Police: Five people shot dead in Arizona by man in body armor

[MindMover]

Source: MSNBC

A gunman reportedly wearing body armor shot multiple victims in Gilbert, killing five people, authorities said.

It's not immediately known if the shooter is among the dead, but Gilbert police Lt John Lyle
said they are not actively seeking a suspect.

The gunman's identity and motives were also unknown.


The shootings occurred sometime after 1 p.m. in a residential area in the 500 block of West Tumbleweed Road.

A junior high school in the area was released from lockdown status just before 2 p.m., according to 12 News.

Witnesses in the neighborhood said a SWAT team sealed off part of the area and that investigators told residents to remain indoors.


Read more: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/02/11507220-police-five-people-shot-dead-in-arizona-by-man-in-body-armor?lite?ocid=twitter

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http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2012/05/02/20120502gilbert-shooting-multiple-victims-abrk.html#ixzz1tkSlSOsX

[SleeplessinSoCal]

1. note to self - avoid Arizona if at all possible.

[Richard D]

3. Ohoh

Going there tomorrow.

Clearly, guns don't kill people. People with guns kill people.
Keep guns out of the hands of people and in museums where they belong.

[liberalmike27]

5. Guns don't Kill People

Guns just make killing people far more efficient.

When's the last time you read a headline "Man with butcher knife, kills 20 in a crowd." What? Never? Yea, it's kind of hard to do, though there are some people who probably could.

[A Simple Game]

18. What may be the worst thing about guns is that they also give cowards courage.

Guns also allow the user to disconnect from the victims. No need to get up close and personal as with a butcher knife.

on edit: clean up language

[freshwest]

20. +1

[dmallind]

24. Yet guns rank quite low on criminal body count lists.

Garavito - hundreds by knife

Lopez and Barbosa - hundreds by strangling

Ridgway, Chikatilo, Bundy - not a shooter among them


Single instance mass/spree killers?

Kehoe - 44 by explosive tops school massacres

Segee - 198 by fire, Gonzalez 87 more recently.

Oh and I can recall at least a couple of mass stabbings with higher tolls than this loony - Osaka with 8 dead and more than a dozen wounded for a start.

Are guns used in more killings than anything else? Sure - they are indeed very effective if killing a lot of people is your goal. But they are neither unique nor supreme for that purpose if you indeed have that goal.

[tabasco]

63. HUH?

About 70% of homicides in the US are committed by GUNS.

Are you simply mistaken or TELLING THE TRUTH-CHALLENGED?

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004888.html

[CountAllVotes]

78. Four people I know are dead

And they are dead because of GUNS.

Three of the four were murdered and the other case was one of a young man playing around with his father's rifle.

You are quite correct!

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!

[AtheistCrusader]

75. Sadly...

http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-police-6-dead-mass-stabbing-1-arrested-183950840.html

20 is a stretch. The highest I recall seeing was 7 at once in China. Still a staggering number when you get down to it. (Shooting 20 people at once is not exactly easy either. VT and Norway would be incredibly rare exceptions.)

[yellowcanine]

90. Body armor doesn't kill people so banning that won't help either......

I am sure that would be the NRA position.

[-..__...]

16. Molon Labe.

What other rights would you deny the people?

[sudopod]

19. lol

lol

[Ikonoklast]

33. Sad.

[-..__...]

44. Yeah... it's sad alright...

sad that anyone (never mind on a progressive website), would deny, or seek to restrict, mine (or anyone elses), Constitutional rights based on their warped, uneducated and guided by emotion interpretation of the 2nd amendment.

[Paladin]

46. Yeah, Guys Like You And Fat Tony Scalia......

....you have this 2nd Amendment thing all squared away, don't you?

[-..__...]

47. "you have this 2nd Amendment thing all squared away, don't you"?

No... not as much as I/we would hope; but we're still working on it.

I'll post updates as soon as I get them from "Fat Tony".

[ProgressiveProfessor]

54. Clearly more squared away than you and your hit and run posting style

[newspeak]

89. what's really sad is some people only focusing on the second amendment

while, especially under little boots, our civil liberties were being compromised. I didn't see any teabaggers protesting when they passed the patriot act or suspending habeas corpus. Canada has gun ownership; however, they don't have (yet) a corporate media willing to inject hate and fear into a very compliant audience.

[hack89]

91. Which is why it is important to protect the entire Bill of Rights

not just the parts you like. That might mean supporting in principle things that you personally find offensive.

[4th law of robotics]

92. We're losing all our rights, therefore we shouldn't be particularly concerned about any individual

right.

Heh.

[newspeak]

95. well, with all the blather about second amendment rights

they haven't taken them away, as a matter of fact, it looks like some states are making it even easier to carry. So, yes, it would be nice if those who are so worried about those people taking away their guns, would realize they've already lost ground on civil liberties.

I learned to shoot when I was four years old. My step father was an abusive, gun loving arse hole. And, more than once, threatened to shoot me and my mom. My friend's deranged hubby got in an argument at a bar and came back with a gun, didn't shoot it; however, hid after threatening the clientel. She finally left him, but he followed her onto the main street in our town shot her multiple times, while people watched on helpless, then shot himself. To me, both of these men were nothing but bullying cowards.

When you have a complicit media allowing their fear mongering, hate creating mouthpieces publicly saying things like shoot liberals, kill those baby killing doctors, and harm anyone that doesn't agree with them; then you've got a problem.

[4th law of robotics]

96. Interesting, so when people "blather" about some right a lot

it doesn't get taken away.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

85. Your right to sing the praises of guns after yet another slaughter.

Good thing I'm not in charge, isn't it?

[PavePusher]

55. Please do so.

We don't need any more bigotry of any kind here.

[Iliyah]

2. Have AZ also approved "body armor" as well?

My prayers to the families of the victims.

[Lex1775]

8. It's never been illegal in AZ. n/t

[Ptah]

15. Where did you pick up that piece of disinformation?

http://law.onecle.com/arizona/criminal-code/13-3116.html

Arizona Revised Statutes - Title 13 Criminal Code - Section 13-3116 Misconduct involving body armor; classification; definition

Legal Research Home >

13-3116. Misconduct involving body armor; classification; definition

A. A person commits misconduct involving body armor by knowingly wearing or otherwise using body armor during the commission of any felony offense.

B. Misconduct involving body armor is a class 4 felony.

C. For purposes of this section, "body armor" means any clothing or equipment designed in whole or in part to minimize the risk of injury from a deadly weapon.

[hack89]

22. It is not illegal to own or to wear for non-criminal activities. nt

[msanthrope]

39. This statute would mean that like guns, body armor can be legally owned, but is a crime to use

in the commission of a felony.

[Posteritatis]

66. Next shelf down from where they stock your law-reading skills

"During the commission of a felony offense" restricts the illegality of body armor just a bit, just as it's legal to own a firearm but frowned upon to rob a bank while carrying one.

[AtheistCrusader]

77. Wow.

Kinda missed the point there, didn't you?

[AtheistCrusader]

76. Most or all states have.

Only felons are prohibited from buying it.

[Major Nikon]

7. Obviously the problem is we don't have enough gun nuts to keep us safe from the gun nuts

[-..__...]

17. They could be doing better.

There's still a few Federal gun control laws that need to be eliminated.

Don't even get me started on existing State gun control laws... especially here in MA.

[-..__...]

43. Awwww...

tell me how you really feel?

[lunatica]

45. I agree with you

Aggressive and nasty to boot. It's better to avoid even having a discussion as it's probably like banging your head against a stone wall.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

57. I find your lack of discussion and dialog much more disgusting

There are many RKBA liberals and progressives. Marginalize yourself if you wish, but don't be surprised when the rest of the Democratic party does not support you.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

86. death worshipper

[hack89]

23. Isn't it dishonest to include suicides in that number?

isn't the number of daily murders by guns much lower?

[hack89]

40. Don't you think "might" is pretty weak justification

for restricting people's civil liberties?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

58. Tell me, what spells do firearms cast that make them responsible for suicidal

behavior? Does the NRA have the Staff of Magnus in its possession?

Might and maybe are not suitable responses if you are looking to limit the freedoms of others.

[4th law of robotics]

84. Since you're going that route you should also have to include people who are alive

who might otherwise have been murdered were it not for guns.

[ileus]

71. Also throw out LEO and civilan self defense deaths.

Accidental shootings

Hunting accidents


Interconnected gang/drug shootings. (where there is no innocent party involved)

And some would even argue some domestic shootings, you know the one where everyone in the family or neighborhood states "We've expected this day for a long time."

If you also count shootings caused by mental illness we could probably get the true legitimate count down into the 100's



Blaming deaths on a device is just plain silly to begin with.

[LanternWaste]

83. I imagine that as we're at it, we may as well throw out every gun related deat

I imagine that as we're at it, we may as well throw out every gun related death and injury when looking at gun related deaths and injuries.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

61. Disingenuous at best

Dishonest is more likely

[fascisthunter]

82. don't you have a Zimmerman to Defend?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

87. Yet another blatant lie coming from you. I have consistently held that his actions were criminal

[Lex1775]

6. azcentral.com is reporting...

A murder suicide (according to Gilbert police). No mention of body armor. All killed were shot inside of a single home. Press conference at 3:30 AZ time (about 8 minutes from now).

[xchrom]

9. & body armor. Huh. Says a lot. Nt

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. We really need a Late Breaking News - Crazed Gunmen forum

[Ian David]

12. You should suggest this in the Meta forum. I'd vote for it. n/t

[MindMover]

35. How about just a group called "All the Blood and Gore Today"....

[independentpiney]

11. Not Florida for a change

Thank gods for Arizona.

[Ian David]

13. Arizona is the Florida of the Southwest. n/t

[PavePusher]

56. D.U..... where regional bigotry is not only tolerated, it's encouraged!

Jebus Fucking Crimminy.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

60. Nevada really has that title more than Arizona

[TygrBright]

14. The crazy people next door are at it again.

Seriously, we LOVE this neighborhood, but the neighbors are definitely a downer.

The Land of Enchantment, nestled between Nutjob Nirvana and Sociopath Shores.

wearily,
Bright

[CactusJak]

21. UPDATE: One of the dead is reported to be J.T. Ready

A man armed with several firearms shot and killed four people, including a toddler, before committing suicide, Gilbert authorities said. Among the dead, sources said, is J.T. Ready, a reputed neo-Nazi who made headlines when he launched a militia movement to patrol the Arizona desert to hunt for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2012/05/02/20120502gilbert-shooting-multiple-victims-abrk.html#ixzz1tkvzU2U6

WHO? You may ask...


Neo-Nazi J.T. Ready Runs for Pinal County Sheriff as a Democrat

He supports legalizing marijuana, considers himself a civil libertarian, has had nice things to say about the Occupy movement, and recently filed paperwork in Pinal County to run for Sheriff as a Democrat.

One little speed bump: He also happens to be the best known neo-Nazi in Arizona and has referred to Adolf Hitler as a "great white civil rights leader."

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2012/01/neo-nazi_jt_ready_runs_for_pin.php

[Archae]

25. Latest update: Ready was the shooter, he killed himself after.

Bloody nazi.

"Sources identified the shooter as Jason "J.T." Ready, a reputed neo-Nazi who made headlines when he launched a militia movement to patrol the Arizona desert to hunt for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers."

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2012/05/02/20120502gilbert-shooting-multiple-victims-abrk.html#ixzz1tky5H26e

[Wait Wut]

29. Coward.

Why is it the biggest assholes that carry the biggest guns and talk the loudest are the biggest fucking cowards?

I hope there's a hell. My logic and reason force me to deny its existence, but...a girl can dream.

That little girl didn't deserve to die at the hands of this disgusting piece of shit.

[lunasun]

52. remember him @ "occupy Arizona"????

downright creepy

oh bring on the gun nuts I can still decide what I find creepy!!!!
1st before 2nd!

[AtheistCrusader]

79. Where did he get the armor? Phoenix Tent and Awning?

[newspeak]

93. so, what was registering as a democrat?

the repug position was filled? We might have a big tent, but not big enough for a damn neo nazis. He should have just filed as a libertarian or fascist.

[shawn703]

27. Can anyone just file to run as a Democrat?

It would seem like libertarian fascists would garner more support in that other party.

[Tansy_Gold]

31. Yes, anyone can file to run as a Democrat, but

they have to collect enough nominating signatures from that party's registered voters to get on the ballot.

When Ready began circulating his petitions, the Pinal County Democrats did get the word out about him, that he was not supported by the party.

[Grassy Knoll]

41. He wanted to run as an independent....

Oddly, people were stunned that J.T. Ready was running as a Democrat. I responded:

In preparing this campaign, we considered running Independent. Unfortunately, the Republicans and Democrats made the rules for getting on the ballot to favor themselves. The "insiders" made it very difficult for the "outsiders" to run by requiring a disproportionately higher number of petition signatures to get on the ballot.

http://vandal49588.blogspot.com/2012/01/ready-or-not-jt-ready-is-running-for.html

[Blue_Tires]

68. So I'm betting the party line at Fox News will be

"See? Left-wingers go in shooting sprees, too!!"

[Recursion]

48. Apparently: Fred Phelps and Lyndon Larouche both do (nt)

[newspeak]

94. yeah, well, I think they publicly proclaim they're democrats

so that they undermine the party or attempt to infiltrate it. Proclaiming they are democrats publicly may be a way of damaging the party. Just my thoughts. Because, they sure in the hell aren't FDR democrats nor wellstone democrats. Maybe, they're attempting to bring the old democratic party back to the good old civil war days.

[IamK]

42. JT Ready was @ Occupy Phoenix..... providing security...

http://www.infowars.com/occupy-phoenix-with-ar-15s/

[sweetloukillbot]

49. He was a big supporter of Russell Pearce as well.

He popped up whenever anything anti-immigrant was mentioned in the state. The guy was a piece of pond scum.

[Ian David]

26. Gilbert mass killing: Border militia leader identified as shooter

A border militia leader on Wednesday shot and killed four people at a Gilbert home, including a toddler, before committing suicide, sources said.

Sources identified the shooter as Jason "J.T." Ready, a reputed neo-Nazi who made headlines when he launched a militia movement to patrol the Arizona desert to hunt for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

Ready was a former Marine who headed the the U.S. Border Guard, a militia-style group that routinely performed armed patrols in the southern Arizona desert.

At least one person survived the shooting.

More:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2012/05/02/20120502gilbert-shooting-multiple-victims-abrk.html

More TeaTerror:

http://tinyurl.com/TeaTerror
http://tinyurl.com/TeaTerror2

[Hassin Bin Sober]

51. How the fuck can someone shoot a toddler?

On second thought, we have people on DU defending shooting 17 year old girls in the back of the head. I guess it's not much of a leap for some.

[lunasun]

53. Probably had practice while "patrolling" the border in AZ

[Blue_Tires]

70. Ah, the irony of some ultra-violent anti-immigrant loon dating a woman named "Mederos"

[bemildred]

81. Gilbert killings likely domestic-violence incident, police say

Gilbert police confirmed early Thursday that they believe the killings Wednesday that shocked the community were not the result of a planned attack but rather a domestic-violence incident.

Police are basing that belief on the entire scene at the home, said Sgt. Bill Balafas, a Gilbert police spokesman, including the location of the bodies -- three of which were found inside the home, while two were outside -- and some of the statements from a woman in the home who escaped.

"There was a witness in the house," Balafas said, adding that the woman did not see the incident. "The witness heard arguing and gunshots."

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2012/05/03/20120503gilbert-killings-police-say-shootings-likely-domestic-violence-incident-brk.html

[onehandle]

28. And the NRA prints fear letters and plans a convention nearby.

Mass gun killings are like Christmas for them.

[Wait Wut]

30. Check out the asshole's FB page

Yeah, he was a real doll.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JT-Ready-for-Sheriff/327457743953277

WTF????? This is what his FB goons posted:

"Reports are unconfirmed that a cartel assassination squad murdered JT Ready and several of his friends and family this afternoon in Gilbert Arizona. This page's admin will keep you updated of the situation as soon as possible."

[Archae]

32. "It's a big conspiracy!"

Sounds like someplace I know of...

[Blue_Tires]

73. The person who had the stones to type that after a mass homicide needs to be named and shamed

[jpak]

34. Just a reminder - guns don't kill people

yup

[valerief]

50. Favorite Arizona Christmas gift -- Baby's First Gun. nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

62. Actually I think this is more what you meant

http://www.daisy.com/shopping/customer/product.php?productid=16141

[PavePusher]

59. Why can't these vile shitbags get the order of action right?

First you suicide, then you....

Goddamnit, people who kill kids need to be sodomized with a cactus, in the desert, in July. For days.

[ileus]

74. dare I say

no one would mind if the shooter bit the bullet and left a letter stating the people he/she would have killed otherwise.

[Katie]

64. Is it me or is this just barely being reported, because

Gov. Rick Scott of Florida will allow guns in the GOP Convention hall in Tampa in August 2012? I really haven't had much access to tv today, but now that I'm home, I only see it online on MSNBC.

[JonLP24]

65. Don't know

but it is all over the local news here. I probably have a clouded view of whether this should be a big national story or not because J.T. Ready is a celebrity of sorts here in Mesa. Ran for city council here awhile back, was endorsed by Russell Pearce, author of SB 1070.

[Blue_Tires]

69. Even in his manufactured sympathy "statement" Pearce is a world-class jaggoff

...In the past several years the local media has worked hard to try to tie me to the JT Ready that preached hate, and that is nothing more than a lie.
When I learned the truth about him, I made it clear how wrong I thought it was and I worked to remove him from our Party. Yet the lie is told and retold over and over again. It is the ugliest form of politics. The most radical groups I have ever belonged to are the Boy Scouts of America and the Fraternal Order of Police, and in my 65 years in Mesa, as a law enforcement deputy, as a judge and as the head of state agencies, I have never been accused of mistreating anyone or of unfair conduct toward anyone I have associated with, hired or supervised.

Finally, while I am frequently critical of the job the mainstream media does in pursuing a political agenda instead of the truth, today's behavior is the most reprehensible that I have ever witnessed. On the very day that these unspeakable crimes take place, editors and producers all over town are making a concerted effort to make the story about a politician whose conservative politics they disagree with.

Today, the Devil won and claimed the soul of one young man and the lives of others, including the most innocent of all, a child. Our thoughts and prayers are with the four beautiful souls that are now in God's hands. We pray that He accepts them into his kingdom and that He grants comfort and solace to the friends and surviving family.


Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/05/02/20120502gilbert-mass-shooting-arizona-russell-pearce-statement.html#ixzz1toDxg0yZ



http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/05/02/20120502gilbert-mass-shooting-arizona-russell-pearce-statement.html

[Cooley Hurd]

67. Interesting story about the gunman in 2010:

http://www.salon.com/2010/07/17/us_neo_nazi_patrols/

[raccoon]

72. Another right-wing idiot. They're the ones we should fear, more than Muslim terrists (sic). nt

[CountAllVotes]

80. I couldn't agree more!

[Tx4obama]

88. Kick! n/t