There isn't much about this shocking crime in the American newspapers today, but the Chilean media is buzzing about it. Early Thursday morning, Florida man Dannie Baker shot five visiting Chilean students who were at a party in a townhome in the same complex where he lived, killing two of them and sparking a minor international incident. Baker retreated to his home and was arrested without further incident, and the now the media is beginning the ugly process of learning about who this man is.
Shooter sent 'radical' e-mails
He was a volunteer at the Walton County Republican Headquarters during the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign in 2004.
"He volunteered the same time I did," said Pat Magee, a member of the Walton County Republican Executive Committee. "I was shocked. The person I knew would have never done anything bad to anyone." ...
Jim Anders, another member of the Republican Executive Committee, said Baker was very active during the 2004 election but added that he was very eccentric... Baker did not volunteer during last year's election, but local Republicans said they began to receive disturbing e-mails from him about national political issues, said Anders....
The e-mails were so disturbing they were reported to the Sheriff's Office, the Republican volunteers said.
Early Morning Shooting Kills 2 Injures 3 in Miramar Beach
Neighbors say Baker wasn't happy with all the activity at the house and think that was the motive for his shooting spree.
Neighbor Crystal Lynn says "he did come up to me one time and asked me if I was ready for the revolution to begin and if I had any immigrant in my house to get them out." ...
[Sheriff Mike] Adkinson said "there had never been an issue with the victims at the residents or anything of that nature. They were totally harmless and true victims of every sense of the word."
It seems like there were a lot of warnings that went unheeded if not unreported, ending in this tragedy. The evidence that this mentally ill man was influenced by racist anti-immigrant hatred is rather strong. I don't know what to say other than this, but I hope it doesn't cause an anti-American backlash in Chile (where I myself am an immigrant).
An online personal ad posted by the accused killer has surfaced. Apparently he fancies himself a minister. What can one say?
Nicolás Pablo Corp Torres and Racine Balbontín Argandoña, rest in peace.
UPDATE: WEAR 3 NEWS
Jim Turner saw [Dannie Baker] yesterday, some 12 hours before deputies say he fired shots.
Neighbor says Baker asked him if he had renounced God.... neighbor said no... And Baker told him 'good, those people should be murdered."
Turner says when he heard Danny Baker say that, he didn't think anything of it...
If you ever hear somebody say something like this, please, think something of it.
UPDATE II: Rearranged the wording in the intro paragraph.
UPDATE III: Changed the title to be less inflammatory.