In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options
Granite Hills gunman found dead in cell
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Granite Hills gunman found dead in cell Writings indicate he was 'displeased with the world'STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS October 29, 2001 The 18-year-old gunman who wounded five people at Granite Hills High School left behind writings that indicated "he was displeased with the world" when he committed suicide Monday in his jail cell, a sheriff's investigator said. Jason Hoffman was found hanging from a vent screen at San Diego's Central Jail shortly before 1 a.m., the county Sheriff's Department said. He was alone in the cell and had been checked less than an hour earlier. "You can only theorize that he didn't like being 18 and in jail with what he was facing," said sheriff's Lt. Jerry Lewis. Full coverage of the Granite Hills High School shooting Hoffman's writings included doodles and a list of musical artists, which Lewis declined to name. They were not a suicide note in the usual sense, he said. Hoffman had cut a bed sheet into strips; two deputies cut him loose and lowered him, but found no pulse. Jail medical staff and paramedics performed CPR but were unable to revive him. Hoffman died just before 1:30 a.m. at UCSD Medical Center. An autopsy is planned Tuesday. Hoffman was scheduled to be formally sentenced Nov. 8 under terms of a plea bargain reached Sept. 13. He would have been sent to prison for at least 24 years. "This was an obviously troubled young man and it's a sad end to his life," said Deputy District Attorney Dan Lamborn, who prosecuted Hoffman. Under terms of the plea bargain, he pleaded guilty to one count of premeditated attempted murder and admitted using a gun. He also pleaded guilty to five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He was scheduled to spend at least 24 years in prison before being eligible for a parole hearing. He would have been 42 years old.before being eligible. Hoffman's attorney, William Trainor, had said his client took antidepressants before the March shooting spree and had a history of mental problems, which he planned to detail if the case went to trial. Lewis said it was unclear whether Hoffman had continued to take medication while in custody. Following his arrest, Hoffman was held in a padded "safety cell" due to concerns he might hurt himself. But a doctor later ruled he could be moved to the type of "administrative detention cell" where he was found dead, Lewis said. It was not clear when the transfer occurred, but Lewis did not believe it was recent. Hoffman was confined to the small cell, with only a small window in the door, for 23 hours a day. During a one-hour daily break he was allowed to exercise, shower and make phone calls. In the Granite Hills attack, Hoffman rushed onto the campus carrying a shotgun and a handgun. His first shot was fired on the dean of students Daniel Barnes, who dived for cover as the blast shattered a window above his head. Five students and teachers were injured in the resulting shotgun blasts.A campus police officer ended the spree by shooting Hoffman in the face. According to testimony at a preliminary hearing in May, he was angry at being shot and said to one of his victims as he was being taken away, "Good one, huh?" The shooting came 17 days after two students were killed and 13 people were wounded in a shooting at nearby Santana High School. Charles "Andy" Williams, a 15-year-old student at the school, was arrested and faces murder charges in those shootings. http://www.uniontribune.com/news/metro/granitehills/20011029-9999_1m29hoffman.html
Comments
Certified SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of the General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the premier gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net Jesus is Lord!