No, it doesn't upset me. The first thing I thought of is how is his mom and dad feeling. In fact when I hear of any crimes being committed now I always think of the mom... Even on fb if you have a local news in your feed they post things and then so many people get on and say such terrible crap.. I stop and think, oh I feel bad if his mom has to see this.

Phnxmoon we are thinking the same thing. The news is on now and the story has dominated the tv all day according to my mom who watches more news than anything. I didn't turn it on till 6 pm..

Just a horrible situation. A horrible crime to be sure. But his mom will still love him. hugs, phnxmoon..Wisc is working hard but I'm sure she'll be on later to add her thoughts.

Thnx Daly. ya I have kinda been watching it off and on. It easier now for me to have more sympathy for the family of the person who did the crime because honestly it is horrible. Itis jut sad that something like this happened. Happy that the police were able to get there within such a short amount of time.

I totally and completely agree with you. What happened was a horrible horrible tragedy, and I do feel sorry for the victim's families. But it seems everyone is always focused on the families of the victims and never on the families of the perp. I feel so sorry for his family having to sit back and listen to all of these people call the man that they love all these horrible names. I have been there first hand, so I know from experience that you just want to run away from the world and hide because yes your loved one has committed a horrible crime, but you love them for the person that you've always known them to be. Not the terrible act that they've committed.

I did the same thing..thought about how a family can even grasp this..the pain and devestation is beyond comprehension...I have no concern for the shooter by any means but this is just horrible and I wish there were a way to show support for his family..He did this to them too, changing their lives and devestating them forever..I am sure that was not any concern to him either. This world is getting so horrible..I want to hug my kids extra tight tonight and keep them safe forever..It breaks my heart..I have been glued to it..I hope the media shows his family some respect but that is not likely..

I have read some about this, and saw a tiny bit with the terrible tv reception I have. But the first thing that popped out to me, too, was when they called his mom, who hadn't even heard about it yet, and the cops hadn't come to her at that time, and all she could say when they told her was, It doesn't surprise me. Her comment sounded sad from the moment I heard it.

She has probably tried everything to get her son help, but some states no longer have mental health facilities, and if you can't afford to put them in one long term, they are sent out on the streets.

Yes, Dalybird, here we go with my classes I just took.

They say that our prisons are more overcrowded than they have ever been. We, the US have more people in prison now than any other country in the world, and alot of it has to do with the fact we dont' have the old, " mental hospitals", as they used to call them. They closed them, found they weren't feasible to fund. So instead these people run out of insurance, or money, or some don't realize they have a problem, they leave their families, then either break the law because in their mental capacity it isn't wrong, or they are broke, cannot find or keep a job, and need to survive. Then they put them in prisons who do almost nothing for their mental issues. At least not in our state. Eventually they are freed, then what happens to them? THIS is what probably happens. They go out of their heads, and end up hurting someone, or many people. Is it their fault??? In most cases, no. They do not have the mental capability to know right from wrong. And what about the people that see things, or think people are after them? Those people have also fallen through the cracks, then this kind of outrageously horrible thing happens.

Until we find a politician who will actually stick his head out, and take a stand on this kind of thing, and we get people by the thousands to write into their representatives, and anyone else that has power, nothing will change. No one is safe. It could happen at the local McD's, or the supermarket, or on the highway.

It is really the fault of our government. People used to be institutionalized, when all other methods had been exhausted. Not anymore.

On a smaller scale, my friend called me a couple years ago, said she was envisioning how to hang herself. So I sped there, but begged her to call a crisis line. They had us bring her to the psych ward of the hospital. ( Here's where it gets dumb) It was a weekend. No normal amount of staff on in this small town. She only saw a doctor/shrink right before she left. She got watched yes, but still actually attempted to hang herself in her room. They then called the cops, it's illegal to be so mentally confused and depressed that you want to die. They took her in handcuffs to court, so they could make her go before a judge. He basically let her free, but with restrictions, such as a probation/social worker. She was to go to a shrink often too, and turn over her money to a payee, and much more. Funny thing is, she got into this state because of a gambling addiction. So they FORBID her to go to the casino. Who watched her? No one. She continued to go til she was broke. She didn't go to the psychiatrst and the po did nothing, as po's usually do until they figure they have to work for their job a bit, so then they arrest people.

Her sister told the PO she went to the casino. The PO asked her, and she said her sister lied.

The point to all of this is, there was no follow up with a shrink, no court official made sure she went or felt the consequences. They decided she was too sick mentally to pay her own bills, but beyond that was on her own.

It is not the parents fault this guy did this. We don't know them, but I would bet they tried everything humanely possible, and just couldn't fight how he was with no help.

I blame our government for being the cause of many things. When you read how much money they spend on Governor's inaugural balls, or the stupid amounts they pay to run those annoying campaigns, yet cut vital programs that can and will cause things like this to happen, then you have to wonder, who the heck is really looking out for the people of our country's best interests.

People who comment on fb or other sites, harshly about the family, or even the suspect, are cruel, uninformed idiots. It could be them getting talked about at any moment.

I just saw a thing on the news about some bullying incident, a boy from MN had been paralyzed in a hocky accident. He is actually getting cyber bullied because he is getting media attention and so much adoration because of how he is fighting and actually is moving when he was never expected to. OMG what is wrong with people?

I wish we could somehow reach this mom and dad, and family and let them know we are not against them. Their son is sick, so we aren't really against him either. Yes, it is horrible, and extremely sad and scary, but if that man had had adeequate help, none of those people would of died, or been hurt, and the family wouldn't be in such anguish right now.

Agreed! the day my son committed the horrible tragedy that put him in jail was a complete roller coaster of emotions and confusion.

When the media got wind of (my son's) story we had reporters trying to get statements from us and wanted to interview us, really!? If anyone is a "monster" through it all it's the media! I could only bring myself to watch a few segments about him on the news. The first being when they showed his DMV picture because he was "on the run" and the second segment was of him being captured. Other than that NO NEWS. I couldn't even bring myself to follow his FB page - such horrible, hurtful comments from people who "claim" to be his friend - yeah right!

Your'e all right - it's very sad to think that another human being could be so cruel with their words. Tragedy or not each of us have a beating heart that feels pain, hurt, joy, laughter and love.

I feel that all I want to do is write these words "to the family of the victim(s) our hearts are hurting so much for your loss; and we will continue to hurt everyday. To the family of the suspect we don't know you or your child, his history, his background or if he was hiding behind some pain you were not aware of; we feel for your loss as well - yes you too have lost your child. Your child is not a evil spirit, nor is he a monster...he is your child always and forever. Prayers and blessings to all involved.

I agree with you too, puppydoodle. We also had my fiance's name on the news, and in the paper, but it was simply for a .04 alcohol content, but because he was a repeat offender, and on probation, it was a huge news story because nothing and I mean nothing happens where we live. Not that that is bad. It is the safest place to live. BUT when anything at all happens, there you are, face on the news, and in all the papers. I just hated it. I can only imagine how hard it is when the incident is much more serious.

He actually had 2 reporters in the courtroom, which only had me and the lawyers otherwise. I couldn't believe it. I live in the land of 10 million bars, and the state keeps giving out more liquor licenses, and we have a very large unemployment rate, but all the bars are full, and then this is a news story. I saw them writing away, and wanted to go punch them, right in the courtroom. I thought, how can you even make a story out of this. .04 is not even legally drunk. Oh but they thrived on his past history. They did not put that he had recently went to college at his age, and had done very well, and had held a great job, until this happened. They didn't tell of his sucesses, just that he was going back to prison, BIG headlines.

Yes the media is so awful. They incite problems, they create hate.

Here's how they really put a wrong slant on stories, even simple ones.

It had stormed pretty bad where I used to live. OMG, the news crew from a big tv channel in Mpls comes out. The photographer, the reporter, the big truck with the satellite on it. They are talking to my neighbor whose basement was really flooded. OK, slow news day I guess. Then I saw them put the camera almost on the ground, and slanted that camera. I wondered why. Yes there was water on the ground, but obviously not much, or their camera would be wet. I turned on the news story later about it. OMG, we lived on a very flat street, only the angle they made the camera,it looked like we lived on a hill, and somehow they had the water flowing down the street like a gushing, overflowing river. My yard only got submerged a little in the back.

The media needs to slow down and stop creating more trouble than there is. And when there is a tragedy, be respectful. It could be someone they know next time, then how would they like their associates in their job to treat them the way they just did?

And the slant the reporter and the news crew takes on a case, can affect the way the police look at it too. The sensationalism feeds into the cops, they want an arrest, and conviction, they go with the media hype, and wa la, they now have their man, even if he isn't guilty.

I do not watch much news. I have terrible reception on my tv, and maybe that's ok.

I hate that every thing has a fb website now, so that people can say all their stupid opinions. fb is really causing more problems than good.

I agree with you guys. I had to quit watching it because it was driving me a little nuts. The sad part is is that the family has asked to give them a little privacy and to respect their wishes. The media doesn't really try all that hard I think. I understand that they want to get information and stuff but allow the parents to grieve and come to terms to what happened.

The always wanted to get a statement at each hearing for my husband and there was no way we would do that because they twist things to scare the public. It is just crazy and hope that this person could get some help now.

Yes, all of your comments are so accurate. I only saw it on last night's news so I dont have any more facts after that. I learned more from all of you.. So I have to say this. I have a 17 year old grandson who has always been a little odd. My husband and I were the first to notice this when he was around 3. I thought at the very least it was Autism. Then Asperghers syndrome. Yes, it is Asperghers and also Schizophrenia. He is deeply delusional, goes to counceling, refuses meds, thinks he is christ in the second coming. Very intelligent in many ways but academics not so much. My daughter is at her wits end because no one can do anything. Only if he "did" something would anyone step in and "do" something. Earlier this year he was committed to a youth's detention that handles all sorts of teen and child problems. He hated that. He is very articulate and can express what he's thinking and feeling. He is also smart enough to say what they want to hear to stay out of there.

If you think about it, a lot of people who do this sort of thing as this young man did have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia in the past or it might be discovered during incarceration. Their families tell stories of what they tried to do and no help from any authorities was available..

I also have a brother with Schizophrenia and he can be just as lucid as you and I... but off meds.. watch out..

The media is just looking for a story, just like the DA's and prosecuters and police just want to make their cases no matter what devious ways they use.. oh, it's ok for them to use deception and coercion to reach their goals. It's very one sided.

We know the town the parents live in, why don't we all write them a snail mail letter to tell them how we feel.

Yes that story is down hear to.
My frist thoughts went to his mum and dad who are going though a diff sort of hell to that of the victems yes i feel for those who where there as well.
From what ive read he was a smart guy and was quit as well i gess the news is goin have a fild day with that one! I gess they have to twist things to suit them selfes and they forget that these guys have familys as well who iam sure are feeling for all those that there son has hurt.
I gess its just people like us who see the bigger pitcher of what really is going on and the fact that there are 2 sides of the story wather they like it or not.
I do hope that this guy can get the help that he needs it sounds like he needs it bad.

I saw today on the news online that the family is standing by him because he is their son. The mother was quoted out of context, gee, what a surprise. In the beginning it said when they told her, she said, yes it's my son, I wouldn't be surprised. No, she answered the phone out of a dead sleep, said, Yes I am his mom, yes he is my son, this is the first I have heard of this, I have to go and get on a plane and fly to Colorado, I have to find out from the police, or something to that effect.

The poor woman had no clue what was going on. She had just been told that her son had done something so horrible. I am sure she was in shock, and then they took a few of her words and plastered it all over the news wrong. She has to be horrified, sickened and scared to death. I am sure she did not know how his mind was at this point, she lived in another state.

There is a man my mom knows, he is in his 40's. Completely off the wall weird now, but this man used to be a research scientist. He was successful, normal, and then he went to China for work. We don't know what happened to him, but after he came back, he started to go downhill, not able to function normally. Now he seems to be somewhat mentally challenged, or something. People surmise that oh, he got into drugs and fried his brain, but truthfully there may have been something in his genetics that made him snap, or he had a chemical imbalance that popped up. Another friend was normal, til he bumped his head twice, falling off of a bike once, and slamming into a wall at a roller rink being with his kids. He totally changed personalities. Of course he didn't realize anything was wrong with him. He refused to see a doctor. Now the poor man is living with his elderly mom, has no life, is just odd.

The shooter's family may not even have known that there was a change in their son, living across the states from him.

My nephew is extremely intelligent to the point of being annoyingly weird. We, many times have thought that some of his radical remarks could be dangerous at some point, but is it strange, or just different than we assume is normal. So maybe his family had no clue he was really going down a dark path.

We don't know why he lived in another state from them. You could assume they thought he was fine.

I feel very bad for his mom. You see her in a picture sitting next to him, looking stunned and afraid. Some of you can imagine some of the horror she is feeling. Yes he did something terrible beyond our wildest dreams, but he is still her son. I commend this lady for sitting by his side, loving him, not liking what he did, but still being his mom. No one is saying she condones what he did, she is just doing her job as a mom. She is petrified.

Great point about the media Wisconsin!! My Man was in an accident on his owi, hit another car and then the police that were responding, hit a car because they other driver failed to yeild. It made the paper. When I spoke to the jail and to the public defender they said it was a very high profile case and we were facing a long time for him. They were going to try to pin the other accident on him as well!! Some elderly guy pulled infront of a cop car!! All because of the media. Set example is that another driver a lady did the same thing two weeks after my man, hit a car owi 3rd offence and she got 3 months in the county jail and she is done already. He got 9 months with 2 years probation and only because he plead guilty. otherwise he was going to prison for 2 years. Thanks media! So glad you can affect someones life and make it really fair. You talk of HONEST coverage? Honest is this. YOU SUCK for making others mistakes or problems a huge public ordeal causing shame and embarrassment and you suck for making people suffer for your ratings and profit.
There is a web blog for my mans accident for all the people that wanna hate on him and post mean things. It is awful.. They tried to come at me when they found out he had a women and I had to tear them all a new bunghole and threaten lawsuits for slander and restraining orders based on the posts I gathered. (I reposted the posts to them with a court paper.)
The media can pluck off and go to heck!( heck is a place for those who don't beleive in gosh) Now, I know what he did was wrong and someone could have been hurt. Again wisconsin nails it that he had exhausted all his available resources to get help for over 3 years. He then got depressed and self medicated. His last OWI was 12 years ago. and not to mention they changed the laws to third owi in a life time, grandfathering 10 to 20+ years of repeat offender cases into our judicial system!( then they complain of being overworked and our jails are crowded) Good Grief!!! i wonder why??
Part of me thinks this should not even legal because they are techically using the same crimes more than once to punish and throw in "repeat offender " Sounds like a great bunch of BS to me!! 12 to 20 years can pass by and then bam!! NO TREATMENT offered in the county jails either unless you get huber which he has no job now or car or means to get. Detainment can do that as it turns out! ARRRG!

Our "dictators" and law makers need to start thinking about what they are doing and so called "pull ye heads from your rear quarters!! " It really gets to me that they think it even comes close to a system.. system has an order of operations and there is no order in this backwards operation. 2 steps forward 8 steps back?? It clearly fails to meet those guidelines. Sorry, I am off topic and shantangeting, but this all hits home these days!!

I try not to watch the news anymore it just ticks me off they twist everything to suit them selfes.
All what that achives is them teaching people how to hate people they have never met before and most likey never will met. Its all a bit sad really.

And did any of us know any of this before our loved one got in trouble? Not me.. I blindly listened to the news and read the paper in my safe little unaffected life. Things change when something happens to someone we know and love..

I'd see them on the news in their orange jumpsuits with a shocked look on their face and think, good, another one off the streets. Instant judgement just like everyone else.. But I know that there is more to everyone's story now.

dalybird nailed it too. We used to be like the people who believed the news. And we thought they were so bad, they did it, and they deserved the punishment. Not until we unfortunately knew what really goes on did we become so angry against them, and knew that not everything is what it seems. Add to that probably the cops/justice system even listen to some of the media hype and use it.

Then you have the way the cops coerce them into admitting guilt, just to shut them up and be left alone. They use the fear factor.

Shantanget, you really are right to have all thst anger. Once a person serves time for a crime, it should not be counted against him over and over again.

Here's a different scenario, I put on here before, but for those that didn't read it, it shows how media distorts the truth.

I lived somewhere in MN. We had a huge storm. The streets were flooded, and of course some people's basements were too. Neighbor calls media. They come out and interview her about how bad it got. She has them show her basement floating. Ok, not really newsworthy. But then, I look out there. The camera man is standing on flat ground, putting his camera down there, but tilting the camera. Sure there was some water, but when he tilted the camera it ended up looking like this woman, and myself lived on a street with a hill, and the water was rushing down it. Trick photography.

The justice system puts many slants on things just like that. They make the picture slanted to their way of needing to get a case made to look its worst. They love to put words in your mouth when you are speaking to them, then they push you and harass you until you are about to break, and you say what they want out of fear, desperation, and frustration. You feel you have no choice just to end this horrible treatment.

Yes you are right too, lots of things cops do should not be legal. And I bet if we really dug, some of it isn't, but who is going to stop them? We can't.

County jails just leave them sit there. They don't focus on the problem and deal with it even if they are in there a long time. Our county jail can keep them a year and a day. In that year, why not at least have a counselor talk to them, start a process of trying to rehabilitate them.

Once you serve time for a crime, it shouldn't be used so extremely against you if it happens again. They can't re try a case, its double jeopardy, so why isn't using their past offense in the sentencing for the current case double jeopardy. It is tainting the jury or judge's opinion from the start. Oh, and the headlines are so sensationalized. Like, REPEAT OFFENDER in jail again for OWI... And a great big sad faced picture of him. Oh please, is this not trying to sway opinion on him if there is a jury, or if the judge perhaps may pick up a newspaper to read.

And yes, abuse is terrible, but do they ever, ever think sometimes women do horrible things too, they can beat on a man, and no guy calls on them. Brother had an abusive wife. But thats not a man to admit she does it. So he lets her beat on him for years, she scratched and dug into his chest with her nails til he bled and had scars. Then they split up in a crazy, messed up way. She kicks him out, takes off, hides the kids for weeks, then one day calls and says for him to come and see the kids, its ok. So yes, of course he wants to. She calls him back, asks if he left yet, what time will he be there, and bring her coke and cigs. Oh, he is so happy that maybe he can be with his kids and it will be ok. No, its a set up. He didn't know she had a restraining order on him now, they didn't find him, they gave it to his lawyer who never told him. He was at my house because he was devastated and needed some family nurturing. So he goes to his home, happy to finally see kids. ONLY she don't let him in, she is screaming at him, kids in window crying out, DADDY... she is stalling. Then the new man in her life comes and starts a fight with him, he has my brother by the neck, holding him up in the air with his feet dangling. Brother is small guy, bf was big. All of this was staged. She called cops, and of course they take my brother to jail. Not the guy who was fighting him. It of course makes the news that he violated a restraining order. One he didn't know about.

What about her " kidnapping" the kids for six weeks, what about this man that was beating on my brother? What about getting the facts straight, cops? No one cared to listen to the facts, no, lies, and made up facts from the wife, the bf, and the cops. He got put in jail, was suicidal because of all the events, and it was another example of our fine justice system, but in the meantime they also ruined his reputation by making people believe he was the horrible person, not his cheating wife who kidnapped their kids for weeks, and had been beating and mauling him for months. One time he had finally had it with her hitting him and gouging him, and he swung at her in defense because she was hurting him. She had pictures of that, of course. After all, its so horrible that he hit her. Men can't hit women, women CAN hit men, I guess.

Wisconsin claims they are big into treatment. Or they did. Our last governor wanted more treatment and less prison time for DUI offenders, but when our current one got in, most of those programs were abolished. Now, in our county, 2 years after mine was there, they are starting to see that they should implement treatment rather than sending them off to prison. That's what the paper claimed anyway.

They do research and research, they get answers that clearly state prison does nothing for drunk drivers, yet they keep putting them in prison and don't give treatment most of the time. Why are they wasting money with research if it all goes to the wayside.

Cops can do a high speed chase, cause an accident, and in some cases, people die. There are rules as to when they need to stop the chase, when its in a congested traffic area and would endanger lives, and if the perpetrator has not done a bad enough crime to make it worth risking lives. But do they call off a high speed chase, even if they are just after him for speeding or not stopping at a stop sign? Hell no, they do everything for that rush they feel, they pursue no matter what. People have been hurt or killed because of idiot cops having to "Get the guy" at all costs.

We can sit here and say til we are blue in the face something has to change, but it won't. How can it? No one in power is going to start doing what really needs to be done. No one in power will really admit they are messing up. But my criminal justice textbook states they are messing up and know it.

You would think that with all of the people who have people in prison, or in this corrupt, stupid, justice system we could make a difference, but we will get doors slammed on us everywhere we go. If we united, all millions of us, I bet we still would have no luck. You push them, they will find a way to get you. So are we really living in the land of the free? Freedom of speech does not apply in these kinds of situations. They have the freedom to shut us up, and totally ruin our lives. They have the right to lie, but when I didn't want to answer a cops questions because I didn't have a lawyer present, hell, I was on the phone being questioned, I end up with obstruction of justice!! SO many things they can do that should not be legal. But who's going to stop them? Seems more and more like we live in a country that is more like Germany years ago.