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Shooter was called worthless pig
09/10/2007 14:42 - (SA)
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| A Wisconsin State trooper stands guard in front of the house where an off-duty sheriff deputy killed six people. (Andy Manis, AP) |
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Crandon, Wisconsin - A young US sheriff's deputy who opened fire on a pizza party and killed six people reportedly flew into a rage when he was rebuffed by his old girlfriend, and others at the gathering called him a "worthless pig".
A longtime friend told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday that 20-year-old Tyler Peterson came to his door in the hours after the rampage and calmly explained what he had done.
"He was just very remorseful about what happened," Mike Kegley told the newspaper.
Police declined to provide details of the argument that preceded the shooting but said Peterson had stormed out of the party, retrieved an AR-15 rifle from his vehicle and burst back into the house firing 30 shots.
All but one of the people at the party were killed.
"We had no idea, obviously, that anything like this would ever occur," Crandon Police Chief John Dennee told reporters on Monday.
Peterson, a deputy and part-time Crandon police officer, later died after what authorities said was an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement officers. It was unclear whether Peterson was shot by police, took his own life or was wounded and then shot himself.
Kegley said Peterson visited him about five hours after the rampage early on Sunday.
'He was very, very sorry for what he did'
"He wasn't running around crazy or anything. He was very, very sorry for what he did," said Kegley, adding that he gave Peterson coffee and food and later made repeated calls to 911.
Kegley wouldn't comment when reached by The Associated Press on Monday.
"I ain't talking no more," he said when contacted again on Monday evening.
District Attorney Leon Stenz said he talked with Peterson by telephone for five or 10 minutes right before Peterson was killed, as they tried unsuccessfully to find a way for Peterson to turn himself in.
Peterson seemed calm and said he had talked to an attorney, but the two didn't talk about what had happened at the house, he said.
"He didn't call to confess," Stenz said.
Moments later, Peterson ran toward a wooded area where he was shot, he said.
Stenz said he knew Peterson quite well because he handled several cases with him.
"He always seemed to be level-headed and fine during those meetings. I think he wanted to talk to me because he knows I'm fair," Stenz said.
No psychological screening
The rampage raised questions in the remote northern Wisconsin community of 2 000 of whether Peterson was qualified for his law enforcement positions.
Police acknowledged Peterson received no psychological screening before being hired on September 11 2006. His yearlong probation ended last month.
"No person that I've ever known at 20 years old was responsible enough to be a police officer," said Steve Bocek, of Oak Creek, whose 20-year-old nephew Bradley Schultz was killed. "It's unbelievable. You don't have the mind to be a police officer. It takes a lot."
But Crandon City Attorney Lindsay Erickson said age doesn't matter as long as officers do their jobs well. Peterson testified for her in several cases, wrote good reports and was "true to his job", she said.
"From what I saw of him, I didn't see any warning signs or red flags," Erickson said.
Dr Phil Trompetter, a police psychologist in Modesto, California, estimated at least 40 states require psychological testing of prospective officers.
"Wisconsin must be in a very small minority," he said.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Law Enforcement Standards Board requires only that applicants be free of emotional or mental conditions that might hinder them in their duties. It does not say how that is determined.
The six young people who died were either students or graduates of Crandon High School, where Peterson also had graduated.
They were at the house to share pizza and watch movies during the school's homecoming weekend.
Classes were cancelled on Monday, and many teens went to a church to meet with counsellors.
The other victims were identified as Jordanne Murray, 18, Peterson's ex-girlfriend; Katrina McCorkle, 18; Leanna Thomas, 18; Aaron Smith, 20; and Lindsey Stahl, 14.
The lone survivor, Charlie Neitzel, 21, of Pickerel, is improving at a hospital.
- AP
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