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3 Dead in Shooting at University of Alabama-Huntsville

Updated: 46 minutes ago

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AP

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Feb. 12) - A woman opened fire in a biology faculty meeting at the University of Alabama's Huntsville campus Friday, killing three people and injuring three others, two of them critically, officials said.

The shooter was caught outside the Shelby Center, a science building, without incident, according to university spokesman Ray Garner. He said he could not identify her or the victims. Local media reported the shooter was a faculty member.

Robin Conn, The Huntsville Times / AP

Medical workers take two shooting victims from the Shelby Center on the campus of the University of Alabama-Huntsville to an ambulance on Friday.



No students were involved, Garner said. All three of those killed and two of the injured were faculty members. The third injured person was a staff member.

Huntsville Hospital spokesman Burr Ingram said two of the injured were in critical condition and the third was in stable condition.

Sophomore Erin Johnson told The Huntsville Times a biology faculty meeting was under way when she heard screams coming from the room.

University police secured the building and students were cleared from it.



The Huntsville campus has about 7,500 students in northern Alabama, not far from the Tennessee line. The city is home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

The university posted a message on its Web site Friday afternoon telling students the campus was closed Friday night and all students were encouraged to go home. Counselors were available to speak with students.

It's the second shooting in a week on an area campus. Last Friday, a 14-year-old student was killed in a middle school hallway in nearby Madison, allegedly by a fellow student.

"This town is unaccustomed to shootings and multiple deaths," Garner said.

That may be the most atypical campus killing of all time. It seems not to have been a spree or a high-score game, it seems to have been incandescent fury at not getting professorial tenure.

*Update from 1 minute ago*

Ala. prof accused of killing 3 was denied tenure

Brilliant in her field - (intense focus)

Socially awkward

Emotionally immature

Lacked eye contact during personal conversations

Teaching via reading from text book

Apparently expected students to understand the subject as well as she did (mind blindness)

Shot her brother out of rage previously - mother apparently protected her - perhaps because she knew she was different and somewhat disadvantaged emotionally and socially?

Lack of emotional expression on her face in the photo I saw which was taken after the shooting.

Could Dr. Bishop be a highly sensitive person (Asperger syndrome)? About one in every 5 of us are. This is why guns need to be taken out of our society, if I'm right. I'm betting I am. Shes a dead ringer in my view.

Ahso!;1290242 wrote: Brilliant in her field - (intense focus)

Socially awkward

Emotionally immature

Lacked eye contact during personal conversations

Teaching via reading from text book

Apparently expected students to understand the subject as well as she did (mind blindness)

Shot her brother out of rage previously - mother apparently protected her - perhaps because she knew she was different and somewhat disadvantaged emotionally and socially?

Lack of emotional expression on her face in the photo I saw which was taken after the shooting.

Could Dr. Bishop be a highly sensitive person (Asperger syndrome)? About one in every 5 of us are. This is why guns need to be taken out of our society, if I'm right. I'm betting I am. Shes a dead ringer in my view.


Aspergers is no excuse though, she got that far then she must know right from wrong. I'm stunned at her mother covering things up, what a stupid thing to do

I do agree with your gun comment though.

Betty Boop;1290244 wrote: Aspergers is no excuse though, she got that far then she must know right from wrong. I'm stunned at her mother covering things up, what a stupid thing to do

I do agree with your gun comment though.I'm not offering an excuse, only an explanation...and a warning.

The state of Alabama will most likely do what they do and execute her unless she is found mentally incompetent, which I would think might be a pretty tough sell since Asperger Syndrome is not widely recognized. Then theres the fact that she was so good in her field and had received so much financial support for her and her husbands project and managed a family. Shes probably a dead duck.

While people with Asperger's do understand right from wrong, they are prone in many cases to emotional outbursts and the only way they have of managing the "condition" is to be aware and understand it. And certainly, the availability of guns is a complete disaster within a society where emotional immaturity is so common.

Guns out of your society would be a great thing .

You know what is really sad? I saw this thread yesterday and thought another American school/campus shooting same old same old. I don't need to open the thread.

It's sad that someone from the other side of the world thinks it's common place in America to be shot in a classroom.

You guys really need to do something here.

yes Asho, Aspergers spectrum sufferers do exhibit sudden outbursts and frustrations (but not always, aspergers sufferers tend to display behaviour that they have commonly gotten away with in the past and are emotionally incapable without help to change behaviours.) and it is very rarely a public demonstration. This woman would not be a faculty member if she commonly displayed public outbursts.