Pa. Gym Shooter Left Behind Video Diary

(NEWSER) - The gunman in this week's Pittsburgh shooting hated women, but the nation seems not to care much about the rising number of such cases fueled by misogyny, Bob Herbert writes in the New York Times. He recalls the similarly motivated 2006 slayings in an Amish schoolhouse: “There would have been thunderous outrage if someone had separated potential victims by race or religion,” he writes. “But if you shoot only the girls or only the women—not so much of an uproar.” More»

Sodoni motivated by lack of girlfriend, sex

(NEWSER) - George Sodini was apparently driven to murder by utter loneliness. The man suspected of killing three women in a suburban Pittsburgh gym appears to have left behind an online diary detailing his plans, CNN reports. “Why do this?? To young girls? Just read below,” it promises. In the entries that follow, Sodini complains that he hadn’t had a girlfriend since 1984, and hadn’t had sex since 1990, ending every entry with “Death Lives!” More»

Site rep: This proves people need to protect themselves

(NEWSER) - The Pennsylvania health club shooter and the Virginia Tech killer purchased gun equipment from the same website, WPXI Pittsburgh reports. George Sodini bought accessories from TGSCOM, which sold a gun to Seung-Hui Cho. “We deal with police and government agencies as customers,” said a rep for the firm, which runs the site TheGunSource.com. "This tragedy underscores the need for people to protect themselves and not rely only on police." More»

(NEWSER) - A gunman opened fire tonight at a fitness center near Pittsburgh, leaving five people dead. The shooter is believed to be among the victims, reports the Post-Gazette. About a dozen more people were wounded. Police say the gunman walked to the back door of the LA Fitness Center in Collier, Pa., and began shooting. "I saw people flying off the treadmills, hitting the ground" for cover, one witness told the newspaper. "We crawled through the fire escape and I sprinted out the back." More»

Wall St. malfeasance is a crisis—but so is shooting epidemic

(NEWSER) - We look back at witch hunts and slavery with shame and consternation, but after reading about our recent spate of gun violence, future historians will regard us as similarly misguided, Cynthia Tucker writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “These mass shootings are a form of madness, but what’s even more insane is our passive reaction,” Tucker says. More»