Breaking: Authorities Investigating Death Find Explosive Devices at UCF; 100s of Students Evacuated

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

@BreakingNews: Authorities find explosive devices while investigating death at University of Central Florida; hundreds of students evacuated - @AP

Dorm evacuated, classes cancelled after police find man dead, explosive devices at UCF

Article by: Associated Press Updated: March 18, 2013 - 6:14 AM

ORLANDO, Fla. - Hundreds of students have been evacuated from a dorm on the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando after explosives devices were found while authorities were investigating a death.

Police were called to Tower 1 early Monday after a fire alarm went off. Arriving officers found a man dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police told local TV stations they found an assault weapon and improvised explosive devices on the scene.

About 500 students were evacuated from the dorm and a parking garage was closed.

The university has cancelled classes through noon Monday as a precaution.


Read more: http://www.startribune.com/nation/198753021.html

[Bosonic]

1. UCF cancels classes after death, explosive found

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Hundreds of students have been evacuated from a dorm on the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando after explosives devices were found while authorities were investigating a death.

Police were called to Tower 1 early Monday after a fire alarm went off. Arriving officers found a man dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police told local TV stations they found an assault weapon and improvised explosive devices on the scene.

About 500 students were evacuated from the dorm and a parking garage was closed.

The university has cancelled classes through noon Monday as a precaution.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ucf-cancels-classes-after-death-explosive-found

[madville]

2. At least that person decided to just end it

Instead of randomly shooting a bunch of innocent people. Too bad they couldn't get the mental help they needed, I wonder if it was available in campus?

What I'm curious about is how did they have guns on campus? That's illegal in Florida.

[Kolesar]

3. Bought it from one of your friends? eom

[madville]

4. That's why we need universal background

Checks and mental health screening/reporting. I'm curious to see more information on this to see what kind of indicators the alleged bomb maker/assault weapon owner may have been exhibiting beforehand.

[watoos]

6. Do you realize with mental health screening how many people "should" be denied guns.

Just watch a couple of episodes of Doomsday Preppers. I have T/Party friends I work with and trust me If I had any say they wouldn't have guns. I only know of a few of my hunting buddies, non T/Party, who own assault rifles. People need guns because they live every day in fear, see the latest studies of the conservative brain, it is factual.

[joshcryer]

5. Thankfully.

I wonder how many suicides really are mass murderers in the making but they off themselves. Perhaps it's a lot higher than we know but we don't really know because they don't usually make the headlines. Still, my first thought with mass murderers is that they do the mass murders in reverse. Instead of killing yourself at the end of your spree... do it at the beginning, basically. Most of them go in to their spree thinking they'll be dead by the end.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Explosives (destructive devices) are illegal EVERYWHERE without very special permits.

So uh... begs the question. He intended unlawful mayhem. If they're going to haul in illegal explosives (let alone obtain or make them) why would a gun be a stand-out data point?

[madville]

9. He illegally possessed both

But people intent on creating tragedies like we have seen done with these types of things aren't really concerned with laws or whether something is illegal or not.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. Mixed emotions.

I feel bad that he didn't get some help before it came to this. Not something to be mocked, certainly. That's a dark place where people end up taking their own lives, and even moreso that he was at least at some point planning to spread that darkness to others.

But I am glad it appears he didn't harm anyone else.

We have to do better with mental health care in this country. It's abysmal, from a broad access standpoint. There will always be some that don't seek care, no matter how bad they are off, and no matter how accessible the care is, but there are an enormous number out there that DO seek it, would like it, and cannot access it.


The explosives issue here raises a point that this isn't just about guns either. Yes they are more commonly used in this scenario, and a chunk of that is due to the accessibility of those guns, but keep in mind, the highest body count from any school attack occurred in the early 1900's, was carried out with explosives and arson, and came from a guy that was apparently just pissed off about his property taxes... background checks will help. But at some point diminishing returns until we address the mental health access issues.

[valerief]

10. If only they had more guns, this never would have happened.