Gym Gunman Had Been Questioned By Police

George Sodini had Matched Description of Man With Grenade on Bus One Week Before Shootings That Killed 3 Others

(AP)  The man who shot up a women's aerobics class, killing three people and then himself, was questioned a week earlier by police because he matched the description of a man seen pulling what appeared to be a grenade from a computer bag, authorities said Monday.

George Sodini, 48, was ultimately let go by Port Authority of Allegheny County police because they couldn't confirm he was the man on the bus July 28, authorities said.

But County police Superintendent Charles Moffatt told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that investigators found writings in Sodini's home after the shooting that referenced the situation.

Moffatt did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Monday.

In addition to the deaths, Sodini wounded nine people who were attending the aerobics class at the L.A. Fitness club in Collier Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, on Aug. 4.

Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said transit police didn't charge Sodini because the witness who reported seeing a man with a grenade couldn't confirm Sodini was the one, and Sodini denied it when police found and questioned him two days later.

"It wasn't until two days later that our sergeant found a guy matching the description," Ritchie told The Associated Press on Monday. "There wasn't much more we could do at that point."

The passenger saw a man matching Sodini's description take a grenade out of a computer bag around 7 a.m. July 28 and move it around in his hands. The passenger didn't report it to Port Authority police until that afternoon, Ritchie said, too late for police to search the bus.

The passenger "definitely saw it; he just wasn't sure it was a real (grenade)," Ritchie said. "It looked pretty real to him."

The passenger told police the man "was sort of toying with it in his hands, sitting there almost passing the time with the thing in his hands."

Police began staking out that bus route, and on July 30 a sergeant stopped, questioned and searched Sodini because he matched the description of the man with the grenade. The officer photographed Sodini, but the passenger was shown the picture and couldn't confirm Sodini was the man with the grenade, Ritchie said.

Port Authority officials immediately notified county police about the grenade investigation once Sodini was identified as the health club shooter, Ritchie said.

Moffatt told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he can't say whether police found a grenade at Sodini's home, but they did find writings. He did not elaborate.

Two people injured in the shooting remained hospitalized Monday, one in fair condition and one in serious condition, hospital officials said.

[npkppprc]

Hey CBS I think you have imported a bunch of people from ABC, they are never on point cut others down for anything they write and think everything they write is funny.

[kamsack50]

Can't you crazy people stop turning everything into a gun debate?
This was about guys (LOTS of 'em) not getting sex from women, though sex is all around.
You get the picture?? S-E-X.

[kindrox]

Some of the nuts on this board will start advocating that women give any man that asks s e x so we can be "safer".

[superdem1]

This guy got his guns from the same place the Virginia Tech shooter got his. Now there's an advertising slogan in there somewhere - "When your guns just HAVE to work..." You just never know when some out of control student or woman exercise fanatic is going to attack.

[kindrox]

Actually this guy just got a gun ACCESSORY at the same store. Just to be correct.

[mnbrant]

Actually you can allow everything and still have 100% gun control. 1. let people buy anything they want but they have to use it and keep in locked up at ranges. You could have the bazooka range, the machine gun range, the hand
gun range, etc. people could have guns for hunting but they would have to be checked out from a range for a set number of days. Of course if you blow yourself up with a hand grenade thats your problem now societies.

Brant

[kindrox]

Gee I wonder if this fellow, gang bangers, rapists, burglers and the like would keep their guns locked up at the range except when "working"?

[curiously1]

That's better, david. Now you sound like yourself.

[curiously1]

davicar5 - you think you're smarter than you actually are. You should keep posting lame jokes instead of trying to sound intelligent.

[curiously1]

Would it be a violation of individual freedoms if we legislate that gun owners should go through a psychological evaluation before being permitted to own or purchase a gun?

[DaVicar5]

It's a violation of individual freedoms to label someone as a "gun owner".
Besides, it's painfully obvious that nobody tested your psychological fitness when you signed up to post your opinion on this board.

[ccdsswrkr09]

There is already regulations in place that don't allow people with a history of mental illness to own firearms. So they are already getting them illegaly. So tell me, what would be the difference if you outlaw guns for everyone. The people who shouldn't have them will STILL get them illegaly. There's no point.

[ccdsswrkr09]

By Davicar5: Maybe we should make it illegal to break the law?


That's a great idea!!! no wait, didn't we already try that and it didn't work? heh.

[Wolf1944]

Jiverly Wong had a history of mental illness, and he bought his guns legally at the gun shop; he didn't have to go to some underground, illegal source. His own father called the police over and over and said (paraphrased), "My son is crazy. Take his guns away." Apparently, there was no legal way the police could do anything, so Wong went on to kill 13 people and himself. That sounds like there are still gaps in the law.

[kindrox]

I think people should have to go through a phycological exam before speaking in public. Ideas have killed many more people than guns.

We need to supress nuts with nutty ideas.

[wdrussell1]

Hey truth, maybe you should learn to read the story you are posting to.

[DaVicar5]

I've been on public transpotation in Pittsburgh - usually when someone says, "I unloaded a grenade on the bus", it means something else!

[rrozsa]

Now THAT's funny!

[truthseeker60]

Lotta flap from state run CBS on BS news again. How about showing all the unrest at the numerous Town Meetings across the country. The silent majority carrying signs and shouting slogans are signs that "We the People" are fed up with having our retirement money stolen and a government that has run amuck with power and money we have provided them. Dems are calling the protesters "paid trouble makers" influenced by the GOP. They're having a hard time admitting these are regular people fed up with the illusion our government has been playing on us. Come on CBS, do you have any real investigative reporters remaining on your staff? The internet will take your readership because the people want truth, not propaganda and diversionary news bits like this and Michael Jackson.

[Wolf1944]

CBS is not state-run. That is an absurd lie.

The "regular people fed up with the illusion" closely resemble the rednecks who came around in mobs when the schools and colleges were integrated, shouting and threatening violence, sometime committing violence. And they liked to call civil rights advocates Communists. The more things change ...

[superdem1]

The people who stole your money were all Republicans. They worked on Wall Street. They looted your investment accounts because they were unregulated. Who deregulated them ? Phil Gramm and the Republican Senate. Now you are venting your anger at the wrong people. You just can't admit that your side did all the stealing, all the lying, and your side drove America into the dirt. It's all on you, and your mob actions against the guys trying to save America just show that, given the chance, you'd drive us into the dirt AGAIN.