Beech Fork Murder- Shooting Range Survival

[hollowdweller]

Fugitives arrested in Columbus
Jun 28, 2008 @ 12:45 AM
By CURTIS JOHNSON
The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, arrested two deserters from the U.S. Army charged with killing a Huntington minister, according to authorities in Columbus and Wayne County.

First-degree murder warrants were filed Friday against both men, Stephen C. Wilson, 19, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Daniel R. Smith, 22, of Newport News, Va. They told a fellow soldier on Sunday they had shot and killed the Rev. Mark McCalla, according to authorities and criminal complaints filed in Wayne County Magistrate Court.

Wilson and Smith most recently were stationed at Fort Drum in New York, but left in recent months, said Wayne County Sheriff David Pennington and Sgt. Travis Williamson.

Both men were considered armed and dangerous. Pennington did not know Friday whether the men had criminal records.

Pennington said the FBI informed him both fugitives are absent without leave from the U.S. Army base. Officials at Fort Drum would not confirm their status, but base spokesman Randolph Murphy said the men belong, or at one time belonged, to Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division. That unit has served time in Iraq.

A lot of things have come down real fast in this case," Pennington said before Friday's capture. "There is a lot of work that has to be done. As I said up front, this is not an easy case."

Criminal complaints state the fugitives had been staying with a fellow soldier, the son of a resident at 32 Idle Acres. Authorities say the three were stationed together at Fort Drum.

The fugitives' friend has not been charged. Neighbors described him as an Iraq War veteran.

Police executed a search warrant Thursday at the Idle Acres residence, as they acted on tips, including information that a man wearing a mohawk haircut was in the area. The investigators confiscated a car with New York tags, about 12 firearms and photographs of the fugitives in possession of weapons, according to information from sheriff's offices in Wayne and Cabell counties.

Sounds like they got them. Maybe these guys were shell shocked or still in combat mode or something

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Or maybe they were just criminals at heart. MILLIONS of American men go through the armed forces and even see war zones and combat, and come home quiet, normal, good citizens, with an aversion to any more of the violence they've seen enough of.

Don't make excuses for them. Their lawyers will be paid to do that.

 

[Mountainman38]

As a fellow minister I resemble that. I'll leave the thoeological debate for elsewhere though. Don't mistake "pastor" for "pacifist".

When I shoot at the stripmine I take my AK with me downrange to set the bowling pins up again. I have thought about this before. IIRC the Mini-14 used in the Miami FBI shootout was taken from a guy shooting at an informal rural range. Mac

That's an awesome mental image -- a pastor out knocking over bowling pins with an AK! Somehow, I can't picture my pastor doing that....

Take care, and God bless in your ministry!

 

[Mountainman38]

Years ago a coworker and I took our sons, then about age 12, shooting. Turned out that the place the co-worker took us was a very large area of abandoned strip pits near Birmingham. While we were shooting, an old station wagon with three guys in it appeared on the pit rim above us and then proceeded down to where we were. I thought it unusual that someone would drive up on another shooting party like that. The guys got out and immediately started asking about our guns, what we had with us and what we were shooting.
My coworker was at the time getting ready to shoot a recently acquired AK-47. One of the guys asked if he could shoot it, and the coworker proceeded to hand a guy he had never seen before his fully loaded AK! I couldn't believe it!

Being a more suspicious type, I suppose, I kept my loaded Ruger .44 mag carbine at hand and moved to a strategic position sitting on the hood of my car, to the right rear of the strangers with my party out of my potential line of fire. They eyeballed me, but did not ask to shoot my carbine, which I would have refused to relenquish anyway.

Nothing came of it, they left shortly thereafter. To this day I don't know if they had mischief in mind or not. I wonder if they ever tell a story of encountering an apparent nut with a .44 mag carbine?

Sounds like VERY good situational awareness on your part. I would have done the same thing.

 

[jdm61]

Sounds like they got them. Maybe these guys were shell shocked or still in combat mode or something

Or maybe these guys committed felony murder (murder done while committing another felony...in this case, grand theft. No premeditation required), which carries a death sentence in a number of states even for the guy who didn't do the shooting:thumbup:

 

[macgregor22]

Or maybe they were just criminals at heart. MILLIONS of American men go through the armed forces and even see war zones and combat, and come home quiet, normal, good citizens, with an aversion to any more of the violence they've seen enough of.

Don't make excuses for them. Their lawyers will be paid to do that.

Well said. :thumbup:

 

[nemoaz]

Take care, and God bless in your ministry!

My pastor LOVED shooting also and usually carried a pistol. He had a CCW. Lotsa bad things happen around churches. Counseling. Divorces. He and his family had been threatened once.

Maybe it's a WV thing. Semper Montani

 

[nemoaz]

Or maybe these guys committed felony murder (murder done while committing another felony...in this case, grand theft. No premeditation required), which carries a death sentence in a number of states even for the guy who didn't do the shooting:thumbup:

WV is not a death sentence state.

 

[Mountainman38]

My pastor LOVED shooting also and usually carried a pistol. He had a CCW. Lotsa bad things happen around churches. Counseling. Divorces. He and his family had been threatened once.

Maybe it's a WV thing. Semper Montani

I hear ya about the churches. One would like to think that a church, where people come to worship God and improve themselves, would be a haven of refuge. Sadly, they are viewed by some as easy targets for theft or assault.

The recent shooting of the madman at a church in Colorado by an armed guard on patrol at the church was truly heart-warming. I believe that the biblical injunction to refrain from killing applies first to letting oneself and loved ones be killed, in which case the attacker has forfeited his/her right to life. I would pray for them, but I would also protect myself and family.

 

[racegunner]

I sometimes shoot at a public unofficial range, but I always bring my rifle with me and a pistol on my belt. I remember seeing a story on TV years ago about a couple killed at such a range for their pistol. I also use Proears so I can hear while silencing the report of my gun. And I never go alone.

 

[dougo83]

I hear ya about the churches. One would like to think that a church, where people come to worship God and improve themselves, would be a haven of refuge. Sadly, they are viewed by some as easy targets for theft or assault.

The recent shooting of the madman at a church in Colorado by an armed guard on patrol at the church was truly heart-warming. I believe that the biblical injunction to refrain from killing applies first to letting oneself and loved ones be killed, in which case the attacker has forfeited his/her right to life. I would pray for them, but I would also protect myself and family.

Sort of...the Biblical command, in Hebrew, means "Do Not Murder" This means killing with malicious intent. Hence why David was praised for killing Goliath, but scorned for killing Uriah, husband of Bathsheba...

 

[Ron53]

I do not buy the "I was shell-shocked" or "suffering from PTSD and that made me commit murder" argument. That's a bunch of crap! As others have said, there are literally millions of folks who have been in combat and do not commit murder...even if they are suffering from the effects of PTSD! These two individuals are just plain scum.

Ron

 

[mkhop]

Or maybe they were just criminals at heart. MILLIONS of American men go through the armed forces and even see war zones and combat, and come home quiet, normal, good citizens, with an aversion to any more of the violence they've seen enough of.

Don't make excuses for them. Their lawyers will be paid to do that.

When the 4th Infantry Division deployed to the middle east crime in Killeen TX and Fort Hood dropped dramaticly over 50%. Criminal investigators are busy as ever on military instalations.

 

[hollowdweller]

I do not buy the "I was shell-shocked" or "suffering from PTSD and that made me commit murder" argument. That's a bunch of crap! As others have said, there are literally millions of folks who have been in combat and do not commit murder...even if they are suffering from the effects of PTSD! These two individuals are just plain scum.

Ron

PTSD wouldnt' make one more likely to kill somebody IMO, and certainly I did not mean to insinuate that that should give anyone a pass on punishment.

It is highly likely as you say the killers were just bad people.

What I actually meant was that for a certain type of person perhaps being in a situation where you can pretty much kill someone with impunity might make them more susceptible to antisocial acts when returned to normal society.