Thursday, March 12, 2009

German Shooter Previewed Massacre on Internet

German authorities say a teenager who shot and killed 15 people Wednesday announced his intention to do so in an Internet chatroom the night before his rampage.

Authorities quote 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer as saying, "I have weapons here and tomorrow I will go to my old school. You will hear about me tomorrow."

Baden-Wuerttemberg State Interior Minister Heribet Rech, who described Kretschmer as "completely unremarkable," said Thursday the chat involved a 16-year-old from Bavaria. Rech said the Bavarian boy showed the chat to his father after he heard about Wednesday's massacre. The father then contacted authorities.

The new revelations emerged as Germany mourned the victims and sought details of the killer's motives.

Kretschmer killed eight schoolgirls, one boy and three female teachers. He later randomly killed three bystanders, before committing suicide during a shootout with police in a neighboring town.

Television footage showed churches across much of Germany crowded with mourners late Wednesday. Flags across Germany flew at half-staff Thursday. The front page of the local newspaper in Winnenden, where the killings occurred, was a solid black with the word "Why?"

German new reports say the shooter came from a prosperous family. They described him as obsessed with computer shooting games, and said he had few friends.

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