The shivering cold of today had rendered me unable to leave my post and take my long morning and afternoon walks. I did not wish to confront the horizontal rains and now I’m suffering from fidgeting legs! Yes, I could easily hop up on my treadmill type machine and pound out the hyper that has plagued me… but I’ve had a little bit of wine and I am not moving ANY WHERE.

It was so cold today

In other news- the gunman died. I am so irked. No, I do not believe in an ‘after life’, but I do believe he got away with murder and his suicide was at long last successful.

Bastard.

Gunman in shooting spree dies

09:02 PM PST on Tuesday, January 27, 2009

By kgw.com and AP Staff

PORTLAND, Ore. — The gunman in the deadly weekend shooting in downtown Portland has died, according to Portland Police. Erik Ayala was 24 years old.

The lone gunman opened fire outside an under-21 nightclub in Portland on Saturday night, killing two girls and wounding seven other people before shooting himself, police said.

The shooting, the worst in Portland’s history, was also an international tragedy. Six foreign exchange students were among the nine victims. More: Worst Portland shootings
Police also revealed Tuesday that the weapon used in the shooting was traced to a pawn shop called the 99 Pawn and Guns shop in Milwaukie, near Ayala’s residence.

Portland Police
They say Ayala purchased the weapon on January 9th, 2009. According to records, Ayala tried to purchase the gun on January 6th but was turned away because he did not have the correct identification. He returned on the 9th with proper ID, police say.

Suspect left note
Portland police released a note that they said Ayala left behind. The note meticulously lists off his bank account information and how his roommate can get top dollar for the game station. “I’m sorry to put all this on you buddy, good luck,” Ayala wrote. He also bequeathed his car and PlayStation 3 to the roommate but explained no motive in what police were describing as a random act of violence. More: Read note to roommate

Police Chief Rosie Sizer said the rampage has rattled Portlanders’ sense of safety and security and “echoes most Europeans’ fear about gun violence.”

“My hope is that people can compartmentalize this,” Sizer added.

Detective Mary Wheat, a police spokeswoman, said the shooting did not appear connected to gangs, and there was no indication the man had a relationship with any of the people he shot in front of The Zone nightclub late Saturday. A stray bullet also hit a man standing outside Kell’s Irish Pub. More: DJ describes scene

Teen victims were celebrating a birthday
The two young women who died were celebrating a friend’s birthday that night. Ashley L. Wilks, 16, from Portland and Marta “Tika” Paz de Noboa, a 17-year-old exchange student from Arequipa, Peru were both killed in the shooting. Wilks was a sophomore at Clackamas High School who planned to study abroad next year in France or Spain. Noboa had been living with a host family in White Salmon, Wash. and attended Columbia High School. More: Profiles of victims

In a letter sent to parents Monday, Principal Malcolm Dennis described Naboa as “a very warm, caring young lady who was always willing to assist and provide guidance to other students going through difficult times.” More: Principal’s letter to parents

Seven people survived the shooting. Of them, Susy De Sousa, an 18-year-old foreign exchange student from Italy, was in the worst condition — critical — at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Her family arrived from Italy and stayed by her side in the hospital. Tuesday, her father told KGW she had 11 exit wounds in her body and it was a miracle she survived. De Sousa also attended Clackamas High School, along with Wilks. “This random act of violence has cut short a young life and threatened another,” Principal Matt Utterback said. “Such a horrific act is impossible to accept or understand.” More: Principal’s letter

One other victim was listed in fair condition. Trista Change, an 18-year-old exchange student from Taiwan, was upgraded to fair condition at Legacy on Tuesday.

Brad Yoast, 44, was listed in stable condition following surgery. He is the general manager of Kell’s Irish Pub and was talking to a security guard outside when he was shot in the stomach by a stray bullet.

Ana Zambrano, an exchange student from Ecuador and Gonzalo Mauricio Vasques Orozco, an exchange student from Guatemala, were both released from Oregon Health and Science University hospital on Tuesday.

Two other victims were taken to area hospitals after the shooting, but no condition reports have been released. They are Anne Sophie Rialland, a 16-year-old exchange student from France attending West Linn High School, and Jalontae Howard, 16, of Gresham. A junior at Centennial High School, Howard said he was shot in the ankle while standing in line outside The Zone nightclub.

“Our hearts and our sympathies, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims’ parents for their loss,” said Scott Bieber, the Youth Protection Officer for the exchange program. “But it just kind of makes it harder to fathom when the whole purpose of this program is to foster peace and goodwill and understanding around the world.”

Investigators retracing gunman’s steps

Wheat said investigators are trying to determine the shooter’s path to the club, but it does not appear he had been inside it or the nearby bar beforehand. Detectives said they believe he parked his car, got out, then started shooting within seconds.

Detective Mark Slater said police found Ayala’s car in downtown Portland, and they used it to identify him. They’ve since searched his home, which is where they found the note as well as a case for the 9 mm semiautomatic gun that police said was used in the shooting.

“To my friends and family: I am sorry. And to my friend: I am especially sorry,” Ayala wrote in the note. “I know it’s not much consolation but as my friend and roommate you are entitled to everything that I own. Maybe these things can bring in a few bucks. Good luck in this sh–ty world. Erik.” More: Profile of suspected gunman

Ayala’s roommate, Mike Delisle, told The Oregonian that Ayala didn’t typically go to dance clubs, did not own a gun and never showed an interest in firearms. “I didn’t see it coming,” he said. Ayala’s family was also blindsided, detective Slater said. “They’re upset. They’re trying to deal with it. Trying to make sense.”

“At first blush, this incident appears to be a random act of violence, of the kind that makes you despair for America,” said Sizer said, describing the shooting as “unprecedented” for the city of Portland.

-So yes, this story has gotten to me.  GRRR!!!

That’s about all I have for now. I’m still hyper. My attention span is extremely short and…

Do you want to know how short my attention span is? I wrote that previous sentence half an hour ago. I started to watch clips on Youtube and now ‘What Would You Do’ on ABC.

:-\ I am presently tired, but I leave you with this:

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