faerwain
2009-03-11, 12:33 PM
I don’t know if it already hit the international news, and the reports are still confused (contradictory, in some cases), but some of you maybe heard of the guy who ran amok near Stuttgart until he was shot in another city where he fled to with a hostage. It seems that he murdered 15-17 people.
Fact is: The place where he was killed after shooting two more people (and to some sources, injuring two officers) was on the other side of the street of the warehouse I work in. Approx. 20 metres from our big doors, which would have very likely be wide open if the weather would have been already sunnier.
He actually ran past 3 of my colleagues who were smoking at the door and quickly retreated indoors when they realized the gun in his hand.
(This may have likely been the point of time where he went to the car shop besides us and killed two more passer-bys, and they actually were arguing at this moment if the noises they heard before were gunshots.)
But before we go on, an important disclaimer: Do not bring politics into this thread! I want to tell you about what we experienced today, let’s talk about that and not weapon laws or the like. We all know the playground is no place for these discussions.
I simply start chronologically how it was from my point of view, and bring a summary of the yet-known data at the end:
It was our lunch break, and I was standing in the inner courtyard with two colleagues. To our right, there was the warehouse, and to the left, behind our office building and some bushes, the expressway. The first thing we noticed were two helicopters hovering over two corners of our company ground. We didn’t give it much a look, until we realized that, after the first one some moments ago, the rushing by of emergency units on the expressway didn’t stop, and they seemed to be mostly patrol cars. At this time we took a closer look and saw that they weren’t SAR as expected, but police helicopters. While we were wondering, another co-worker appeared and told us he heard at the news that an amok shooting at a school near Stuttgart had occurred, so this was probably the reason.
Now, I have to confess, while we found the news horrible, we still cracked some jokes all the time(even some time later, when the situation became more intense) and I think that’s somehow naturally as a tensionbreaker. And I, for one, recognized that I really had to let it sink in some time before understanding the situation. So, when he told us people were warned to stop for hikers in black clothes, the girls gave me a look and an “Aha!” because, you know- Metal-Fan and stuff?
But then came slowly the idea:”...Wait a minute. Why do the search our area?” We went back inside, and that was the moment where I just stood: “Now, whaaat the crap?!?”
Straight ahead, on the other side of the warehouse (a comparatively narrow part), a crowd was standing at the windows of the doors, and I could see our parking and good issue area all flashing in blue lights, covered with police cars and officers – equipped with automatic guns and bullet-proof vests.
Most of us eventually got back to work, but it became increasingly confusing and uneasy when we started to get rumours and pieces of actual information. It became quickly clear, that, yes, we seem to have the amok shooter run around outside our building.
And I can tell you, it is not a totally comforting situation when your boss walks around and tells: “All doors are kept to be closed!”
Looking through the door window you could see ambulances, and I heard something from colleagues working at the windows about bodies lying on the ground. One time you heard rumours about two people shot at the car shop, than that he shot down 2 police officers. Sadly, both seems to be true according to the latest news, though the officers were only injured
.
Mind you, this happened literally on the other side of the street, and we didn’t know anything for sure. And it’s not like our warehouse would be high security, so maybe you can imagine the situation a little. Some of our bosses seemed to have contact to the police, but it was all not really clear. Then came along, that in the big supermarket next to us(again, we are talking about 100 metres, maybe) there would have been 3 people shot dead. It was not really fun to look around for my colleague, who, as many of us, uses to go there in his break and didn’t appear back. Finally, a supervisor came along telling us “They got him”.
Problem was, there was sometimes said to be 2 or 3 of them, and my co-worker, who was one of the smoking outside from above, told me there were first two people running by, and then a third one(the one were they actually saw a gun.) Another colleague came back from upstairs and mentioned: “For having him, they still bring in busloads of SEK.” (SWAT, for you American fellows.)
Getting the order ”No one leaves until the police allows to.” didn’t help to ease our minds. At least, the missing co-worker called in with his cell-phone: He really had been at the super-market, and police wouldn’t let anybody out.
When we were finally allowed to leave, we were surprised by the fact that only cars were able to pass, all pedestrians had to remain on the company ground, which was guarded by the police.
Now, I realize that I may have not been telling it very exciting, but maybe you can imagine a little how we felt.
What was scary: - We knew that a maniac who had already killed around ten pupils at a school was running around outside armed. We saw police, ambulances and victims literally at our door. We definitively knew how not very difficult it is to enter our storage.
-We did not know if we get correct informations, rumours or made up stuff. We did not know where some colleagues were, but most probably at a place were a fatal shooting was said to have occurred.
-We did not really know, if it was over, even when we went outside. Rumours about 2 or 3 involved, backed up by what some saw. Police still bringing in reinforcements. Police only allowing cars to leave, which both indicated ongoing search, and, in an ugly thought, not wanting to give somebody new targets to shoot. Media talking about a machine gun used, when our witnesses saw a hand gun.
What colleagues witnessed: Some people heard gunshots, and saw two foreign sounding people running by, followed by one definitively armed man. Two others actually came around a corner, back from mentioned supermarket, only to run into a SWAT team rushing them back where they shortly afterwards heard the shoot-out.
What media says right now: At the moment, they still talk about a single person(hopefully, that’s true. That would make the two other guys running away from him). Motive unclear.
A 17 year old, who shoots around 10 people at the school he graduated from a year ago with one of his father guns.(Info on used weapon unclear.) Shoots the gardener of a nearby psychiaric clinic, takes a hostage and forces him/her to drive him 40 kilometres to another town where he releases the hostage. Goes into a car shop and kills two passer-bys.
While it was first said that he was shot dead, now some report he killed himself after the police wounded him.
What is still unsettling: Besides, of course, of the horror he caused: To realize how damn close we got. He passed some of us. He killed at our front door, at the shop we walk by every day. Some higher temperature, and we would have been sitting outside, having the big doors open where another hundred people would have worked and been easy targets. It’s the supermarket we go to every day.
Damn.
Fact is: The place where he was killed after shooting two more people (and to some sources, injuring two officers) was on the other side of the street of the warehouse I work in. Approx. 20 metres from our big doors, which would have very likely be wide open if the weather would have been already sunnier.
He actually ran past 3 of my colleagues who were smoking at the door and quickly retreated indoors when they realized the gun in his hand.
(This may have likely been the point of time where he went to the car shop besides us and killed two more passer-bys, and they actually were arguing at this moment if the noises they heard before were gunshots.)
But before we go on, an important disclaimer: Do not bring politics into this thread! I want to tell you about what we experienced today, let’s talk about that and not weapon laws or the like. We all know the playground is no place for these discussions.
I simply start chronologically how it was from my point of view, and bring a summary of the yet-known data at the end:
It was our lunch break, and I was standing in the inner courtyard with two colleagues. To our right, there was the warehouse, and to the left, behind our office building and some bushes, the expressway. The first thing we noticed were two helicopters hovering over two corners of our company ground. We didn’t give it much a look, until we realized that, after the first one some moments ago, the rushing by of emergency units on the expressway didn’t stop, and they seemed to be mostly patrol cars. At this time we took a closer look and saw that they weren’t SAR as expected, but police helicopters. While we were wondering, another co-worker appeared and told us he heard at the news that an amok shooting at a school near Stuttgart had occurred, so this was probably the reason.
Now, I have to confess, while we found the news horrible, we still cracked some jokes all the time(even some time later, when the situation became more intense) and I think that’s somehow naturally as a tensionbreaker. And I, for one, recognized that I really had to let it sink in some time before understanding the situation. So, when he told us people were warned to stop for hikers in black clothes, the girls gave me a look and an “Aha!” because, you know- Metal-Fan and stuff?
But then came slowly the idea:”...Wait a minute. Why do the search our area?” We went back inside, and that was the moment where I just stood: “Now, whaaat the crap?!?”
Straight ahead, on the other side of the warehouse (a comparatively narrow part), a crowd was standing at the windows of the doors, and I could see our parking and good issue area all flashing in blue lights, covered with police cars and officers – equipped with automatic guns and bullet-proof vests.
Most of us eventually got back to work, but it became increasingly confusing and uneasy when we started to get rumours and pieces of actual information. It became quickly clear, that, yes, we seem to have the amok shooter run around outside our building.
And I can tell you, it is not a totally comforting situation when your boss walks around and tells: “All doors are kept to be closed!”
Looking through the door window you could see ambulances, and I heard something from colleagues working at the windows about bodies lying on the ground. One time you heard rumours about two people shot at the car shop, than that he shot down 2 police officers. Sadly, both seems to be true according to the latest news, though the officers were only injured
.
Mind you, this happened literally on the other side of the street, and we didn’t know anything for sure. And it’s not like our warehouse would be high security, so maybe you can imagine the situation a little. Some of our bosses seemed to have contact to the police, but it was all not really clear. Then came along, that in the big supermarket next to us(again, we are talking about 100 metres, maybe) there would have been 3 people shot dead. It was not really fun to look around for my colleague, who, as many of us, uses to go there in his break and didn’t appear back. Finally, a supervisor came along telling us “They got him”.
Problem was, there was sometimes said to be 2 or 3 of them, and my co-worker, who was one of the smoking outside from above, told me there were first two people running by, and then a third one(the one were they actually saw a gun.) Another colleague came back from upstairs and mentioned: “For having him, they still bring in busloads of SEK.” (SWAT, for you American fellows.)
Getting the order ”No one leaves until the police allows to.” didn’t help to ease our minds. At least, the missing co-worker called in with his cell-phone: He really had been at the super-market, and police wouldn’t let anybody out.
When we were finally allowed to leave, we were surprised by the fact that only cars were able to pass, all pedestrians had to remain on the company ground, which was guarded by the police.
Now, I realize that I may have not been telling it very exciting, but maybe you can imagine a little how we felt.
What was scary: - We knew that a maniac who had already killed around ten pupils at a school was running around outside armed. We saw police, ambulances and victims literally at our door. We definitively knew how not very difficult it is to enter our storage.
-We did not know if we get correct informations, rumours or made up stuff. We did not know where some colleagues were, but most probably at a place were a fatal shooting was said to have occurred.
-We did not really know, if it was over, even when we went outside. Rumours about 2 or 3 involved, backed up by what some saw. Police still bringing in reinforcements. Police only allowing cars to leave, which both indicated ongoing search, and, in an ugly thought, not wanting to give somebody new targets to shoot. Media talking about a machine gun used, when our witnesses saw a hand gun.
What colleagues witnessed: Some people heard gunshots, and saw two foreign sounding people running by, followed by one definitively armed man. Two others actually came around a corner, back from mentioned supermarket, only to run into a SWAT team rushing them back where they shortly afterwards heard the shoot-out.
What media says right now: At the moment, they still talk about a single person(hopefully, that’s true. That would make the two other guys running away from him). Motive unclear.
A 17 year old, who shoots around 10 people at the school he graduated from a year ago with one of his father guns.(Info on used weapon unclear.) Shoots the gardener of a nearby psychiaric clinic, takes a hostage and forces him/her to drive him 40 kilometres to another town where he releases the hostage. Goes into a car shop and kills two passer-bys.
While it was first said that he was shot dead, now some report he killed himself after the police wounded him.
What is still unsettling: Besides, of course, of the horror he caused: To realize how damn close we got. He passed some of us. He killed at our front door, at the shop we walk by every day. Some higher temperature, and we would have been sitting outside, having the big doors open where another hundred people would have worked and been easy targets. It’s the supermarket we go to every day.
Damn.