Shooting at Palm Desert CA Toys R Us, 2 dead

[charlie]

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20081128/NEWS10/81128021/1263/UPDATE

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Details--

from the article:

It does appear the deaths are related to the Black Friday shopping frenzy.

"I've got a bunch of people from Toys R Us that ran out of the building," said Jeff Vallaire of World Gym, located nearby.

snip

Sarah Pacia, of Cathedral City, said she was in the store with her two boys, ages 4 and 6, looking at coloring books when she heard a commotion in the next aisle. She thought it was people rushing to get a sale item. Then she heard three or four shots.

She froze, and store employees calmly escorted her out of the store.

First a WalMart temp is trampled to death, and now this. What is WRONG with people? No THING is worth taking a human life!

[malaise]

2. According to GEM$NBC two teenaged girls

were in an altercation and a male opened fire and then all hell broke lose. Don't know who the dead are but I suspect that one was the man who drew the gun.

[wryter2000]

3. Good Lord

:cry:

And we atheists are the ones destroying Christmas.

[DangerousRhythm]

9. Apparently!

People get so ridiculous and greedy over what is essentially CRAP.

[nichomachus]

11. I think the relation to Christmas here is purely coincidental

It sounds more like there was some bad blood between these parties and they just happened to run into each other at the store. It probably would have happened at any time of the year that they met.

Desert Hot Springs, where one of the parties comes from is pretty heavy with drugs, gangs and crime in general. Cathedral City is a little further up the scale, but has some pretty dicey elements too. Shooting and general violence in both places aren't that uncommon, but more common in DHS.

[fortyfeetunder]

4. Given up asking "Why"?

This is just nuts!!!
At a toy store???

[Deja Q]

5. Well, I for one WANT to know why!

Which Elmo doll was it this time?

"Rock Singer Elmo"?
"Tickle Me Elmo 2"?
"Molest-Me Elmo"?
"Pee On You Elmo"?

[ben_meyers]

6. Sounds like it was "Gang Banger Elmo"

but wearing the wrong colors and throwing the wrong signs.

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. :^( What a horrible day this has been. Why does anyone bother to shop on this day anymore?

[The Doctor.]

8. I knew that list of "Holiday shopping tips" the NRA put out would be nothing but trouble.

[nichomachus]

10. "Daddy, wake up"

Witnesses inside the store told investigators the shooting began shortly before 11:30 a.m., during some kind of argument between two adolescent females.

The argument escalated when one of the females “pummeled” the other, according to one witness, who said two men — adult males, connected to each of the females — joined the dispute and pulled out guns.

J. Schmidt, 40, of Desert Hot Springs was one of more than two dozen witnesses questioned by authorities Friday afternoon after the shootings.

She said she was a few feet from the parties who were arguing and dropped to the floor after she saw one of the men pull out a gun.

“I got down on the ground and I heard shots,” she said, adding that her husband dragged her behind a DVD display. “It seemed like an eternity. But after just two or three minutes the gunfire ceased, then we ran out the back of the store,” she said.

In another aisle, at about the same time, Ray Turner, 20, of Palm Springs, was looking for items for his 1-year-old daughter in the store's electronics section when he said he heard indistinct arguing between two females coming from one aisle away.

Turner said he looked around the corner of the aisle and saw a man fire a handgun into the air and then fire it at someone else.

“I mean he nailed him,” Turner said of the man. “Next thing you know — it was like rats going crazy — people dropping things, stuff that they bought toys and receipts were scattered everywhere.”

He said the two suspected shooters appeared to be in their 20s or 30s and one had small children with him.

Turner said he ran in the opposite direction and went looking for his sister and brother who were inside the store with him. He said he and a number of others took refuge in a stock room and waited for the shooting to stop.

Once it had ended, Turner said he walked out and saw a small child near the body of one of the men.

He said he heard the child say: “Daddy, wake up.”

[judasdisney]

12. But the Sony PlayStation was on sale. Can't blame 'em.