Three dead, three wounded in sword attack at Irvine grocery store (No Gun No Story)

ASSOCIATED PRESS | June 30,2003 | Gail Schiller

[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."

[spodefly]

The sword must not have had a bayonet lug or a pistol grip, thats why you didn't hear about it ...

[Cold Heat]

probably not.

[Liberal Classic]

[truth_seeker]

My wife heard he wouldn't take his medicine, which for various mental conditions can (and obviously does) have some drastic consequences.

[samuel_adams_us]

Don't Worry, Barbara Boxer is already writing legislation to outlaw swords now and the NSA, National Sword Association is ready to fight against it. Humor or not?

[Tijeras_Slim]

We all know how this should be dealt with....

[Mr. Mojo]

Samauri sword?

Too bad he didn't save his violence for the Zeds of the world.

[TexasCowboy]

We have to be concerned with the handle on this sword.
Did it have a hole through it?
If so, can it be classified as an "assault sword"?

Can it be swung repeatedly?
Can it be classed as a "semi-automatic sword"?

We don't know who owns these swords!
Why does anyone NEED these swords?
Clearly, some legislation is going to be necessary to protect everyone from these sword nuts!
Call Swinestein!!!

[Destructor]

Does anyone have a link to this story?

[gtech]

Look bud. If your cannot accept a moderate opinion of gun control (because I believe that the para military crowd brought us to where we are)

Actually, a moderate opinion of gun control brought us where we are today.

[FourPeas]

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.

Perhaps he was upset with poor editting.

[Liberal Classic]

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.

There can be only one!

[Cold Heat]

Actually it is fear of crime and the deaths of many innocent people that is ignored by the gun lobby in favor of total opposition to any possible compromise that causes over reaching stupid laws.

[Travis McGee]

It "didn't just happen," it happened 9:30 AM Sunday, 24 hours ago.

[TalonDJ]

better not suggest it. In countries like Japan is it illegal to own a sword (without serious paper work).

[ArrogantBustard]

[Travis McGee]

I think you will really enjoy the first 20 chapters of my novel, posted free here.

[Blood of Tyrants]

No gun, no interest. How do you promote gun control when they refuse to use guns?

BTW, the Romans and the Chinese often imposed "sword control" on conquered nations.

[Travis McGee]

No Gun = No Story.

[MineralMan]

"It "didn't just happen," it happened 9:30 AM Sunday, 24 hours ago.
"

Whatever. It's all over the national news now, negating your false premise that it would not be covered because there was no gun involved.

Myself, I'm more concerned with the families of the two who were killed than with the speed the story went nationwide.

Such stories will always make national news, even more because the killings were done with a sword. The more bizarre, the more newsworthy.

As for it happening on Sunday, you're correct. Most news organizations are on limited staffing on Sundays, so Sunday AM stories often don't appear until Monday.

No doubt, though, there are plenty of stories involving guns out there from the weekend. I haven't searched for "Shooting" yet today.