wearing a beret and trenchcoat
I'd have to of shot him for that alone.
Posted on 06/30/2003 10:33:38 AM PDT by Travis McGee
Three dead, three wounded in sword attack at Irvine grocery store
By Gail Schiller ASSOCIATED PRESS 3:17 a.m., June 30, 2003
Associated Press A woman, identified as a relative of one of the victims, weeps outside the police command center set up in the parking lot of an Albertsons supermarket in Irvine where two people were killed by a man wielding a samurai-style sword.
IRVINE – A sword-wielding man slashed and killed two co-workers and wounded three other people at the Albertsons supermarket where he used to bag groceries before police shot and mortally wounded him.
About 40 to 50 shoppers ran from the store shortly after 9:30 a.m. Sunday as police went in to subdue Joseph Hunter Parker, who was armed with a samurai-style sword and wearing a beret and trenchcoat, said police Cmdr. Jeff Noble. The 30-year-old confronted an officer on aisle 11 before fellow officers shot him, said Lt. Jeff Love.
The wounded were taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. One of the wounded was an Albertsons employee and two others were customers, police said. Parker also was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
His mother said Parker, of Santa Ana, collected swords and was a fan of the "Highlander" film and television series in which the hero is a swordsman. Parker's former co-workers said he quit his job bagging groceries about two weeks ago after working at Albertsons for about two years.
Some described him as disturbed but non-threatening.
"I never felt threatened, but he was just a really odd man," said Mark Ming, 26. "He would have full conversations with himself. He obviously had problems, but he was respectful toward customers."
Michael Huggard, 17, remembered Parker as jovial.
"He seemed like a really nice guy," Huggard said. "He was just joking around a lot and smiling at everybody."
But 24-year-old Carl Wieduwilt had a grim premonition.
"I joke around on days I come in here and say he's going to shoot people up," he said. "I had this weird feeling inside that this was going to happen and look. It's amazing." He added that Parker sometimes was homeless.
The grocery chain said it would assist victims' families and provide counseling to employees.
"The entire Albertsons family shares in the sorrow generated from this unfortunate incident," the company said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those victims who lost their lives and also with the surviving victims and their families."
Stunned workers from other Albertsons gathered in the parking lot after hearing about the attack.
Lt. Love called the attacks an aberration in the quiet city 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles, which he said averages less than one murder a year. About 143,000 people live here.
Parker was raised in rural Ford, Va., and had been diagnosed as schizophrenic, his mother, Susan Davis, said in an interview Sunday. He also was a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.
"He was not in a good state at all," Davis said, adding she had not spoken to Parker in about a year.
"He said voices were telling him to do bad things."
Davis said her son moved to California about five years ago in hopes of making a new life.
"He wasn't happy about his job," she said. "He wasn't happy with his friends."
Davis said Parker only took one sword with him to California and left the remainder with her.
"I'm just sorry about what happened," Davis said, adding her heart ached for the victims.
Parker's sister, Heather Parker, 28, of Anaheim, said she hasn't spoken to her brother in several months.
"I'm sorry," she said in a telephone interview. "He was alone and he was very mistreated his whole life. He was being treated for schizophrenia. He's never been in trouble. He didn't drink, didn't use drugs. He was kind."
We have had knife regs in the states for as long as I can remember.
I believe it stemmed from the gang violence back in the 40s.
In past years, most of them have either not been enforced or expired.(other than the mechanical switchblade ban and folding knife length)
Arkansas has a 16yr old age requirement still. Rarely enforced however.
It is my understanding that Australia has a rather high rate of knife crime. I thought I heard it was up in the 60% category.
The funny thing is that while the PTB would like to disarm everyone, every now and then something like this happens to awaken a few slumbering dolts (those who realize you CAN stop a sword weilder with a handgun). Events like this are becoming all too common these days.
Won't be long before all those who frequent self-defense classes begin to line up for weapons instruction. They'll soon find out where they can get the 'real' kick.
That is the best one yet!
And that is that.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/796051/posts?page=12
wearing a beret and trenchcoat
I'd have to of shot him for that alone.
Nor will you see any stories calling for "sword control".
They'd love to ban swords (and even self defense) eventually, but they need to get the guns before they can do that.
Stay Safe !
Stay Safe ........:o)
There has NEVER been a reasonable "compromise" offered to the NRA by any group of politicians or other special interest groups in the US.
When is the last time you saw an anti-gunner *ask* the NRA what they would like in return for supporting "moderate" gun control? (Not that I would support the idea, I'm just making a point). For example, how about they support nationwide CCW, while we agree to increased penalties for violent crimes committed by convicted felons with firearms?
But they aren't interested in being "reasonable".
Rather, the objective of the anti-gun groups is to illegally overthrow part of the Bill of Rights without going the constitutional route.
As such, they qualify as "domestic enemies of the Constitution" and should be dealt with as such.
This guy obviously had a delusional thought system which focused on his notion of self importance.
We are usually expected to worry about .0001 percent of the popluation, like this nut-ball with a sword, who have access to firearms.
Oh well, it would have been worse if a gun was involved in this crime. (/sarcasm)
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