New Mexico Teen Planned Family Shootings for at Least a Week
There’s some new information in this report. There are some excerpts below. The whole thing is here.
For at least a week, 15-year-old Nehemiah Griego had been planning the attack, authorities said.
After shooting his mother and three siblings in their beds, he ambushed his father as the pastor returned home from an overnight shift at a homeless shelter.
Then the teen reloaded the family’s rifles.
His plan was to randomly shoot people at a Wal-Mart on Saturday, which happened to be “Guns Across America” day, until he could be killed in a shootout with law enforcement, according to authorities.
He also contemplated killing his 12-year-old girlfriend’s parents, Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston said Tuesday.
And while Griego loaded guns and ammunition into the family’s van, Houston said, it was unclear whether the teen did go to a Wal-Mart or how seriously he contemplated continuing his rampage on the same day that thousands of gun advocates gathered peacefully at state capitals around the country to rally against stricter limits on firearms.
The “Guns Across America” events were held after President Barack Obama unveiled a sweeping package of federal gun-control proposals.
[…]
The boy’s uncle, Eric Griego [a former New Mexico state Senator], said in an emailed statement on behalf of the family that the teen is “bright, curious and incredibly talented” with a love of music and sports.
“It is clear to those of us who know and love him that something went terribly wrong. Whether it was a mental breakdown or some deeper undiagnosed psychological issue, we can’t be sure yet,” the statement said.
[…]
Eric Griego’s statement said the family had “differing views on gun rights and gun control” and asked the media “to not use Nehemiah as a pawn for ratings or to score political points.
“He is a troubled young man who made a terrible decision that will haunt him and his family forever.”
OK, we shouldn’t use the shooter to “score political points.” Can we use the family’s practice of storing weapons in a bedroom closet to make a point about gun control? I don’t see it as a bad thing if some progress on that front can be encouraged by this horrible event.
There’s another new report here.
The 12-year-old girlfriend of Nehemiah Griego who allegedly killed five members of his family was interviewed by police today and cleared of possible complicity in the rampage.
[…]
Another version by the same AP reporter as the one at the top has this included:
[…]
In addition to the two rifles, there were two 12-gauge pistol-grip shotguns in the home, Houston said. Griego’s father had taught him to use guns, and they shot together on a regular basis, Houston said.
The house had a security-style sign outside saying: “Protected by Smith & Wesson Security Services.”
[…]