'Revenge' Shooting At Amish School

(CBS/AP)  Police say a milk truck driver carrying three guns and a childhood grudge stormed a one-room Amish schoolhouse, sent the boys and adults outside, barricaded the doors with wood planks, and then opened fire on a dozen girls, killing three people before committing suicide.

Early Tuesday, authorities confirmed reports that a fourth girl has died.

The 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m. at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said.

"Her parents were with her," Buehler Stranges said. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."

Six other girls are in the hospital.

At Penn State Children's Hospital, a 6-year-old girl is in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl is in serious condition. Another victim is at Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where officials are not releasing any information. And three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, are at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where a spokeswoman says they are out of surgery but are in critical condition.

Police say notes and phone calls show the gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, was "angry at life, he was angry at God." While some who knew him saw no signs of trouble, others say his mood had darkened and he'd stopped chatting and joking with co-workers and customers.

This is America's third deadly school shooting in less than a week.

CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller reports President Bush, reacting to the shootings, has ordered the U.S. Attorney General and the Secretary of Education to study ways the government can help prevent school violence.

A conference on that subject is planned for next week with the participation of law enforcement, educators and parent groups.

Monday's rampage shattered the typical quiet of Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, home to the Amish, horse-drawn buggies, green pastures and neat-as-a-pin farms, where violent crime is rare.

A teacher called police around 10:30 a.m. and reported that a gunman was holding students hostage.

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Most of the victims had been shot execution-style at point-blank range after being lined up along the chalkboard, their feet bound with wire and plastic ties, authorities said. Two young students were killed, along with a female teacher's aide who was slightly older than the students, state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said.

"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said.

Miller says Roberts, who lived in the nearby town of Bart, Pa., was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago" when he was a boy.

Miller refused to say what that long-ago hurt was.

A family spokesman, Dwight LeFever, read a short statement from Roberts' wife.

"The man who did this today was not the Charlie I have been married to for almost ten years. My husband was loving, supportive, thoughtful... all the things you would always want and more," she said. "Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today. Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."

Neighbors who knew the Roberts' family said they saw no indications of trouble brewing.

"They're a fine Christian family. It's ironic and it's heartbreaking," said Lois Fiester, a relative, as she stood outside the family's modest tan ranch house.

Police say Roberts was not Amish, appeared to have nothing against the Amish, and apparently chose the school because it was close by, there were girls there, and it had little or no security.

The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colorado, and authorities there raised the possibility that the Pennsylvania attack was a copycat crime.

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[alexis0763]

I'm sickened by the images being shown by the media. The Amish are private people. Many of them hold the belief that if your picture is taken your soul is stolen. Whether we agree with that belief or not, in the midst of their tragedy, we should not be exploiting them like this.

The American media should be deeply ashamed for what they are doing to the Amish people.

[dwmckeown]

Look at all the headlines, what do you expect when even in Washington DC at the capitol your child isn't even safe? We need to change our liberal views and protect all children even the unborn. Some politicians say they protect and defend those that can not protect themselves and then believe in killing the unborn babies at the rights of someone else. Ask your child if they think abortion is okay and then tell them how they should value others in society. Let us value all kids and teach them respect for others and to value every life.

[vegaslife1]

What is this world coming to? I am deeply sadened to see all of these school shooting. These gunmen are very disturbed to pick their victims out for whatever reason and then kill them and then kill themselves. There just isnt any justice when that happens. My heart goes out the those families that have lost their CHILDREN. God bless the rest of the families and their children who are fighting to stay alive.

[rudy654-2009]

To jilli78,

Knock it off! A tragedy has occurred and it's not an opportunity for you to vent your religious bigotry.

[denysbuchana]

This simple is a tragedy that will scar our country for many years to come. For something like this to happen in a community is bad enough, but for it to happen in a place where it's people are not in anyway confrontational and are actual quite nice. I have made a few Amish and Mennonite friends over the years and they would bend over backwards to help me if I needed it. This is a real tradgey and I mourn the lose off such peace and trust.

[wendyhoo-2009]

On another NOTE... WHY are spending so much time on terrorism when we have our own sick people to deal with. Why not while doing a census check or something do a random 5 question test to see if people are fit to live amongst the normal and if not then maybe these people need to go for further testing. We shouldn't have to worry about our children when we send them to school in the morning. Of course we worry but we shouldn't have to worry about some random guy coming off the street and killing our babies. Yeah worry about the bully stealing your kids lunch money etc... it is a sad place right now... and I do agree.... the more the media covers this stuff the more sick people go CLICK that is an idea. I am just sick over the past month of school shootings... in and out of the US. We need to do something!!!

[wendyhoo-2009]

***!!!! Don't blame some female for the action of this man. Even if he was rejected or whatever the case may be doesn't make it right for him to kill 5 young girls. The **** was sick in the FN head!!!! Who even said it was about some broad when they were younger!!!! The paper indicates it may have been due to a death of a child they had 10 years ago. Until the sucide notes actual become public don't judge it as it was because some female dissed him. Not that it is right but why go to an Amish school... he dropped his kids off at thier school a little before going to the Amish school. Not that I think he should have done it at thier school but pick out this one and not stay at the school you were already at. His family is not going to be able to live comfortably there anymore and not that it is thier fault but unfortunately they have to live with what thier mental case father did.

[searingtruth]

My friends,

This heart wrenching tragedy is a tear in the very soul of humanity, and a symptom of a species gone very, very, wrong.

But there could be a much different, a much better, world in our near future.

Some are planning for it.

"One of the greatest tragedies of our existence is that we are a people united by so many common goals, but divided by so many uncommon beliefs.

I believe that our goals are more important. We all want to be free. We all want our children to be healthy and happy. Most all of us want peace so long as our own rights are protected.

These are the ideals that we can all strive for together. These are the threads of humanity that cannot be torn apart."
SearingTruth

Get "A Future of the Brave" - www.searingtruth.com

[antimason-2009]

"I'm actually curious as to what could he possibly have written to his children to attempt to justify what he knew he was about to do" - Whoever..

^^ 'When i was 12, some girl ditched/dissed/refused me...'

[antimason-2009]

and btw ... hellisfree.blogspot.com