Shots Fired
January 21st, 2010 - 2:39 pm
UPDATE: A photographer with a downtown high-rise studio got some photos of the shooter being hauled away by the DPS. Her blog links are a little hosed at the moment, but it’s the top post on the page.
UPDATE II: The Statesman has a good article on it with the most information anyone seems to have at the moment. Seems the guy had gone into the office of one of the representatives from Houston before popping off shots on the steps of the statehouse.
There’s been a bit of excitement down at our state capitol building today. Some guy from Houston fired a couple of rounds into the air on the south steps of the building and was then mobbed by the nine thousand DPS troopers who are always on the grounds. No one was injured, and there wasn’t apparently any property damage. That’s all we know now. I’m sure there will be more about this to come in the days ahead.
This kind of thing just doesn’t happen regularly. OK, I can’t recall it happening before ever in my entire life. I can’t imagine what the guy was thinking (probably wasn’t thinking at all), because the front yard of the capitol building is the sort of place where if one protests too vociferously, one can find oneself being thrown to the ground by nine thousand DPS troopers. Personally, I’m surprised he wasn’t just shot dead as soon as the troopers arrived on the scene for firing a weapon on the premises. Seriously, that place has a LOT of troopers around, and they are all very well armed, generally with nice large shotguns.
And contrary to what one of the people quoted in the story I linked says about it being a shotgun, I have verified it was a handgun. That’s sort of a given, because I can pretty much guarantee that anyone carrying a shotgun onto the premises would be tossed to the ground long before they fired off any shots. Handguns are much easier to hide, yes?
Anyway, that’s the most exciting thing going on in my life right now –my state capitol having had shots fired on its grounds– and really, it’s not terribly exciting (for me) since I wasn’t there when it happened. Or maybe it would be more exciting, if I wasn’t doped up and still wheezing and sneezing thanks to not only the freaking pollen producing cedar trees but now the added mold spores caused by the recent dampness.
Blech.
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2 Responses to “Shots Fired”
Guns and socially inept people. Happens every day; this fool just chose a more interesting setting.
Like I said, not terribly exciting. Had he done it in front of an apartment complex, no one would have even heard about it.
The gaggle of tourists down there are all atwitter though as they’ve had a very exciting trip to the state capitol today.
Oh, and of course, now people are starting to scream about how we need better security at the capitol. I’ve been down there a lot, and even though there are no metal detectors or pat downs or anything like that when you go in, that place is excessively safe. Safest place in town, really … even though it’s perfectly legal to carry a gun into the capitol if one has a concealed carry license. Or, maybe because of that.
I’m still surprised he wasn’t just shot dead on sight. That may have been what he was expecting. Suicide by cop is pretty popular.