Multiple KIA; Appomatox VA Shooter

[Hollis]

Associated Press 31 minutes ago
APPOMATTOX, Va. (AP) - Virginia State Police are reporting multiple fatals and injuries involving a lone gunman in central Virginia.

State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says more than 100 law enforcement officials have surrounded the suspected gunman in a wooded area just outside of Appomattox. She could not say how many had been killed or injured.


Police say the violence began shortly after noon Tuesday when an injured man was found on a rural stretch of road.


Police say when officers responded, someone fired at them. A state police helicopter had to land with a ruptured fuel tank. The officers were not injured.


It is not known what prompted the shootings.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[goat89]

Damn... hope the injured recover fast and the shooter is taken down!

[tea drinker]

Sad news. RIP to the innocents

[Dling]

Hope this ends quickly and there aren't anymore innocent people killed. Rest in Peace to the victims.

[Hollis]

Rest In Peace and a speedy recovery to the wounded,

Some newer news.

APPOMATTOX, Va. — A lone shooter was responsible for multiple deaths and injuries Tuesday and more than 100 law enforcement officials had him circled in the woods where they believe he is hiding, state police said.
A spokeswoman could not say how many were dead or injured in the shootings or what sparked the violence.
The gunman also fired at a sheriff's deputy and a state police helicopter, which had to land with a ruptured fuel tank after one or more rounds struck it, the spokeswoman, Corrine Geller, said. No police were injured.
"We believe we have the male suspect confined in a wooded area," Geller said.
The violence began shortly after noon when an injured man was found on a rural stretch of road. A deputy who went to investigate fled after he heard gunshots, Geller said.
Appomattox is about 100 miles southwest of Richmond. It is best known as the place where Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulyssess S. Grant to end the Civil War.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6825027.html

[Arnie100]

Hope they find this guy and I pray the injured victims get beter!

[JJC]

I don't think I've ever heard of an incident in the U.S. where a law enforcement chopper was shot at and forced to land too. I hope it's not as bad as the report makes it sound.

[chauncy republicans]

How much do you guys wanna bet the pussy shoots himself in the woods?
Lets hope they catch the dirtball alive.

[Clockwinder]

How much do you guys wanna bet the pussy shoots himself in the woods?
Lets hope they catch the dirtball alive.
And what? Take him to court? Try him? Incarcerate him? Give him 3 meals and a bed and a scumbag lawyer to make sure his rights aren't stepped on? Better idea - shoot the fvcker!!!!!

[chauncy republicans]

Law enforcement TTPs dictate that they shoot until the bastard's dead, I'd prefer him to suffer a tad bit. A hail of bullets is too dignified a death for somebody like this.

[Panchito12]

Even money says that the Virginia troopers & sheriff boys will shoot first, and ask questions later.

[gaijinsamurai]

Rest in Peace to the victims. I hope they catch this guy quick, or better yet, give him a painful and not-so-quick death.

[T3ngu]

UPDATE: A LONE gunman responsible for "multiple fatalities" and shooting down a police helicopter in the US state of Virginia is in custody, reports say.
The Charlottesville Daily Progress reports that US police have captured a suspect believed to be a lone gunman after "multiple fatalities" were confirmed by officials in central Virginia.

Earlier, more than 100 police (http://cfc.wset.com/externalwebsite.cfm?website=http://www.vsp.state.va.us/) had the gunman surrounded in a wooded area, according to The Associated Press.
There were reports the gunman opened fire on a police helicopter (http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0110/697477.html) in Appomattox County (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Appomattox+County,+Appomattox+River,+Appomattox,+Virginia+24522&ie=UTF8&cd=2&geocode=FZA4OgIdcHRN-w&split=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.875,57.630033&hq=&hnear=Appomattox+County&t=h&z=15) and the aircraft was forced to land leaking fuel after it was hit four times.
ABC 13 (http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0110/697477.html) says police will not say how many people have been killed. Police said the violence was discovered shortly after noon when an injured man was found on a rural stretch of road at Spout Spring (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Snapps+Mill+Road+,+Virginia+24522&sll=37.362415,-78.9187&sspn=0.02473,0.038495&ie=UTF8&hq=Snapps+Mill+Road+,&hnear=Appomattox,+VA+24522&ll=37.363438,-78.909613&spn=0.006182,0.009624&t=h&z=17), AP says. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26611324-952,00.html

[SBL]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26611324-952,00.html
According to the Lynchburg paper (http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/gunshots_heard_as_authorities_investigate_appomattox_county_incident/23294/), as of 8:47 he's still at large.

The word is as many as 7 shot, the guy apparently ex-military with "multiple weapons".

[JJC]

I'm surprised the cable networks are not all over this for some reason. Usually, they jump over news like this for sensational value.

[Holmes85]

What is with all these shootings recently? Rest in Peace to the victims.

[SBL]

I'm surprised the cable networks are not all over this for some reason. Usually, they jump over news like this for sensational value.
They're already set ratings-wise between the earthquake and the race in Massachusetts.

[CaptMorgan68]

this whole thing is a total non-event on cnn.com .. you'd think this would be Breaking News all over the cable networks

[pg_ord]

RIP to victims. :( Media coverage is low probably because of location?

[wotsnext]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8469314.stm
Rest in Peace.

[Moose]

BBC is saying 8 dead this far.
RIP

[T3ngu]

A gunman shot and killed eight people before firing on law enforcement officers and hitting a police helicopter on Tuesday in a thickly wooded area of south-central Virginia, a state police official said.
Skip to next paragraph (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/us/20virginia.html?hp#secondParagraph)
Virginia State Police, via Associated Press
The state police identified the gunman as Christopher Speight, 39.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3744/articleinline4633037.jpg

Late Tuesday, state police officers said that they thought they had the gunman, whom they identified as Christopher Speight, 39, surrounded in the woods and that he was still alive.
Seven bodies were found in one house, the authorities said, and the eighth victim was found by the side of the road and died on the way to the hospital.
All the victims were adults, the police said.

A state police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation, said two of the victims were thought to be the wife and the son of the gunman. He would not give other details. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/robert_f_mcdonnell/index.html?inline=nyt-per) of Virginia said he was sending his secretary of public safety, Marla Decker, to the scene to join the deputy secretary, John Buckovich, and Col. Steven Flaherty, superintendent of the State Police. “This is a horrific tragedy,” Mr. McDonnell’s office said in a statement. “The governor’s thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.”

Officers were called to the scene in Appomattox County at 12:02 p.m. after receiving a report that a man lying in the middle of the road needed urgent medical attention, Sgt. Thomas Molnar of the State Police said.
But when the police arrived, chaos ensued. Officers were fired on by a man hiding in the woods, the authorities said, and a helicopter hovering overhead was hit four times in and around its fuel tank, forcing it to make an emergency landing nearby. No officers were hurt, the authorities said. Police dispatchers alerted a local school to go on lockdown, and businesses closed as more officers raced to the scene. Two homes were evacuated, and soon more than 100 officers formed a perimeter around the suspect, who they said they thought was hiding in a wooded area between Police Tower Road and Snapps Mill Road just outside the town of Appomattox.
Police officers were seen at 3030 Snapps Mill Road, which neighbors said is home to a family of four, according to local television reports.

Appomattox, which is about 100 miles west of Richmond, is best known as the place where Gen. Robert E. Lee (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/robert_e_lee/index.html?inline=nyt-per) surrendered to end the Civil War (http://www.nytimes.com/info/american-civil-war/?inline=nyt-classifier). Bethel Hawkins, who lives about two miles from the shooting scene, said the police had warned families to lock their doors. “We’re just being cautious, keeping our doors locked, not going outside,” Mr. Hawkins said, adding: “We’re not going out in the dark not knowing what’s out there. But we trust in the Lord to take care of us.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/us/20virginia.html?hp

[Connaught Ranger]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/twl-gunman-surrenders-in-virginia-shooti-3fd0ae9.html


Gunman Surrenders In Virginia Shooting.

8 hours 12 mins ago
http://l.yimg.com/i/i/any/skylo.jpg?x=140&y=26&q=75&sig=oedxwteT6cU.4X3EUgIhKw-- (http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/skynews_logo/SIG=112tsq0io/**http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fnews) © Sky News 2010

Buzz Up!
Print Story (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/twl-gunman-surrenders-in-virginia-shooti-3fd0ae9.html?printer=1)

A lone gunman has surrendered to police after eight people were shot dead in the US state of Virginia.
Related photos / videos


http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/noprov/20100120/08/1243384991-eight-killed-virginia-shooting.jpg#300,180 (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/video/vwl-eight-killed-in-virginia-shooting-89eb865.html)
'Eight Killed' In Virginia Shooting Play video (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/video/vwl-eight-killed-in-virginia-shooting-89eb865.html)



(http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/video/vwl-eight-killed-in-virginia-shooting-89eb865.html)
http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/skynews/20100120/13/2859867696-gunman-surrenders-virginia-shooting.jpg?x=310&y=231&q=75&wc=321&hc=240&xc=40&yc=1&sig=WqAOtMWKGw4lg6HlHSzwtw--#310,231 (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/img/pwl-gunman-surrenders-in-vi-9a06a53921ae.html)
Enlarge photo (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/img/pwl-gunman-surrenders-in-vi-9a06a53921ae.html)
http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/skynews/20100120/08/3381200005-eight-killed-virginia-shooting.jpg?x=310&y=231&q=75&wc=321&hc=240&xc=40&yc=1&sig=DfOSjK_Vg38.vWuZGfflQA--#310,231 (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/img/pwl-eight-killed-in-virgini-3503673f543a.html)
'Eight Killed' In Virginia Shooting Enlarge photo (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/img/pwl-eight-killed-in-virgini-3503673f543a.html)
http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/skynews/20100120/00/4167144713-several-people-dead-virginia-shooting.jpg?x=310&y=231&q=75&wc=321&hc=240&xc=40&yc=1&sig=mUAnaapdnG7OmyZ4VdxNWA--#310,231 (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100119/img/pwl-several-people-dead-in-1c9b20955e46.html)
'Several' People Dead In Virginia Shooting Enlarge photo (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100119/img/pwl-several-people-dead-in-1c9b20955e46.html)



Related content

Video: 'Eight Killed' In Virginia Shooting (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100120/video/vwl-eight-killed-in-virginia-shooting-89eb865.html)

More than 100 officers surrounded Christopher Speight, 39, who had fled into woods after violently resisting arrest and attempting to shoot down a police helicopter.

Speight was cornered outside the town of Appomattox by police using thermal imaging equipment and sniffer dogs.

The gunman had initially been surrounded close to a house in the town where seven of the bodies were found.

An eighth victim died while being taken to Lynchburg General Hospital, after being found wounded in the street.

Police released a picture of the suspect, warning he was armed and dangerous.

Earlier, a police helicopter had to make an emergency landing after Speight fired a bullet into its fuel line.

The incident began when a deputy from the town's sheriff's office responded to a call about a man found lying beside a road.

"When the deputy arrived on scene, he heard several gunshots."

Police are trying to establish the relationship between Speight and the victims.

May the victims + Rest In Peace +

[SBL]

Police say Speight's property rigged with explosives:

Police say they've found a "multitude" of explosive devices at the Virginia home of a man suspected of killing eight people.
State police Sgt. Thomas Molnar says bomb technicians are detonating the devices to make them safe. There's no indication any exploded on their own.
Christopher Bryan Speight surrendered early Wednesday after police say the 39 year old spent the night hiding in the woods. He had no weapons with him, but police say they were concerned he had rigged his house with explosives.
Authorities still haven't disclosed the motive for the shootings or how the victims and shooter were related.
Police say four bodies were found outside Speight's house and three inside. Another badly wounded man was found in the road and died at the hospital.
A market owner says Speight is a "really nice fella" who worried the sister and brother-in-law he lived with were going to kick him out of the house.
The 39-year-old man has not been charged.
Speight worked at Sunshine Market in Lynchburg as a security guard. Market co-owner David Anderson says he could tell something had been bothering Speight for months, but Speight never wanted to talk about it.
Anderson says he was "flabbergasted" to hear about the killings.


http://www.whsv.com/virginiaap/headlines/82187682.html

[Laconian]

Terrible. Let's hope they clear the place of IEDs w/o and further loss of life.

[Clockwinder]

There seems to be a new lunatic surfaces every week. Where are these people during my normal work day? No wonder I have a carry permit.

[Dominique]

And what? Take him to court? Try him? Incarcerate him? Give him 3 meals and a bed and a scumbag lawyer to make sure his rights aren't stepped on? Better idea - shoot the fvcker!!!!!

Well that's one thing I will give Virginia credit for, they have no problem executing guys convicted of capital murder, and we do it rather quickly, when compared to other states.

[Dominique]

Law enforcement TTPs dictate that they shoot until the bastard's dead, :roll:

No they don't. Each agency has a Use of Force Policy, which will dictate what level of force they are allowed to use. But with the rare exception of some agencies, that are responsible for securing nuclear materials, I know of none that have one allowing you "shoot until the bastards dead."

[Clockwinder]

Absolutely, and some even forbid firearms unless being actually shot at! Some mandate escalation based upon suspect behaviour. The best defence is "no witnesses". Rodney King et al, shows that law enforcement is not in and of itself above the law. With this guy, in a remote rural environment and with stretched resources, no suspect location etc, he could "resist arrest" after threatening officers.
A serial killer was cornered in a very remote region of Australia some years ago, and unfortunately succumbed to the wounds suffered during his arrest.

[chauncy republicans]

:roll:

No they don't. Each agency has a Use of Force Policy, which will dictate what level of force they are allowed to use. But with the rare exception of some agencies, that are responsible for securing nuclear materials, I know of none that have one allowing you "shoot until the bastards dead."
In my town a few years back an old man pulled a gun on a couple officers and was shot around 20 times, all the soccer moms went into a rage over the amount of rounds fired. It was stated that the policy was to shoot until the threat is down/incapacitated, if it took 20 or so rounds so be it. Maybe my wording was off a little, but you know what I mean. I don't know what department you worked for, but I doubt they told you guys to pause between shots, so you can make sure your not violating your 'Use of Force Policy':roll:.

[gaijinsamurai]

I've worked for two agencies, and am currently an armed security officer for a government contractor. Every one had the policy that the officer uses force until the threat is no longer a threat. The use of force is dictated by the amount of force the threat poses. The officer can use a higher level of force to subdue the threat, as necessary. Threat pulls a baseball bat>officer draws firearm. Threat advances on officer, despite verbal directives to stop>officer can fire. And it is pretty much univeral doctrine that shots are aimed at center of mass, which will more than likely be lethal.

[Clockwinder]

Oh sure - That is the most common UFP. "Down and/or incapacitated, pertinent to the level of threat offered". If the guy was armed and the officers considered him to be an imminent threat to themselves and others, then they had a righteous shoot. 20 rounds is fair, given the woeful accuracy of police officers under stress. Also that would have been standard load for both of them. At least they didn't reload and continue firing!

[Dominique]

Absolutely, and some even forbid firearms unless being actually shot at!

Which agency doesn't allow the use of firearms, unless you're being shot at?


Some mandate escalation based upon suspect behaviour.

All use of force policies, are based on the suspect's behavior. As his behavior changes, you go up or down the use of force continuum.


The best defence is "no witnesses".

Say what? Any use of force will be investigated, period. And, anything you say happened, better be backed up by the evidence.


Rodney King et al, shows that law enforcement is not in and of itself above the law.

The cops involved in the Rodney King incident didn't get burned for excessive use of force, they got burned for violating his civil rights, and making racially insensitive remarks. King was repeatedly told to stay down, and refused to comply, so they kept steeping up their response, which is perfectly allowable. They fvcked up when they stared cracking jokes, and generally making asses of themselves.


With this guy, in a remote rural environment and with stretched resources, no suspect location etc, he could "resist arrest" after threatening officers.
A serial killer was cornered in a very remote region of Australia some years ago, and unfortunately succumbed to the wounds suffered during his arrest.

So are you saying the state troopers and deputies are going to execute the guy, because there's no one around? (And the guy turned himself in, by the way).

[Dominique]

In my town a few years back an old man pulled a gun on a couple officers and was shot around 20 times, all the soccer moms went into a rage over the amount of rounds fired. It was stated that the policy was to shoot until the threat is down/incapacitated, if it took 20 or so rounds so be it. Maybe my wording was off a little, but you know what I mean.

You shoot to stop the threat, if the person dies as a result, too bad. that's life.


I don't know what department you worked for, but I doubt they told you guys to pause between shots, so you can make sure your not violating your 'Use of Force Policy':roll:.

I still work for an agency, and while you're not going to whip out the SOP, you should know before you ever draw your weapon, what you're agency's use of force policy states. If you don't you'll be the one getting hemmed up in court. Because as I've already stated, any use of force will be reviewed, and any shooting automatic goes to a grand jury for review.

[Dominique]

Oh sure - That is the most common UFP. "Down and/or incapacitated, pertinent to the level of threat offered". If the guy was armed and the officers considered him to be an imminent threat to themselves and others, then they had a righteous shoot. 20 rounds is fair, given the woeful accuracy of police officers under stress. Also that would have been standard load for both of them. At least they didn't reload and continue firing!

I do remember one funny incident, from a few years back, where a guy killed a deputy, and escaped from a court house. The SWAT team tracked this guy down and, killed him, after a gun fight. A reporter asked them how many times they shoot the guy, and the sheriff stated they'd fired something on the order of 130 rounds (or a little over, as I don't recall the specific number of rounds), and then went on to state, they would have shot him again, but his deputies ran out of ammo.

[Clockwinder]

Which agency doesn't allow the use of firearms, unless you're being shot at?

San Francisco has issued tasers and the use of firearms is only authorized when threatened by firearms (or if the threat is unknown).


All use of force policies, are based on the suspect's behavior. As his behavior changes, you go up or down the use of force continuum.
Isn't that what i said?



Say what? Any use of force will be investigated, period. And, anything you say happened, better be backed up by the evidence.
Don't deny it. Truth! But evidence and circumstances are very ethereal things.



The cops involved in the Rodney King incident didn't get burned for excessive use of force, they got burned for violating his civil rights, and making racially insensitive remarks. King was repeatedly told to stay down, and refused to comply, so they kept steeping up their response, which is perfectly allowable. They fvcked up when they stared cracking jokes, and generally making asses of themselves.
I was making the point that they were on film. per your previous comment.



So are you saying the state troopers and deputies are going to execute the guy, because there's no one around? (And the guy turned himself in, by the way).Yep. That's what I'm saying. I'm aware he's in custody.

[Dominique]

San Francisco has issued tasers and the use of firearms is only authorized when threatened by firearms (or if the threat is unknown).

What type of idiotic policy is that.


Don't deny it. Truth! But evidence and circumstances are very ethereal things.

If you say you did "A", and the evidence points to "B", then there's going to be an issue.


I was making the point that they were on film. per your previous comment.

You can be on tape all day long. Just make sure that you can reasonably explain your actions. If they don't jibe with your agency's SOP, as well as state and federal law, that's when problems start happening. And you also need to use a healthy dose of common sense. While your actions may be well within the law, you don't want to make yourself look like either an idiot, or thug who likes hurting people. Once people start to question your integrity, you loose your ability to deal with them effectively.


Yep. That's what I'm saying. I'm aware he's in custody.

I'm not sure where you get the idea that cops execute people. I've got several good friends that are Virgina State Troopers, and I'm a deputy, and trust me when I say the idea that we'd execute a suspect if offensive.

[Universal_Soldier]

This Tells the whole story. Very good read; horribly tragic Story nonetheless.



APPOMATTOX, VA. --
Christopher Bryan Speight described himself in court papers as a dependable, hardworking person who was not quick to anger, and he showed pride in his ability to "find ways to get out of problems without using force or violence."
Friends, in letters in support of his successful 1995 application for a concealed weapons permit, called him "an upstanding, Christian young man" and "very mature and responsible."
But something happened in recent years that changed Speight, friends say.
It started when his mother died in 2006. "He said he had a 'zinging' in his ears. I can't explain it the way he explained it," said David Anderson, 54, who worked with Speight and became friendly with him. Anderson said Speight told him that he began seeing a therapist but that it didn't help much. He had grown worse recently, a change that Anderson and other co-workers attributed to tensions in his house on Snapps Mill Road. "He had gotten quieter in the past six months," Anderson said.
Something must have been building, Anderson said. On Tuesday, Speight, 39, allegedly shot his sister, his brother-in-law and their two children, along with four family friends, in a rampage that left eight dead. It was the worst mass slaying in Virginia since a single shooter killed 33 people at Virginia Tech in 2007.
　
State police released the victims' names late Wednesday, and family friends described their relationships to Speight and his family. Killed were Lauralee Sipe, 38, Speight's sister; Dwayne Sipe, 38, his brother-in-law; Morgan Dobyns, 15, Speight's niece; Joshua Sipe, 4, his nephew; Emily A. Quarles, 15, Morgan's friend; Karen Quarles, 43, Emily's mother; Jonathan L. Quarles, 43, Emily's father; and Ronald "Bo" Scruggs II, 16, Morgan's friend. Four victims were found inside Speight's house, three immediately outside it and one in the middle of a nearby road.
Speight never married, and his sister appeared to be his only family.
Although a motive for the shootings remained elusive, friends said Speight had talked of a dispute with his family about ownership of the house and land, which sits off a dirt road in wooded farmland about 200 miles from Washington. Speight's mother had left the 34-acre property jointly to Speight and his sister, court records show.
Speight thought that his sister and brother-in-law were seeking to force him out of the house and dispossess him of it, Anderson said. Speight said that the couple, who had just moved into the three-bedroom house about a year ago, promised to help him build a home on the property and that they cleared timber for the site -- a job for which Speight thought he had done the lion's share of work. But the house was not built, and Speight confided that he felt as if he had chopped wood mostly to fill the stove, Anderson said.
On Wednesday, Speight, donning a bulletproof vest and camouflage pants, emerged from the Appomattox woods where he had fled after the shootings and turned himself in to a police SWAT team, ending a 20-hour hunt during which he used a high-powered rifle to hold police at bay, authorities said. Police said his well-aimed shots forced a state police helicopter to make an emergency landing after its fuel tank was pierced, and more than 150 law enforcement officials had been combing the woods for him overnight.
After Speight's arrest, police carefully examined his home with bomb-sniffing dogs. Technicians recovered seven explosive devices later Wednesday, the state police said.
Appomattox Commonwealth's Attorney Darrel W. Puckett said Wednesday night that Speight was charged with one count of first-degree murder.
　
Puckett said he would meet with law enforcement officials after the crime scene investigation is complete to determine what, if any, additional charges to pursue. Puckett said he would consider levying capital charges, which could carry the death penalty. "It's a pretty horrific thing to happen anywhere, but Appomattox is a rural community, this is my home and it's a lot of really good folks who make up the Appomattox community," Puckett said. "For something like this to happen, it just shakes everyone to the core."
　
County stunned
　
The slayings stunned this rural county, which is best known for being the place where Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. News spread fast among the tight-knit community, and hundreds of young residents filled Facebook pages with photographs and memories of their three slain friends.
Co-workers who knew Speight as a calm, fervent Jehovah's Witness who liked to shoot said they were astounded by the allegations. Speight was a shooter more than a hunter, and guns were one of the main interests of his life, said Anderson, who owns the Sunshine Market No. II, where Speight worked as a contractor security guard for many years.
Anderson said he and Speight became quite friendly over the years: Speight helped him work on Anderson's cabin in Campbell County, they traded firearms and practiced target shooting at Anderson's place and at the 200-yard range Speight built on his property.
"If he had the time, he'd do anything for you," Anderson said.
Speight had collected at least 25 firearms, including black powder weapons, replicas of Old West era "cowboy"-style cap and ball six-shooters and many .223-caliber AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, which were among Speight's favorites.
"You ever been in a gun shop before, and they're all lined up across the wall? That's Chris," Anderson said.
In addition to the gun safes full of weapons, Speight also had the equipment for reloading ammunition, Anderson said. Anderson said Speight had military and paramilitary gear such as night-vision goggles and Kevlar vests. Speight also had ghillie suits, which appear covered with leaves and allow hunters or snipers to become nearly invisible in the woods.
Anderson said Speight also started to dig a 12-by-8 foot "bunker" on his land. But when his huge mastiff died, Speight buried the dog in the hole for the bunker and abandoned the idea. "He said it was a stupid idea to build it," Anderson said.
　
'There's another body'
　
Because of his love of guns, the sound of gunfire echoing from Speight's property was nothing unusual to his neighbors, who said he regularly fired rounds while hunting rabbit and deer or taking target practice in the acres of woods around the home.
Shots were fired Tuesday before noon, but as a neighbor drove her Jeep by Speight's home, she noticed a body in the middle of the road.
　
"I figured the person might be drunk because we always hear partying over there," said Tammy Lee Randolph, 29, who lives on a farm adjacent to Speight's property. Randolph said she found a man face down on the pavement, his gray hoodie covered in blood. She called 911, and after a sheriff's deputy arrived, they turned their attention to Speight's driveway, where several cars were parked. "I was like, 'Oh my God, there's another body.' " As emergency vehicles came to back up the deputy who was first to the scene, Randolph said, someone poked a gun out of the home's window and fired seven shots. The deputy tucked his head to the microphone on his chest and yelled, "Shots being fired!"
"We took off running," Randolph said. "You could tell it was a high-powered rifle.
Authorities said Speight used a high-powered rifle to shoot at a police helicopter that had been doing surveillance, hitting it six times and sending it earthward. Police said that Speight surrendered unarmed and that officers were searching for the weapon and others.
When Speight applied for a concealed weapons permit in 1995, at 24, he wrote that firearms had been a "hobby" of his for many years and that he takes "seriously the responsibility of handling them."
　
Roland B. Parris Jr. of Appomattox wrote to support Speight's gun application that year, saying that Speight had participated in a National Rifle Association high-powered rifle clinic and competition, which he excelled in. "I can tell the character of a man after coaching him for two days on the rifle range," Parris wrote. "Chris did very well with high scores to prove his ability with the rifle." .
Speight continued his shooting on his property, and he enjoyed target practice with others. Dakota Henderson, 17, of Appomattox, said he shot with Speight in his back yard last summer after meeting Speight's niece and dating her.
Henderson said he lost three friends in the attack, all Appomattox High students, including Morgan, his girlfriend of the past seven months. Henderson, who was at the house most recently on Saturday, said Speight was living in a basement bedroom.
Dorinda G. Grasty, superintendent of Appomattox County schools, said she would issue a statement Thursday about "the tragic loss of three of our students." The school's online calendar shows Tuesday as a day that teachers needed to attend but that students did not, which would explain why the three teenagers were at home on a school day. Two of the teens apparently were visiting with Morgan, friends said.
　
Henderson said the house was always kept clean and well appointed, with lots of family photos on the walls. He said that he had known Morgan since she moved to the area with her family from Georgia last summer and that he spent time at the house regularly. He said that the girl was "a very classy person and easy to get along with" and that Speight was always polite and friendly.
"He seemed like a regular guy, pretty laid back, cool," Henderson said of Speight. "I played video games with him. He was fun.
"This whole thing just makes me sad," Henderson said. "I was just hanging out with all of them last weekend, and everything seemed fine. Everything was normal."
But Speight's co-workers saw something different that same weekend. On Saturday, Speight seemed more preoccupied than ever, they said.
"Just the last time I saw him, he seemed more distant," said Tonya Maddox, 31, an employee of the store.
　
Anderson also noticed his withdrawal.
"He was pacing the floor Saturday night," Anderson said. "I said, 'Chris, you're going to wear a trench in the floor.' He said, 'I know, I know.' "


RIP to all the dead.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/20/AR2010012005139.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[Dominique]

They might as well get a cell ready on Death Row, over at Sussex I State Prison.

[Geezah]

So sad..........RIP.......