German Gunman Was Calm, Ruthless: Witnesses

Classmates say school shooter was shy but never seemed strange

(NEWSER) - The 17-year-old who calmly gunned down his former classmates and teachers in Germany this week before taking his own life seemed like a normal teenager, Der Spiegel reports. Tim Kretschmer was inconspicuous and shy, schoolmates say, but he wasn't a loner and wasn't considered strange. Police say they have searched in vain for a farewell letter explaining the shooting spree that killed 15. More»

Adult gunman in custody

(NEWSER) - A top Iowa high school football coach is dead after he was shot by a former player in the school’s weight room—with students nearby today, the Gazette of Cedar Rapids reports. Ed Thomas was shot point-blank in the head; no one else was hurt. The suspect, 24-year-old Mark Becker, is in custody. With a 292-84 record over 37 seasons, Ed Thomas was NFL high school coach of the year in 2005; he coached four NFL players. More»

(NEWSER) - German police are still seeking some twisted motive for a suicidal teen gunman who shot dead 14 people at his former high school, but he clearly appears to have targeted girls, reports the Telegraph. Tim Kretschmer, 17, killed nine former schoolmates, eight of them girls, as well as three female teachers at the school near Stuttgart. "He wasn't shooting wildly or randomly when he entered the classrooms. He primarily shot to the head," said a local official. More»

(NEWSER) - Fifteen people are dead after a 17-year-old went on a shooting spree at his former school in southern Germany; the gunman died hours later during a shootout in a nearby town. The assailant killed at least 11 people, mostly students, at the school before driving away. He then barricaded himself in a shopping center and began firing at police and bystanders. It remains unclear whether the gunman was shot dead by police or killed himself, reports the BBC. More»

Grieving families lay victims to rest

(NEWSER) - An arrest warrant has been issued for a fourth male believed to be involved in a triple schoolyard execution that has rocked the community of Newark—and as many as six people may have been involved, reports the Newark Star Ledger. Nicaraguan national Rodolfo Godinez, 24, is considered a "principal player" in the crime, according to police. More»