Part 2
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Twenty-Two’s shooting of patrons’ and employee, Mia Gant, at Hastings Books wasn’t enough to satisfy his murderous mind. I think perhaps he has lost reality with himself, moved away from himself and into making fantasy real. So, Twenty-Two left Hastings and all the terror he created in the hearts and minds of those people and headed toward Toby’s Bar. He wanted more victims to remember him. At the bar was an employee, a young man, named Tim Donely. Tim was a 23-year-old vet of the war in Iraq. He served his country and served it well; now he was back home, working and making a future for himself. Tim was a door man at the bar; people had to pass him before entering; so Twenty-Two aimed his shotgun and gave himself another victim, another family to feel and live with the horrors of his mind. And he caused a good man to die.
Police were on their way; Twenty-Two fled the scene. I think he was a coward, couldn’t let the police find him standing with a shotgun in his hands. He jumped in his car and headed north. Luckily an alert officer saw the car, and it matched the description of the one driven by the suspect. The police pursued the car, followed it to a residential home. Twenty-Two exited his car and headed around the side of the home, officers followed but Twenty-Two had entered the house. Police surrounded the house, but as they did a gunshot rang out and a woman ran from it screaming her brother had gone into the bathroom and killed himself. Twenty-Two again took victims. His sister was the woman who ran from the home and her children were inside. I can’t imagine the horror and sadness she felt that fateful night. Twenty-Two was dead, he’d killed himself rather than face his victims, face himself.
After Twenty-Two killed himself and the mayhem settled, people keeping up with the event that night began questioning why he was free to commit such atrocities. Twenty-Two had a long criminal record. Back in 2008 he’d committed aggravated assault and given probation. In 2009, Twenty-Two’s violence escalated, they arrested him for attacking two people with a knife in October. In December of 2009, Twenty-Two again allegedly walked outside the law, accusations of attacking his girlfriend with a knife arose. But, his list of violence wasn’t over yet; he was accused of another crime; this time he allegedly threatened a man that connected him to the previous crimes. Twenty-Two had very large bonds set in all these charges. But bonds were later lowered to a more pliable amount so Twenty-Two could walk free outside the boundaries of a jail cell.
The whole thing with all the charges is conflicting since Twenty-Two’s girlfriend recanted her accusation of violence against her and the fourth charge was in doubt too; I think due to the theory that the accuser had also been one to threaten Twenty-Two in the past, with a gun. The reasons for those two charges aren’t really what matters in the whole scheme of things; it’s that those bonds and the ones where he was accused of stabbing two men were lowered and Twenty-Two was free to commit his night of horror against innocent people.
I feel no sympathy for Twenty-Two, don’t feel his health issue should’ve been reasons for lowering his bond. (He allegedly was having stomach and colon problems and could’ve been facing surgery) If he had health issues and needed medical treatments then the county could’ve transported him to the doctor. And he’d have still been a resident of the local jail and not free.
Oddly, or maybe not oddly, Twenty-Two has a GPS strapped to his ankle the night of April 20. He was also to not live in a home where weapons were located either. I feel the person(s) responsible for keeping an eye on Twenty-Two didn't do a very good job. He obviously had access to weapons when he wasn't supposed to have them in his home. Were there no follow-ups and checks on him? And who was responsible for the tracking device? I realize DAs and Judges have to follow the letter of the law, but I do question the apparent lack of follow-ups on Twenty-Two after they handed down the bond lowering judgments.
Still, the story does not end with Twenty-Two’s death or the controversy over bond lowering.
Since the night of horror he inflicted on others, his girlfriend, Pamela Sampley, has allegedly stepped into the void of her mind too; Sampley stated she intended finishing what Twenty-Two started. She was allegedly going to commit this atrocious crime in a large department store.
(Yes, I used her name. Check out her booking photo at the link below; she appears to be a woman with a question on her forehead asking - ‘what does face forward mean?’ An image of sunshine and brightness? Nope.) They charged the 33-year-old with a terrorist threat. She was in jail when she made her alleged comments; naturally, she is still in jail. I have to wonder though, will her bonds be lowered also? Did she know what Twenty-Two planned to do on April 20? She was in jail the night he went on his rampage and had been for about a week, but could they have discussed it prior to her being incarcerated?
No, I will not remember his name; I feel if I don’t think about his name, only the names of his victims, then his evil plans will all be for naught. He wasn’t a big man; he was a weakling; a follower and not a leader; one who had filed in March of this year to dissociate himself from his father by changing his name. Sadly, he had not decided to dissociate himself from his sister; if he had, then her home would not have become the scene of a bloody suicide.
During that night of death and mayhem many people became victims, the deceased vet Tim Donely, his family, those shot - Mia Gant, Leanna Duran, Jade Henderson, and Deondra Sauls, their families, those who witnessed the horror, Twenty-Two’s sister, her family, and Eileen Levy, her family. My condolences go out to each of them.
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2010/apr/22/suspect-had-faced-felony-charges-in-4-pending/
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2010/apr/23/family-sought-help-for-gunman/
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2010/apr/29/woman-charged-threatening-continue-muehlberger-sho/
I like that his name was not used in this. The victims are the ones who should be remembered. I don't remember Harris and Klebold's victims' names in the Columbine shootigs.
ReplyDeleteThe Sampley woman should go away for life.