Bizarre Shooting Spree in Simi Valley California

The Daily Mail

Son, 29, murders his mother, sets her house on fire and then goes on a shooting spree in a TRACTOR before he is gunned down by cops 

• 29-year-old Ryan Carnan was shot dead while fleeing from police in Simi Valley, California
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• Police were called after Carnan admitted to his brother he'd killed their mother, whose charred remains were found in the home
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• Authorities say Carnan had a history of mental illness

Honolulu Shooting

CBS News reports

CBS Affiliate KGMB in Honolulu reports that Stangel, whose father heads the North Shore Christian Fellowship church, was raised in a loving church family but that those who knew him call him troubled and a loner, who rebelled at being a pastor's son.

One friend told KGMB that Stangel abused drugs and was violent.

Stangel has five prior misdemeanor convictions, including two DUIs and a criminal property damage case.

The suspect's parents, Mike and Karen Stangel, issued a statement saying, "We are broken and sick with grief. Our hearts and prayers go out to the innocent families who have been affected by this tragic act. We wish we had an explanation, but there simply is none. Those who know us, know we have always loved our son with an unconditional love. We thank all of you who have sent us your love, prayers & support. We are looking to the Lord Jesus for guidance, strength & comfort."

It's funny that the parents' statement includes prayers and love for everybody but the troubled son, who's now in big-time trouble. Maybe they should think about that when they consider what went wrong.

Their attitude reminds me of how the gun owners react when one of their own does something stupid. In the blink of an eye these folks are banished to the ranks of the criminally insane, when a moment before they were part of the group.

Odd that.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Another Shooting Spree

The New York Times reports on 6 deaths in the latest shooting spree, this one in Washington State. The shooter is described as a 28-year-old man with a history of mental illness.

State Department of Corrections officials identified the man as Isaac Zamora, 28, who had served a six-month Skagit County jail sentence for drug possession. Zamora was released Aug. 6 and was under community supervision by Corrections officers, spokesman Chad Lewis said.

Dennise Zamora, mother of the perpetrator, says she desperately tried to get help for her son. I imagine doing six months in county lock-up was the last thing Isaac needed, given his history of mental illness. The result: six dead including an understanding deputy who had tried to help the family.

The slain deputy was identified as Anne Jackson, 40, whom Mrs. Zamora described as a sympathetic figure who had tried to help the family in the past.

''She was very gracious,'' Dennise Zamora said. ''She knew exactly what we were going through, said her brother was going through some similar stuff.''

I say it's time to stop treating drug addicts and mentally ill people like criminals. Unless we want to start executing them at the first offense, we only make matters worse.


What's your opinion?


UPDATE

CNN reports a few more details.