3 dead after Kansas City Jewish Community Center shooting

[redheadbaker]

Three people were killed Sunday when a gunman opened fire at the Jewish Community Center and a senior living facility in Johnson County.

     

   

CHRIS OCHSNER | THE KANSAS CITY STARPolice at Valley Park Elementary School with what is believed to be the car of a suspectin Sunday's fatal shooting outside the Jewish Community Center in Leawood.

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Police arrrested the suspected shooter outside Valley Park Elementary nearby by 2:45 p.m. He reportedly made anti-semitic statements as he was led away.

The victims were killed in gunfire at the center at 5801 W. 115th Street and the Village Shalom senior living facility 5500 W. 123rd St. about 1 p.m.

The gunfire at the west side of the Jewish Community Center came as hundreds of high school singers from across the metro area were expected to audition for the KC SuperStar contest and actors were rehearsing for a production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“There were tons of kids because this was about to start at 1 o’clock,” said Ruth Bigus, the publicist for KC SuperStar.

Parents were gathered at a nearby fast food restaurant waiting for word while the campus was locked down.


Read more here: www.kansascity.com/2014/04/13/4957486/one-reported-dead-in-shooting.html#storylink=cpy

[pugz]

I am so upset by this. I send many of my patients to that nursing home. It is one of the nicest in town. My coworker's daughter goes to camp at the JCC. It is a part of town we frequent. One of my friends was visiting her grandma at the nursing home when it happened. They could see the crime scene from her window. I think they were on lockdown for a couple of hours.

It is just horrible

[whiskeyandwine]

Horrific. How awful.

[fortmyersbride]

Horrible. WTF is wrong with KC recently?

[heyjude]

Wtf?!!

[NewOrleans]

This world. Mother God.

[pugz]

fuck.

just learned that 2 of the 3 people killed were members of our church which is down the road from there (Methodist church)

[redwino]

This is terrible.

[bronxgirl]

this is so horrifying.

[lizlemon19]

What is wrong with people??

[vlagrl]

This makes me sick as well. I live about 30 -35 minutes from where this happened today AND we are also dealing with the 20 shootings in the Grandview Triangle (hwy intersections) of which 12 are related and apparently someone shot thru a house in Leawood. I have friends that go to the Jewish community center. One of my FB friends is a doctor and knew the grandpa killed today. He was also a doctor and they had worked together. I had read that 2 of the people shot dead today were not even jewish? I'm at a loss for words why this is happening.

[vlagrl]

Apr 13, 2014 16:26:34 GMT -5 fortmyersbride said:

Horrible. WTF is wrong with KC recently?

I've been asking that to myself recently.  We also had a free day at the zoo last month and someone shot their gun up in the air.  Our neighbors were there that day and their car was right where that shooting happened.  Luckily no one was injured.  I won't be going to the free day anymore, not that I ever did before.  I just wanna hide in a cave.

[tef]

I am so sorry, pugz.

Horrifying and so sad.

[beeks]

Just got a push notification that the suspect was a former KKK Leader. No surprise there

[pugz]

there has definitely been a lot of shit going down here recently.

A friend was at the JCC today when it happened. They were in a rehearsal for To Kill A Mockingbird

just too close to home. So sad for the families of these victims

[cosmos]

Apr 13, 2014 21:52:45 GMT -5 vlagrl said:

This makes me sick as well. I live about 30 -35 minutes from where this happened today AND we are also dealing with the 20 shootings in the Grandview Triangle (hwy intersections) of which 12 are related and apparently someone shot thru a house in Leawood. I have friends that go to the Jewish community center. One of my FB friends is a doctor and knew the grandpa killed today. He was also a doctor and they had worked together. I had read that 2 of the people shot dead today were not even jewish? I'm at a loss for words why this is happening.

I know you didn't mean it the way it came out, but why does it matter that the people weren't Jewish? My local JCC is open and welcoming to people of all faiths or lack thereof and I believe all are.

Awful tragedy. So sad for their loved ones.

[IIOY]

Apr 14, 2014 6:46:37 GMT -5 cosmos said:

Apr 13, 2014 21:52:45 GMT -5 vlagrl said:

This makes me sick as well. I live about 30 -35 minutes from where this happened today AND we are also dealing with the 20 shootings in the Grandview Triangle (hwy intersections) of which 12 are related and apparently someone shot thru a house in Leawood. I have friends that go to the Jewish community center. One of my FB friends is a doctor and knew the grandpa killed today. He was also a doctor and they had worked together. I had read that 2 of the people shot dead today were not even jewish? I'm at a loss for words why this is happening.

I know you didn't mean it the way it came out, but why does it matter that the people weren't Jewish? My local JCC is open and welcoming to people of all faiths or lack thereof and I believe all are.

Awful tragedy. So sad for their loved ones.

She may have had the same reaction I did when I read about this today, which is that the shooter's background would seem to make clear that he intended to kill non-Christians.*  He asked the victim outside the retirement community if she was Jewish.  When she said "yes," he shot her.

It doesn't make things any better or worse, it's just another facet of the story.

*ETA: "Non-Christians" probably isn't a good term because I'm sure this asshole doesn't consider Catholics to be Christians.

[MrsAxilla]

This is why I can barely ever get DH to go to temple. We always scope to nearest exit. So sad and scary.

[IIOY]

Apr 14, 2014 7:33:28 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

This is why I can barely ever get DH to go to temple. We always scope to nearest exit. So sad and scary.

?? How often does something like this happen?

[MrsAxilla]

Apr 14, 2014 7:34:55 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Apr 14, 2014 7:33:28 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

This is why I can barely ever get DH to go to temple. We always scope to nearest exit. So sad and scary.

?? How often does something like this happen?

Rarely, but synagogues are definitely a target.

[vlagrl]

Apr 14, 2014 6:46:37 GMT -5 cosmos said:

Apr 13, 2014 21:52:45 GMT -5 vlagrl said:

This makes me sick as well. I live about 30 -35 minutes from where this happened today AND we are also dealing with the 20 shootings in the Grandview Triangle (hwy intersections) of which 12 are related and apparently someone shot thru a house in Leawood. I have friends that go to the Jewish community center. One of my FB friends is a doctor and knew the grandpa killed today. He was also a doctor and they had worked together. I had read that 2 of the people shot dead today were not even jewish? I'm at a loss for words why this is happening.

I know you didn't mean it the way it came out, but why does it matter that the people weren't Jewish? My local JCC is open and welcoming to people of all faiths or lack thereof and I believe all are.

Awful tragedy. So sad for their loved ones.

No I didn't mean it that.  I had heard that he said "heil hitler" when the cops were escorting him away.  

[mx27]

Apr 14, 2014 7:33:28 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

This is why I can barely ever get DH to go to temple. We always scope to nearest exit. So sad and scary.

I hate that this is reality for some people.

Regarding the OP, this situation is sickening and sad.

[tef]

A white supremacist, former KKK leader who wanted to kill the head of SLC and they had been tracking him for some time. Now I wonder if this gun was attained legally.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

[jillboston]

Apr 14, 2014 10:40:15 GMT -5 tef said:

A white supremacist, former KKK leader who wanted to kill the head of SLC and they had been tracking him for some time. Now I wonder if this gun was attained legally.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

Excellent question. It should be shouted from the rooftops if he *was* able to obtain it legally.

[vlagrl]

He was an ex con so my thinking is it was not obtained legally. I'm anxious to find out.

[ttt]

Apr 14, 2014 7:33:28 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

This is why I can barely ever get DH to go to temple. We always scope to nearest exit. So sad and scary.

I do this when I go to the movies, restaurants and pretty much every public place in the US. I know the chances of a shooting happening when I'm there are extremely low, but it still doesn't hurt to know just in case. 

[AJL]

Apr 14, 2014 7:33:28 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

This is why I can barely ever get DH to go to temple. We always scope to nearest exit. So sad and scary.

I've gotten used to the coded doors, ID checks on High Holidays, police officers stationed in and outside the synagogue anytime there is large gathering of congregants (high holidays, fundraisers, some very large b'nei mitvahs and weddings), etc.

So used to it that when we went to a wedding of a friend at a local Catholic church, DS asked me why their weren't police officers there like at our synagogues and I wasn't sure what to say.

[gpw]

Apr 13, 2014 22:10:06 GMT -5 beeks said:

Just got a push notification that the suspect was a former KKK Leader. No surprise there

JFC.  I can't even.  I can't believe it's 2014 and we still deal with idiot KKK.  Honestly.  Natural selection needs to start really working here.  

[karinothing]

Apr 14, 2014 13:24:35 GMT -5 AJL said:

Apr 14, 2014 7:33:28 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

This is why I can barely ever get DH to go to temple. We always scope to nearest exit. So sad and scary.

I've gotten used to the coded doors, ID checks on High Holidays, police officers stationed in and outside the synagogue anytime there is large gathering of congregants (high holidays, fundraisers, some very large b'nei mitvahs and weddings), etc.

So used to it that when we went to a wedding of a friend at a local Catholic church, DS asked me why their weren't police officers there like at our synagogues and I wasn't sure what to say.

Wow. Is this typical. I mean I just have never heard of anything like this. We drive past a jewish community center on a daily basis and there are always tons of people, but i have never seen police officers there.

[AJL]

We don't have police for services, just large events. High holidays (Rosh Hashana and Yim Kippur) can pack the house at over 1000 congregants.

The JCC here has a guarded entrance and is entirely fenced/gated campus. If you're not a member, you have to check in and show ID.