LGF reader ciaospirit relates an awful story of a suicidal anti-military leftist who made a statement on the Fourth of July by shooting an airman from McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey:

Hey, Lizards, prayer time. My son’s best friend, Jon, who’s in the Air Force stationed in New Jersey at Fort Dix/McGuire Air Force Base was shot by a crazed anti-military white guy on Independence Day and he remains in critical condition. He had been on leave here in Ohio and got back to his home off base and was unpacking stuff from his car when this 22 year old guy walked up to him and asked him if he lived in the house. When Jon said yes, the guy said “not any more” and shot him point blank in the chest. He tried to shoot him again, but his gun jammed. Jonathan made it into the house. The guy then shot himself. Turns out the guy left a couple of suicide notes stating how much he hated the military and he wanted to go out making a statement, so he chose to make his statement on Independence Day trying to kill a soldier. We are very worried about our Airman. He’s the sweetest, nicest, do anything for ya kid and he’s like a son to me. He’s been to Iraq and Afghanistan on our behalf and then gets shot in his own driveway here in the U.S by an anti-war, anti-American lunatic. This is gut wrenching.

Here’s the Associated Press version of the story, which leaves out all the details about the shooter’s motivations: Gunman Shoots McGuire Airman, Then Kills Self.

WILLINGBORO, N.J. - July 5, 2007 - An airman from McGuire Air Force Base was in critical condition after being shot by another man who then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide, officials said.

According to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Matthew J. Marren, 22, of Pennsauken, drove to the Willingboro home that the airman, Jonathan Schrieken, 22, was renting at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Marren got out of his vehicle and shot Schrieken, who was outside the house, one time in the chest, using a small-caliber firearm. Marren then turned the gun on himself.

Schrieken was transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he was in critical condition Thursday, said Angel Lopez from the McGuire public affairs office. She said Marren was not affiliated with the military.

Schrieken is a loadmaster with the 6th Airlift Squadron based at McGuire, officials said. “During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers go out to Airman Schrieken,” said Col. Harold Rice, 305th Operations Group commander said in a statement. “We wish him a speedy recovery.”

Marren was taken to Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro where he was pronounced dead.

UPDATE at 7/8/07 8:29:27 am:

More details at MSNBC.com’s PhillyBurbs section: Suicidal gunman ‘angry at the government’.

WILLINGBORO — The Pennsauken man who shot and wounded a member of the U.S. Air Force before killing himself left suicide notes that indicated he was “angry at the government and wanted to make a statement” on Independence Day, one of the man’s relatives said yesterday. …

Marren’s aunt, Terina Henderson of Trion, Ga., said she spoke to Marren’s mother yesterday who told her Marren left two notes, one in his home and one in his car, indicating he was upset with the government.

She said she did not know the exact wording in the notes, but said Marren was “mad at the government and wanted to make a statement … that’s why he did what he did on the Fourth of July.”

She did not know if Marren knew Schrieken or whether Marren shot him because he was affiliated with the military.

The circumstances and motive for the shooting were under investigation, Milavsky said yesterday. He confirmed the existence of two suicide notes, but declined to discuss the contents due to the ongoing investigation. “I can confirm that two notes were left and that they were indicative of an individual suffering from mental-health problems,” he said.

(Hat tip: Dar ul Harb.)