Images tell terror of IHOP shooting scene

Images tell terror of IHOP shooting scene
By Sandra Chereb - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 5, 2011 16:55:06 EDT
CARSON CITY, Nev. — It was a terrifying sequence of events captured on surveillance cameras as a gunman sprayed the parking lot of a Carson City IHOP with a barrage of bullets before storming into the restaurant with an assault rifle, killing four people.

The video from the Sept. 6 assault that shook Nevada’s capital city was a snippet of a 4-minute presentation that was shown this week at a meeting of the Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association in Las Vegas.

A camera at a casino across the street from the IHOP shows Eduardo Sencion running through the parking lot, firing bullets in rapid bursts. At one point, the 32-year-old shoots at a woman standing by a motorcycle at close range.

Authorities said the woman was saved by her helmet.

The video was first reported by the Nevada Appeal. The Associated Press obtained a copy Friday.

Crime scene photos included with the presentation detailed the horrors inside the restaurant, from a bullet hole in a glass partition to carpet stained with the victims’ blood. The presentation’s audio conveyed witnesses’ frantic calls to 911.

The video shows Sencion shuffling around cars in the parking lot as he repeatedly squeezes the trigger of his AK47, which had been illegally converted into a fully automatic weapon.
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Carson City seeks solace after IHOP shooting

Carson City seeks solace after IHOP shooting
By Sandra Chereb - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 10, 2011 13:08:42 EDT

SANDRA CHEREB / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Pat Fike adds a bouquet to a memorial outside the IHOP restaurant in Carson City, Nev., for victims of a shooting that left five people dead, including the gunman, and seven injured.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — From outward appearances, Carson City is returning to normalcy after eight minutes of terror at a family restaurant that left five people dead and seven wounded.

But the emotional wounds are raw and will take much longer, if ever, to completely heal.

There is sadness, anger, grief and the unanswered question of why Eduardo Sencion — described as a quiet, friendly man who worked at his family’s market — stormed an IHOP restaurant with an assault rifle Tuesday, gunning down 11 people before taking his own life in the parking lot.

Four people in the restaurant were killed, including three uniformed members of the Nevada National Guard and a woman from South Lake Tahoe who was having breakfast with her husband.
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Profiles of Nevada Shooting Victims

Profiles of Nevada Shooting Victims
September 08, 2011
Associated Press
CARSON CITY, Nev. - Before the breakfast-time massacre killed three National Guard members and sent tremors of fear through Nevada's state capital, Sgt. 1st Class Miranda McElhiney drew a happy face on a poster board outside her office door and wrote her last message to the world: "staff meeting. Will return by 11:00."

She never returned. What should have been a routine gathering over pancakes and eggs at an IHOP Tuesday morning ended in panic, terror and death when a gunman burst into the Carson City restaurant and released a blaze of bullets that struck every uniformed Guard member in the dining room. A patron was also killed before the attacker fatally shot himself in the head.

Among the four people killed by the gunman in the still-unexplained shooting was an Iraq War veteran who loved military history, a Navy crewman who had served in Afghanistan and a devoted grandmother who crocheted blankets for every pregnant woman in her life.

"This is unquestionably the most devastating attack in Carson City's history," Sheriff Kenny Furlong said on Wednesday. "Yesterday our town was shocked to the core."

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Guardsmen killed in Nevada IHOP served in Iraq, Afghanistan

Guardsmen killed in NV served in Iraq, Afghanistan
SANDRA CHEREB, Associated Press
Updated 03:29 p.m., Wednesday, September 7, 2011

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Dozens of 911 calls made from in and around a Nevada IHOP detail a frantic scene as witnesses describe the shooter and dispatchers tried figure out if more than one person was involved in the rampage that killed four and wounded seven.

Callers describe victims gunned down inside the restaurant on tapes released Wednesday; the sheriff's office said those killed included two National Guard members who served overseas.

"In the IHOP! In the IHOP!" one caller said. "Now he's coming back out with a gun shooting people in the parking lot!"

The attack by lone gunman Eduardo Sencion, aka Eduardo Perez Gonzalez, left four dead and seven injured. Sencion also killed himself.

The dead included three Nevada National Guard members, identified Wednesday as:

Sgt. 1st Class Christian Riege, 38, of Carson City;

Major Heath Kelly, 35, of Reno; and

Sgt. 1st Class Miranda McElhiney, 31, of Reno.

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Three Nevada National Guardsmen killed at IHOP

As with the Fort Hood shootings, if they do not address this with crisis intervention right now, there will be many problems afterwards among the National Guardsmen. The plain truth is, when they are deployed into combat, they know the risk involved but when they are home, there isn't supposed to be any risk to their lives here. This is where they live, where their families live. To have this happen at an IHOP leaves them wondering where "safe" is.

5 dead, including gunman, at Nevada IHOP
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 7, 2011 1:42 a.m. EDT

Steven Martin, a witness, told CNN Reno affiliate KRNV that he ran to see if he could help after he heard the shots. "There was blood everywhere; broken glass everywhere. It was just a war zone down there," he said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
In all, 11 people are shot
Of them, three National Guard members and a civilian are killed
Witness: "It was just a war zone down there"
The suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities say
Read more about this story from CNN affiliate KRNV.
(CNN) -- The death toll from a shooting at a Nevada IHOP restaurant has risen to four, officials said early Wednesday morning.
A gunman carrying a variant of an AK-47 rifle opened fire on uniformed Nevada National Guard members as they were having breakfast at the Carson City restaurant Tuesday morning.
In all, 11 people were shot.
Of them, one civilian was killed as were two National Guard members. Another National Guard member, who was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery, later died -- bringing the toll to four, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.
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Nevada National Guardsmen shot at IHOP leaving 2 dead

UPDATES
Three Nevada National Guardsmen killed

Gunman kills 3, wounds 6 at Nevada IHOP
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 6, 2011 4:27 p.m. EDT
Three shot and killed at Nevada IHOP
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Two of the dead were members of the Nevada National Guard, official says
The suspect was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and is not expected to survive
Two people were found dead at the scene; a third died during surgery
Police decline to identify the shooting suspect
(CNN) -- A gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Carson City, Nevada, IHOP restaurant, killing three people and wounding six others before turning the gun on himself, police said.
The suspected gunman is not expected to survive, said Sheriff Ken Furlong of the Carson City Sheriff's Office.
The shooting began shortly before 9 a.m., according to Furlong. When authorities arrived, those who called in the incident identified the shooting suspect as a man lying wounded in the parking lot.
Two victims were found dead at the scene, and seven others were taken to a hospital for emergency surgery. One of the wounded died during surgery, Furlong said. He did not know which hospital was treating the suspect.
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2 guardsmen killed in Nevada IHOP shooting
By Sandra Chereb - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Sep 6, 2011 17:00:30 EDT
CARSON CITY, Nev. — An official says five of the nine people who were shot by a gunman at an IHOP restaurant were members of the Nevada National Guard.

Nevada National Guard spokeswoman April Conway says all five uniformed Guard members who were in the restaurant at the time were shot. Two have died — one man and one woman.

Conway also says there’s no indication the shooter had any connection with the Guard. The restaurant is about four miles from the Guard’s headquarters complex.
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Documentary profiles Nevada National Guard

Documentary profiles Nevada National Guard

Posted: Jul 16, 2011
Posted By Kevin Bolinger, Reporter

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
A Nevada filmmaker is showcasing his documentary on the Nevada National Guard's tour of duty in Afghanistan at the Las Vegas Film Festival.

"Hooligans at War" chronicles one month of the Nevada soldier's lives during their 2009 deployment.

Filmmaker Tyler Elliott self-financed the project and went through eight months of red tape just to be cleared to be imbedded with the Wildhorse Squadron.

"I got a variety of missions," Elliott said. "Every day was something different. Firefights, IED's, rocket attacks, suicide bombers and besides the whole combat thing there was a lot of down time. So I got them hanging around the base, goofing off, doing humanitarian missions, routine patrols. So it's a well rounded film."
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Documentary profiles Nevada National Guard

Nevada’s mental health courts are in serious jeopardy

Nevada’s mental health courts are in serious jeopardy

You can tell Clark County’s mental health court sessions on Thursday afternoons are informal because the judge stands behind a lectern in street clothes, and there isn’t a phalanx of high-priced attorneys to be found.

But dealing with adult criminal offenders who suffer from bipolar disorders or schizophrenia is still serious business. During last week’s hourlong session, District Judge Jackie Glass reviewed 28 cases in rapid succession. Among them were jail detainees in restraints seeking admission to the court’s mental health care program and others who live in transitional housing or with relatives who updated the judge on their progress with drug treatment and community service.

One young man skipped a therapy session at church, claiming he was sick and fell asleep, but he was admonished by Glass: “We don’t think you’re invested in your treatment and we have concerns about that.” He was led away in handcuffs, ordered to spend 24 hours in jail.

Another offender appeared before the judge and admitted he wasn’t taking his medication, including insulin. So Glass donned her overcoat, telling him she was wearing a judge’s robe, and said: “If I order you to take your medication, will you take it?” He nodded affirmatively and returned to his seat.

Mental health court has kept mentally ill individuals out of jails and emergency rooms after committing crimes ranging from petty larceny to assault, but it could vanish July 1. That’s because Gov. Brian Sandoval’s call for shared sacrifice to help solve the state’s budget deficit would kill Clark County’s mental health court and others in Washoe and Carson City counties, judges and mental health advocates say.

They argue that Sandoval’s proposal to make the counties, rather than the state, fund mental health courts won’t work because the counties are strapped for money.

Among those leading the outcry is Glass, who helped start Clark County’s mental health court in 2003 after it received seed money through a federal grant. Since the court was established 107 participants have graduated from the program.

“It’s a shame that the governor didn’t put that funding in the budget,” Glass said. “The individuals who would be helped will have a very difficult time receiving treatment.”
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Nevada’s mental health courts are in serious jeopardy

Afghanistan veteran, deputy sheriff killed second day back on the job

Nevada deputy sheriff shot and killed in domestic dispute 60 miles west of Las Vegas

By Associated Press

April 26, 2010 11:53 p.m.


PAHRUMP, Nev. (AP) — A deputy sheriff who was shot Monday while responding to a domestic disturbance report about 60 miles west of Las Vegas has died.

The Nye County Sheriff’s Office says when deputies arrived at Terrible's Lakeside RV Resort in Pahrump, the suspect pulled a rifle out of his vehicle and opened fire without warning. The officers returned fire and killed the suspect.

The sheriff's office says one of the deputies was shot several times and was taken to a Las Vegas hospital, where he underwent surgery but died.

His name and that of the suspect were not released.

Nye County Sheriff Anthony DeMeo told KLAS-TV that the deputy was 27 years old, had recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and it was his second day back.
Nevada deputy sheriff shot and killed

Montana pilot killed in firefighting tanker crash

Montana pilot killed in firefighting tanker crash
By The Associated Press - 08/22/09
MISSOULA (AP) — A Missoula-area pilot died in an air tanker crash near Reno, Nev.

The pilot was identified as Dave Jamsa by an official with Minuteman Aerial Applications, which owned the single-engine Air Tractor 802 that crashed Thursday.

“He was trying to make his drop when he crashed,” Minuteman director of operations Forest Gue told the Missoulian newspaper in a story published Friday. “We’re doing everything we can to find out why it happened.”

The plane went down about 125 miles northeast of Reno while crews battled the Hoyt fire, which has burned about 2,000 acres, or 3.1 square miles, and was about 5 percent contained.

Jamsa had worked at Minuteman for four years and is survived by his wife and four children.
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Montana pilot killed in firefighting tanker crash

Veterans' Court On the Way to Reno

Veterans' Court On the Way
KOLO - Reno,NV,USA

Reno
Posted: 9:24 PM Jul 2, 2009
Last Updated: 4:04 AM Jul 3, 2009
Reporter: Terri Russell


According to the specialty court judge, Veterans court will be run much like drug court.

For those entering drug court for the first time, he has this advice.

“Show up, tell the truth, don't makes excuses,” says Judge Peter Breen.

Judge Breen has been presiding over drug court for about 13-years now.
He says he can see between 60 to 80 defendants in drug court

“A person is put on probation. The judge never sees the defendant again until or unless they have big infraction and they maybe have to go to prison. This court provides immediate and frequent accountability,” says Judge Breen.

While the court does give these defendants another option to work their way through the judicial system, that does not mean it is a cake walk.

Defendants who do not work the program, fail a urine test, or don't show up to court, face time in jail. And that's pretty much how the Veterans Court would be run. Like drug court, there will be rehab options for vets who find themselves on the wrong side of the law. But resources unique to the vet will be available too, like services though the Veterans Administration or the veterans hospital. Judge Breen says it's been his experience most veterans don't identify themselves when in front of him or other judges, and he hopes Veterans Court will change that.

“I think it is great because it’s another alternative other than prison or jail and stuff like that,” says Mark Ross and Veteran.

Terry Dingman, another Veteran says, “I think it's a great idea. They should be doing more for the veterans anyway”

Judge Breen says he expects the court to start up in two to three months.
He's already getting inquiries from other judges and attorneys about Veterans court and defendants who could benefit from such a program.

Judge Breen expects to see 50 Veterans within the first 7 months of Veterans Court operation.

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Veterans Court On the Way

A family's sacrifice: Three brothers sent to war

A family's sacrifice: Three brothers sent to war
By Thom Patterson
CNN
Story Highlights
It's unusual: Three brothers serve in same Georgia National Guard company

Another three brothers from Washington state also serve in Afghan war

Two mothers open up about the stress of having three sons in harm's way

Nevada Army National Guard unit has nine sets of brothers serving in Afghanistan


Huddling in a parking lot outside a motel near Camp Shelby, Mississippi, the Callaway family members hold on to what they value most: their faith and each other. Mark and Karmen Callaway clutched their three soldier sons before sending them off to Afghanistan. "I know that people lose their children every day," said Karmen Callaway. "A fear that I have is that something will happen to all three of them." full story

Veterans court endorsed by Nevada Assembly

Veterans court endorsed by Nevada Assembly

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON CITY — The Nevada Assembly voted unanimously Tuesday for a plan to set up a specialized court for military veterans charged with nonviolent crimes while struggling to readjust to civilian life.

AB187, sent by the Judiciary Committee to the full Assembly, would authorize a specialty court that would handle cases of veterans charged with such crimes and who suffer from mental or substance abuse problems stemming from their military service.
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http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/41382727.html

THE WAR BACK HOME: COMBAT'S 'INVISIBLE WOUNDS'

THE WAR BACK HOME: COMBAT'S 'INVISIBLE WOUNDS'
Las Vegas Review - Journal - Las Vegas,NV,USA


Veterans are returning to Nevada in need of help for mental problems

By ALAN MAIMON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
This is the first in a four-part series.

TODAY: Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan routinely overcome horrid wounds and loss of limb, but equally formidable foes are the mental effects of head injuries, constant or repeated exposure to danger and making decisions of awesome consequence.


NEXT SUNDAY: When an American dies in combat, the warrior's loss leaves a hole in American hearts.

More than 30 surgeries have helped fix what a roadside bomb in Iraq did to Senior Airman Brandon Byers' body, but nothing can erase the anger, paranoia and flashbacks that sometimes haunt his mind.

His physical recovery from the near-death experience in October 2006 has been difficult.

So has his fight to heal his mental wounds from the battlefield.

"There have been times since I've been back that I didn't want to walk down the street because I was afraid somebody was going to get me," said Byers, who lives with his wife and two children on Nellis Air Force Base. "But I'm not the only one having a hard time, a bad day, or every now and then, a mental breakdown."

Other Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans interviewed by the Review-Journal tell similar accounts of the realities of post-traumatic stress disorder, the psychological offshoot of a life-threatening or traumatic event.

A report earlier this year by the Rand Corp., a nonpartisan think tank, estimates that up to 300,000 recently returned veterans have PTSD or major depression. The report said that only about a quarter of veterans diagnosed with mental health conditions are getting minimally adequate care.

The symptoms of severe PTSD, including extreme anger, flashbacks to a traumatic event, hypervigilant behavior and sleeplessness, can be debilitating and deadly.

Joseph Perez, a Nevada National Guardsman injured during a prison riot in Iraq in 2003, said he became so distraught after his tour that he self-medicated with vodka and painkillers and twice attempted suicide.

"If it'll help somebody else, then I don't mind talking about it," said Perez, a husband and father of three daughters from Logandale, about 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

Nationally, nearly 84,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD, said Dr. Antonette Zeiss, deputy chief of mental health services for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Medicaid cuts: Providers close doors to poor

During the two year presidential campaign, we heard a lot of speeches, but more we heard a lot of reasons why people were voting for McCain/Palin. "Socialized medicine" was one of the reasons along with "they want to give my money away" but the people who complained the loudest must have never been touched by something like this, faced loosing everything because they got sick or were too poor to be taken care of. The same people would also claim that they are "Christian" and vote on "morals and family values" without thinking of how these two things are against each other.

We know what Christ had to say about taking care of the poor, needy, ill, young, elderly and how we were supposed to treat others the way we want to be treated. Would Christ approve of this? I hardly think so.

When supporters of McCain made statements about the way tax money is spent, how is it that they found nothing wrong with tax money being given to corporations with tax cuts? How is it that they found nothing wrong with getting accountability from the government on how our money is being used? Did they ever consider their money was in fact feeding the rich while ignoring the poor? Millions of families across this country are one paycheck away from being homeless. When people lose their jobs, they lose their healthcare. They worked. They worked hard and tried to do the best they could, then ended up suffering thru no fault of their own. Do the others ever think of what it would be like if it was their job? Their family? No, they take it for granted that they deserve their jobs and their incomes, but others did not. Doesn't matter to them the state of others.

So here's a short story of what happens next. In January I lost my job. I took a part time job working for a Church as the Administrator of Christian Education. I only wanted to work part-time so that I could work with veterans more hours. I had to work (and I still do) but even though I was good at my job, dedicated and loved what I did, I had no control over the budget. My two year joy of a job was gone and the position was eliminated. Working for a Church, they didn't pay into the unemployment system. I didn't even get unemployment checks. My family has been suffering ever since. Now, do I stop helping veterans with PTSD who are suffering more, dump all the hours and go to work at Wal-Mart, that seems to be the only company hiring, so that I can be viewed as "hard working" in their eyes? Isn't 16 hours a day enough? The only difference is I don't get a pay check. I brought home paychecks since I was 14. But that's not the worst.

My brother also got laid off. Less than a week later, he passed away of a massive heart attack at the age of 56. He worked his whole life, went to college to become an engineer and built buildings in New England. He had an expensive house in an executive area and earned every dime of his pay. He died on October 9th and I flew back home to bury him. What did he do wrong? What did he do to be ashamed of? Nothing. He did everything we're supposed to do. So did I but others in this country are under some delusion if you are not working, you did something wrong or you want to suck off the system and "live off their money" instead of working.

Keep all of this in mind as you read the following story. Then open your eyes as well as your heart.

Providers close doors to poor
Medicaid cuts leave no choice, says doctors, hospitals
By Marshall Allen

Sun, Nov 16, 2008
Budget cuts in the state’s Medicaid program are forcing a major shift in where Nevada’s poor can seek health care.

Cancer patients who had received outpatient treatment at University Medical Center, for instance, will have to seek treatment at other hospitals and clinics because UMC, citing reductions in Medicaid payments, says it can no longer afford to offer cancer treatment.

Low-income children with bone and spine problems may need to leave Las Vegas altogether for treatment, because pediatric orthopedists are no longer accepting payment from Medicaid because of cutbacks to their reimbursements.

And on Tuesday, UMC administrators will tell Clark County commissioners what treatments and programs they may need to drop because Medicaid payments don’t cover the hospital’s costs, and the hospital can’t afford to go in the hole.

Indeed, the Nevada State Medical Association said other pediatric specialists may also stop taking Medicaid patients because the government reimbursements don’t cover the cost of delivering the care.

“I really feel we’re heading for a precipice and I think somebody needs to be candid about this,” said Dr. Carl Heard, chief executive of Nevada Health Centers, a nonprofit organization that operates clinics for low-income patients. “I just don’t know that we’ve seen a path to follow or that the leadership is stepping up to fill the void.”
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http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/16/medicaid-cuts-hitting-poor/
Linked from RawStory

61 Year Old Dr. Willilam Krissoff enlisted after son's death

Orthopedic Surgeons Treat ‘Signature’ War Wounds In IraqBy MedHeadlines • Mar 6th, 2008 • Category: Lifestyle, Odd MedNews, Orthopedics, Surgery
After learning that his 25-year-old son had been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, Dr. William Krissoff left his orthopedic practice in Nevada and signed up with the Navy Medical Corp Reserves. The 61 year old surgeon is part of a growing number of orthopedic surgeons who are committed to going to Iraq to help treat the devastating musculoskeletal injuries that have become the “signature” wounds in the war.

In a report presented Wednesday at the 75th Annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Dr. Kissoff and his colleagues described the unique challenges posed by the injuries in this war. “Modern war produces devastating high energy wounds,” explained Dr. D.C. Covey, chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Naval Medical Center in San Diego. “Whether due to rocket propelled grenades, bombs or improvised explosive devices, the wounds are extremely challenging to treat.”

Due to improvements in body armor which safeguard the head and torso, military orthopedic surgeons are seeing a group of extremity wounds that were not frequently seen in soldiers from previous conflicts. Seven out of ten people who sustain battlefield injuries suffer from musculoskeletal trauma.

“The field of regenerative medicine offers great potential to improve the treatment of patients with severe war injuries,” said Dr. Covey. Military orthopedic surgeons agree that additional research and resources are needed to further advance orthopedic care for the severely injured to improve their chances of living a full life.

Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

http://medheadlines.com/2008/03/06/orthopedic-surgeons-
treat-signature-war-wounds-in-iraq/

Truckee physician commits to combat after eldest son is killed in Iraq

Guidance from his sons
By Andrew Cristancho, Sierra Sun Staff Writer
» More from Andrew Cristancho, Sierra Sun Staff Writer
12:01 a.m. PT Dec 8, 2007

There's a determination in Bill Krissoff's voice. It is conveyed with a calm cadence that cracks once with emotion as he speaks of his son, a Marine lieutenant whose injuries from an Iraqi roadside bomb couldn't be repaired in time.

Now Krissoff's Truckee office is shuttered. His wife has come to terms with his nearing departure. All that is left for Krissoff, a 61-year-old orthopedic surgeon, is to head to Iraq where young Marines, broken from battle, will be tended by his experienced hands.

Marine 1st Lt. Nathan Krissoff's death, only a year past, galvanized his father's determination to go to war as a healer.

At a time when most successful doctors his age are settling into retirement, the fit surgeon is making one of the most monumental decisions of his life and heading to war.

In his sixth decade, Krissoff, who could pass for 41, squares his chin and with large eyes looking at a point in the distance, proudly speaks of his son.

Fathers usually inspire sons into action, to achieve life goals. But in this family that relationship was turned upside down when Dr. Krissoff received news of his older son's death.

Nathan Krissoff died on Dec. 9, 2006, in Al Anbar province. He was 25.

Now the fallen Marine's father is committed to a mission, one that carries even more than the memory of Nathan. Krissoff's youngest son, Austin, is also an officer in the Corps.
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http://www.theunion.com/article/20071208/NEWS/112080178