Trashing the Hero Who Stopped the Shooter
IN FROM THE COLD BLOG
By George Smiley
Jeanne Assam
The medical examiner in Colorado Springs has determined that church shooter Matthew Murray died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the AP reports.
But the wire service also notes the Murray was struck "multiple times" by church security officer Jeanne Assam, who confronted the gunman after he entered the church and opened fire.
So, why did Murray decide to shoot himself? Forensic experts will say they can't answer that question, but it's likely because of Ms. Assam's bravery--and those bullets she pumped into his worthless carcass. Realizing the terror spree was at an end (and facing capture) Murray fired the final shot that ended his life.
Lest we forget, Murray had already taken four lives before he walked into New Life Church in Colorado Springs and began spraying bullets. Early Sunday morning, he killed two people at a missionary training center in the Denver suburb of Aravda; 12 hours later, he launched a similar rampage in Colorado Springs, killing two girls in the parking lot at New Life before that final flurry of bullets inside the church.
And, Murray had enough guns and ammunition to kill scores of people. Police found more than 1,000 rounds of ammo in the backpack he carried, along with three weapons. Without Ms. Assam, the carnage inside New Life could have been staggering.
Investigators in Colorado are praising the security guard's heroism, saying she helped prevent a far greater tragedy. We heartily concur. Still, there are those who (apparently) don't believe in the notion of responsible individuals defending themselves--and their fellow citizens--with firearms. If you were one of the six or seven folks watching Morning Joe on MSNBC today, you probably saw newsreader Mika Brzezinski go off on an anti-gun tirade after reporting the story.
And, not surprisingly, the MSM seems quite happy to depict Ms. Assam in less-than-glowing terms. Various outlets report that she was fired from her job as a Minneapolis police office for lying to investigators during an internal probe, which stemmed from a complaint by a city bus driver. Some scandal, indeed. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has the details:
Sgt. Jesse Garcia, a Minneapolis police spokesman, said Assam worked at the department from March 1993 to November 1997, when she was fired for lying during an internal investigation.
Sgt. John Delmonico, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, said police were investigating a complaint that Assam swore at a bus driver while she was handling an incident on a city bus.
Delmonico said Assam was dealing with an incident on the bus and for some reason she swore at the bus driver as she exited the bus. The bus driver became angry and filed a complaint.
"In giving a statement about the incident, she was untruthful and she was fired," Delmonico said. The swearing was caught on tape, he said. "The union arbitrated the case and the arbitrator upheld the termination."
For what it's worth, there are unconfirmed reports that the bus driver may have provoked the incident, knowing that it would be captured by the vehicle's on-board security camera.
Whatever happened in Minneapolis, a lot of folks are thankful that Ms. Assam was on duty in Colorado Springs on Sunday afternoon, and not arguing with an idiot bus driver in Minnesota. |
