March 26, 2006
Day After the Capitol Hill Shooting
The perpetrator of this weekend's tragedy on the Hill is Kyle Huff, 28, of North Seattle, originally Montana, according to Seattle Police. Huff (pictured) had a twin and attended the Art Insitute of Seattle and North Seattle Community College. He delivered pizzas. He was at the "Better Off Undead" party at CHAC until early in the morning when he went to an afterparty at 2112 E. Republican St. He was there for less than an hour before he went out to his pickup truck and picked up a shotgun, a handgun and an ammunition belt. On the way back in to the party he spraypainted "NOW" (?) on the sidewalks outside and then he shot two people on the porch. This is reported everywhere, obviously, because he continued into the house and ended up killing seven, including himself at 7:05am after being confronted by a police officer.
Saturday night a SWAT team decended on Huff's apartment where they found guns, guns, more guns and a hand grenade. Huff's twin lived in the apartment with him and was interviewed but not arrested. We'd certainly like to learn the specifics of that interview, hopefully before we see it in book form sometime circa 2010.
The incident ended when Huff took his own life Satuday morningt, barring the sixth death at Harborview later that day, but we better hold on for a "what does it all mean" storm that has barely begun. Who's to blame now that the shooter's dead? Underage dances, ravers, house partiers, punks, goths (even after the Guardian's recent love letter to them), Seattle, guns; all of these are about to come under fire. The Seattle Times is reporting that the Miller Community Center at 330 19th Ave. E will host an event to discuss the shootings and their aftermath, but we suggest that the venue will probably change to accompany a very large crowd.
Three victims names are known, although none have so far been released by the SPD. Christopher Williamson, Jason Travers and Jeremy Martin were killed. The Seattle Times has more information about them here and here and the P-I has something here.
Photo of Huff from the AP/Seattle Times
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Totally agree that all sorts of external factors, including ravers, goths, the all-ages music scene and anyone in their twenties who throws a house party, will come under fire. Readers of The Stranger's Slog and Forums vehemiently deny it, but it's the truth. Witness Columbine and how school administrators across America went after any group of kids wearing trenchcoats, or any kid wearing trenchcoats for that matter. People lash out by looking for someone to blame, something to ban, something to attack. Trey Parker and Matt Stone created the activist Shiela Brozlowski character on South Park to illustrate this.
In reality, this was just a senseless attack by someone who went crazy, that's all it is and there isn't much you can do about it. No, banning guns doesn't help, because it's like the adage: if you outlaw guns, then only outlaws will have guns. Someone crazy enough to go on a rampage like this will find a way to get their firearms one way or another.
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Just as a reflexive counterpoint to the statement that "banning guns doesn't work," I feel compelled to point out that a) we'd have to have tried it first, and b) gun control and less gun-related homicides do have a correlation in other (not all) countries, and c) is that really a principle you want to endorse? We can only pass laws that we can be sure criminals won't break?
When driving 90 mph is against the law, only outlaws drive 90 mph. And they stand out. As might people with trucks full of ammunition.