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."

[Cold Heat]

I asked him once, If he had a fed permit. Sheesh!!

I took about two years before he would even talk to me. He does not want anyone to know. He has but few friends and his kids even stay away.

He seems to be in control, so I do not worry about him. I keep it in mind in case the anarchy stories were to ever come true.

I believe his wife left him recently so now I am not so sure about his mental condition. I do not want to be a statistic in the paper. I have not seen him in a couple years.

[MineralMan]

"From the information provided by the media I can tell that this man is schizophrenic. He most likely got his job at Albertson's through a Supported Employment Program and had a job coach who would check up on his progress once or twice a week.
"

I think you're right on this. My wife works in a socialization program for the mentally ill, and the programs for getting these folks jobs are suffering these days. That means fewer are going to gain independent living status and more are going to be living on the dole.

Apparently, this guy was schizophrenic and had gone off his meds, or at least that's what one story said. Sad business, for sure. Now a couple of nice folks are dead, along with the guy himself.

It seems that the man's mother was aware that he was off his meds. Too bad there wasn't a way in place for her to notify someone, so there could have been some intervention by the mental health folks. This might well have been prevented.

Of course, we'll hear some nonsense about mental illness not being real from some freepers.

[FreedomPoster]

Nice tag line; a favorite movie.

And I would have expected your color code to be black/red/blue/white/green, or perhaps the higher-voltage yellow/orange/brown/gray/green ;-)

[Cold Heat]

Yes, definately high voltage.

Please wear hot gloves when making contact with live parts.:-)

[glory]

Yet another mentally disturbed person who should have been in an institution and not walking among us.

[Mackey]

I suppose I have learned enough about ya'all, and frankly I am not too impressed. (with a few exeptions)

You may be willing to give up your rights as a citizen of the United States (assuming that you actually are one) but I'm not.

I ain't particularly impressed with you, either. BTW, you misspelled "y'all."

[glory]

YOu speak the truth--the problem will be the weapon, not the fact that most schizophrenics should not be mixing with the general public.

[redheadtoo]

Of course, we'll hear some nonsense about mental illness not being real from some freepers.

Schizephrenia is mot a "mental" illness. It is an actual brain disorder.

You are right about this being a bad time for programs. They depend of state funding and that will be disappearing withing a few hours.

When I was working for a Supported Employment program we would deal with tough finacial times by increasing the ratio of clients to job coaches. We were suppose to have a 1:15 ratio but it would increase to 1:22 when times were bad.

We were supposed to spend one hour a week with the client on the job and one hour with the client outside of work. With 22 clients this was impossible in a 40 hour week. Add to this the meetings we needed to attend and the paperwork we needed to do and you can see how someone, having difficulty, could slip through the cracks.

[glory]

It's very unfair to leave ticking timebombs working with the general public where they can do things like this.
And yes, I agree it's unfair that someone with a condition like Downs or a physical handicap now might lose their job because of someone who was deeply disturbed mentally. I submit that those with extreme mental disturbances should NOT be walking among us. I wonder while you are bemoaning what will happen to other folks disabled with employment at Albertson's, do you feel any pity for the two INNOCENT and sane people murdered by this "poor" disabled person.

[gatex]

"He seems to be in control, so I do not worry about him."

That's good.

[Lockbar]

"He seemed like a really nice guy," Huggard said. "He was just joking around a lot and smiling at everybody."


Be careful of the joking guys that smile alot, they are the ones with the secret agenda!

I own a real WW2 Japanese Samuri sword, but I never smile and most people think I'm a jerk, so I guess I'm pretty safe.

[Cold Heat]

Yup, I do that all the time. I did not run my spell checker.

You sir are absolutely correct.

[Double Tap]

To: ExSoldier

You guys ARE nuts!

What did he say that was nuts?

[Cold Heat]

insult exchange

[Preech1]

Hmm...I bought one of those "Samurai type" Swords right after 9-11...Paranoid? Maybe...But I got a real nice edge on it...I work for a Knife Sharpening company...

[leprechaun9]

US Department of Justice Statistics:

WEAPON RELATED VIOLENT CRIME:
Not sure if weapon used = 6%
Non-firearm = 17%
TOTAL FIREARM (Saturday Night Special to Atomic Cannon) = 9%
No weapon used = 68%

IS ANYONE OFFERING PROPOSALS TO ADDRESS THE 68%?

[Cap'n Crunch]

enforcing sword control...

Didn't we ban the Japanese from practising martial arts after WWII?

[Cap'n Crunch]

I was on a suicide once where a guy rammed the short samurai sword through his heart.

My partner tried to give him CPR... was like old faithful every time he tried a compression.

A valiant effort though.

[tet68]

"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."

Come on now, that never stopped Bill Clinton.

"Two of the three voices in my head told me to stay home and clean my guns today."

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..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...

Sword and trench coat? Standard copycat schizo.

The shooters in our two gun massacres here were similarly inspired; in those cases, by the film Taxi Driver.