2009 Collier Township shooting
Collier Township shooting | |
---|---|
murder-suicide | |
Weapons |
|
Deaths | 4 (including the perpetrator) |
Injured | 9[1] |
Perpetrator | George Sodini |
Motive | Misogyny, Femicide, Revenge for alleged sexual and social rejection, involuntary celibacy |
The Collier Township shooting, also referred to as the Bridgeville LA Fitness shooting, was a
Details
The shooting occurred at a women's aerobics class at the LA Fitness center at approximately 8:15 p.m. The shooter entered the class, placed a duffel bag on the ground, turned off the lights, took out two handguns and began firing, police said. According to police, the gunman fired 52 shots with two
Three women and the gunman died, and about nine other people were injured. The
Perpetrator
George Alfred Sodini (September 30, 1960
On a website registered in his name,[9] Sodini chronicled over a nine-month period his rejections by women and his severe sexual frustration. "Who knows why? I am not ugly or too weird. No sex since July 1990 either (I was 29)", he writes. "Last time I slept all night with a girlfriend it was 1982. Girls and women don't even give me a second look ANYWHERE". About his problems with women, he wrote: "Women just don't like me. There are 30 million desirable women in the US (my estimate) and I cannot find one". In 2008, Sodini posted online videos, in which he discusses his emotions, along with a tour of his home, the latter which was a homework assignment from "a self-help seminar [he] had attended on how to date women".[10]
On August 18, it was revealed that Sodini bequeathed his estate, valued at $225,000, to his alma mater the University of Pittsburgh.[13] A spokesperson for the university stated that it had "no interest in receiving any such distribution" and requested that it go to the victims and the victims' families.[14]
In March 2012, State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. filed a legal motion attempting to preemptively seek exemption from liability under Sodini's $100,000 personal liability policy. Victims of the shooting claim that the insurance company neglected to ensure Sodini got mental health care.[15]
Aftermath
On August 6, 2009, approximately 75 people, including friends, women's rights advocates, clergy members, and local officials, held a vigil at the Pittsburgh City-County Building in downtown Pittsburgh in honor of the shooting's victims.[16] In the aftermath, some feminist groups attributed misogyny and toxic masculinity as a contributing factor.[17]
George Sodini has since widely been discussed online by the incel movement.[18]
See also
- List of rampage killers in the United States
- 2014 Isla Vista killings
- 2018 Tallahassee shooting
- 1989 École Polytechnique massacre
References
- ^ a b c d "4 Dead In Collier Township Gym Shooting; Gunman Kills Self, Officials Say". Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. August 4, 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ^ Barnes, Jonathan (August 5, 2009). "Four shot dead at Pennsylvania gym". Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ^ a b "Gunman in health club shooting a 48-year-old loner". CTVNews-CA. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ George Sodini Posted 2 Web Sites, Online Videos Before Pennsylvania Gym Shooting, ABC News (August 6, 2009)
- ^ a b Tribune-Review, Staff (August 5, 2009). "Gunman kills 3, wounds 9, before killing self at Collier fitness club". Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ^ George Sodini, La Fitness shooter (August 5, 2009)
- Above the Law. Retrieved August 5, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "LA Fitness Shooter Brought Non-Live Grenade On Port Authority Bus – kdka.com". Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
- ^ "George Sodini's Online Diary". Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
- ^ "Pennsylvania gym shooter described as quiet, studious". CNN. August 7, 2009. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Wis. dealer who sold accessories to Pa. shooter also sold guns to Cho". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ "Gun dealer linked to 3 mass shootings closes". Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ Kerlik, Bobby. "Pitt says 'no' to LA Fitness killer's bequest of $225,000". Pittsburgh Live. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ Majors, Dan; Reed Ward, Paula (August 19, 2009). "Two LA Fitness shooting victims sue gunman's estate". post-gazette.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ Paula Reed Ward (March 29, 2012). "Killer's insurance company argues it is not liable". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ^ "Crimes against women decried at vigil for victims of Collier shootings". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ Murray, Jennifer Lynn. "The Mass Killer's Search for Validation through Infamy, Media Attention and Transcendence." The Death and Resurrection of Deviance. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2014. 235-251.
- ^ "Why Are Female Shooters So Rare?". April 6, 2018. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
External links
- George Sodini's Blog: Full Text By Alleged Gym Shooter (at ABC News -website)
- George Sodini's YouTube channel