Four dead, including gunman, in gym shooting

[Ginny]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/05/...ing/index.html

A gunman walked into an LA Fitness gym outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, turned off the lights and fired off 50 rounds, killing three women before killing himself Tuesday evening, police said.

Authorities are at the scene of a shooting at an LA Fitness gym near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The man didn't speak but was carrying a gym bag with a note inside it. He was found dead in the gym lying on top a gun about 7 feet away from a victim, said Charles Moffatt, Allegheny County police superintendent.

At least 10 other people were injured in the barrage of bullets that sent people in the gym ducking for cover, Moffatt said.

A law enforcement source identified the gunman as George Sodini, a 48-year-old gym member.

Moffatt would not release the name of the victims during a Wednesday news conference.

Sodini was a systems analyst in the finance department of K&L Gates, a law firm with an office in Pittsburgh, said Mike Rick, a spokesman for the firm. Sodini had worked for the firm since 1999, Rick said.

Neighbors described Sodini as a bit of a recluse. They said he had stopped talking to neighbors.

"He did what he set out to do, and I think nobody could have stopped him, " he said.

Moffatt would not confirm a newspaper report that Sodini's ex-girlfriend was wounded in the shooting.

He also did not say what was written on the note that was found in Sodini's gym bag. But the law enforcement source said that the gunman in the note "talks about his hatred of women."

Sodini entered the fitness center around 8 p.m. Tuesday and went straight to an aerobics classroom, where he opened fire with multiple handguns, Moffatt said.

More than two guns have been recovered, the law enforcement source said, and at least one was registered to Sodini.

The shooting victims arrived at three major hospitals in the area.

A spokeswoman for UPMC Mercy Hospital confirmed five female shooting victims arrived at the facility with multiple gunshot wounds. "All arrived in critical condition," hospital spokeswoman Linda Ross said. "Three of them were upgraded to serious condition overnight."

Allegheny General Hospital received two wounded patients at its trauma center, a spokesman said. Both victims are women and were listed in fair condition early Wednesday.

A St. Clair Hospital spokesman said three shooting victims arrived there Tuesday night; two were in stable condition and one, who was shot in the chest, died at about 8:55 p.m.

Perry Calabro of nearby Bridgeville told CNN he was between racquetball games at the gym when he suddenly heard screaming and multiple gunshots. He said he ran out but didn't see the gunman or others.

Other witnesses told CNN affiliate WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh that the lights went out before they saw flashes in dark, later realizing it was gunfire.

Sodini apparently left behind an online diary that details his loneliness and longing for a female companion -- and his growing rage at what he perceived as rejection by women. The diary lists Sodini's dates of birth and death, with the death date listed as Tuesday, the same day as the shootings.

The source who identified Sodini provided a month and year of birth that matches the birth date listed on Sodini's diary.

The diary seems to offer a rare glimpse into the mind of the suspected killer.

"Why do this?? To young girls? Just read below. I kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions after I saw this project was going to drag on," the diary begins.

Throughout the log, the writer refers to a shooting that he is planning as an "exit plan."

The first entry is November 5, 2008. "Planned to do this in the summer but figure to stick around to see the election outcome," it says.

The December 22 entry says: "Time is moving along. Planned to have this done already. I will just keep a running log here as time passes. Many of the young girls here look so beautiful as to not be human, very edible. After joining this gym, started lifting weights and like it."

The Web site on which the diary appears is registered to George Sodini of Pittsburgh. It lists an address in or near Scott Township. The law enforcement source said Sodini lived in Scott Township.

One of the victims was a coworker of mine. She was such a sweet lady. What an awful way to die.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

Originally Posted by Ginny

One of the victims was a coworker of mine. She was such a sweet lady. What an awful way to die.

My condolences.

[Ginny]

http://www.wpxi.com/news/20293312/detail.html

Channel 11 News reporter Cara Sipida spoke with Elizabeth
Gannon's employer, West Penn Allegheny Health System, released the following statement via Patrick DeMeo, MD: "Everyone at West Penn Allegheny Health System is extremely saddened by the loss of Elizabeth Gannon. Betsy was not only a tremendous asset as a radiology technologist at Allegheny Orthopedics for the past 13 years, she was also a wonderful, caring person whose smile would brighten the day of both her colleagues and patients.

I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Betsy's family during this difficult time. She will be greatly missed at West Penn Allegheny, where her life touched that of so many others."

This was the statement from our department's chairman.

Originally Posted by Type 97 Chi-ha

My condolences.

Thank you. It is just heartbreaking.

[Voltron]

Same here. What a world!

[Katie]

Horrible that it involved someone you knew ginny! well, horrible period.

CNN has a link to the guy's "diary" I read it and all I can say is wow. This guy had some serious issues (well, obviously he decided to kill people) but his driver seems to be his desire to have a relationship but he was constantly rejected.

He talks about not having a girlfriend since 1984 and not having sex since 1990. he talks about how all the women in the gym seem so attractive and "edible" How he hated spending every day and night alone...going to bed alone.

He said that he figured that there were 30 million "acceptable" (or something like that) women in the US but he couldn't find anyone, but didn't undersand why because he wasn't ugly or "too weird". he had planned to do this last summer but decided to stick around and see how the election came out....then chickened out in January and decided the best way to get it done was to get drunk prior to going in.


Apparently he even left his church after an incident with a woman who felt he was "paying her too much attention" in the words of the pastor.

really creepy sounding stuff.


everyone can relate to being lonely....and everyone has felt rejected or beat down. but damn. Those people were so innocent.

[Ginny]

Thank you, Katie and Voltron.

I was reading his blog today also. I stopped after he "chickened out" in January because I couldn't take it.

Betsy was clinical, and I'm admin, so we didn't work in the same area of our office, but I'd see her in the break room getting coffee all of the time. We used to joke we were on the same "coffee schedule." I never saw her without a smile. Just so sad.

[Leo656]

I read about this a lot in the papers... sad to hear about your friend... sh*t like this always gets deep under my skin.

It's always the same with these people. They always cry about how alone and unloved they are, how nobody understands them, how nobody has any empathy, and then they do this, like they "have" to. Why not just kill yourself? Why act out this way and take people with you? I'm a firm advocate of suicide, and I don't particularly value humanity as "sacred", but a big reason is b/c of people like this. A guy everyone says "seemed normal" kills a bunch of people b/c he's "lonely". That's what hookers are for, jackass. Every person is lonely, every person feels alone and misunderstood, but jeebus, play some f*cking GTA if you're that pissed at life.

I'm not trying to be "cute" or undermine the seriousness of the situation; it's awful; but it happens like all the time nowadays, and still people ask why I'm an atheist, why I feel like the human race has already reached its potential and is simply swirling in the bowl on its way down. Because no matter what good happens in this world, one jackoff with a gun is all it takes to f*ck it up for everyone. And it's not the fact that there's guns that's to blame, it's the fact that deep down people are sad and sick and full of hate. Not all of them, but just enough to be way too many.

A shame. An even bigger shame? It'll happen again.

[BubblyShell22]

I agree with you there, Leo. It does suck that this happens in the world. I think it's horrible that someone had to kill innocent people just because of his issues. This is why I loathe society because people like this are around to hurt others.

Ginny, my sincere condolences go out to you and your other workers. It sucks that it's hit so close to home for you.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I read about this a lot in the papers... sad to hear about your friend... sh*t like this always gets deep under my skin.

It's always the same with these people. They always cry about how alone and unloved they are, how nobody understands them, how nobody has any empathy, and then they do this, like they "have" to. Why not just kill yourself? Why act out this way and take people with you? I'm a firm advocate of suicide, and I don't particularly value humanity as "sacred", but a big reason is b/c of people like this. A guy everyone says "seemed normal" kills a bunch of people b/c he's "lonely". That's what hookers are for, jackass. Every person is lonely, every person feels alone and misunderstood, but jeebus, play some f*cking GTA if you're that pissed at life.

I'm not trying to be "cute" or undermine the seriousness of the situation; it's awful; but it happens like all the time nowadays, and still people ask why I'm an atheist, why I feel like the human race has already reached its potential and is simply swirling in the bowl on its way down. Because no matter what good happens in this world, one jackoff with a gun is all it takes to f*ck it up for everyone. And it's not the fact that there's guns that's to blame, it's the fact that deep down people are sad and sick and full of hate. Not all of them, but just enough to be way too many.

A shame. An even bigger shame? It'll happen again.

Has no politician blamed video games again this time, like before?

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

Originally Posted by J 1982

Has no politician blamed video games again this time, like before?

Why would any do so? This was someone with a definite grudge, not a random shooter.

[Ginny]

Originally Posted by Leo656

They always cry about how alone and unloved they are, how nobody understands them, how nobody has any empathy, and then they do this, like they "have" to. Why not just kill yourself? Why act out this way and take people with you?

A shame. An even bigger shame? It'll happen again.

I couldn't agree with you more. It is one thing if he wanted to end his own existence, but why did he have to take people with him?

I have something new that is making me totally sick about this situation. I've actually heard people speak sympathetically about this guy! It makes my blood boil.

And you are right, it will happen again. And probably on a grander scale.

[Leo656]

I wouldn't go so far as to say sympathetic, but I do, to a point, understand the feelings he apparently expressed. I only know what I read in the papers, the excerpts from his blogs or whatever, but some of it is stuff many can relate to; loneliness, isolation, depression etc. I too have had many issues with women and a TON of bad experiences before meeting Mary, and our ten years together has been far from perfect, but we understand each other better and more deeply than anyone else has ever tried to understand either of us, and that keeps us together.

But before her I was a mess as far as chicks go, still kinda am. Even from childhood and up through high school, most girls treated me like a disease. Either I was too small or too skinny or wore cheap clothes or my hair was too long or I had a girl's face or my voice sounded weird, I mean the list was endless. And I don't mean ignored, I mean anything from girls pretending to puke when I talked to them, to tricking me into thinking they liked me just so they could loudly, publicly embarass me later on. I was kinda small, we were poor and my parents were always getting arrested, so I got picked on by everyone, but the females were always way more mean-spirited and attacked in greater numbers. I had a few girlfriends, but they all cheated on me. So eventually I just gave up and adopted the popular "women are sub-human and only to be used for sex" attitude, and lo and behold, THAT got girls to like me more - when I ignored them until I wanted meaningless sex.

I fell hard for a few girls later on, super-intelligent, funny chicks that I managed to develop deep, meaningful friendships with, and my attitude changed to a more positive one. They'd always say they wanted and needed someone to be there for them, to love and understand them, and stupidly I would try to be that person. Then they would explain "Well of course you're a great friend, but I could never be romantic with you... because of how you look. Then they would go out with guys that looked like boy band members... who'd then either beat them, or f*ck younger girls behind their backs. So maybe they weren't so intelligent. After my best friend had a breakdown and blamed all her life problems on me and my being in love with her, she told me never to talk to her again, ever. Our mutual friend Jason was so mad about that, he killed their friendship for good over it in my defense. Nobody really sees her anymore, but last anyone heard from her, her new pretty-boy boyfriend was making her cry on a daily basis and generally treating her like dirt.

But I met Mary right around then and everything worked out for the best. The stuff girls did to me, guys did to her, except she'd never been in a relationship at all b/c nobody'd ever been nice to her. So that mutual understanding and empathy was the foundation of what we have now. But before her, I was resigned to pretty much thinking girls were pure evil, and that nobody would ever love me or even want to. It didn't exactly make me suicidal, but that's probably b/c I was suicidal over so many things that girl trouble was so far down on the list. Despite all the issues, these events were nowhere near the most important things happening in my life at the time, yknow? So maybe that's why I'm relatively well-adjusted today, comparatively speaking.

I'm not gonna lie, there were times when girls that rejected me ended up getting hit or cheated on by their boyfriends, and part of me was vindictively happy about it, like "Well, that's what they get for being so shallow, judging people by their looks and not what's in their hearts". And I knew then and know now that it's wrong to feel that way. But I personally never felt like what was necessary was to "make them all pay", like this guy apparently did. Not my job. I don't see how getting revenge on a few bitches by killing other random women is supposed to change the world and make females stop being shallow, especially since guys are just as shallow and judgmental. It's twisted thinking, plain and simple.

So I'm not sympathetic, hopefully you won't think that. A little empathetic, maybe, a bit understanding of the depression, the loneliness that could make a person's heart turn dark. But there's no excusing the inexcusable, and someone who made a calculated decision to do something like this doesn't deserve anyone saying "Oh, poor him." Maybe we can all learn a lesson about being nicer to people in general, but thats it.

Nobody should paint him as a victim; if he was a victim once, he ceased to be one when he decided to prey on other human beings for his own self-satisfaction.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

I totally agree with everything you say, Leo.

I can understand why you can't stand to be around your father, seeing that he never cared about the people he hurt.

[Buslady]

Sorry to hear she was one of your coworkers Ginny, it's heartbreaking when this happens.