Was Edward William Eberle gonna go postal at Wal-Mart?

[Jaded]

http://i27.tinypic.com/2w68c3t.jpg

AUSTIN, Texas — A former Wal-Mart employee was arrested in the crowded store he once worked at, armed with a 9 mm handgun and an "unreasonable amount of ammunition" that police believe he intended to use, according to arrest affidavits.

The wife of Edward William Eberle, 51, called 911 around 3 p.m. Thursday after finding a note he left telling her: "I have chosen a life in prison. ... I'll try to die soon. Please return my library book and walk Cassie," the Austin American-Statesman reported in its online edition Monday.

Eberle also sent a text messages to his sister telling her he loved her but didn't want any visitors or letters, and urging her to turn her television on, according to the affidavits. In a note, he also gave his wife permission to "sell any story you wanna tell."

About two hours after his wife called authorities, police found Eberle in the Wal-Mart, which the affidavit said was teeming with customers and employees.


Police said he had a gun near his chest and an "unreasonable amount of ammunition, leading one to believe that he had the intentions of using the handgun and ammunition he had in his possession."


Eberle was charged with making a terroristic threat and unlawfully carrying a weapon in a place that is licensed to sell alcohol. The felony charges carry up to 10 years in prison each.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354225,00.html

OMG...I laughed so hard over the 'library book'. Ya think he was afraid the library police were gonna come after him??

[lisaznola]

I was thinking the same thing. Hey, I am willing to go nuts in WalMart, kill people, and spend the rest of my life in prison, but I REFUSE to be accused of not returning a library book!
????
I also wondered about the walking the dog comment. Did he think they'd just let the dog crap up the house????

One last question, just how much ammo do you have to carry into a crowded Walmart for it to be considered an "unreasonable amount of ammunition"?

:confused:

[swivel]

I think the book/dog comment wasn't about either task, really. I think it was a way for him to seem normal, like his decision to go kill dozens of people was completely rational, just another chore to check off for the day. It isn't like the dog would never get walked, and he wasn't planning on killing himself (he was looking at prison time), so these are messages he could have conveyed later.

Which makes me think that he was pleading to be not judged, by his wife and the public.

Two quick points: We can never appreciate arrests like this, because we don't see the horrors avoided. Imagine a story on 9/11 about some terrorists arrested and some plot foiled to take down the WTC, Pentagon, and White House with box cutters and basic flight lessons.

Also, Walmart just avoided a massive black eye. The media would have made this guy look like a properly disgruntled employee. We would have heard more pundits talking about what Walmart needs to do to keep their workers happy than we would have heard about the uni-bomber lookalike.

[w8ng4msrgt]

Austin ISD shirt? In a few weeks are we going to find out he was involved with some young children?

[ashdavus]

Walmart sucks without this nutjob's help. I'm glad no one was hurt and he was apprehended before he could use his gun, but Damn...a few bulletholes would be a MAJOR improvement in most Walmart stores. It'd give 'em some character!