This incident calls to mind Merton's Strain Theory. The perpetrator appeared to be mentally ill and without access to medical insurance and therefore medical care, he was unable to address the issues that he and his family recognized plagued him. This alleged shooter was hampered by only low income job opportunities and as a result, found effective medical and psychiatric care out of his reach. Living in a community where previous similar crimes occurred potentially only provided this action as a potential solution to his problems. As a result, innocent people, including himself and his family are devastated.
It is honestly heartbreaking to see the town of Littleton, Colorado have to go through another school shooting after Columbine. I bet they thought that those horrific days were behind them, but I guess that was not the case. The Columbine shooting and now the shooting at Deer Creek Middle School just goes to show you that schools are still not taking the extra precautions they need to protect their students. There are most likely many more Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood’s out there that have the ability to generate such a serious threat to other schools around the United States which means that the government needs to step in and do something about this continuous problem. I just do not understand how somebody could walk up to a school and have the itch to take an innocent child’s life without having a sort of remorse towards them. This demonstrates that no city or state is exempt from this type of criminal activity, so every school in the United States needs to be more cautious and be aware of their surroundings.
This is a tragedy as it calls to mind how the poor do not have access to healthcare. Clearly, this young man needed help for his mental illness. This reminds me of the Labeling Theory in that, due to his mental illness, Eastwood probably was labeled as different and he came to see himself as such and to resent it. I imagine he was going around looking for acceptance and could not find it. Who knows what an erratic person was thinking, but he may well have gone into his middle school trying to find old teachers or someone to connect with and acted in rage. A sociobiological interpretation would hold that he was hearing voices or that some leap of logic transpired in his mind that caused him to act out. It will be interesting to ascertain why this took place. It is good that no one was killed.
September 11th, 2001, was a wake-up call. Those airline passengers who were stricken with fear, watch terrorist take over their plane and crashed into the Twin Towers. But today, would-be victims are fighting back. As in passengers of flight 253 who heard a firecracker explode, jumped over many seated passengers to stop the Nigerian, who was acting on al-Qaida's instructions. Littleton Colorado High School teacher Dr. Benke tackled and subdued Bruco Eastwood, after he wounded two high school students at the Deer Creek Middle School.(Heroes in Mix) People have decided to take charge and fight back against terrorists. Because the reality is that we can't sit idly by, we have to try to fight back rather than allow someone to commit murder or get murder. But on the grander scale has the bureaucratic system of government failed Mr. Bruco Eastwood. Structural Inequalities in rewards and benefits that are built into our social structures are hurting a lot of people of lower class who are not benefiting. People that are mentally ill can't get help, medical insurance and can't provide for their families. In the Fox News article, Eastwood father stated, that his son, Bruco Eastwood who wounded 2 high school students had tried to seek medical help for a problematic mental illness for years, but couldn't pay and didn't have health insurance. It appears the cycle of bad economic times, dysfunction in the bureaucratic system is the anomie of the times we live in.
It is absolutely devastating to hear about another school shooting. It is even more devastating to hear that this time it was an adult preying on children. This man was 32 years old. The scary part is is that Eastwood seemed to show no signs growing up that he may have had psychological problems. It wasn't until recently people said he started struggling. I am running the story over and over in my head trying to figure out what could have caused Eastwood to act out in such a way. Was it out of revenge? Was it because he was depressed? Should be blame the economy and the fact that Eastwood did not have the health coverage to seek professional health? Should we question the father and see if Eastwood's childhood was really as normal as the father makes it seem? Another aspect I think that should be looked at is the Littleton school system. Why was a man who had no obvious reason to be in the school aloud to walk around freely? I understand he was visiting his old teachers, but does this situation not look a little suspicious to anyone? A grown man randomly showing up to walk around a middle school? There s something wrong with this picture. You would think with the history of Columbine Littleton would take a lot bigger precautions. All that can really be said is that Eastwood was obviously very disturbed.
Sounds like INSANITY to me. The kind of people that have those eposides (kind of like bipolar) where in one second they are socializing and the next they are yelling and in this case, shooting at people, are insane. I realiz that there is no law definition for insanity but this case can have the defendent's defense of insanity. Especially since the father states that Eastwood would talk to an "imaginary friend," not able to eat certain foods becuase they are "too loud," and who would unplug the refrigerator. Instead of serving time (mayble life) in jail, he should be sent to a mental hospital. The fact that this incident happened less than five miles away from the Columbine shoothings, I do not believe had anything to do with it.
Okay I have had enough of people making excuse for these type of individuals. Let me kid come to me and say he or she are hearing things. I'm going to do exactly like the gentle in the movie MAJOR PAYNE take my 9mm and go to the closet and empty the clip in it. Then I will see if they got any kind of emotional problem and go from there. It will let them know Im crazy too. The media need to stop advertising these kind of story for the sole purpose of getting recognition. Just tell the truth about the individual and stop advocating excuses. I am not on the band wagon of forgiveness. When it deals with defenseless children they have touch a nerve. Give me a plane ticket I go an interview him one on one and get to the root of his problem.
Yes this does sound insane, why after many years would he go back and shoot his gun to some kids he doesn't even know. He must have gone through some terrible things in that school when he was there. And yes obviously he has a problem if he would talk to an imaginary friend, and not eat certain foods because they were to loud, people like this need help. But they should be treated if their loved ones notice something is wrong, if his dad knew why didn't he give him a hand and take him to a doctor or a psychiatrist or something to get treated, or why not talk to him and ask if he was fine. I know that if I was one of those kids parents I would be really mad at him, and I would be even more mad if they let him off because of insanity, I would want him to go straight to jail but of course that really wouldn't be up to me.
While reading this story I was horrified to know that another school shooting happened in Colorado. I began to wonder when social responsibility fails the criminal justice system must deal with the aftermath. Bruce’s father admitted he knew his son had problems attempted to get medical care but couldn’t afford it. Where was his mother? Couldn’t she help? What about other family members, where were they? Bruce also had a history of crime activities before this heinous act was committed. It seemed as if the “indicators” were there in regards to his odd behavior as a sign of continued problems. How could these have been missed? Bruce’s acts of violence, in my opinion, fall under the category of Psychological Theories of crime. It’s appalling that once again a school shooting took place and innocent people were wounded.
How sad is it that in our country when one is sick they can not receive the help they need. I am surprised that him being half Indian he was not able to get government assistance with medical help. It is scary to know that people can seem normal, walk into a school and have several conversations with his old teachers and then decide he is going to go and shoot strangers. I took a culture class, what we learned was that in certain cultures if you do not meet the standards for that culture then there tends to be a pressure put upon the individual that can become a heavy burden. Once this has taken affect it can lead to them developing mental issues, some of these issues are suicidal of others and of their self. We allow our children to attend school with the best of knowledge that they will be safe. Schools have limited funds, so having security is sometimes at the bottom of the priority list. As a community and school everyone has to work together to help, just like their hero. Don’t stop to think about it, just do it.
Bruco Eastwood’s condition is fairly common in the United States. Often those with severe mental illness are found on the streets, at homeless shelters, or living solely on the support of their parents with little opportunity for employment. In these cases, these mentally disturbed individuals go undiagnosed and untreated simply due to the fact that they cannot pay for the support they need. As a result, their mental state continues to degrade to the point where they are either a danger to themselves or others. Bruco Eastwood seemed to suffer from severe mental issues that were recognized by those around him. However, it is very difficult to anticipate violence from individuals who’s mind are broken, thus no one could have prevented Bruco from shooting the school. The school however failed to provide safety from harmful civilians to the students of their high school. I would think, given the history of Littleton, that every measure would be taken to insure that a shooting never occurred again. However, the security officer was not present and no measure was made by administration to check if Bruco should be allowed onto the premises. I understand that these incidents are few enough precautions have been lax, but if it wasn’t for the actions of that instructor, Littleton could have been the scene of yet another incident of school violence.
Dr. David Benke, the 57 year old math teacher at Deer Creek Middle School, is truly a hero. Students were heading home from school one day and Dr. Benke was helping at the crosswalk, when he heard gunfire. Turning and seeing the gunman reloading, Dr. Benke did what I hope we would all do. Hopefully, instinct would kick in and we would kick butt. Dr. Benke jumped "coward" Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood, took him to the ground, and held him down until police arrived. Eastwood was able to get two shots off prior to being tackled by Dr. Benke, striking two children. Luckily both students will recover. Had it not been for the bravery of Dr. Benke, many more lives would have been devastated. Thank you Dr. Benke, thank you for being there and taking immediate and appropriate action. We will never know what would have happened that day had your bravery not kicked in and we thank you. It seems as though every day we hear somewhere another "nut case" surfaces in some cowardly manner. Let's let these cowards know we will not tolerate their actions.
This is a wonderful example of people taking the criminal justice system into their own hands. Even though the police force is meant to protect the citizens does not mean that every once in a while those citizens do not protect themselves. This a shining example of bravery and integrity. The special relationship between teacher and student is one of the few relationships that endows the former with a duty to protect the latter. Side note; If i was the defendents lawyer, I would have tried to charge those responsible for the citizens arrest with kinapping, because they had no legal right to restrain him. Schools and universities are really the heart of America, and we need to protect them accordingly. The most amazing part of this story is how this school shooting happened very close to the shooting at Columbine. Is this coinsidence or a pattern? Luckily, with GIS we can track types of crimes, the locations they occur, and how frequently they happen, in the fututre maybe we can even predict when something like this will happen.
Although, I think the Math teacher is a hero for reacting and not sitting by watching, I really think this story speaks too much on the heroism of the teacher. I’m not trying to take anything away from what he did because there could have possibly been more victims if he not had moved in quickly. I notice that the writer does not speak much on how the gunman attempted to get medical help for this problem, but could not afford it. I see the gunman as a victim as well, he knew that he had mental problems and tried to seek help before this situation occurred, but because he did not have the funds or prestige he was turned away and let loose on society.
Yet again another school shooting is committed. After the tragedy at Columbine high school, many people began to analyze and began to categorize students into a threat category. For those individuals not in school, the need to seek medical help is important. Unfortunately, due to the expense, there are a high number of those who do not have medical insurance, therefore treatment or help is not easily accessible. Just because someone is not “crazy’ doesn’t mean that they don’t need “help”. Apparently, the 32 year old man who decided to enter his previous middle school with a bolt-action hunting rifle and open fire had some issues. I think it is ridiculous that Bruco Eastwood was allowed to roam the halls of Deer Creek Middle School hours before, without being stopped or questioned on his reasoning for being there. The fact that the “school security officer” was not present at the time, does not reassure the safety of the children at the school or the parents of the children. A school is suppose to be a safe place where kids can get educated in a safe environment, but for many now is known as a place where “shootings might happen”. Because of a teacher’s smart and quick judgment, the shooter was stopped and held till police got there. The courageous act among Dr. David Benke was not expected nor taught but his quick actions saved many people’s lives. There is not enough credit given enough to those who do daring and bold unselfish acts. Once again the town must rebuild emotionally and continue forward after yet another breach of safety. Although knowing there are heroes like Dr. Benke makes it just a little easier.
Dr. Benke, you ARE a hero.!..!. Crazy ass Bruco Eastwood, what are you thinking.?..?. Hurting these poor kids, why don't you just hurt yourself instead of others.?..?. See this is psychological theory, this criminal is "crazy" but should have gotten help from the get-go, ASAP. Ya money can be an obsticle, but i'm sure it could have been worked out if Eastwood really wanted the help. But here we see he didn't, instead he chose to committ an action that went against the norms of society. After the shooting incident in 1999, parents and students would have thought that security would be much better; It is not so. I don't fully understand how Eastwood was ankle to walk the halls and talk to professors as if no actions were coming up. Everything seemed so normal, how though.?..?. Stents schools supposed to be asking what is the purpose of the visitors visit.?..?. Anyways, no security sucks but Dr. Benke saved what could have been a worse case. Imagine is Dr, Benke was not there to prevent more shootings, how many kids would have been hurt.?..?.
This must be especially hard on Eagle Eastwood as the father of the suspected killer. He says that there were signs of insanity but he would of ever thought of his son actually getting to the point of hurting someone, but then again what dad does believe that of his son? It's hard to accept that your son is not in his right mind. As far as the people of Littleton go, I"m sure they are all very paranoid out there. It would be hard to walk the streets or got to school knowing that there has already been 2 major shooting in the last decade or so. I give props to the Math teacher that tackled this guy and witheld him until the police got there to actually do something about it. He is very much a true hero. Hopefully the detectives can find something out on to why he would do this so that justice can be applied fairly to Mr. Eastwood.
School shootings are horrific crimes that violate the social norms of a society. It strikes parents with fear to think that their kids are not safe in the schools anymore. To think that this is the second school shooting in this town only makes matters worst. This could possibly have been prevented if only Bruco Eastwood has access to some medical attention. In this case the insanity defense might be successful since there is proof that he has been struggling with some kind of mental illness.
In the case of this school shooting as well as ones such as Columbine are that in retrospect there can be some "signs" or early indications that the person was going to snap and become violent. However, the problem is that before the violent act occurs it is hard to single out someone for being "weird" or a "loner" we can't just assume that everyone who is a little antisocial or eccentric will become a violent offender. In the article it also states that the shooter was trying to get medical help but could not afford it, I think that this element is important to consider. There must be countless other individuals who seek help for mental issues and are simply unable to afford the care they need, I think if these issues were addressed early then we might see a decrease in events such as this. It seems that we should work on preventing issues instead of letting tragedy occur and then being worried about punishment.
So much can be said here. First off if he has mental problems how did he get his Dads gun? It should have been locked up. Two schools should have all visitors be escorted at all times. Three, health care would not have stopped this. You can not force people to take meds so the planets would have to all be aligned for things to play out the way people want them too. Human nature has to many variables to say that this could have been prevented because we all know that they did try some system but now it needs to be reevaluated.
every year the number of mental illness rises. almost everything can be considered a mental illness these days. its terrible this town had to go through another school shooting. all of these school's security should be better. every school should have an officer at all times. what good is one officer at 4 or five different schools? if the teacher had not interferred how many kids would have been hurt or killed? how long would it have taken officers to get to the school? theres so many questions that could be asked. if an officer was at the school this incident could have been handled better. the teacher should be considered a hero it takes alot to takle a man with a gun. mental illness or not this is unaccepltable.
This is definitely an example of the strain theory due to the unequal access to affordable and adequate health insurance. I blame our government because everyone cannot get the proper help they need because they can't afford it. I also blame the father because according to the information given, he knew his son needed professional menatl health help and he did nothing to look for help. Even though health insurance in not affordable, the father could have called the local hospital for some guidance. We need to educate our citizens on where they can find the help they need, giving them access to certain emergency hotlines and making more hotlines available for assistance for those who cannot afford health insurance. There must be adequate resources for our people to look for help. Gardner needed to be supervised at all times according to his past.
Here is an individual that has mental problems and needs some type of help. In chapter 3 we talked about the different theories associated with the nature and causes of crime. This all started with reasonable suspicion. Here is criminal behavior from the suspect that had a criminal record already. For a personal perspective this deviant criminal behavior would fall into the category of Mertons retreatism where a person withdraws from society altogether. A strain theory promotes ways to reduce crime to the disadvantaged people. This suspect clearly falls into this category but somehow slipped through the cracks of the criminal justice system. It seems that the suspect was sufferings from a mental issue which went unnoticed. Being that the suspect was a Native American gives me the impression that economic success was limited. The suspect struggling to get his GED and was struggling financially no wander why he blamed others. However, Where was the criminal justice system and where was the Dept. of Human Service to assist this individual. It is unfortunate that bail was set so high however I would agree with judge because due to his mental history.
What an amazing story... This man put his life in danger in order to save the children that attended that middle school. It is clearly obvious that this man has some type of mental disorder that has yet to be clearly recognized and/or released. This teacher is truly a hero to many teens and parents for the brave actions that he took. It was a split second decision that the made that affected the outcome of this troubled mans brutal attack. The fact that this town has had to deal with yet another instance is out of shear lack of luck. It is very rare for an incident like a school shooting to take place but for the fact that this town has had to endure such thing as two is beyond me. The man clearly had no particular plan of attack. He simply entered the school and started shooting. Though it is very curious as to why he had gone to the school earlier that day?? He could have possibly been looking for the amount of security that was on campus or any time of surveillance they might of had, but judging by the words spoken by this man's father I find that hard to believe. He seemed as if he was clearly not all together mentally therefore it is hard to speculate what the exact meaning behind his actions were. This man is clearly not fit for any type of attempted murder charges... but for some reason the question that keeps playing in my mind is the fact that this father could be creating a background for his son which will lead him to not being convicted... Hopefully that is not the case and more has been done to investigate is mental status...
This incident calls to mind Merton's Strain Theory. The perpetrator appeared to be mentally ill and without access to medical insurance and therefore medical care, he was unable to address the issues that he and his family recognized plagued him. This alleged shooter was hampered by only low income job opportunities and as a result, found effective medical and psychiatric care out of his reach. Living in a community where previous similar crimes occurred potentially only provided this action as a potential solution to his problems. As a result, innocent people, including himself and his family are devastated.
ReplyDeleteIt is honestly heartbreaking to see the town of Littleton, Colorado have to go through another school shooting after Columbine. I bet they thought that those horrific days were behind them, but I guess that was not the case. The Columbine shooting and now the shooting at Deer Creek Middle School just goes to show you that schools are still not taking the extra precautions they need to protect their students. There are most likely many more Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood’s out there that have the ability to generate such a serious threat to other schools around the United States which means that the government needs to step in and do something about this continuous problem. I just do not understand how somebody could walk up to a school and have the itch to take an innocent child’s life without having a sort of remorse towards them. This demonstrates that no city or state is exempt from this type of criminal activity, so every school in the United States needs to be more cautious and be aware of their surroundings.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tragedy as it calls to mind how the poor do not have access to healthcare. Clearly, this young man needed help for his mental illness. This reminds me of the Labeling Theory in that, due to his mental illness, Eastwood probably was labeled as different and he came to see himself as such and to resent it. I imagine he was going around looking for acceptance and could not find it. Who knows what an erratic person was thinking, but he may well have gone into his middle school trying to find old teachers or someone to connect with and acted in rage. A sociobiological interpretation would hold that he was hearing voices or that some leap of logic transpired in his mind that caused him to act out. It will be interesting to ascertain why this took place. It is good that no one was killed.
ReplyDeleteKevin Keathley
September 11th, 2001, was a wake-up call. Those airline passengers who were stricken with fear, watch terrorist take over their plane and crashed into the Twin Towers. But today, would-be victims are fighting back. As in passengers of flight 253 who heard a firecracker explode, jumped over many seated passengers to stop the Nigerian, who was acting on al-Qaida's instructions. Littleton Colorado High School teacher Dr. Benke tackled and subdued Bruco Eastwood, after he wounded two high school students at the Deer Creek Middle School.(Heroes in Mix) People have decided to take charge and fight back against terrorists. Because the reality is that we can't sit idly by, we have to try to fight back rather than allow someone to commit murder or get murder. But on the grander scale has the bureaucratic system of government failed Mr. Bruco Eastwood. Structural Inequalities in rewards and benefits that are built into our social structures are hurting a lot of people of lower class who are not benefiting. People that are mentally ill can't get help, medical insurance and can't provide for their families. In the Fox News article, Eastwood father stated, that his son, Bruco Eastwood who wounded 2 high school students had tried to seek medical help for a problematic mental illness for years, but couldn't pay and didn't have health insurance. It appears the cycle of bad economic times, dysfunction in the bureaucratic system is the anomie of the times we live in.
ReplyDeleteIt is absolutely devastating to hear about another school shooting. It is even more devastating to hear that this time it was an adult preying on children. This man was 32 years old. The scary part is is that Eastwood seemed to show no signs growing up that he may have had psychological problems. It wasn't until recently people said he started struggling. I am running the story over and over in my head trying to figure out what could have caused Eastwood to act out in such a way. Was it out of revenge? Was it because he was depressed? Should be blame the economy and the fact that Eastwood did not have the health coverage to seek professional health? Should we question the father and see if Eastwood's childhood was really as normal as the father makes it seem? Another aspect I think that should be looked at is the Littleton school system. Why was a man who had no obvious reason to be in the school aloud to walk around freely? I understand he was visiting his old teachers, but does this situation not look a little suspicious to anyone? A grown man randomly showing up to walk around a middle school? There s something wrong with this picture. You would think with the history of Columbine Littleton would take a lot bigger precautions. All that can really be said is that Eastwood was obviously very disturbed.
ReplyDeleteSounds like INSANITY to me. The kind of people that have those eposides (kind of like bipolar) where in one second they are socializing and the next they are yelling and in this case, shooting at people, are insane. I realiz that there is no law definition for insanity but this case can have the defendent's defense of insanity. Especially since the father states that Eastwood would talk to an "imaginary friend," not able to eat certain foods becuase they are "too loud," and who would unplug the refrigerator. Instead of serving time (mayble life) in jail, he should be sent to a mental hospital.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that this incident happened less than five miles away from the Columbine shoothings, I do not believe had anything to do with it.
Okay I have had enough of people making excuse for these type of individuals. Let me kid come to me and say he or she are hearing things. I'm going to do exactly like the gentle in the movie MAJOR PAYNE take my 9mm and go to the closet and empty the clip in it. Then I will see if they got any kind of emotional problem and go from there. It will let them know Im crazy too. The media need to stop advertising these kind of story for the sole purpose of getting recognition. Just tell the truth about the individual and stop advocating excuses. I am not on the band wagon of forgiveness. When it deals with defenseless children they have touch a nerve. Give me a plane ticket I go an interview him one on one and get to the root of his problem.
ReplyDeleteYes this does sound insane, why after many years would he go back and shoot his gun to some kids he doesn't even know. He must have gone through some terrible things in that school when he was there. And yes obviously he has a problem if he would talk to an imaginary friend, and not eat certain foods because they were to loud, people like this need help. But they should be treated if their loved ones notice something is wrong, if his dad knew why didn't he give him a hand and take him to a doctor or a psychiatrist or something to get treated, or why not talk to him and ask if he was fine. I know that if I was one of those kids parents I would be really mad at him, and I would be even more mad if they let him off because of insanity, I would want him to go straight to jail but of course that really wouldn't be up to me.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this story I was horrified to know that another school shooting happened in Colorado. I began to wonder when social responsibility fails the criminal justice system must deal with the aftermath. Bruce’s father admitted he knew his son had problems attempted to get medical care but couldn’t afford it. Where was his mother? Couldn’t she help? What about other family members, where were they? Bruce also had a history of crime activities before this heinous act was committed. It seemed as if the “indicators” were there in regards to his odd behavior as a sign of continued problems. How could these have been missed? Bruce’s acts of violence, in my opinion, fall under the category of Psychological Theories of crime. It’s appalling that once again a school shooting took place and innocent people were wounded.
ReplyDeleteHow sad is it that in our country when one is sick they can not receive the help they need. I am surprised that him being half Indian he was not able to get government assistance with medical help. It is scary to know that people can seem normal, walk into a school and have several conversations with his old teachers and then decide he is going to go and shoot strangers. I took a culture class, what we learned was that in certain cultures if you do not meet the standards for that culture then there tends to be a pressure put upon the individual that can become a heavy burden. Once this has taken affect it can lead to them developing mental issues, some of these issues are suicidal of others and of their self. We allow our children to attend school with the best of knowledge that they will be safe. Schools have limited funds, so having security is sometimes at the bottom of the priority list. As a community and school everyone has to work together to help, just like their hero. Don’t stop to think about it, just do it.
ReplyDeleteBruco Eastwood’s condition is fairly common in the United States. Often those with severe mental illness are found on the streets, at homeless shelters, or living solely on the support of their parents with little opportunity for employment. In these cases, these mentally disturbed individuals go undiagnosed and untreated simply due to the fact that they cannot pay for the support they need. As a result, their mental state continues to degrade to the point where they are either a danger to themselves or others. Bruco Eastwood seemed to suffer from severe mental issues that were recognized by those around him. However, it is very difficult to anticipate violence from individuals who’s mind are broken, thus no one could have prevented Bruco from shooting the school. The school however failed to provide safety from harmful civilians to the students of their high school. I would think, given the history of Littleton, that every measure would be taken to insure that a shooting never occurred again. However, the security officer was not present and no measure was made by administration to check if Bruco should be allowed onto the premises. I understand that these incidents are few enough precautions have been lax, but if it wasn’t for the actions of that instructor, Littleton could have been the scene of yet another incident of school violence.
ReplyDeleteDr. David Benke, the 57 year old math teacher at Deer Creek Middle School, is truly a hero. Students were heading home from school one day and Dr. Benke was helping at the crosswalk, when he heard gunfire. Turning and seeing the gunman reloading, Dr. Benke did what I hope we would all do. Hopefully, instinct would kick in and we would kick butt. Dr. Benke jumped "coward" Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood, took him to the ground, and held him down until police arrived. Eastwood was able to get two shots off prior to being tackled by Dr. Benke, striking two children. Luckily both students will recover. Had it not been for the bravery of Dr. Benke, many more lives would have been devastated. Thank you Dr. Benke, thank you for being there and taking immediate and appropriate action. We will never know what would have happened that day had your bravery not kicked in and we thank you. It seems as though every day we hear somewhere another "nut case" surfaces in some cowardly manner. Let's let these cowards know we will not tolerate their actions.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful example of people taking the criminal justice system into their own hands. Even though the police force is meant to protect the citizens does not mean that every once in a while those citizens do not protect themselves. This a shining example of bravery and integrity. The special relationship between teacher and student is one of the few relationships that endows the former with a duty to protect the latter. Side note; If i was the defendents lawyer, I would have tried to charge those responsible for the citizens arrest with kinapping, because they had no legal right to restrain him. Schools and universities are really the heart of America, and we need to protect them accordingly. The most amazing part of this story is how this school shooting happened very close to the shooting at Columbine. Is this coinsidence or a pattern? Luckily, with GIS we can track types of crimes, the locations they occur, and how frequently they happen, in the fututre maybe we can even predict when something like this will happen.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I think the Math teacher is a hero for reacting and not sitting by watching, I really think this story speaks too much on the heroism of the teacher. I’m not trying to take anything away from what he did because there could have possibly been more victims if he not had moved in quickly. I notice that the writer does not speak much on how the gunman attempted to get medical help for this problem, but could not afford it. I see the gunman as a victim as well, he knew that he had mental problems and tried to seek help before this situation occurred, but because he did not have the funds or prestige he was turned away and let loose on society.
ReplyDeleteYet again another school shooting is committed. After the tragedy at Columbine high school, many people began to analyze and began to categorize students into a threat category. For those individuals not in school, the need to seek medical help is important. Unfortunately, due to the expense, there are a high number of those who do not have medical insurance, therefore treatment or help is not easily accessible. Just because someone is not “crazy’ doesn’t mean that they don’t need “help”. Apparently, the 32 year old man who decided to enter his previous middle school with a bolt-action hunting rifle and open fire had some issues.
ReplyDeleteI think it is ridiculous that Bruco Eastwood was allowed to roam the halls of Deer Creek Middle School hours before, without being stopped or questioned on his reasoning for being there. The fact that the “school security officer” was not present at the time, does not reassure the safety of the children at the school or the parents of the children. A school is suppose to be a safe place where kids can get educated in a safe environment, but for many now is known as a place where “shootings might happen”.
Because of a teacher’s smart and quick judgment, the shooter was stopped and held till police got there. The courageous act among Dr. David Benke was not expected nor taught but his quick actions saved many people’s lives. There is not enough credit given enough to those who do daring and bold unselfish acts.
Once again the town must rebuild emotionally and continue forward after yet another breach of safety. Although knowing there are heroes like Dr. Benke makes it just a little easier.
Dr. Benke, you ARE a hero.!..!. Crazy ass Bruco Eastwood, what are you thinking.?..?. Hurting these poor kids, why don't you just hurt yourself instead of others.?..?. See this is psychological theory, this criminal is "crazy" but should have gotten help from the get-go, ASAP. Ya money can be an obsticle, but i'm sure it could have been worked out if Eastwood really wanted the help. But here we see he didn't, instead he chose to committ an action that went against the norms of society.
ReplyDeleteAfter the shooting incident in 1999, parents and students would have thought that security would be much better; It is not so. I don't fully understand how Eastwood was ankle to walk the halls and talk to professors as if no actions were coming up. Everything seemed so normal, how though.?..?. Stents schools supposed to be asking what is the purpose of the visitors visit.?..?. Anyways, no security sucks but Dr. Benke saved what could have been a worse case. Imagine is Dr, Benke was not there to prevent more shootings, how many kids would have been hurt.?..?.
This must be especially hard on Eagle Eastwood as the father of the suspected killer. He says that there were signs of insanity but he would of ever thought of his son actually getting to the point of hurting someone, but then again what dad does believe that of his son? It's hard to accept that your son is not in his right mind. As far as the people of Littleton go, I"m sure they are all very paranoid out there. It would be hard to walk the streets or got to school knowing that there has already been 2 major shooting in the last decade or so. I give props to the Math teacher that tackled this guy and witheld him until the police got there to actually do something about it. He is very much a true hero. Hopefully the detectives can find something out on to why he would do this so that justice can be applied fairly to Mr. Eastwood.
ReplyDeleteSchool shootings are horrific crimes that violate the social norms of a society. It strikes parents with fear to think that their kids are not safe in the schools anymore. To think that this is the second school shooting in this town only makes matters worst. This could possibly have been prevented if only Bruco Eastwood has access to some medical attention. In this case the insanity defense might be successful since there is proof that he has been struggling with some kind of mental illness.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of this school shooting as well as ones such as Columbine are that in retrospect there can be some "signs" or early indications that the person was going to snap and become violent. However, the problem is that before the violent act occurs it is hard to single out someone for being "weird" or a "loner" we can't just assume that everyone who is a little antisocial or eccentric will become a violent offender. In the article it also states that the shooter was trying to get medical help but could not afford it, I think that this element is important to consider. There must be countless other individuals who seek help for mental issues and are simply unable to afford the care they need, I think if these issues were addressed early then we might see a decrease in events such as this. It seems that we should work on preventing issues instead of letting tragedy occur and then being worried about punishment.
ReplyDeleteSo much can be said here. First off if he has mental problems how did he get his Dads gun? It should have been locked up. Two schools should have all visitors be escorted at all times. Three, health care would not have stopped this. You can not force people to take meds so the planets would have to all be aligned for things to play out the way people want them too. Human nature has to many variables to say that this could have been prevented because we all know that they did try some system but now it needs to be reevaluated.
ReplyDeleteevery year the number of mental illness rises. almost everything can be considered a mental illness these days. its terrible this town had to go through another school shooting. all of these school's security should be better. every school should have an officer at all times. what good is one officer at 4 or five different schools? if the teacher had not interferred how many kids would have been hurt or killed? how long would it have taken officers to get to the school? theres so many questions that could be asked. if an officer was at the school this incident could have been handled better. the teacher should be considered a hero it takes alot to takle a man with a gun. mental illness or not this is unaccepltable.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely an example of the strain theory due to the unequal access to affordable and adequate health insurance. I blame our government because everyone cannot get the proper help they need because they can't afford it. I also blame the father because according to the information given, he knew his son needed professional menatl health help and he did nothing to look for help. Even though health insurance in not affordable, the father could have called the local hospital for some guidance. We need to educate our citizens on where they can find the help they need, giving them access to certain emergency hotlines and making more hotlines available for assistance for those who cannot afford health insurance. There must be adequate resources for our people to look for help. Gardner needed to be supervised at all times according to his past.
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ReplyDeleteHere is an individual that has mental problems and needs some type of help. In chapter 3 we talked about the different theories associated with the nature and causes of crime. This all started with reasonable suspicion. Here is criminal behavior from the suspect that had a criminal record already. For a personal perspective this deviant criminal behavior would fall into the category of Mertons retreatism where a person withdraws from society altogether. A strain theory promotes ways to reduce crime to the disadvantaged people. This suspect clearly falls into this category but somehow slipped through the cracks of the criminal justice system. It seems that the suspect was sufferings from a mental issue which went unnoticed. Being that the suspect was a Native American gives me the impression that economic success was limited. The suspect struggling to get his GED and was struggling financially no wander why he blamed others. However, Where was the criminal justice system and where was the Dept. of Human Service to assist this individual. It is unfortunate that bail was set so high however I would agree with judge because due to his mental history.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing story... This man put his life in danger in order to save the children that attended that middle school. It is clearly obvious that this man has some type of mental disorder that has yet to be clearly recognized and/or released. This teacher is truly a hero to many teens and parents for the brave actions that he took. It was a split second decision that the made that affected the outcome of this troubled mans brutal attack. The fact that this town has had to deal with yet another instance is out of shear lack of luck. It is very rare for an incident like a school shooting to take place but for the fact that this town has had to endure such thing as two is beyond me. The man clearly had no particular plan of attack. He simply entered the school and started shooting. Though it is very curious as to why he had gone to the school earlier that day?? He could have possibly been looking for the amount of security that was on campus or any time of surveillance they might of had, but judging by the words spoken by this man's father I find that hard to believe. He seemed as if he was clearly not all together mentally therefore it is hard to speculate what the exact meaning behind his actions were. This man is clearly not fit for any type of attempted murder charges... but for some reason the question that keeps playing in my mind is the fact that this father could be creating a background for his son which will lead him to not being convicted... Hopefully that is not the case and more has been done to investigate is mental status...
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