Texas tower shootings - KLRN live - part 1/3

[happinesson]

what a terrifying incident!

[skyangel1100]

I was 6 year's old when this happened,and i remember being scared out of my mind,i lived in Fort Worth but when your 6 you imagine all kinds if things,and i just knew he was gonna get me.

[JRF1961]

What??? It's 1966 and no local programming in color?? How 3rd world!! When did Channel 9 go 100% color programming??

[altfactor]

@JRF1961 I think KLRN was/is a noncommercial station. Most "educational" stations didn't go full-color until the late 1960's or even the early 1970's.

[12trixster]

thats my 3rd cuzin

[spankywalnuts]

Define Irony I just got a copy of Ranger Rays book for my wife from him on sunday.

[DaceFalar7]

Take 2 happens today!

[SUNMAYDEN518]

autopsy showed he had a brain tumor

[RockNRollJon]

Whatever anybody says about him , he was a good shot . Nobody can take that away !

[altfactor]

This was probably a first for Austin.

If my memory serves me correct (I was a youngster then), I think KLRN's live video was fed to the three commercial networks. I recall watching live coverage of this at my home in Massachusetts.

[MIKECNW]

@altfactor Are you sure you saw this particular video?

Maybe other NET stations, as PBS was originally known as showed this.

[altfactor]

@MIKECNW I do recall that ABC, CBS, and NBC showed it live.

But they probably began rebroadcasting KLRN's feed some time after the local coverage began.

I don't think many "educational" TV stations in 1966 had network connections, so what I think happened was that KTBC, the only commercial station in town at the time, fed the KLRN coverage to New York. As KTBC was affiliated with all three networks, they probably sent out three feeds, one to each network.

[altfactor]

@altfactor The networks also had commentary from their anchors (in-studio) as well as picking-up the reporter from KLRN.

I recall Chet Huntley telling NBC viewers that if they were in the Austin area, that they should stay away from the campus for their own protection.

[IzabelMarrupho]

Until I came across this information (not the video clips but overall), not that it would have been given/handed to me (obviously), I understood why the UT tower is closed, that section anyway. Yes, I live in ATX (Austin TX). The first registered school shooting. Texas, UT, be proud.

[DakuRaccoon]

Cant blame Grand theft auto 4 for this one guys :\

[smartaleck05]

Jessecraft1954, really? You were alive during thr '60s? How old are you? If you are really over 45, I apologize, but that put's me in a bit of disblief. I agree, GRANDOVERLORD77. This person must be at least 45 or older.

I was watching this on Tv today, and I live in Texas. I actually thought about attending there. Um...not so sure now:/

[tripjet999]

Guns for the police and military only, per the "well-regulated militia" portion of the antiquated 2nd amendment.

[DaWok370]

Whitman was an ex-marine, and there were many ways of preventing it. His retarded-ass doctor who dismissed his explanation of shooting everyone was the best thing that could've stopped him. If he was determined, I doubt any gun control whatsoever could've stopped him.

[Fogslifted]

I agree. Seems to me that doctor, is kind of at fault. I mean noone wants to blame a tragic event like that on anyone other than the murderer himself. But when you have an ex-marine who is seeing a doctor for emotional or mental stress of some kind. And he makes an off the wall comment like; "I'd like to go up in the T.U. Tower and just start shooting people." It's my opinion that a statement like that crosses the line for Doctor/Patient Privilege. That guy gets reported and hospitalized period.

[Alexn1067]

nice try trying to rewrite the second amendment, but its quite clear that "people have the right to bear arms" clearly means personally own a firearm.

hitler and stalin believed in firearms for the state only, and look how safe it was to be a German or a Soviet in that time

you're either a fucking moron, or an elitist that looks down on your fellow man or is flat out scared of him.

[GeorgiaKev]

Well, I'd be pretty scared if some nutcase got a hold of a firearm and was shooting down at me from the top of some building....and my guess is you would be, too.

[Jessecraft1954]

I saw this on live news the day it happened. I thought the person shooting others was crazy.

[GRANDOVERLORD77]

Are you serious, or are you making it up? You actually were alive during this time?

[krizzae]

@GRANDOVERLORD77 To be old enough to remember it you'd only have to be in your mid-50's. My uncle was around 9 or 10 at the time, and could see smoke from the gunfire from his house. He remembers using binoculars to get a closer look. My mother was only 6, so she doesn't really remember any of it.

[MrsSarb]

This is a good example as to why students should be allowed to carry weapons WITH A PERMIT on campus. Currently no one is allowed to have a weapon on any campus. Maybe if people were allowed to actually DEFEND themselves, the killers wouldn't be able to kill as many people when they go insane.

[flux77xulf]

Good idea. Instead of one crazy guy shooting 10 people every few years, we'd have random gunfire at every frat party.

[krizzae]

@flux77xulf Anyone who would do something like that is generally not going to bother with getting a concealed carry license in the first place. Furthermore, most frat parties occur off campus, and guns are allowed in those residences - whether you have any sort of permit or not. (And 'random gunfire at every frat party' isn't exactly a problem now.)

[supercam93]

but that makes it easier for them to kill others cause they wont have to sneak the weapons

[krizzae]

@supercam93 There is no 'sneaking' involved to get a weapon on campus now, even though it is illegal. A campus does not have metal detectors and security at every entry point. A killer will bring what he/she desires to the campus whether it's illegal or not: all they have to do is obtain a weapon and they're set. Laws dictating what they can and cannot do are meaningless to a murderer.

[Ravewithme19]

This would be a good idea, but I would suggest that every one of those people get a psycological exam first...

[RUSSIAisPRIMITIV]

2nd

Virginia Tech is another great situation where if 1 single person, was armed that day, 30 people could lived to tell the tale.

[MrsSarb]

Finally, someone who sees the logic of what I'm saying.  :-)

[atheoldies]

I believe it will happen again even though security is tighter. you cannot stop crime and mass killings.

[gatormcluski]

duhhhh........ya think???

How many have there been since 66' and how many per year now???

Insightful observation...you don't miss much.

[lothartheterrible]

Yes. Because Columbine and Virginia Tech are also in Texas. How astute of you to note that coincidence.

[runesc8pe]

VIRGINIA tech is in virginia

columbine is in colorado

columbine is also a town in colorado

[lothartheterrible]

I was being sarcastic in response to a comment that was left earlier saying that things like this always "happen in Texas".

And Columbine was the name of the school; the city is Littleton.

[gatormcluski]

I know man....what a dumbass. 99.9% of these people that leave their comments are freakin' retarded.

[xdarkdaysx]

agreed

[ZombieCallum]

gunnar hansen and the rest  of the texas chainsaw massacre cast and crew attended the university at the time of the shooting.

[robfidl]

2,500 yards shot only the best kined of sniper can make it, two people have made this shot 1 is Carlos Hathcock and the other .... Charles Whitman.

[Fkwiththewrongbull]

To make a 2,500 yard shot like that Charles Whitman must have been a high master sharp shooter. I think it's>marksman>sharp shooter>expert>master>high master.

[crushherflat999]

Maybe anti depressants and video games made him do it! Oh wait.....

[djwithnoname]

Whitman was a crack shot. Kurt Russel played him in the movie "The Deadly Tower" aka "Sniper"

[Chrissius]

I can't believe the Virginia Tech Massacre today just suprassed this as the deadliest campus shooting ever. It doubled the death toll. Very tragic indeed...

[snakes3425]

Just like the man who shot up Virginia Tech Whitman was 100% insane, and as always an emotionally or mentally disturbed person + any kind of fire arm always equals tragedy

[dergin38467]

well acctually i think the fact that he severd in vietnam had somthing to do with his problem to

[Glennandrews]

Maybe he was an A&M fan.

[brainstew920]

rotflmao

[tedbundy111]

he was a awesome shot. hitting people from 1000 yards. even the marines use footage of him to train recruits.

[aPAROz]

ok, I'll be sure to stay far away