A man in Washington state, Hans Hansen, decided he didn't want to live anymore due to hard times, so he went on a shooting spree, firing at police department buildings in Granite Falls and Lake Stevens and firing at a Marysville police officer, before being wounded and stopped.
He used a variety of handguns and rifles, including two semi-auto assault rifles (an AK-47 and AR-15).
Along the way, he stopped to reload and rearm with ammunition at a local Walmart, which conveniently sells the ammo (and weapons).
From an article (bolding added):
Hansen allegedly explained to detectives that his cabinet business had failed, and he'd been evicted from the industrial park in the 17100 block of Mountain Loop Highway in Granite Falls. He said he has a vascular disease and one of his legs must be amputated soon. Hansen also said he expected to lose his house in January because he hasn't been able to pay the mortgage.
He said an argument with his wife also triggered the gunfire spree. She had sent him an upsetting text message earlier in the day. Hansen told detectives he starting drinking.
Hansen thought about firing on police when they came to evict him.
However, he decided to gather several guns that he owned and go to several locations where police might be so he could fire at cars and buildings and engage the police in a gunfight and be killed," sheriff's detective Tedd Betts wrote.
Hansen loaded up his pickup with two AK-47 rifles, one AR-15 rifle, two .22-caliber rifles, one .300-caliber Winston short magnum rifle, a shotgun and a .40-caliber handgun. He admitted to firing multiple rounds into a building at the industrial park in Granite Falls.
He reloaded and drove to the Granite Falls Police Department. There he shot up an unoccupied patrol car. He also targeted empty patrol cars at the Lake Stevens Police Department. Bullets hit the station, too.
He stopped at Marysville Walmart on Highway 9 to reload. He said he was headed to the Marysville Police Department when he spotted a patrol car. Hansen said he turned into a residential area, and police followed him.
Hansen decided to fire on police, using his AK-47 and AR-15. One of the rifles was loaded with steel-core ammunition, which he told detectives he knew could penetrate vehicles, brick walls and telephone poles, Betts wrote.
Police say Hansen shot six police vehicles in all.
Hansen reportedly told detectives that he had planned to shoot up the Marysville department and then move on to the Navy Support Complex in Marysville. He figured that military personnel would kill him if police were not successful.
The Granite Falls father is facing multiple counts of first-degree assault and drive-by shooting.Walmart continues to sell assault rifles and ammo for them, despite numerous cases where they have been stolen, sometimes in large quantities, from Walmart stores, or used in attacks on Walmart properties.
Walmart. Save money. Die faster.
