Eaton Township Weis Markets shooting
Eaton Township Weis Markets shooting | |
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pump-action shotguns | |
Deaths | 4 (including the perpetrator) |
Perpetrator | Randy Robert Stair |
Motive | Belief that he would be reborn as an animated female ghost from Danny Phantom |
In the early hours on the morning of June 8, 2017, employees at a
Shooting
Randy Stair, 24, arrived for his late-night shift at
Stair then went back to the crew area in the rear of the store, blocked the remaining exits, then locked the
After this, Stair proceeded to fire at a glass and other merchandise in the store and shot multiple small portable
After a short time, Stair concluded his shooting of the store's contents. Stair then went to the deli section of the store, and shot another group of items. Whilst Newell was on the phone to the police, Stair placed the loaded shotgun in his mouth and fired a single round through his
Victims
All three were employed by Weis Markets.
- Victoria Brong, aged 25, assistant tag manager for Weis Markets.[8]
- Brian Hayes, aged 47, night manager for Weis Markets and United States Navy veteran.[9]
- Terry Lee Sterling, aged 63, shop assistant for Weis Markets.
Perpetrator
Randy Stair | |
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Born | Randy Robert Stair September 17, 1992 Eaton Township, Pennsylvania |
Other names | Andrew Blaze |
Occupation | Former Weis Markets employee |
Parents |
|
Relatives | Jeremy Stair (brother) |
Motive | Belief he would be reincarnated as an animated female ghost based upon Ember McLain from Danny Phantom |
Details | |
Victims | 3 |
Target(s) | Employees at Weis Markets |
Weapons | Two pistol gripped Mossberg 500 |
Randy Robert Stair (September 17, 1992 – June 8, 2017), who called himself Andrew Blaze, was an American grocery store clerk, and the sole perpetrator of the killings. Stair had been employed at Weis Markets for 7 years.
Prior to carrying out his rampage, he kept detailed video recordings and journals leading up to the shooting, most of which he uploaded to online forums and social media profiles. In these writings and videos, he expressed his willingness to commit suicide, addressed the personal tragedies and other misfortunes he experienced which led him to a state of depression, a fear of aging past his 20s, described cross-dressing and questioning his gender identity, provided detailed explanations of his plans for carrying out the shooting, and explained his belief that these murders would allow him to cross over to an animated world he had imagined. Stair also had a fascination with multiple mass shootings, especially school shootings (particularly the Columbine High School massacre and Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, its perpetrators). In his writings, Stair called the Columbine shooters his heroes, wishing he could have met them, and said Harris was his idol out of the two boys.[10][11][12]
From 2007, Stair had a presence on
On the evening of June 7, 2017, Stair uploaded a final video titled "The Westborough High Massacre" hours before perpetrating the shooting. In it, he described his hatred towards the people involved with the series through an angry prologue. It then featured a crudely animated sequence depicting him and one of the characters from EGS murdering students at a fictional high school, before ending with montages of previous videos explaining the motives behind the shooting.[14] He also managed nine Twitter accounts based on his characters, where he left links to journals and videos he uploaded on MediaFire.[15] He was living in nearby Dallas, Pennsylvania, with his parents and had lived in Pennsylvania all of his life.[16]
Aftermath and reactions
The shooting did not receive much attention outside of local news outlets, but multiple Pennsylvania public leaders expressed their sadness and condemned the shooter's actions. Nevertheless, in reaction to the shooting, the Weis Markets store closed until July 13.[17] A Weis Markets spokesperson said, "We are deeply saddened by the events of this morning. The safety of our associates, our customers, and the surrounding community is our top priority."[18]
Becki Hayes, the sister-in-law of victim Brian Hayes, set up a GoFundMe campaign to pay for immediate expenses. Hayes was also featured on Nancy Grace's podcast Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.[19]
Store reopening and response
On June 14, 2017, Weis Markets announced the store would be reopened.[20] The original storefront stayed intact, but the interior was gutted and remodeled with a new floor layout. On July 13, 2017, the store was reopened.[21]
Many people who lived in the area questioned why Weis decided not to relocate the store. In an interview with
Stair's father response
Stair's father commented "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families", and added "We are so sorry for all the pain and loss of life this has caused everyone involved".[23]
See also
Similar shootings
Related lists and articles
- List of mass shootings in the United States
- List of workplace killings by number of victims
- Mass shootings in the United States
- Gun violence in the United States
- Workplace violence
- Workplace aggression
- Workplace conflict
References
- ^ "Victims, Shooter Identified in Weis Markets Murder-Suicide". WNEP.com. 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- syracuse.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- Motherboard. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Heavy.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ "4 dead in murder-suicide at Pennsylvania supermarket". 8 June 2017.
- ^ Kohut, Joseph (June 10, 2017). "Witness describes supermarket shooting in Wyoming County". The Times-Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- Daily News. New York City: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ "Four dead in shooting in Pennsylvania supermarket". CBS News. Associated Press. June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Berkeley, Tapinto (June 12, 2017). "A GoFundMe Campaign is Accepting Donations for Family of Brian Hayes, Killed in the Grocery Store Massacre". TAPinto. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ "Supermarket Killer Posted Video Describing Plan". US News. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ Innis, Jamie. "Weis Markets shooter leaves behind videos of plans". WOLF. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ^ Tanos, Lorenzo. "The Bizarre Reasons This Youtuber Went on a Deadly Rampage". Grunge. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ Tanos, Lorenzo (2021-10-19). "The Bizarre Reasons This YouTuber Went On A Deadly Rampage". Grunge. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
- ^ Scolforo, Mark; De Groot, Kristen (June 8, 2017). "Supermarket massacre shooter left chilling online trail". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2017-06-18. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Singleton, David (June 10, 2017). "Gunman's web posts suggest disconnect with the real world". Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Becker, Dave (2017-06-09). "Four dead in Weis Market shooting". PAHOMEPAGE. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ^ Marshall, C.J. (June 28, 2017). "County: Weis expected to re-open July 13". Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "Weis Markets issues statement about shooting |". wkok.com. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ^ Duke, Alan (June 15, 2017). "Weis Supermarket massacre victim's family needs your help! Desert Storm vet's death robs family of father, husband". Crime Online. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "Weis Markets set to reopen after deadly shooting". WNEP.com. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "Mixed feelings on supermarket reopening after mass shooting". Associated Press. July 9, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-07-12. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ "Community reacts to Weis reopening after shooting". WNEP.com. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ Leader, Times (2017-06-09). "Stair family expresses condolences for triple murder-suicide". Times Leader. Retrieved 2024-01-06.