Western Psych carnage reduced thanks to Pittsburgh's terrible cab service (York: apartments, neighborhoods)

[airwave09]

Western Psych carnage was nearly 'much worse' - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

John Shick packed into a pair of carrying bags the tools of what he hoped would be carnage at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic -- Molotov cocktails, triage bandages, incendiary materials and homemade explosive triggers. Then, he called a cab.


It was 1:14 p.m. on March 8, about 30 minutes before he walked through the doors of the clinic and shot six people, killing one.


But Yellow Cab called him back three minutes later and told him no driver was available. He would have to ditch his weapons-filled bags in his unit at the Royal York Apartments and make the 20-minute walk to the clinic on foot.


"If he had obtained a cab he would have brought those devices down there," Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Wednesday, offering the first detailed account of how the rampage began and ended. "It would have been much, much, much worse."

I never thought I would see the day when Pittsburgh's crappy cab service could be considered a good thing. This would obviously qualify though. So I guess the group that's against improved cab service in the city (are there any?) will have some real "ammo" now.

Having horrible cab service in Pittsburgh saves lives!!!

[Copanut]

Just a tad insensitive, don't you think?

[airwave09]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Just a tad insensitive, don't you think?

eh, half of the threads on here are pointless arguments so no, not really.

[Copanut]

Pointless, maybe, but not ignorant.

[Velvet Jones]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Pointless, maybe, but not ignorant.

I don't know. WPXI's led with this story, and basically had the same slant on it.

I really scratch my head at some of the comments regarding this incident. People have been complaining about the lack of medal detectors and how "they would have prevented this tragedy". How? Do these people think that metal detectors somehow prevent weapons from entering the building? Metal detectors are great for stopping someone who is trying to covertly enter a building and keep their weapons undetected, but when you have a lunatic who comes walking in the door, pulls out a gun, and starts shooting the little buzzer going off isn't going to do a whole lot of good. The only change in the outcome is he would have shot the guard at the metal detector first, then moved on.