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| Student Gunman Arrested At St. John's |
| 2007-09-26 |
| A psycho campus copycat? Or is Omesh a non-Christian, non-Hindu psycho? Omesh kinda, sorta sounds like a name that might belong to a member of the RoP (and they're pretty common down around Trinidad & Guyana - remember the guys that wanted to blow up the fuel lines to JFK Airport?) NEW YORK -- A St. John's University student with a suspected history of mental problems was arrested on the Queens campus with a rifle and a Halloween-style mask, possibly of President Bush, police said Wednesday. Police sources said the suspect, Omesh Hiraman, 23, told police that he was acting alone and walked across campus with the gun. Hiraman did not give any reason why. A campus security officer, a student and a cadet taking courses at QueensÂ’s campus tackled Hiraman. Police sources said Hiraman was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, camouflage pants, and the mask. Nobody was hurt but the campus went into lockdown in mid afternoon as students furiously sent text messages to each other and their parents about the gunman, law enforcement sources said. Hiraman had been carrying the weapon in a bag, according to a posting on the St. John's University website. Police sources said the gun was a front-loading, .40-caliber Wolf rifle. Police searched Hiraman's dormitory and investigated whether he might have stopped taking his medications, according to a law enforcement source. Police said Hiraman was wearing a costume mask that appeared to be of President Bush. Officials said he cut the mask off below the eyes. Police launched a massive response, sending in heavily armed emergency service units and flying a police helicopter overhead the campus of the Catholic University on Union Turnpike in Jamaica. St. John's had recently upgraded its security and communications systems and was sending warning messages about the gunman at 2:30 p.m. Classes were canceled and the university was in complete lock down. The St. John's University Web site issued this advisory: "A male with a rifle in a bag was apprehended on St. John's Queens campus today. Public Safety officers quickly disarmed the suspect and have turned him over to NYPD. Additional information will be forthcoming as it becomes available." A press release from St. John's read: "At this time, the NYPD has a heavy presence on the Queens campus and are conducting an extensive and thorough search of all buildings and facilities. Students have been instructed to stay inside their classrooms and buildings until further notice." Investigators searched HirmanÂ’s parentsÂ’ East Elmhurst Home Wednesday. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #5 Updated details, via Drudge: Police sources said Hiraman has a history of mental illness and had been hospitalized in the past. Investigators believe he was off his medication at the time of this incident. University officials told police a preliminary records check does not indicate they were aware of Hiraman's history, investigators said. Investigators said the weapon was loaded with one round but no additional rounds were on him at the time of his arrest. Police sources said the gun was a front-loading, .40-or .50-caliber Wolf rifle. At least he isn't a good Virginia Tech copycat. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-09-26 22:17 |
| #4 . Police sources said the gun was a front-loading, .40-caliber Wolf rifle. The original version of the article when I read it this morning said it was a .50 cal rifle. Big difference. |
| Posted by: spiffo 2007-09-26 21:44 |
| #3 Police say an off-duty police cadet who attends the university, Christopher Benson, 21, saw Hiraman wearing the mask and a black hoodie walk past at approximately 2:30 p.m. Benson noticed the suspect was carrying a black plastic bag with what appeared to be a rifle sticking out, and contacted police. Benson followed Hiraman to Marillac Hall, police say, where a university guard who was responding to calls of a suspicious male grabbed the rifle from Hiraman after a struggle. The weapon was a Wolf, .50 caliber breech-loading black powder rifle. Benson searched Hiraman, while additional St. John's security restrained him, police say. Responding officers then arrested Hiraman. Hmmmmmmm. Cadet Benson just might have a decent future in law enforcement... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-09-26 20:02 |
| #2 Hiraman was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, camouflage pants, and the mask. The garb is a bit odd. It's over a month till Halloween. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-09-26 19:54 |
| #1 Single shot Muzzle loader, no permit required, everybody panic now, might be one of those revolutionary war,muzzle loading machine rifles. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-09-26 19:19 |