At least 4 die in gym shooting near Pittsburgh

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At least 4 die in gym shooting near Pittsburgh


(CNN) -- A shooting at an LA Fitness gym outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, left at least four people dead and several others wounded Tuesday, police said.


Authorities at the scene of a shooting at an LA Fitness gym near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"We have four confirmed deceased," said Charles Moffatt, Allegheny County Police Superintendent. "We have at least 10 wounded in various hospitals throughout the area."

The shooter, whose name was not immediately released, was among the fatalities, said Gary Vituccio, manager of Collier township.

The shooting victims arrived at the three major hospitals in the area.

A spokeswoman for Mercy Hospital confirmed five female shooting victims arrived at the facility with multiple gunshot wounds. Three were in serious condition and two were listed as critical, she said.

Allegheny General Hospital received two more victims at its trauma center, a spokesman said. Both were women and were listed in fair condition, he said.

A St. Clair Hospital spokesman said three shooting victims arrived there Tuesday night; two were in stable condition and one patient, who was shot in the chest, died at about 8:55 p.m.


Perry Calabro of nearby Bridgeville told CNN he was between racquetball games at the gym when he suddenly heard screaming and multiple gunshots. He said he ran out and didn't see the gunman or others.

Other witnesses told CNN affiliate WTAE that the lights went out before they saw flashes in dark -- what they later realized was gunfire.

Witnesses told WTAE that a man unrecognized by the gym's staff shot people in a Latin dance class.

A witness identified as Nicole told WTAE that about 30 women were in the class when "a middle-aged white male walked into the class. He had a big gym bag."

"He looked out of place in a class full of women," according to the witness, who told WTAE the man put down the bag, turned off the lights and opened fire.


At least 4 die in gym shooting near Pittsburgh - CNN.com



:(
 
I heard about it on the news. I thought that was disgusting.

If his life truly sucked then he could have done everybody a favor and turned the gun on himself. Not saying I approve of suicide but ...

There was no need to hurt all those ppl as they never did anything to him.

Those women were just minding their own business excersicing for good health then go home to her kids.

That is just plain sick and evil. Prayers and thoughts go with the victims and their families.

He could of have taken his own life, not hurting anyone in that way ( yes, suicide does hurts but that was totally un-necessary. )
 
Oh geez! I cant imagine the horror these people must have felt. A gym of all places!

I wonder if that will prompt gyms to install security barriers...

My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
 
that totally sicko!!

update:

Police: Gym shooter 'had a lot of hatred' for women, society
Police: Gym shooter 'had a lot of hatred' for women, society - CNN.com

A Pennsylvania man who walked into a gym aerobics class and opened fire, killing three women and wounding nine before turning the gun on himself, "had a lot of hatred in him," police said Wednesday.

George Sodini, 48, brought four handguns into the LA Fitness gym outside Pittsburgh and used three of them, firing at least 36 times around 8 p.m. Tuesday, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said.

Sodini, a member of the gym, was found dead in the aerobics room, lying on top of one of his guns about seven feet from one of the victims.

Authorities believe Sodini targeted the aerobics class, because a schedule was found in his home with that class circled, Moffatt said.

But police do not believe he targeted anyone personally. An online diary, as well as notes at the scene and at his home, have led them to believe he was targeting women in general. Read an edited version of the diary (PDF)

In the note found at the scene in Sodini's gym bag, he complains he had never spent a weekend with a woman, never vacationed with a woman and never lived with a woman, and that he had had limited sexual experiences, Moffatt said.

He makes similar complaints in his online blog, which also documents his growing rage at women for rejecting him and at the world he felt had abandoned him.

Witnesses told police the gunman was dressed in black when he entered the class, shut off the lights, walked about 10 feet and opened fire.

Mary Primis, 26, an aerobics instructor who is 10 weeks pregnant, was shot twice.

"I remember thinking I wanted to hold my breath because I was afraid, if he saw that I was breathing, he would shoot again," she told CNN affiliate WPXI from her hospital bed.

Asked if she thought she was going to die, she said, "I wasn't sure."

Her husband, Alex Primis, said she was shot once in the left shoulder and again through the back of her shoulder blade.

This was to be her last week teaching before taking time off for her pregnancy, Primis said.

Sodini apparently had "practice runs" before the shooting Tuesday, Moffatt said. Someone at the gym had showed him how to shut off the lights, he said, not knowing his plans.

"He just had a lot of hatred in him, and he was hell bent on committing this act," Moffatt said.

Sodini worked as a systems analyst in the finance department of K&L Gates, a law firm with an office in Pittsburgh, since 1999, Mike Rick, a spokesman for the firm, said.

Neighbors described him as reclusive and said he had stopped talking to them in the past few years.

On Tuesday, Sodini visited the gym three times -- the first about 11 a.m., a second time at 7:40 p.m. and a third time at 7:56 p.m., Moffatt said. Members of the gym are required to swipe a card to check in, but do not have to check out, he said. The first 911 call was dispatched at 8:16 p.m.

Three of the four guns found with Sodini were traced back to him, and authorities are in the process of tracing the fourth, Moffatt said. They were two 9 mm semi-automatics, a .45-caliber revolver and a .38 in his pocket. Sodini also had 30-round ammunition clips that were illegal before the assault weapons ban was lifted in 2004, police said.

Police know Sodini made a telephone call at 7:45 p.m., and believe he may have left the gym to make it. Authorities are attempting to locate the person he contacted, Moffatt said.

Sodini did not mention killing himself in the note found at the scene, which was mostly typed with handwritten notations, but did mention it in a handwritten note found at his home, Moffatt said.

Police seized Sodini's car for processing, but no guns were found in it, he said. They also seized his computer and were examining it.

The shooting victims were taken to the three major hospitals in the area. Moffatt said he believed none of those who remained hospitalized Wednesday had life-threatening injuries.

County officials said counselors were being made available to area residents in the wake of the shooting.

Police spoke to a pastor mentioned on Sodini's online diary. The man said Sodini attended his church but stopped in 2006, and that there was a minor incident involving a woman who felt "he was paying too much attention to her," Moffatt said. The pastor spoke to Sodini, and it stopped, he said.

Moffatt said police have no knowledge of any mental health issues involving Sodini, but are still puzzled at the violence.

"I can't ever make sense of murders," he said.
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