After today's shooting at a Texas high school, it's worth noting that events on a smaller scale like this happen with sickening frequency. For example, an Oregon man is facing attempted murder charges after he became enraged at noisy kids in the apartment above him, shooting and wounding two men with his AK-47 assault-style rifle. The men are expected to survive. The shooter, 59 year-old nut Franklin Tomes, fired roughly 12 rounds from his rifle, wounding the two men in their leg, foot and shoulder:
"Tomes was angry about the noise Gaeta's kids were making, and after an argument with the father in the apartment parking lot, Tomes grabbed the rifle from his car, chambered a round and pointed it at Gaeta and Smith.
Tomes put the firearm back inside, then later retrieved it and opened fire as the two men ran away, the affidavit said. [snip]
Tomes went back into his apartment after the shooting. He remained there until he surrendered to police about five hours later, police said. The assault rifle was found inside his unit."There are thousands upon thousands of these raging nutjobs with semi-automatic assault rifles and loads of ammunition in practically every community with blatant anger issues, waiting for someone to cross them. This guy is a walking advertisement for stricter background checks and gun safety laws.
(photo: Lincoln Co. Oregon jail)
