2008 Woodie Awards
Shooting Scare at St. John's University
Ashley Studley
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A man was arrested for walking around St. John's University campus with a loaded gun last week.
The gunman went around the campus wearing a George W. Bush costume mask, holding a .50 caliber rifle loaded with a single bullet last Wed. afternoon.
Student Omesh Hiraman, 22, was arrested later that night, and is being charged with a misdemeanor of "criminal possession of a loaded weapon." (cbsnews.com)
Chris Benson, a fellow student at St. John's, spotted the gunman and followed him.
As a cadet of the New York Police Department, Benson used his training to follow the gunman, and wrestle away the rifle. After disarming the suspect, Benson then "pushed him against the wall, removed the mask and his hood, and asked if he had any other weapons." (cbsnews.com)
After having back surgery, the suspect's father, Pat Hiraman, says that his son has been heavily medicated as of late. "Our son has always been a good boy and has never been in any sort of trouble," he reported to Fox news.
"He changed after 9/11 and went downhill. It's not Columbine. It's not Virginia Tech. This is something that goes on every day on the streets of America, someone who is mentally ill and needs help," stated Hiraman's lawyer. Hiraman is also claiming to suffer from schizophrenia, and told police that he had not been taking his medication recently.
Hiramen reported to police that he had loaded the gun at his family's home in East Elmhurst, and then took a cab to the school. Police later discovered multiple rounds of ammunition in the house. Officials have also seized Hiraman's computer in hopes of finding a motive.
Hiraman was arraigned last Fri. from Bellevue Hospital where Newsday reports he is undergoing psychiatric evaluations. It has not yet been determined if Hiraman's mental state will allow him to stand on trial.
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