Maryland mall gunman wrote of killing people

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Jose Luis Magana / AP

Kathren Cameron places a teddy bear at the mall after it was reopened to the public, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, in Columbia, Md.

By Hasani Gittens, News Editor, NBC News

The young man who killed two skate store employees and then shot himself inside a shopping mall wrote about killing people in his journal and said he was ready to die, Maryland police revealed Wednesday.

Howard County police released the details of Darion Aguilar's journal through their Twitter account.

Investigators say the 19-year-old Aguilar killed  Brianna Benlolo, 21, of College Park, Md., and Tyler Johnson, 25, of Mount Airy, Md., in a Zumiez skate store at the Mall in Columbia and then took his own life. Detectives have been trying to determine a motive.

Police now say Aguilar wrote in general terms in his journal about killing people — but did not mention targeting specific people or locations. Police say the journal "expresses a general hatred of others" and a willingness to die.

They said it showed he "knew he was having mental health issues." 

Handout / Reuters

Darion Marcus Aguilar, 19, of College Park, Maryland, identified by police as the gunman in Saturday's Columbia Mall shooting, is seen in an undated photo released by the Howard County Police Department.

He also apologized to his family for what he was planning to do, they said.

Cops on Wednesday also detailed how Aguilar assembled the shotgun before the rampage.

Aguilar carried the disassembled 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun into the mall in a backpack, the Howard County Police Department said on its Twitter feed.

Aguilar, who also lived in College Park, Maryland, put the shotgun together in a dressing room at the Zumiez skateboard store.

Then, police "believe Aguilar exited the Zumiez dressing room, shot the two victims and then himself," they said. Earlier, investigators had said that Aguilar had spent at least an hour in the mall before initiating the spree.

The skate store itself had no video cameras so there is no footage of the shootings, it said. Police have said Aguilar fired six to eight shots.

At one point, he stepped out of the store and wounded a woman who was struck in the foot, police said.

Aguilar was dead when officers arrived less than two minutes after the first 911 call, police said.

Investigators have not given a motive for the shootings. Police have said they have not turned up any relationship between the shop employees and Aguilar.

Police believe Aguilar legally bought the shotgun last month. The attack was the latest in a spate of U.S. shootings that has renewed questions about the vulnerability of public places in the United States.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report

Nevada gunman told patients to flee before killing, 911 tapes reveal

  By Scott Sonner, The Associated PressRENO, Nev. — Newly released 911 tapes paint a scene of panic and terror inside a Reno medical building where dozens of callers hid in bathrooms and exam rooms from a suicidal gunman who killed one doctor and shot another at a urology clinic where he said he'd had a vasectomy that ruined his life. Callers included a woman hiding under a desk in an exam room and another who whispered "Oh, my God" and "he's going to ... kill us" as apparent gunshots can be heard in the background on the tapes released Tuesday. Alan Oliver Frazier, 51, told patients to leave or he'd shoot them after he entered the Urology Nevada office last week and soon began firing a pistol-grip, 12-gauge shotgun. The shooter from Northern California said he was angry because "he had a vasectomy here and they ruined his life," a male witness told a dispatcher from a locked bathroom where he and about 10 others hid. "He says, 'As long as you're a patient, you can leave. Otherwise I'm going to shoot you,'" the man said. The bathroom was just outside the urology office where the shooting occurred. A woman hiding under a desk was talking so softly she could barely be heard. "I hear gunshots outside my office," the woman said. "I just heard another one. ... He's going to (expletive) kill us." "Oh, my God. ... He's outside my door," she said. Among the 50 calls police said they received just after 2 p.m. on Dec. 17 while Frazier still was considered an active shooter was a woman in a locked office, gasping for breath between sentences. "He's in the middle of the office," she said. "We think he shot one of our doctors." Police began arriving at the scene within minutes, and entered Urology Nevada while some callers still were on the phone. Police confirmed Tuesday Frazier had been a patient at the facility, and complained about a botched surgery in 2010. The unemployed former power plant worker made it clear in a suicide note that he planned the attack and that his focus was on the physicians at Urology Nevada, police said. Authorities have not said who operated on Frazier, who lived near Lake Almanor, about 130 miles north of Reno. Detectives are "actively looking into" Frazier's involvement in an Internet chat room where he reportedly complained about complications from the surgery, city spokeswoman Sharon Spangler said. She confirmed investigators are interviewing a former fiancee of Frazier's who told The Associated Press he took medication for depression when they were together in the mid-1990s. They're also talking to a neighbor who said Frazier told him the day of the shooting that he was leaving and not coming back. Police haven't determined if Frazier had a history of mental illness. But Spangler said detectives are in contact with the ex-fiancee, who told the AP he was a different person when he didn't take his medication for depression and was suicidal at least once during the 18 months they were together. Spangler also acknowledged investigators talked to the neighbor, Mike Hawthorne, who told the Reno Gazette-Journal that Frazier said the day of the shooting he wouldn't be back. Citing a neighbor, the Gazette-Journal first reported that Frazier sometimes ranted in a Yahoo group about vasectomy pain that he was still suffering more than two years after what he claimed was a botched surgery. Witnesses told investigators that Frazier said during the attack that he was looking for physicians. He used the shotgun to kill Dr. Charles G. Gholdoian, 46, president of Urology Nevada. He also critically wounded Dr. Christine Lajeunesse and seriously injured Shantae Spears, who was accompanying a relative on an office visit. Frazier then turned the gun on himself. Related:© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Gunman in Colo. high school shooting shot self when confronted by officer

 The 18-year-old Colorado man who shot a fellow student before killing himself Friday intended to shoot numerous people, but his rampage was interrupted by a school resource officer who responded to the shooting, officials said Saturday. Ed Andrieski / APArapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson holds a picture of Claire Davis the 17-year-old student that was shot during a briefing Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo. Davis was shot by 18-year-old shooting suspect Karl Halverson Pierson at the school on Friday before he took his own life. “His intent was evil,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said of Karl Halverson Pierson. “And his evil intent was to harm multiple individuals.”Upon entering the school, Robinson said, Pierson fired one round down the hallway. He then shot Claire Esther Davis, 17, who just happened to be sitting nearby with a friend as he headed toward the library. The girl suffered severe head trauma and remains in critical condition at Littleton Adventist Hospital.Confronted by the officer, the teen committed suicide less than a minute and a half after he entered the building, armed with a shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition that he purchased legally, the sheriff said.In a statement, Claire’s family asked for “continued prayers” for the teenager, who remained in critical condition.“She was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence,” Robinson said.He then read the statement from her family:"Our beautiful daughter Claire Davis has severe head trauma as a result of a gunshot. She needs your continued prayers," the family said.Authorities release the name of the shooting victim and offer a timeline of the incident, which took just one minute and 20 seconds. NBC's Ron Mott reports. They also expressed their gratitude to first responders and the trauma team that responded during Friday's brief incident at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo.,  “for saving our daughter’s life and quickly getting her into surgery,” according to the statement.Robinson said he does not believe Davis and the shooter knew each other.  Davis had been previously identified as a 15-year-old student. Robinson said the student gunman purchased the pump-action shotgun used in the shooting incident legally on Dec. 6 at a local retail outlet, then legally purchased multiple rounds of shotgun ammunition on Friday morning. Pierson was also armed with a machete and three Molotov cocktails, one of which was set off. Robinson said the explosives were made of 12 to 16 ounce bottles containing flammable liquid and were brought into the school in a backpack. The weapons were found on and around the shooter's body, he said. Pierson set off one of the Molotov cocktails, setting a fire in the library. Robinson said the response of a school resource officer was “absolutely critical” to the fact that that there were no additional injuries or deaths.The parents of a 17-year-old student shot and critically wounded in a Colorado school shooting said "she needs your continued prayers" in a statement read by Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson Robinson said Pierson entered the school from the north side and fired one random shot down the hallway before firing at the victim at point blank range.Pierson then entered the library and ignited one of the Molotov cocktails.The deputy sheriff then ran through a long hallway from the cafeteria to the library. While the deputy was containing the shooter, the shooter took his own life at the north end of the library, Robinson said.Robinson said the motive in the shooting was seen "as some type of retaliation" against a school staff member. Robinson said that Pierson was subject to disciplinary action from the school's debate team coach in September, but denied reports that he had been kicked off the debate team.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

'His intent was evil': Colorado high school gunman intended to shoot numerous people, sheriff says

 The 18-year-old Colorado man who shot a fellow student before killing himself Friday intended to shoot numerous people, but his rampage was interrupted by a school resource officer who responded to the shooting, officials said Saturday. Ed Andrieski / APArapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson holds a picture of Claire Davis the 17-year-old student that was shot during a briefing Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo. Davis was shot by 18-year-old shooting suspect Karl Halverson Pierson at the school on Friday before he took his own life. “His intent was evil,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said of Karl Halverson Pierson. “And his evil intent was to harm multiple individuals.”Upon entering the school, Robinson said, Pierson fired one round down the hallway. He then shot Claire Esther Davis, 17, who just happened to be sitting nearby with a friend as he headed toward the library. The girl suffered severe head trauma and remains in critical condition at Littleton Adventist Hospital.Confronted by the officer, the teen committed suicide less than a minute and a half after he entered the building, armed with a shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition that he purchased legally, the sheriff said.In a statement, Claire’s family asked for “continued prayers” for the teenager, who remained in critical condition.“She was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence,” Robinson said.He then read the statement from her family:"Our beautiful daughter Claire Davis has severe head trauma as a result of a gunshot. She needs your continued prayers," the family said.Authorities release the name of the shooting victim and offer a timeline of the incident, which took just one minute and 20 seconds. NBC's Ron Mott reports. They also expressed their gratitude to first responders and the trauma team that responded during Friday's brief incident at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo.,  “for saving our daughter’s life and quickly getting her into surgery,” according to the statement.Robinson said he does not believe Davis and the shooter knew each other.  Davis had been previously identified as a 15-year-old student. Robinson said the student gunman purchased the pump-action shotgun used in the shooting incident legally on Dec. 6 at a local retail outlet, then legally purchased multiple rounds of shotgun ammunition on Friday morning. Pierson was also armed with a machete and three Molotov cocktails, one of which was set off. Robinson said the explosives were made of 12 to 16 ounce bottles containing flammable liquid and were brought into the school in a backpack. The weapons were found on and around the shooter's body, he said. Pierson set off one of the Molotov cocktails, setting a fire in the library. Robinson said the response of a school resource officer was “absolutely critical” to the fact that that there were no additional injuries or deaths.The parents of a 17-year-old student shot and critically wounded in a Colorado school shooting said "she needs your continued prayers" in a statement read by Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson Robinson said Pierson entered the school from the north side and fired one random shot down the hallway before firing at the victim at point blank range.Pierson then entered the library and ignited one of the Molotov cocktails.The deputy sheriff then ran through a long hallway from the cafeteria to the library. While the deputy was containing the shooter, the shooter took his own life at the north end of the library, Robinson said.Robinson said the motive in the shooting was seen "as some type of retaliation" against a school staff member. Robinson said that Pierson was subject to disciplinary action from the school's debate team coach in September, but denied reports that he had been kicked off the debate team.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Colorado school gunman targeted debate team coach

  Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, wounded a student Friday at a Colorado high school before shooting himself, authorities said.By M. Alex Johnson and Daniella Silva, NBC NewsThe 18-year-old gunman who wounded a fellow student at a Colorado school before taking his own life Friday was described as a bright, politically opinionated young man who had a beef with the school’s librarian, who had kicked him off the debate team.Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identified the gunman as Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, a senior at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. Authorities said he entered the school about 12:33 p.m. (2:33 p.m. ET) looking for a specific teacher with whom he'd had an earlier confrontation.But students who witnessed the attack later clarified that it was the school librarian and debate team coach, identified as Tracy Murphy by NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver, who was the target of Pierson's rage.Steve Miles is an English teacher who taught Pierson as a freshman, told the Associated Press that Pierson had recently been cut from the debate team, but he didn't know why. Authorities, who were expected to provide additional information on the attack, which ended with Pierson dead by his own hand and an unidentified female student critically wounded, at a news conference sheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET.At a briefing on Friday, Robinson said that when the educator learned of the threat, he immediately tried to lure Pierson away from other students by leaving the building."It was very tactical for the teacher, for him to remove himself from the school," Robinson said.Murphy escaped unharmed, KUSA reported, and was escorted by an Arapahoe County deputy on Friday night to pick up a few belongings as police investigated a possible motive.  "'Revenge' is the word that I chose," Robinson told reporters. "This is where our initial investigation is taking us. We know that there was some controversy between the student suspect and the teacher."Pierson shot a 15-year-old girl before using the same shotgun to kill himself, Robinson said. The girl, who wasn't identified, was in critical condition Friday night, Littleton Adventist Hospital said.Madison Berry, a senior at the school, said she had taken classes with Pierson.Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identifies the teenager who shot a fellow student at Arapahoe High School before killing himself."He was very outspoken — always involved with class discussion," she said. "So it was kind of odd to see that he was the one who did this."Abbey Skoda, a junior, told The Denver Post: "He had very strong beliefs about gun laws and stuff. I also heard he was bullied a lot."Neighbors said Pierson was a nice, quiet teen who lived with a nice, quiet family in a nice, quiet neighborhood."They were one of the first (families) to introduce themselves when we moved into the neighborhood" about five years ago, Jo VanDeWege, a neighbor, told NBC station KUSA of Denver.Pierson "introduced himself and his sister, and they were all very sweet and seemed very cheerful. So this has been quite upsetting," she said.Diane Shea, a neighbor, agreed, telling the Post,  "They're just a normal middle-class family, like many of the families around here." Pierson's parents divorced in 2011, and he was believed to have lived with his mother, Robinson said late Friday. Authorities were investigating four locations: the school, Pierson's car, his mother's home and his father's home, he said.Pierson's mother, a school system employee, was out of town caring for a sick relative, neighbors and investigators said.Watch World News videos on NBCNews.comThis story was originally published on Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:12 PM EST

Gunman kills self at Colorado high school; second student critically wounded

 An army of police officers responded and terrified parents rushed to the scene after a student entered Arapahoe High School in Colorado and shot two students, authorities said. NBC's Tom Costello reports. By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC NewsA quick-thinking educator may have saved other lives Friday by trying to lure a student brandishing a shotgun away from teenagers at a Colorado high school, where the gunman wounded a fellow student before killing himself, authorities said.The injured student, a 15-year-old girl, was critically wounded and was in surgery after the gunman shot her at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said initial reports that the student confronted the gunman turned out not to be true.A second student initially believed to have been wounded turned out only to have been splattered with some of the girl's blood, Robinson said at a news briefing late Friday.The shooter, identified as Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, a student at the school, appeared to be seeking revenge against a specific school staff member after an earlier confrontation, Robinson said. He said Pierson was looking for the educator by name when the incident began about 12:33 p.m. (2:33 p.m. ET).The staff member was identified as school librarian and debate team coach Tracy Murphy by NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver. Authorities initially described him as a teacher. "The teacher exited the school immediately, which was, in my opinion, the most important tactical decision that could have been made," Robinson said. "I believe it was a wise tactical decision to remove himself from the school so maybe the threat went toward him rather than the school."An army of officers responded, having dramatically changed their standing orders after the deaths of 12 students and a teacher 14 years ago at Columbine High School — just about 10 miles away. Instead of waiting for backup, they rushed in immediately.They found Pierson in a classroom about 20 minutes after they began their search, Robinson said. He said investigators knew his identity and were talking to his family, even as his body remained inside the school Friday night. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identifies the teenager who shot a fellow student at Arapahoe High School before killing himself.Robinson said two devices similar to Molotov cocktails were also found in the building, one of which created a cloud of smoke and the other of which was disarmed. As darkness fell, SWAT officers with dogs were still at the school.Meanwhile, police, sheriff's deputies and agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives barreled into a home about 4 miles from the school. No one appeared to be home, a neighbor said."An ATF agent said we should stay in the house," she told NBC station KUSA of Denver. "I didn't ask any questions."Robinson said late Friday that authorities were investigating four locations:  the school, Pierson's car, his mother's home and his father's home. His parents divorced in 2011.Related: Colorado school gunman Karl Pierson seen as bright and passionate about politicsA janitor first spotted the gunman and alerted authorities. The man, who said he wanted to be identified only as Fabian, said the gunman was running side to side, kind of military style.""I looked to see if there was a gun," Fabian told KUSA. "It was a shotgun.""When he went into the library, he said, 'Where is Murphy?'" Fabian said. Robinson confirmed that the gunman was armed with a shotgun.Students described a scene of terror when the shooting started."I heard three shots, and then the school went into lockdown," Camden Flinders, 14, a freshman, told NBC News. "I saw the blood in the study center and in the gym. We could see blood on the floor. ..."We went on lockdown for about 20 to 30 minutes. There was big line of police and blood splatters by the gym and the study center," he said.Parents were being asked to gather at nearby schools and churches, the sheriff's office said. They dropped whatever they were doing to rush to the scene — one was seen in full medical scrubs, as though he had just raced out of a doctor's office, KUSA reported.An Arapahoe High School student tells NBC station KUSA she texted her parents a message she never wanted to have to send them.Camden's father, Marcus Flinders, was working at an area Latter-day Saints temple when he got the news from a fellow congregant. "I broke down. I thought my son was one of the ones who was injured," he said. "I was pretty much crying. It was really traumatic."'A traumatic situation'Authorities said that while they had no indication of a second shooter, they proceeded as though there might have been one as a matter of caution. Students were led out of the building with their arms in the air, some of them being patted down by police."The kids have been through a traumatic situation," Robinson said. "We need to ensure that anyone we evacuate isn't part of our problem. We're doing the evacuation slowly and deliberately."President Barack Obama was briefed about the shooting, White House officials said. Arapahoe High School, with 2,000 students, is an affluent suburb of Denver in the same county where James Eagan Holmes is accused of having killed 12 people in a movie theater in the town of Aurora last year.Asked whether the shooting might have some connection to Saturday's anniversary of the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Robinson replied simply, "No."Tom Costello, Pete Williams, Christopher Essner, Azhar Fateh, John Cheang, Simon Moya-Smith, Geoff Tofield, Liza Torres and Daniella Silva of NBC News contributed to this report.Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.comThis story was originally published on Fri Dec 13, 2013 4:29 PM EST

Colorado school gunman targeted debate team coach who cut him

   Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, wounded a student Friday at a Colorado high school before shooting himself, authorities said.By M. Alex Johnson and Daniella Silva, NBC NewsThe 18-year-old gunman who wounded a fellow student at a Colorado school before taking his own life Friday was described as a bright, politically opinionated young man who had a beef with the school’s librarian, who had kicked him off the debate team.Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identified the gunman as Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, a senior at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. Authorities said he entered the school about 12:33 p.m. (2:33 p.m. ET) looking for a specific teacher with whom he'd had an earlier confrontation.But students who witnessed the attack later clarified that it was the school librarian and debate team coach, identified as Tracy Murphy by NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver, who was the target of Pierson's rage.Steve Miles is an English teacher who taught Pierson as a freshman, told the Associated Press that Pierson had recently been cut from the debate team, but he didn't know why. Authorities, who were expected to provide additional information on the attack, which ended with Pierson dead by his own hand and an unidentified female student critically wounded, at a news conference sheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET.At a briefing on Friday, Robinson said that when the educator learned of the threat, he immediately tried to lure Pierson away from other students by leaving the building."It was very tactical for the teacher, for him to remove himself from the school," Robinson said.Murphy escaped unharmed, KUSA reported, and was escorted by an Arapahoe County deputy on Friday night to pick up a few belongings as police investigated a possible motive.  "'Revenge' is the word that I chose," Robinson told reporters. "This is where our initial investigation is taking us. We know that there was some controversy between the student suspect and the teacher."Pierson shot a 15-year-old girl before using the same shotgun to kill himself, Robinson said. The girl, who wasn't identified, was in critical condition Friday night, Littleton Adventist Hospital said.Madison Berry, a senior at the school, said she had taken classes with Pierson.Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identifies the teenager who shot a fellow student at Arapahoe High School before killing himself."He was very outspoken — always involved with class discussion," she said. "So it was kind of odd to see that he was the one who did this."Abbey Skoda, a junior, told The Denver Post: "He had very strong beliefs about gun laws and stuff. I also heard he was bullied a lot."Neighbors said Pierson was a nice, quiet teen who lived with a nice, quiet family in a nice, quiet neighborhood."They were one of the first (families) to introduce themselves when we moved into the neighborhood" about five years ago, Jo VanDeWege, a neighbor, told NBC station KUSA of Denver.Pierson "introduced himself and his sister, and they were all very sweet and seemed very cheerful. So this has been quite upsetting," she said.Diane Shea, a neighbor, agreed, telling the Post,  "They're just a normal middle-class family, like many of the families around here." Pierson's parents divorced in 2011, and he was believed to have lived with his mother, Robinson said late Friday. Authorities were investigating four locations: the school, Pierson's car, his mother's home and his father's home, he said.Pierson's mother, a school system employee, was out of town caring for a sick relative, neighbors and investigators said.Watch World News videos on NBCNews.comThis story was originally published on Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:12 PM EST