Police: Student Gunman Arrested At St. John's
Police: Suspect Said He Was Acting Alone POSTED: 3:06 pm EDT September 26, 2007 UPDATED: 11:45 pm EDT September 26, 2007 <http://www.newsvine.com/_tools/seed?popoff=0&u=http://www.wnbc.com/news/142 11196/detail.html> <http://del.icio.us/post?title=Police%3A%20Student%20Gunman%20Arrested%20At% 20St.%20John%27s&url=http://www.wnbc.com/news/14211196/detail.html> <http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&title=Police%3A%20Student%20Gunman%20Arreste d%20At%20St.%20John%27s&url=http://www.wnbc.com/news/14211196/detail.html> <http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.wnbc.com/news/14211196/deta il.html&t=Police: Student Gunman Arrested At St. John's&src=sc&pos=top&from_posted=1> <http://reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wnbc.com%2Fnews%2F14211196%2F detail.html&title=Police%3A%20Student%20Gunman%20Arrested%20At%20St.%20John' s> <http://www.wnbc.com/rss/> <javascript:popUp('/print/14211196/detail.html','width=460,height=400,scroll bars');> <javascript:popUp(> NEW YORK -- A St. John's freshman was arrested Wednesday on the Queens campus with a rifle and mask that some witnesses said looked like President Bush, according to police. * <http://video.wnbc.com/player/?id=160955> WNBC Team Coverage Police sources said the suspect, Omesh Hiraman, 22, told police that he was acting alone and walked across campus with the gun. Hiraman did not give any reason why, police said. St. John's University was locked down and classes were cancelled as a result. * Police sources said Hiraman has a history of mental illness and had been hospitalized in the past. Investigators believe he was off his medication at the time of this incident. * A source close to the investigation said Hiraman is schizophrenic with past stints in hospital, a medical history that St. John's was unaware of. Hiraman's lawyer, Anthony Colleluori, said that Hiraman was in the hospital for scoliosis surgery last month and stopped taking personal medications because they made him sick. While walking on St. John's campus caryying the gun, Hiraman was stopped by a campus security officer, a student and an NYPD cadet taking courses at Queens's campus. Police said the NYPD cadet, Christopher Benson, was sitting on a bench on campus when he saw Hiraman walking by, wearing what he thought was a President Bush mask and carrying the rifle in a black garbage bag. "As he passed by, I noticed a black bag-- I saw the butt of the gun. He was dead set on going where he was going. He was walking really fast-- it was hard to keep up with him," Benson said. Police said Benson followed Hiraman and waved over a campus security officer, Dan Boyla. Benson then tacked Hiraman, and Boyla managed to get the gun away, police said. "I tried to get the rifle, it was like a tug of war," Boyla said Investigators said the weapon was loaded with one round but no additional rounds were on him at the time of his arrest. Police sources said Hiraman was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, camouflage pants, and the mask. Campus-security video shows the Hiraman was on campus for a short time before being captured. * Nobody was hurt in the incident but the campus went into lockdown in mid afternoon as students furiously sent text messages to each other and their parents about the gunman, law enforcement sources said. Hiraman had been carrying the weapon in a bag, according to a posting on the St. John's University website. Police sources said the gun was a front-loading, .40-or .50-caliber Wolf rifle. Police want to know whether Hiraman was on any medications, according to a law enforcement source, and whether he had stopped taking them. Police launched a massive response, sending in heavily armed emergency service units and flying a police helicopter overhead the campus of the Catholic University on Union Turnpike in Jamaica, Queens. St. John's had recently upgraded its security and communications systems and was sending warning messages about the gunman at 2:30 p.m. The St. John's University Web site issued this advisory: "A male with a rifle in a bag was apprehended on St. John's Queens campus today. Public Safety officers quickly disarmed the suspect and have turned him over to NYPD. Additional information will be forthcoming as it becomes available." Wednesday afternoon, a press release from St. John's read: "At this time, the NYPD has a heavy presence on the Queens campus and are conducting an extensive and thorough search of all buildings and facilities. Students have been instructed to stay inside their classrooms and buildings until further notice." Investigators searched Hirman's parents' East Elmhurst home Wednesday and found a case that the gun was kept in and black powder residue. It's unclear if the weapon was loaded or in working order. Hiraman was questioned by police at the 107th Precinct in Queens. There is no word yet on any charges. A source said Hiraman calmly spoke to cops but did not say what he planned to do with the gun. Police speculate that he was going to shoot from elevated point in M hall downward but he did not admit to that, according to the source. * Associated Press Timeline Of Events: * 2:20 p.m. -- A man wearing a black hooded sweat shirt is seen on security cameras getting out of a livery taxi at the campus' Gate 5 while carrying a rifle. He also is seen by several students. * 2:21 p.m. -- A phone call is made to public safety reporting a male with a mask and a stick. * 2:24 p.m. -- Another call is made to public safety reporting a man with a mask walking toward the law library. * 2:25 p.m. -- Public safety officials call 911. * 2:30 p.m. -- The man is apprehended by unarmed campus security officers and a student who is a police cadet. * 2:38 p.m. -- The first text message goes out from the university to students and faculty members notifying them of the incident and asking them to stay indoors. * 2:46 p.m. -- The second text message goes out to students and faculty members saying the man has been apprehended but they should remain indoors. * 3:32 p.m. -- The final text message to students and faculty members notifies them the man is in custody; students are told to remain where they are on campus. * 5:30 p.m. -- Students are let out of campus. 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