Police act swiftly after gun purchases

[thardey]

We (my dept) don't routinely get gun check information. I'm curious to know how the gun purchases came to be known by the police. Either a friend/family member reported it or the cops went and specifically checked on it after learning that the guy was fired and was acting erratically.

Considering how small our community is, my guess is that someone who knew Pyles "warned" ODOT directly that he had a gun, and they called the police with the information.

Which also makes me think that he wasn't hiding the purchases, but was probably talking openly about his new toys.

And there is nobody so far reporting any kind of erratic behavior.
He was detained only because he bought three "assault weapons."
(Heckler & Koch .45-caliber handgun, a Walther .380-caliber handgun and an AK-47 rifle. All of which are semi-automatic, for the record.)

 

[Cryozombie]

We (my dept) don't routinely get gun check information. I'm curious to know how the gun purchases came to be known by the police. Either a friend/family member reported it or the cops went and specifically checked on it after learning that the guy was fired and was acting erratically.

Dunno about there, but if it was here, everytime you go buy a gun you are run thru the State Police database. If they have a similar check in place, he may have been flagged cuz his boss or coworkers already called him in.

The more I have heard about the case, the less in the wrong the guy sounds, and the more wrong and over reactive the system sounded.

 

[thardey]

More details released from the Police Dept.

On March 4th, Pyles was placed on administrative leave from the Oregon Department of Transportation and escorted by police out of the office building. After being placed on leave, police say Pyles purchased a Heckler & Koch .45-caliber handgun, a Walther .380-caliber handgun and an AK-47 rifle.

The report reveals that Pyles had been disgrunted in his workplace for six months, and co-workers had reported frequent outbursts by Pyles. It goes on to say that after learning of Pyles gun purchases, several ODOT employees left their homes and went to motels.

I'm still trying to find a link to the actual report, if I can.

Maybe everyone involved over-reacted.

 

[Archangel M]

I don't know about "overreacted".

If this guy was enough of a hot-head that the fact that he purchased a gun made employees leave their homes, then there was SOMETHING there. Do you think that the people who ignored such signs and were massacred in a workplace shooting "underreacted"? For all anybody knows this guy COULD have been plotting a killing, but absent evidence or his admitting something that would allow action, what can you do with him??

What do we want people to do? Ignore the signs and cross their fingers or report every suspicious incident and risk what we have here? It's a tough decision, ignore it as a PD and be blamed for "doing nothing" when the worst happens or do this and be labeled as "excessive".

 

[Carol]

I don't know about "overreacted".

If this guy was enough of a hot-head that the fact that he purchased a gun made employees leave their homes, then there was SOMETHING there. Do you think that the people who ignored such signs and were massacred in a workplace shooting "underreacted"? For all anybody knows this guy COULD have been plotting a killing, but absent evidence or his admitting something that would allow action, what can you do with him??

What do we want people to do? Ignore the signs and cross their fingers or report every suspicious incident and risk what we have here? It's a tough decision, ignore it as a PD and be blamed for "doing nothing" when the worst happens or do this and be labeled as "excessive".

How did the other DOT employees know Mr. Disgruntled purchased new guns??????

Dollars to doughnuts, this jackass couldn't take his suspension lying down. He went to the gun shop, bought firearms, then went to work, or at least to the parking lot, and started waving his guns around, or something very similar.

 

[thardey]

I don't know about "overreacted".

If this guy was enough of a hot-head that the fact that he purchased a gun made employees leave their homes, then there was SOMETHING there. Do you think that the people who ignored such signs and were massacred in a workplace shooting "underreacted"? For all anybody knows this guy COULD have been plotting a killing, but absent evidence or his admitting something that would allow action, what can you do with him??

What do we want people to do? Ignore the signs and cross their fingers or report every suspicious incident and risk what we have here? It's a tough decision, ignore it as a PD and be blamed for "doing nothing" when the worst happens or do this and be labeled as "excessive".

I was referring to Pyles -- I had already figured the ODOT, and police had overreacted. And I still do, actually. I mean, sure, take the day off of work, but going to a HOTEL rather than go home? Seriously, I'd feel safer at home. (Of course, I've planned it that way.)

I think everybody overreacting together blew this whole thing way out of proportion.
Pyles overreacted to the suspension, ODOT overreacted to his overreaction, and the police overreacted to ODOT's overreaction!

You overcorrect while driving a car and you roll it. Is it the car's fault? Nope, just a sequence of wrong responses to a situation.

 

[Bruno@MT]

I was referring to Pyles -- I had already figured the ODOT, and police had overreacted. And I still do, actually. I mean, sure, take the day off of work, but going to a HOTEL rather than go home? Seriously, I'd feel safer at home. (Of course, I've planned it that way.)

I think everybody overreacting together blew this whole thing way out of proportion.
Pyles overreacted to the suspension, ODOT overreacted to his overreaction, and the police overreacted to ODOT's overreaction!

You overcorrect while driving a car and you roll it. Is it the car's fault? Nope, just a sequence of wrong responses to a situation.

Yes, but it started with the guy buying the guns upon being suspended.
If he was known for haaving outbursts, and multiple people go to a hotel rather than home, that tells me that there is probably something very wrong with that guy. People don't go to hotels en masse, on their own dime, without a good reason.