Vegas shooter who killed 3 was professor who recently applied for job at UNLV

[Wahoo Redux]

I'm pretty sure this guy was over on Reddit and posted some of his psychosis there.  I, along with a number of other people, responded critically to one of his crazy posts, and then it disappeared.  I'm kind of creeped out by that. 

Yikes. Wahoo Redux, do you mind saying which page on Reddit he was posting on?

It was the Zodiac Killer subreddit.  He posted the material from his "paper," which is really quiet extensive and is written like an academic report, albeit somewhat casual in tone, about his "decoding" of one of the Zodiac ciphers.  His explanation was somewhat scattered, very complicated, and did not make a lot of sense.  A number of us challenged him and, I believe, he deleted the post.

I should point out that everyone on Reddit has an avatar, so it is possible that someone else read his paper on LinkedIn and then reposted his material, but whoever posted it was rather vehement in their responses to the other posters.  I am convincing myself that we did not help drive him over the edge (assuming the worst) which, of course, we didn't...still, it is creepy and unsettling.  It is like I touched this sicko's psychosis.

Like a lot of people, I've been following the Zodiac case after seeing the Fincher film in '07.

[fleabite]

I'm still trying to connect with a friend who worked in that building... :(

Bad Wolf,

I hope your friend is okay.

[larix]

All the victims were faculty at UNLV.

Also apparently he kept a list of faculty at UNLV and Eastern Carolina University that he was "seeking"

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/three-victims-in-unlv-shooting-were-faculty-members-officials-say

Given the identities of the victims, that he had been denied a job there, and the conspiracy theory rants I can't help but wonder if this was motivated by anti-DEI feelings.

[Hegemony]

My guess is that it was motivated by anti-everything. The secret world order, the reptilian aliens, the people who had denied him a job, everyone involved in the huge conspiracy that was (supposedly) behind everything that's wrong in the world.

I wonder what happened at East Carolina that meant he left the university in mid-year. And if he was 67 and still seeking teaching jobs, he was hard up for income, as also witnessed by the eviction notice on the door of his apartment.

[Caracal]

My guess is that it was motivated by anti-everything. The secret world order, the reptilian aliens, the people who had denied him a job, everyone involved in the huge conspiracy that was (supposedly) behind everything that's wrong in the world.

I wonder what happened at East Carolina that meant he left the university in mid-year. And if he was 67 and still seeking teaching jobs, he was hard up for income, as also witnessed by the eviction notice on the door of his apartment.

Yeah, this doesn't provide an exact answer about ECU, but it does paint a picture.
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/university-nevada-shooting-suspect-had-ties-north-carolina/44YDHICIPFDW7FWH2AID6CWRIA/

I do think I  know the type-probably most of us do. Weird dude who has these oddly antagonistic relationships with students-whom he always seems to suspect of trying to sabotage him.

[Langue_doc]

How did he last 16 years at East Carolina University?

[jimbogumbo]

How did he last 16 years at East Carolina University?

The publishing bar in terms of quantity isn't that high there. Once tenured, I'm guessing from what students said he was chatty, not a really hard grader and seemed just odd. He also did a ton of service work.

I'm guessing that he left as something went too far. He almost certainly was dinged at UNLV for being in rank that long with few pubs, and I'm guessing also the ECU recs were not great.

[Ruralguy]

Oh, lets be honest here. We all know of some very odd profs who could probably cross the line into insanity, given enough stressors. They operate on the edge of competence. Sometimes they are publishing, sometimes they are teaching OK, and and sometimes they are doing service and getting along, but then enough bad events happen that threads start getting pulled just a bit too much, and too simultaneously.

So, I am quite sure that he was on the radar of more than a few people. Its just that you can get by as weird for two decades before that turns into "bat crap crazy."  Or at least before it becomes enough "bcc" that someone could turn that into a reason for you to be removed from your job.

[Caracal]

How did he last 16 years at East Carolina University?

The publishing bar in terms of quantity isn't that high there. Once tenured, I'm guessing from what students said he was chatty, not a really hard grader and seemed just odd. He also did a ton of service work.

I'm guessing that he left as something went too far. He almost certainly was dinged at UNLV for being in rank that long with few pubs, and I'm guessing also the ECU recs were not great.

The news articles I've seen have said that ECU said he was an assistant Professor, which doesn't really make that much sense? Can you be a non tenure track assistant professor?

[sinenomine]

How did he last 16 years at East Carolina University?

The publishing bar in terms of quantity isn't that high there. Once tenured, I'm guessing from what students said he was chatty, not a really hard grader and seemed just odd. He also did a ton of service work.

I'm guessing that he left as something went too far. He almost certainly was dinged at UNLV for being in rank that long with few pubs, and I'm guessing also the ECU recs were not great.

The news articles I've seen have said that ECU said he was an assistant Professor, which doesn't really make that much sense? Can you be a non tenure track assistant professor?

Yes — my institution has rank but no tenure.

[lightning]

He was 67. That's retirement age. Why in the world would he try to get a job, after 16 years at a public compass point university. Between SS and whatever retirement plan he had at a regional public, it should be enough that he wouldn't need a job at the age of 67.

[Wahoo Redux]

He was 67. That's retirement age. Why in the world would he try to get a job, after 16 years at a public compass point university. Between SS and whatever retirement plan he had at a regional public, it should be enough that he wouldn't need a job at the age of 67.

Whenever one of these shooters survive they give bad explanations for their actions.  They are in such a state of mind that they can't even describe what they were thinking, or their thoughts seem to be so superficial they can provide no real answers.

In his journals, Ethan Crumbly described his desire to hurt his classmates and hear their screams, and he explained that he was hearing voices.  He seemed to have very typically adolescent angst and anger at his parents, and he wrote things like "I will have never maken (sic) a impact in this world. The ONLY way is to shoot up the school" and "I sometimes regret about doing the shooting. If I don't though, then what is there for me?"

He tortured animals and was "withdrawn" at school.  His homelife was awful, apparently, and his parents were dicks, but that is nothing unusual.

So why would this 15 year old kid kill his classmates for fun?

There's not a good answer.

[Ruralguy]

15 years in an untenured position in NC might get you *some* money in a retirement plan, or maybe modest state pension, but that and SS wouldn't be so great. Livable in some parts of North Carolina. Not livable in Henderson. So, why on Earth did he move to Nevada? Maybe its similar to stalking? He thought he was entitled to the job, so he moved there. Then he went after folks who slighted him (or were in the way when he was looking for people who slighted him).

It just seems odd, but without anything written we know of (though I suspect some ranting emails will come to light) , we may never know. And as others have just said, even if he were around to tell us, its not as though he'd definitely be insightful. Maybe. Maybe not.

[Hegemony]

He was 67. That's retirement age. Why in the world would he try to get a job, after 16 years at a public compass point university. Between SS and whatever retirement plan he had at a regional public, it should be enough that he wouldn't need a job at the age of 67.

Only thirteen years at a job that probably didn't pay all that well would not be enough to take one comfortably into retirement, I would think. I'd guess he went for an academic job because that's the thing he could do. It's unclear what he did for the six (?) years between his last job ending and this year. Maybe used up his savings. He sounds as if he was not that good at handling life, and his thinking was not that balanced, and he was getting desperate, so you have it. Many men in our culture externalize their fear and despair into violence.

[Ruralguy]

Its not just violence, but clearly he was under some sort of paranoid delusion. Or it could be a simple as applying for a job, not getting it, and then he just got pissed off that he didn't get it, regardless of how little he was really ever seriously considered. Still, even that seems to have some element of delusion.