Mass shooting in Manhattan

Beta-male rage? Islamic terrorism? NAM violence? No one knows.

* * *

Reading between the lines at the NY Post, it’s NAM violence.

* * *

My guess is that this is what happened:

A construction worker got into an argument with one of his co-workers. The construction worker, most likely a NAM carrying an illegal concealed gun, got outraged, shot the co-worker, then started shooting at random people.

Perhaps the contracting company will be sued up the wazoo for negligent hiring.

* * *

Ooops, looks like I was wrong again. According to NBC:

Three sources said the gunman was a disgruntled employee who was fired Thursday from his job inside the building. A source on the scene said the shooter may have been targeting a coworker, who is believed to have been killed, before opening fire on bystanders.

At least nine people were hurt, but not all of them are shooting victims, an emergency official at the scene tells NBC 4 New York. Witnesses described the shooter as a tall man in a gray suit.

I don’t think a NAM would wear a gray suit. But it still sounds more like alpha-male rage rather than beta-male rage.

* * *

Looks like the shooter may have only shot at his boss and all of the injured were caused by the police who unloaded 14 bullets at the suspect.

Also, the shooter was a “women's accessories designer.” I wonder if he’s gay?

Comments

[anonymous]

When I heard the initial report of a workplace incident I immediately thought some impulsive black guy or other NAM. Lets see if this prediction is correct.

[DaveinHackensack]

Disgruntled coworker is what I've read.

[PUA_Rachacha]

I didn't read that between the lines. Regardless, Bloomberg's going to have a fucking field day about this. Something about the man annoys the living shit out of me. It's the nannying from a 5'6" dickhead who thinks he knows better than everybody else.

[Camlost]

"Since they did not mention race in the article........ I bet it was the Amish!"

Great facebook comment from the NY Post article.

[Prediction]

If the shooter is a NAM and it was a "workplace dispute", we will learn that it was a highly racist workplace and his victim was a racist (and thus had it coming).

[T]

The only picture of a victim that I have seen is of an overweight black woman. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/person-killed-shooting-empire-state-building-morning-rush-article-1.1143522

[DaveinHackensack]

"I don’t think a NAM would wear a gray suit."

Here's Pitbull in a gray suit: http://famous-wallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/pitbull1.jpg

But I don't think Mr. 305 works in the Empire State Building.

FYI, this is a typical pattern with workplace shootings. Someone gets fired, then comes back and starts shooting. It's usually a premeditated thing, not someone impulsively pulling out a gun and shoots a coworker during an argument.

[HS: It was a premeditated argument. This guy came back to yell at someone and then shoot them.]

[asdf]

You really ought to wait like a day to post on this stuff sig. You sound like a 24/7 news agency.

[DaveinHackensack]

[HS: It was a premeditated argument. This guy came back to yell at someone and then shoot them.]

That makes more sense. BTW, they're now reporting that some of the shooting victims were shot by the NYPD. It might turn out that the shooter just shot one coworker he had a beef with, and that the NYPD then shot him and a couple of bystanders.

[Anonymous]

If they aren't reporting the race...

[anonymous]

I wonder if they'll add Managing NAMs to the dangerous jobs list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_safety#US_Statistics

As time passes and demographics change Managing NAMs will become an occupational hazard. Whether through workplace shootings or the stress and unsafe working conditions generated by their behavior.

[DaveinHackensack]

Shooter was a "53 year-old women's accessories designer" who got laid off and then went back and shot his 41 year old boss: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/multiple-people-hit-shooting-near-empire-state-building-133611266.html

Good book on that covers this phenomenon, btw: The Gift of Fear. Worth checking out: http://www.amazon.com/The-Gift-Fear-Gavin-Becker/dp/0440226198

[Camlost]

"I wonder if they'll add Managing NAMs to the dangerous jobs list."

I would guess one reason that postal jobs are dangerous for this sort of revenge workplace violence is due to Affirmative Action, since it puts together people from very different backgrounds - many of whom probably wouldn't be considered suitable for a civilized office job in any other (private) industry.

[Onanymous]

This proves once again that ALL mainstream media from PBS to Murdoch are now part of the PC-Illuminati.

[Patrick]

HalfSigma, you should start a blog dedicated to mass shootings, calling it Mass Shooting Connoisseur, where the various motivations, grievances, and techniques of the perpetrators can be deconstructed and examined from a critical and dispassionate perspective.

There's a wealth of materiel to mine, with something like a half a dozen or more mass shootings within the last two months alone. This phenomenon is now such an integral part of Modern Americana that the lesser-tier mass shootings are judged favorably against those that kill and wound scores of people. There's no shortage of interest in these killers and their crimes.

The profligacy of firearms in the US combined with the high level of unstable, disgruntled, and fatalistic losers and malcontents makes for a potent combination. Basically no public or private space is safe from the armed and indifferent. Not churches, schools, museums, restaurants, theaters, malls, or offices. Everywhere is a potential stage for a mass killer to go out in a blaze of nihilistic violence and destruction. The drama is real -- any American's life can be snuffed out for no reason.

Democrats are powerless to stop it, and Republicans just don't give a shit (and have actually made it easier to do), so this is sure to continue for years to come.

You could even develop Mass Shooter Power Rankings, whereby you handicap the performance of various killers given their chosen victims, equipment, mental capacity, sophistication, and level of reckless abandon. Other criteria can be used to determine a Mitigation and Preventability Quotient for each rampage.

You already frequently touch on this zeitgeist, why not explore it in full?

[JerseyGuy]

Half Sigma,
The shooter is white. I have seen pictures on Gawker. I believe his boss is as well.

[anonymous]

He is white. A witness said he was a tall Caucasian.Not living in America, I confused this shooting with the one that was reported on Larry Austers site, but it turns out that they are two separate shootings -- one perpetrated by a black, the other by a caucasian.

[anonymous]

A caucasian designing women's accessories? Now it's gay beta male rage?

[destructure]

"Looks like the shooter may have only shot at his boss and all of the injured were caused by the police who unloaded 14 bullets at the suspect."

Those cops were about as useless as tits on a boar hog. The streets would be safer if Bloomberg took their guns away and let everyone else carry instead.

[dearieme]

If he's gay it's all the fault of the people who oppose gay marriage.

[cold lefthand J]

What in the world are you talking about? In the Post photo, the shooter clearly appears to be white.

[Conquistador]

"As time passes and demographics change Managing NAMs will become an occupational hazard. Whether through workplace shootings or the stress and unsafe working conditions generated by their behavior." - anonymous

On that note black porn star responsible for syphilis outbreak.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/mr-marcus-admits-porn-syphilis-scare-alter-test_n_1826003.html

[bracket creep]

"Now it's gay beta male rage?"

If so the press can call him a tea bagger and actually be right this time.

[Abelard Lindsey]

The New York Post, a somewhat conservative alternative to the NYTimes, seems to have the most detailed coverage.

It looks like a case of work-place rage. The killer, who was white, killed his former boss, who was also white. Race had nothing to do with this.

It appears to be targeted, not a spree killing. That is, the killer sought to kill his former boss and no one else. I believe the other 9 people who got shot were actually shot by the police, which was an anti-terror squad out on patrol.

It suggests to me that the police may be out of control. The officers involved were not normal police, but were part of an anti-terror squad. The killer shot at police (so they say) and they returned fire. They appeared to return fire without regard for the bystanders in the way. This kind of disregard for innocent bystanders is common to police actions in totalitarian countries. It is disturbing to see this occur in our own country.

[Abelard Lindsey]

Another procedure common to totalitarian countries that is becoming increasingly common here in the U.S. is the treatment of hostages by police in hostage situations. One example of this is the police forcing hostages who are liberated from captivity to raise their arms and lay on the ground until they are "cleared" by law enforcement. You never see this in Hollywood movies. However, this is quite commonly seen in news footage of such events.

Another one is the "lock-down" of affected facilities, such as schools, office buildings, or shopping malls by law enforcements while such events occur.

It is government, not lone gunmen, who pose the real threat to life and liberty.

[L]

The cops shot more bystanders than the actual gunman. You guys need to get better cops.

This type of thing is going to be more common as the economy deteriorates overtime. People with nothing to lose and a lot of firearm aren't going to sit by while the 1% go through what's left of planetary resources.

"May you live in interesting times"

[ATrain]

"He was always alone," said Gisela Casella, who lived a few floors above him. "I always felt bad. I said `Doesn't he have a girlfriend?' I never saw him with anybody."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EMPIRE_STATE_BUILDING_SHOOTING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-08-24-11-49-15

[Alex]

"This type of thing is going to be more common as the economy deteriorates overtime. People with nothing to lose and a lot of firearm aren't going to sit by while the 1% go through what's left of planetary resources. "

lol wut

[Just Speculating]

The shooter wasn't a NAM, just another vanilla flavor White dude.

Here are some chilling photos of him being shot dead by police.

http://gawker.com/5937627/graphic-photos-of-alleged-empire-state-building-shooter

[Just Speculating]

Here is a tidbit from MSNBC.

The shooter Jeffrey Johnson apparently worked in McDonalds and wore a suit while going to work.

It must be a big stigma for a White male to be flipping burgers alongside with NAMs.

"The superintendent of the Upper East Side building where Johnson lived described the man as a normal tenant who, for the most part, adhered to the same routine every day: wake up, go to McDonald's around 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. and return home. He also wore the same suit every day, the superintendent and neighbors said.

"We'd see him every morning all dressed up," said neighbor Gisela Casella. "He would dress up all the time like he was going to work, but he was going to McDonald's

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48780138/ns/local_news-new_york_ny

[Kaz]

Wow.. The cops.. shot everyone..

[The Real Vince]

"It looks like a case of work-place rage. The killer, who was white, killed his former boss, who was also white. Race had nothing to do with this."

Good thing no one leaped to racist conclusions.

[Abelard Lindsey]

The cops shot more bystanders than the actual gunman. You guys need to get better cops.

At minimum, the cops involved should be charged with involuntary manslaughter. The news accounts make clear this was a targeted killing, not an indiscriminate spree killing. There was no reason for the cops to open up the way they did. I suspect the fact that these were not normal cops, but rather a special anti-terror squad, is a big part of why this happened. I suspect the cops involved in this were not even members of the NYPD. Normal city cops are much more careful about these things.

I think the war on terror (much like the war on drugs) is getting out of hand.

[Hale]

He may be an angry beta male, but that doesn't mean this was necessarily a case of beta male rage.

I think technically this may have just been a case of "going postal" or of a targeted killing of the person actually directly responsible or involved in the thing Johnson was upset about (getting fired). Apparently he just targeted and killed the boss who fired him.

In a case of beta male rage, it is more of a general outburst rather than specific targets for specific events or reasons.

[HS: This may be a valid point.]

[Hale]

HS, this is from one of the articles you linked to:

"Police were looking into his relationship with the victim, Steven Ercolino, the company's vice president of sales, who had traded accusations of harassment with Johnson when he worked there. Johnson, 58, also blamed Ercolino for his layoff, saying that he hadn't aggressively marketed Johnson's new T-shirt line, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

After waiting for Ercolino, 41, to come to work, Johnson walked up to him, pulled out a .45-caliber pistol and fired at his head, Kelly said. After he fell to the ground, Johnson stood over him and shot four more times, a witness told investigators."

So it looks like it wasn't beta male rage, even though he probably was an angry beta male.

[mikeraw]

Dude, Half Sigma, what's with always trying to guess the particulars of an event before a clearer picture emerges? I really like your analysis of events after the fact because they usually open my eyes to things the MSM does not report, but when I check your blog near the time of an event like this, your speculation is all over the place... it's hard to keep up and make out a clear picture without having to resort to the MSM...

I know, I know, "your blog, your rules", but take it as a compliment that your blog is respected enough to demand a little objectivity.