Another one - 2 teens suspected of Wis. school plot

[Keit]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060915/ap_on_re_us/school_bombs;_ylt=AsfRNMd11x9HuLDySV9cXKus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OTB1amhuBHNlYwNtdHM-

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Two 17-year-olds suspected of plotting a shooting spree at their school were fascinated with the mass killings at Columbine High School and had homemade bombs and weapons at their homes, investigators said Friday.

The boys were arrested Thursday at East High School after a student went to an associate principal. A detective said Friday that one boy wanted to enact the plan Thursday but the other talked him out of it.

"If someone hadn't come forward, we'd be talking about funerals instead of charges," said Brown County District Attorney John Zakowski.

William C. Cornell and Shawn R. Sturtz were arrested for suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree intentional homicide and conspiracy to commit arson. Zakowski said he planned to file charges next Thursday.

Court Commissioner Jane Sequin ordered each teen jailed on $500,000 bond Friday. Police Detective Tom Molitor testified that both teens, who are seniors, told police that they had been plotting the massacre for several years.

They planned to set off bombs near bathrooms, light the exits on fire with jelled gasoline so no one could escape and shoot people they had problems with, Molitor said.

Police found nine rifles and shotguns, a handgun, about 20 "crudely made" explosive devices, camouflage clothing, gas masks, two-way radios and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at Cornell's house, Police Capt. Lisa Sterr said. She said Cornell had made several of the improvised explosive devices about two months ago.

At Sturtz's home, police found knives and ammunition, Sterr said.

Police said they also found mannequin heads that appeared to have been used for target practice, and suicide notes.

No dangerous materials were found at the school, Sterr said.

The two teens had long been fascinated by the April 1999 Columbine massacre in Littleton, Colo., in which two students armed with guns, knives and bombs killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves, Sterr said.

In Montreal on Wednesday, an attacker killed a student at Dawson College and wounded 20 others before killing himself. Kimveer Gill, 25, had dressed in a black trench coat like the Columbine shooters, posted online photos of himself with weapons and said he liked to play an Internet role game about the Columbine killings.

Sturtz was described as being obsessed with pain and death, and both he and Cornell had been described as being depressed and hating school, according to Sterr.

Sturtz had also just lost an Internet relationship with a girl, Sterr said.

"Sturtz was very upset about this and became extremely enraged and (Wednesday) talked of soon attacking the school like Columbine," Sterr said.

Molitor said the two just needed a triggering event to pull off their plan. "They were one bad day away from something happening," he said.

Molitor said in the court hearing that Sturtz wanted to enact the plan on Thursday but Cornell talked him out of it.

A student, Jason Burdick, 18, who said he considered both teens friends, described Sturtz as a "teddy bear" and a shy, quite kid.

"He was nice to get along with. No fights or whatever," he said. "But he, like, turned."

Burdick said Sturtz started watching documentaries and other programs about Columbine.

"I think that is what kind of turned him," he said. "I didn't think anything of it. He just kind of joked around with it. You know, just talking."

Burdick said he played war games once with Sturtz with BB guns.

"I went over there one night and we had like little battles," he said. "It was just like a fun little sport."

Felicia LaPere, 17, said Sturtz had a darker side and was into Goth culture.

"But there was nothing suspicious about him that you would think he would try to do something like this," she said.

 

[Pierre]

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Two 17-year-olds suspected of plotting a shooting spree at their school were fascinated with the mass killings at Columbine High School and had homemade bombs and weapons...

Some GREENbauming in GREENbay ?

 

[Beau]

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Two 17-year-olds suspected of plotting a shooting spree at their school were fascinated with the mass killings at Columbine High School and had homemade bombs and weapons...

Some GREENbauming in GREENbay ?

Yup, and in the city I live in no less. I guess one of the kids had a list of people they were planning on 'getting rid of' at the school. But the newspapers and tv people sure had this incident plastered front and center. Now the whole city is talking about new security measures for all schools. And of course this is more reason to increase police presence i.e. more cops, guns, and tasers. :(

 

[Nienna]

Not to get off-topic here, but naive little me, I had no idea this was possible:

and said he liked to play an Internet role game about the Columbine killings.

WHAT are these people thinking of that make things like this available? Is it just me? Am I just so out of touch that I find this type of thing truly despicable?

 

[Pierre]

Am I just so out of touch that I find this type of thing truly despicable?

I guess most of us went more or less through this ignominy feeling.

As stated by Don Juan, self pity is one of the worst enemies.

So a question arises, what to do next ?

 

[Nienna]

As stated by Don Juan, self pity is one of the worst enemies.

I'm a little confused about this statement. Are you saying that I am in a state of self-pity? I am not aware of it in relation to this article. I confess to bouts of self-pity every once in a while which I try to observe and eradicate. But in regards to the article, I feel.....disgusted (I guess that is putting it mildly) that this is what is not only being put on the internet, but that anyone would even want to participate in something like this. But, then, this is right up the psychopath's alley, isn't it? And I am not saying that I am so naive that i am not aware of all of the violent games being played on the internet. I just never thought that anyone would take something like the Columbine shootings and make it into a game for kids to play and get ideas from. Live and learn.

As far as what to do next, I don't know. Not on something like this. I just don't know.

 

[Pierre]

I'm a little confused about this statement. Are you saying that I am in a state of self-pity?

I am not. The point I wanted to emphasize is global. Like in the cave myth. When one opens his eyes,, the light, at first, is a source of pain (seeing what really happens inside Colombine stories and like) that can lead to self pity (why did I open my eyes, this world is too unfair/cruel,...). This self pity is a major trap fro the one who starts to open his eyes.

When Don Juan was seeing Carlito falling in this state he was mentioning it and he also explained the negative consequences involved by such a state.

So a first step might be to spot these self pity states while being aware of their meanings/outcomes.

I hope I didn't offend you Lynne. I would not allow myself to make such personal bold statements (particularly in this forum).

 

[Mr. Premise]

I didn't see Lynne's statement as having anything to do with self-pity. It seemed to me to be a proper reaction to something that should be shocking: that addictive video games are training psychopathic warriors of different types. Self pity is when we say, "poor me." Lynne wasn't doing that at all, IMO.

 

[Pierre]

I agree. I think there was some mirroring effect. So trying to analyse and describe more objectively : I have often been overhelmed by this ignominy/despicable/disgusted feeling coming from what I discovered. This overhelming feeling led to a deep self pity feeling. A way to escape this trap was spoting the feeling and being aware of its consequences.

It was misleading to link this process to a non relevant situation and to generalize it.

 

[Nienna]

I hope I didn't offend you Lynne. I would not allow myself to make such personal bold statements (particularly in this forum).

No offence taken. I just wanted to make sure I had not said something that led to that conclusion. I know that I can be "unclear" in my statements at times and I am trying to work on it. So thank you for your clarificaion.

that addictive video games are training psychopathic warriors of different types.

Yes, this is just exactly what I mean. And using the tragedy that made up the Columbine shootings as one of these tools. This, imo, is psychopathy at its worst (or as they probably think, their best). Sick, sick, sick.

Lynne