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malaise

(269,200 posts)
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 06:54 AM Mar 2013

A good guy with a phone stopped a slaughter at UCF

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/18/17359872-student-found-dead-in-florida-dorm-room-planned-campus-attack-police-say?lite
<snip>
A former student found dead in a University of Central Florida dorm room along with makeshift explosives and weapons was planning an attack on the school's Orlando campus, the university police chief said on Monday.

A fire alarm had gone off less than an hour earlier, and as campus police responded, a 911 call came in reporting a man with a gun, police said. When police went to investigate, they discovered the man’s body as well as a .45 caliber handgun, a .22 caliber tactical weapon and four homemade explosive devices. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition were also found, police said.

Beary speculated the fire alarm was set off by Seevakumaran to draw people out in the open.

"While the crime scene processing was underway in that room we found some notes and some writings that indicated that this was a planned attack," Beary said. "This individual had laid out a timeline and laid out some of what we feel were going to be his actions. We’re pretty confident the fast response and some other situations maybe made him change his mind. At that point, he took his own life."

The man’s roommate had placed the 911 call and locked himself in the bathroom, Beary said. Responding officers were able to locate the roommate and rescue him. In the bedroom, they found Seevakamaran’s body. Later they discovered the weapons and explosives.
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malaise

(269,200 posts)
2. No doubt he saved his own life
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 08:10 AM
Mar 2013

for starters - they're calling him a hero

More here
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-03-19/news/os-ucf-death-suspicious-evacuation-20130318_1_dorm-room-beary-assault-rifle


"It could have been a very bad day for everyone here," Beary said. "Let's just face it: One shooting is bad enough. Multiples is unthinkable."

Police suspect Seevakumaran, of Lake Mary, pulled a fire alarm in Tower 1 shortly after midnight and planned to shoot or injure other students as they evacuated, Beary said. But they believe he changed his mind, returned to his room and killed himself.

That may have happened because he first pulled a gun on one of his roommates, who then escaped to a bathroom and called 911. The sound of police arriving may have prompted Seevakumaran to alter his plans.

Tom Rinaldo

(22,917 posts)
7. Depends on whether you judge by results or behavior
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 08:37 AM
Mar 2013

He was a hero in that his action probably saved many lives. He was a good guy no matter how you define it. But whether his actions were heroic can be debated. Some think heroes are those who risk their own lives to save others. From what I have read he did not put himself in greater danger by doing what he did, he was acting in his own self interest as well as for others and inaction would have put him at greater risk than acting. That said, he kept his wits about him and did the right thing and saved lives.

malaise

(269,200 posts)
9. Valid point alhough he had three options
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 08:47 AM
Mar 2013

One was getting shot; Two was hiding and remaining silent and three was hiding and calling the cops.

malaise

(269,200 posts)
11. No I suspect he was a frustrated student with no money for tuition or dorm costs
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 08:56 AM
Mar 2013

Seems to have been a loner - comes from the Lake Mary area of Florida and appears to be South Asian and White

Harmony Blue

(3,978 posts)
14. According to the USF Oracle it was because of dorm costs
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 10:08 PM
Mar 2013

as the most likely reason as this man that shot himself was 30 year old student at the college of business as UCF. Many UCF students said that armed cops with rifles were on the scene fairly quickly though.

lpbk2713

(42,769 posts)
13. I wonder how hard he had to argue with the dispatcher to get them to respond.
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 10:04 PM
Mar 2013



It has to be a life or death situation to get them to interrupt their coffee and donuts.


Harmony Blue

(3,978 posts)
16. The man with the cell phone is indeed a hero
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 10:12 PM
Mar 2013

and I would proudly drive over to UCF campus in person to tell him that.



bluestate10

(10,942 posts)
17. I am not sure based upon what I read so far.
Tue Mar 19, 2013, 10:14 PM
Mar 2013

The man that ended up killing himself apparently set off a fire alarm then watch students run from him with him having a gun in his hands. He then came face to face with his roommate and didn't shoot him or attempt to blast open a door once his roommate went into the room and locked the door.

I may come off as a good feeling popper, but if the man that killed himself had been what we saw from Tucson, Aurora, Portland and Newtown, there would have been a number of people dead along with him.

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