Jared Loughner's college instructor: I was worried he might have a gun in class

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Washington Post

A community college instructor who taught Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner was so disturbed by the student's outbursts in class that he requested Loughner's removal from the course, he told the Washington Post in an interview Sunday.

Ben McGahee, a third-year instructor at Pima Community College, taught Loughner in an elementary algebra class last summer. McGahee said that while Loughner never threatened him directly, he was concerned by his behavior.

"I always felt, you know, somewhat paranoid," McGahee said. "When I turned my back to write on the board, I would always turn back quickly--to see if he had a gun."

McGahee said he had to make several complaints before administrators finally removed Loughner.

"They just said, 'Well, he hasn't taken any action to hurt anyone. He hasn't provoked anybody. He hasn't brought any weapons to class,'" McGahee recalled. "'We'll just wait until he takes that next step.'"



Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/01/loughners-college-instructor-i.html?hpid=topnews

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Guess Pima adminstrators forgot about Virginia Tech.

[somone]

1. He could have attacked Pima Community College

based on his long troubled history there

[FLPanhandle]

2. Outbursts in elemenatry algebra class?

Okay maybe I can understand a political science class or a history class, but Elementary Algebra? What is there to be upset about except that he is learning a topic he should have learned in middle school.

[FSogol]

6. The "order of operations" is obviously a liberal plot to....

:shrug:

[Javaman]

29. I think he had an issue with Pythagoras.

"A squared + B squared DOES NOT EQUAL C SQUARED!!!"

[LisaL]

10. Bad grammar?

[Broderick]

12. THE

worst I have ever witnessed.

[FLPanhandle]

18. Sorry

One handed blackberry posting.

[Broderick]

20. no

I just remarked that in relation to the killer's grammar. Seems grammar was a thing for him, but he couldn't make sense to me no matter how much pot I smoked.

[patrice]

22. Doesn't require pot. It was pretty obvious that he talked about grammar and he had a problem with

grammar. He was concerned about his own confusion.

He also was concerned about the fact that money represents no real value.

And he was interested in a common new-agey technique called conscious dreaming, or directed dreaming.

I assure I have had no pot in ages, but your attempt to defame it at the expense of making a cogent point about what Laughner was obviously referring to, looks kind of concerning in regards to the motivation for your post.

[Broderick]

23. dupe

dupe

[Broderick]

24. OMG

you took it way far. More than intended.

[kestrel91316]

3. I'm sure the gun fans would have applauded this guy taking a gun to class.

It's his "right", you know. the fact that it might frighten and intimidate a teacher is beside the point.

You better give me an "A", professor, or I'll blow your head off. You know I'm crazy enough to do it.

[dorkulon]

4. Guys sounds more like a schizophrenic than a tea-bagger.

Math is unconstitutional?

[lunasun]

26. you can be both; -schizophrenic + a tea-bagger- most seem crazy anyway!

[RobinA]

27. I've Always Thought So n/m

*

[Javaman]

30. The question is: how do you tell the difference? nt

[MrsBrady]

5. I suggest everyone read this article

this guy is out of his mind, nuts.


per one of his classmates:
As the class went on, she said, Loughner exhibited other odd behavior: he wrote nonsensical answers on his tests, wrote on the class blackboard, and walked around and around in tight circles in the school courtyard. One day, she said, he sat in class with an odd, enormous grin on his face.

[Barack_America]

7. Have the laws changed since Virginia Tech?

Loughner too was able to buy a handgun after mental health concerns were raised by his school. Virginia Tech had no legal obligation to report their concerns, and I don't believe this has changed, which is terribly unfortunate given the amount of mental illness that reveals itself during college. But hey, most mentally ill kids only kill themselves.

[TheMadMonk]

28. "Concerns" have no legal standing. And stand to constitute a privacy...

...violation, or invite a slander/libel charge if officially "expressed" or entered into the official record without being backed by an actual reportable diagnosis.

And far more often than when a "miss" leading to events like this, its the gods bedamned right thing to do. Officially recorded "concerns" without evidence or legal standing WOULD be used in a dangerously discriminatory manner.

[ehrnst]

8. Freepers are blaming Obama for this guy being able to buy the weapon.

With no blame to the NRA for cutting off gun control laws at the knees.

[madmom]

21. Because Obama didn't take his guns away like they were screaming he would.

[LibertyLover]

32. How is Obama to blame, in the Freepers' view?

I mean talk about contradictions - first Obama is going to take away all the guns and then he's responsible because the gunman was able to buy a gun.

[Jefferson23]

9. Interesting, and I'm hoping we'll learn soon if there was in fact someone

else involved, on whatever level.

[LisaL]

13. Nobody elese appear to be involved.

The second person they were looking for has been cleared. He wasn't involved.

[RamboLiberal]

14. Exactly

Investigators said that the second man was a taxi driver who drove the suspected gunman to the scene. Upon arriving there, the passenger said he did not have change and he and the taxi driver went into the supermarket for change and the two then walked out together and separated.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/live-blog-latest-developments-on-arizona-shooting/?hp

[Jefferson23]

25. Thank for the info.! n/t

[LisaL]

11. What exactly could the administrators do?

Except expelling him which they did. It's not like they could have gotten him involuntarily committed.

[Broderick]

15. that is the problem

I don't want more laws to give anyone the ability to commit me or anyone else because of what someone might deem strange. This is a dangerous ground I am witnessing. Just because I disagree with folks, doesn't mean I am a danger. I am really concerned that some government entity will take advantage of this tragedy to further the erosion of freedoms. You can't really predict insanity. Sadly, most people just ignore people with mental issues anyway.

[patrice]

16. This is so sad and this IS what America is now. One fucked-up lost soul with no one and

nothing there to help him with his problems until it's tooooooooooo late!

[LisaL]

17. This is not exactly a new problem.

[patrice]

19. True! It's probably more a difference of extreme degree now. nt

[Doctor_J]

31. The AZ legislature's answer to this thing was to

pass a law allowing professors to be armed.

It's really hard to describe how completely screwed up this country is.