Bomb Blast at University of Oklahoma (Breaking on Fox) - suicide bomber at OU

Fox News/NewsOK.com ^ | oct. 1, 2005

[blogblogginaway]

From Staff Reports
NORMAN -- An explosion near the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord Family-Memorial Stadium killed one person Saturday, OU officials said.

The explosion happened at the courtyard near the George Lynn Cross Hall, Botany-Microbiology Building on OU's campus, which is west of the stadium, according to Sgt. Gary Robinson of the University police department.

The explosion happened during the second quarter of Oklahoma's game against Kansas State.

After the explosion, police set up a perimeter of several blocks and made fans exit the stadium to the east.

[STARWISE]

The coverage on this is sparse, to say the least. Most reports are using the lone AP report. I did find this, however, from the Norman Transcript:

+++++++++++++++++++++

One dead in campus explosion - Officials believe incident was suicide

By James S. Tyree - Transcript Staff Writer

An apparent suicide bombing on the University of Oklahoma campus Saturday evening killed at least one person.

According to a statement from OU President David Boren, a second explosive device was found and detonated. Initial reports had that occurring about 9:15 p.m.

The blast happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. on the South Oval, across the street from the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where more than 80,000 people were watching the OU-Kansas State football game. One person who responded to the scene said she heard the blast from four miles away.

“We are apparently dealing with an individual suicide which is under full investigation,” Boren said in the statement. “At no time was anyone in the stadium in danger. Law enforcement officers and bomb experts on site were activated in the area immediately.”

Officials established a crime scene and quickly put police tape from Asp Avenue west to the western edge of the Van Vleet Oval, between Brooks Street and Lindsey Avenue.

Early Sunday, Norman police, OU police, FBI and other federal agents remained on the scene. Police were also searching an area near George Avenue, south of the OU Brandt Park Duck Pond, although it was unknown whether that was related to the campus blast. Some of the residents of the Parkview Apartments were being evacuated. On Saturday, Boren said he ordered a search of the garage area near the stadium along with lower levels outside the stadium.

The suicide happened in or near the George Lynn Cross botany/microbiology building the oval’s east side.

Damage to the microbiology building or any other structure couldn’t be seen from the distant perimeter.

Sgt. Gary Robinson of OUPD confirmed one death, but gave no further details on the person or whether anyone else was injured. He said detectives were unable to investigate the scene right away because other personnel needed time to thoroughly sweep the area for additional explosive devices.

“One fatality is all we know right now,” he said.

Student Keaton Fuchs of the cable television station TV4OU had a video camera at the stadium’s highest level. He turned toward the South Oval right after the explosion and saw a small amount of gray smoke rising from the botany/microbiology building.

Passouts normally are given to people who want to leave at halftime and come back, but they were not issued Saturday. Fans never were permitted to go on or near the South Oval, and after the game, which OU won 43-21, pedestrians weren’t allowed to walk north on Asp Avenue beyond the stadium’s southwest corner.

Six members of the Brothers Under Christ fraternity dressed in white T-shirts, each with a red spray-painted Superman “S” and white capes couldn’t walk a few dozen feet beyond the barriers to retrieve their bicycles at the stadium.

They decided to walk a mile back home and get their bikes today.

“We heard so many rumors about this in the stadium,” said Preston White, a BUC sophomore from Tulsa majoring in chemical engineering. “At first we thought it was thunder, then we heard propane and suicide bombing, just all sorts of rumors."

==========================

So glad your son is alright, and that there apparently weren't any other injuries. For whatever inane reason, they're repeating mention of the Brothers Under Christ. Are you familiar with the Parkview Apartments?

[Revel]

"That would be those of us who DON'T jump to conclusions."

Well why don't we just all become thoughtless and unaware then. You can't jump to any conclusions that way can you?

[hoboken109]

No one is surpressing your opinion , what the heck are you talking about? You've been posting it all day . I think the opposite may be the case I didnt know I wasen't allowed to disagree with you . Sorry , I'll read the rules again . You can believe whatever you want about this case ..I have a feeling you're wrong though and that this is nothing more than a wacko , disgruntled student blowing himself up . Maybe Im wrong manybe not. Time will tell though .

[DJ MacWoW]

I just think it's a real outside conclusion based on not so solid evidence.

Two eyewitness freepers with the same details is such slim evidence. /sarcasm

[MizSterious]

I think the Bali bomb time was local to Bali, but the same times (in different time zones) makes it odd.

[Pukin Dog]

But don't you find it odd that some individual blew himself up right outside a stadium, and it is not even being questioned by the media?

Since you asked, here goes:

If we can agree that blowing up a bomb in close proximity to one's person is an irrational act, and I think we can, then why would we want to credit an irrational act, as part of a series of rational behaviors?

I don't think it wise to devote any time or effort into understanding the actions of crazy people. They are crazy. That means that they do all sorts of things that have no reason attached to them. People go out of their way to try to decide why someone did something crazy for un-crazy reasons, which is a complete waste of time.

If you want to understand crazy people, you will spend your life in a hopeless mission. Crazy is as crazy does.

[teenyelliott]

First, I don't think this has anything to do with AQ. Just my opinion. I think it was a lone nutjob. Time will tell.

I just think it's odd that our National Enquirer media isn't saying more about this, considering the possibilities.

[indcons]

See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1495058/posts?page=1254#1254

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Bookmark

[combat_boots]

Cops on the scene believe..."the bomber was trying to attach the bombs to the parked buses."

There were others, at least 2, reported running into the stadium afterwards. There were also reports of backpacks being dropped and people running, together with cell phones not working for a time.

Recently, there was a bus accident involving a college team. Do you remember? LaCrosse. Track. Something.

[MizSterious]

Last night, they definitely said there was a second device. Yes, reporters do get stuff wrong, but even the people who were there were saying that last night.

I don't know about OU policy re: bomb sweeps. Maybe PhiKapMom would know? (Pinging...)

[BamaGirl]

All joking aside, if it was some kind of Islamic ultra-conspiracy, I'd think they would have waited until next weekened, when it would get national media attention (the OU/UT game will be broadcast nationwide, and it takes place alongside the Texas state fair - several hundred thousand people will be there).

Good point. But this could have been a practice run that went awry.

[Osage Orange]

Como se dice' "NASDAQ"?

Cubes...

Also known as QQQQ...

Comprende?

[Revel]

"I'll wait to see what shakes out here. If I HAD to guess I'd say disgruntled , looser, nutjob student who had it iut for the college and wanted to "show them ". Time will tell"

Now there is an attempted conclusion. And it sounds an awful lot like what some people want us to believe as well.

[appalachian_dweller]

>> Crazy is as crazy does. <<

Even the actions of crazy folk can be predicted if one knows of past actions. Look for patterns. Connect the dots. FBI does it all the time when dealing with serial killers.

[Old Student]

"I posted it to you as information, not gospel. PhiKapMom is reputable. She was there, also. You might want to read her posts. Nothing is gospel, even when (especially when) the MSM reports it."

I understood it as informational in intent. I've also seen others vouch for her, but I go by something my dad once said. "Don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see yourself." I've not seen anything myself, yet. Maybe tomorrow.

One of the things I like about FR is that it is possible to get not only all the information available, but also all the speculation, as well. The MSM news weenies only give the speculaiton THEY want passed on, where on FR, you can get literally anything.

[bnelson44]

Cops on the scene believe..."the bomber was trying to attach the bombs to the parked buses."

source?

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

I always assume the worst. I guess that's a product of being lied to constantly.

But in this case, the worst case scenario also happens to be the most logical. It could be a lone suicide, but there's no good reason to assume it was. Not with so many people in the vacinity. Not during these times.

[not2worry]

Great, and Jeb Bush wants to ease up the immigration "rules" to allow more students into our Universities.

What's the Governor thinking? If he's Presidential Material for 2008 folks need to understand his political agenda for the War on Terror.

[PhiKapMom]

Knew it was no pipe bomb. It was way too loud to be a pipe bomb.