Posted on 02/13/2007 4:34:26 PM PST by wagglebee
The 18-year-old gunman who killed five people in a crowded Utah shopping mall was a Bosnian Muslim refugee who was prepared to kill many more, say investigators.
An off-duty police officer having an early Valentine's Day dinner with his wife was credited today with cornering Sulejmen Talovic, exchanging fire with him until other officers arrived to shoot and kill the gunman.
The trench-coated teenager wanted to "to kill a large number of people" and probably would have killed many more if not for the off-duty officer, Police Chief Chris Burbank said.
A friend said Talovic was from the war-torn country of Bosnia and that the trauma he experienced while growing may have led to him snapping for some reason.
Ken Hammond, an off-duty officer from Ogden, north of Salt Lake City, jumped up from his seat at a restaurant after hearing gunfire and cornered the gunman, exchanging fire with him until other officers arrived, Burbank said.
"There is no question that his quick actions saved the lives of numerous other people," the police chief said.
Police said it was not immediately clear who fired the shot that killed Talovic.
Talovic had a backpack full of ammunition, a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol, police said. Investigators knew little about Talovic, except than he lived in Salt Lake City with his mother, the chief said. He was enrolled in numerous city schools before withdrawing in 2004, the school district said. Initially, police refused to release his name or any information about his background.
Talovic drove to the Trolley Square shopping center – a century-old former trolley barn with winding hallways, brick floors and wrought-iron balconies, and immediately killed two people, followed by a third victim as he came through a door, Burbank said. Five other people were then shot in a gift shop, he said.
Four people who were wounded remained hospitalized today, two in critical condition, two in serious.
Outside the mall, candles and flowers were left as memorials to the victims.
Hammond's boss, Ogden Police Chief Jon Greiner, said the state Senate wants to honor him.
"Thank goodness he was there," said Greiner, who is also a state senator. "You don't want to ever say it's good we were there and killed somebody, but it's probably good someone was there."
Accountant Jeff Barlow was on a date at a restaurant when he looked outside and saw the gunman firing from the hip.
"I thought it was some kind of joke – some kind of movie or stunt," Barlow said. "I didn't believe it was happening. And then I saw a man go down in a courtyard. I realized this was serious. These are real bullets flying around."
David Dean, who owns a greeting-card store at the mall, said three or four people died inside his store, which was packed with Valentine's Day shoppers.
Welcome aboard...
Better late...
Blame the evil Serbs
Muslim
Don't forget the Oklahoma University bomber about a year ago.
Bet if Utah had right to carry he would not have killed any one.
"Blame the evil Serbs"
Well, we can't be blaming his dog vomit Mohammedan heresy culture now can we? (Probably a descendant of the Bogomils!)
Mr. Publius?
Sure.
As my favorite talk show host, a mild mannered and reasoned man points out over and over (a change of attitude over the last five years), discriminating, and being able to make generalizations from past experience, is one of the unique characteristics of man. It's what makes us uniquely human.
Ignoring the obvious, and this uniqely human ability for the sake of Political Correctness, or compassionate brownie points is only possible because the odds of your being a victim is very small.
Yes, Ms Monkey?
I have a book for you to read.
1. Wahabbis are training American muslims in the mosques in the USA. They train them to be radicals; the same as they are trained everywhere.
2. The danger is that these will begin independent operations of murder, via small or individual cells, against American citizens.
3. FDR had a good idea with the internment thing in WWII. The confiscation of property was wrong, but the idea of keeping tabs on those with special ties to America's enemies was sound thinking.
At least until after the War on Terror is over.
Not that I'm going to hold my breath on that. More than likely the Brady Traitors will be out shaking their bloody little paws in the air trying to scare the sheep into greater compliance with their victim disarmament edicts.
Piss on 'em. Our safety is more important than a sound bite, than some idiot politicians career, or some sheep's fear over being surrounded by armed and capable adults.
Good call
Yes, our open-arms policy to every scum bag on the face of the planet just continues to pay dividends to the REAL CITIZENS of America.
Doesn't sound true from the descriptions, but perhaps the death toll would have been lower.
I pasted this on an IRC channel. I was asked if I was a christian and voted for Bush. I said I voted for Bush, so he got 1 right.
Then I got banned, and attacked heavily. Basically, the youth of this country are programmed that christians are worse than jihad, that Bush destroyed the constitution, and that they'd rather die from jihad than live under Bush.
And I thought the late 60's/early 70's were an American low-point. Then again, IRC's full of insane losers, but still.
The news media is pronoucing his name Solomon instead of Suleiman.
Nuke Iran before they nuke US!!
Absolutely correct. They hit it big with 9/11 much more then they expected. Terror is terror no matter how big or small the attack. Death by a thousand cuts is still death. Wake up America...we are under attack. Thank you sir for your service to your country.
Don't forget the Oklahoma University bomber about a year ago.
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Or the moslem that shot all those jewish women or the moslem who ran his car into a crowd in N. Carolina
or....
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