and some other charge in April 2011. He pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and False Report of a Crime in November 2011. I don’t know what kind of sentence he received for that conviction, but the Clayton News Daily said he was given credit for time served since May 26, 2011. Nonetheless, Lebis was released on parole yet again on May 21, 2012. His next appearance at the rodeo of crime resulted in the murder of Officer Callahan. If Lebis had not been released on parole in May 2008, Officer Callahan would still be alive. If Lebis had not been released on parole AGAIN in May 2012, Officer Callahan would still be alive. It was already a violation of both state and federal law for Lebis to possess any type of firearm long before he murdered Officer Callahan.
Seven days after the murder of Officer Callahan, an individual named William Spengler shot four firefighters, murdering two of them, in Webster, New York. It now appears he may have also murdered his sister and been responsible for burning seven houses in his neighborhood. He, too, was a convicted felon and had previously served a whopping 17 years in prison for beating his own grandmother to death with a hammer. Again, it was already a violation of both state and federal law for Spengler to possess any type of firearm when he shot and killed the firefighters.
Three days ago Atlanta Police Officer Reggie Robinson was shot in the face while he investigated a complaint regarding illicit drug dealing. The individual who shot him was 20 year old Frank Emmitt Nance. Nance had a pending case of Battery against him from an arrest in April 2012 and was also on probation after being convicted of Aggravated Assault, Terroristic Threats, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in Fulton County on January 10, 2012. Nance had been released from state prison on March 28, 2011 after completing an arduous 8 months of incarceration from a previous conviction for Burglary, Theft by Taking, and, of course, yet another count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Yet again, it was already a violation of both state and federal law for Nance to possess any type of firearm when he shot Officer Robinson.
You might think that the three aforementioned examples are exceptions, but I must unfortunately tell you that similar cases are routine and prolific all over Georgia and throughout the nation. The media very rarely even makes mention of a criminal’s previous arrest record. Last year our General Assembly rammed through legislation that they called “Criminal Justice Reform”. In reality it was nothing more than a statutory degradation of morality, as its primary component did nothing more than change a litany of felony crimes, making them misdemeanors and shifting the burden of cost from the state government back to the counties.
Governor Deal touted that it was simply too expensive to keep criminals in prison because we were mad at them. I believe we should be nothing less than furious with recidivist criminals. The emotional and financial expenses that victims and others are left with in the wake of their incessant pernicious voyages far exceeds the cost of keeping the savages caged and away from society.
Senator, we have a plethora of laws already in existence that can effectively deal with the unlawful possession and use of firearms of any kind by criminals. I would support any legislation that mandated a sure, swift, and severe penalty for any criminal possession and use of a gun, but I will not support, aid, enforce, nor condone, any effort or legislation that will infringe upon the right of a law abiding citizen’s right to bear firearms. You took the same oath as I did, and it was to support and defend our Constitution. I implore you to do so at this crucial point in time.
Sincerely,
Howard R. Sills
Sheriff
hrs
“
I posted the entire message because it keeps getting hacked on the net for some reason.
The whole story about this killer hasn’t begun to come out if it does at all) so I think it might be early to discuss detailed motives.
Secondly, your feelings about what you might want to do are your decision and yours alone - not mine. While not political, these callings for “don’t say the name” ARE about control - just like PC, only for some other reason of propriety.
You guys can do what you want.
Release his “manifesto”.
in other words they are typically mentally unstable people from the gitgo and probably easy to influence. I talked to my source this morning and they said someone with administrator level ccess should be able to do searches using specific criteria to identify persons on a particular drug.
in other words they are typically mentally unstable people from the gitgo and probably easy to influence. I talked to my source this morning and they said someone with administrator level ccess should be able to do searches using specific criteria to identify a person or group of persons on a particular drug.
be careful what you wish. They maight deem all Christians as bat$h#% crazy and deny them the ability to buy guns. He who labels others has the power in liberal lalaland.
Chris went to a special school, but the mom let the kid have guns? Lady, didn't you thought you should get help for your son??
“They seek out information about prior cases, and imitate them.”
Yes, and “seek a ‘gun-free’ zone” seems to be the number one commonality.
Psychos as well as “normal” criminals need to be forced to believe that if they hurt or try to hurt people they will be killed instantly. That absolutely would work.
People can be Christian or believe in Odin or believe in "global warming" and as long as they don't expect to draw a gov't check because of their belief they would not be barred.
That's why I suggested SSI disability payments as a bar, and not a simple psychiatrist visit or prescription for an antidepressant. I am not talking about disability for physical impairments, either.
If someone's mental illness is severe enough that he is unable to work for a living and thinks that I (as a taxpayer) need to be responsible for his food, shelter, clothing, medical care and entertainment, then why shouldn't he demonstrate that he's not so impaired that he shouldn't buy a gun? Don't take the money and there is no bar. (I doubt that many families, even wealthy families like Lanza's, leave monthly SSI payments on the table.)
The SSI hurdle should just apply to mental/emotional/psychiatric disability.
People with physical disabilities would have a greater need for a handgun for self-protection than non-disabled people.
“People with physical disabilities would have a greater need for a handgun for self-protection than non-disabled people.”
What about people who are blind?
My brother who is legally blind managed to kill two Tom Turkey Gobblers in one shot... in the wild!!! Still amazes me!!!
If he was truly “anti-government,” he would not have joined the army. The “anti-government” description is not supported in the article.
Wow...you're not kidding. I doubt high school moved things very far in the right direction for him, either.
Not enough there to fill all the empty he had and not enough there to re-proportion the odd-sized parts he had thanks to a dominate mom and an absent dad.
With ever-growing pressure on so many weak parts that are picking up the slack for what's missing, something's going to break. I wonder what the pharmacy gave him for strain release.
Our world has developed into a place where ego and self esteem have been granted authority and they have given darkness access to the sacred place within us.
This world can be a tough place to grow up, even for kids in an intact family with good parents, but what about this kid? It would take a demon to set someone up like what was done to him.
Not surprising that he became what he became and then did what he did, especially not with so many things in this bizarre, video game world to light that short fuse.
This is the road we've taken and we've stayed on it long enough to find out where it goes.
All the way to prophecy is my guess, judging by the road signs and the speed bumps and pot holes we keep hitting.
(Takes a good driver to hit them all!)
Many "legally blind" people can still safely use a gun. If the "legally blind" person can keep all his shots in a man-sized target at 7 yards, then he sees well enough.
It’s like with immigrants. The problem isn’t with legal immigrants, it’s with illegal immigrants. The problem isn’t with legally blind people using a gun, it’s with the illegally blind people.
A creative mind might use this info...
My theory too. These nut jobs always post their wannabe jihadist sympathies online long before they actually do the deed. It wouldn’t be hard to find and recruit them, then give them the “go” signal at the opportune time.
I wouldn’t put anything past the current administration.
Agreed. See my post # 78.
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