[Bluerang1]

Full Article

'I'll see my family again one day': Brave girl, 15, who lost her parents and four siblings in Houston shooting at the hands of her uncle leads memorial event just a day after leaving hospital

• Cassidy Stay, 15, and grandfather Roger Lyon attended a memorial event at Lemm Elementary School in spring, Texas
• It marked Cassidy's first public appearance since the Wednesday tragedy; she was released from the hospital Friday
• Mr Lyon credited his granddaughter will possibly saving the lives of 20 relatives by calling 911 after the shooting
• Ronald Haskell, 33, Cassidy's ex-uncle, charged with capital murder in connection to the massacre
• Haskell is accused of tying up and executing Katie and Stephen Stay, and their four children ranging in age from 4 to 14

Incredibly tragic. I actually shed tears.

Can the UN do something to make America ban guns? I live here and there's literally a shooting every week, we're almost desensitized to them.

[Northern Monkey]

I don't think it would be possible to ban firearms in the US would it?There would be civil war?Imagine the police trying to go round to peoples houses to confiscate guns and having shoot outs,Full neighbourhoods setting up barricades in the streets to 'defend their right to freedom'.No president would want to pull the trigger on that.

[Nedusa]

It would be nigh on impossible to ban guns in the US. The right to bear arms is woven into their constitution and the Pro Gun lobby is one of the most powerful lobby's in Washington.

Gun control however is a separate issue and one I think should be addressed. The amount and type of firearm people own should be heavily regulated.

The idea of people owning an armoury of weapons including sniper rifles and machine guns is totally abhorrent.




.

[Northern Monkey]

Yeah,The most popular weapon in the US is a semi automatic 'civillian' version of an M16 AR.The same weapon the US army used in vietnam,Hardly a hunting rifle.

[Kazanne]

What a really sad story and what a lovely girl,how awful to see your family wiped out like that,it's shocking.

[Tom4784]

It's terrible and the worst part of it is that it'll keep on happening until the people in power man up and take action. Gun Control needs to be a whole lot tighter because the wrong people are always getting their hands on guns and it's always through legal means. I cannot think of a single one of these tragedies that were committed using an illegal gun. The system is broken and people will continue to die until it's fixed.

[lily.]

I agree Dean.

It's going to take someone in power to stand up to the gun nuts and demand tighter controls.

[MeMyselfAndI]

RIP

[MeMyselfAndI]

Disgusting killer:

[MeMyselfAndI]

killer collapsed in courtroom

http://news.sky.com/story/1299409/te...s-in-courtroom

A man accused of shooting dead four children and their parents execution-style while looking for his former wife has collapsed twice at a court in Houston.

Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, was appearing for a procedural hearing on charges of capital murder, which can carry the death penalty.

He is accused of killing his ex-wife's sister, Katie Stay, 33, her husband, Stephen Stay, 39, and the children, ranging in age from four to 14, at their suburban home on Wednesday evening.

Ronald Lee Haskell is seen in an undated booking photo released by the Harris County Sheriff's Department
Haskell allegedly led police on a car chase before surrendering
The shackled defendant's legs gave way as a prosecutor read the charges against him before a state district judge on Friday.

Police lifted him to his feet, but his knees buckled again about a minute later.

100714 US Texas Houston Shootings Children Killed Stand-Off Siege
Stephen Stay recently set up a real estate firm with his wife's support
The defendant's court-appointed lawyer, Doug Durham, told AP news agency it appears the accused fainted.

Officials say Haskell tied up the Stay family and made them lie face-down on the floor before each was shot in the back of the head, after they refused to tell him where he could find his ex-wife.

The 15-year-old daughter, Cassidy Stay, was the only one to survive after playing dead when a bullet grazed her head.

A Harris County Medical Examiner prepares to place a body into the coroner's van as they remove bodies from a home after several people were shot to death, in the Houston suburb of Spring, in Texas
A medical examiner places one of the six bodies into a coroner's van
Despite having a fractured skull, she was able to call police and alert them that the gunman was planning to shoot other relatives.

It has also emerged that Haskell's ex-wife and even his own mother took out restraining orders against him.

His estranged spouse, Melannie Haskell, went to court after he dragged her by the hair and struck her in front of their children at their home in Logan, Utah, in June 2008.

Several people were shot to death in the Houston suburb of Spring Texas
A policeman turns residents away from the crime scene
And less than a week before the massacre, Haskell's mother obtained a protective order after he physically prevented her from leaving the house to call for help as they argued on July 2.

The gunman led police on a nearly half-hour car chase before surrendering after a stand-off lasting almost three hours.

Authorities say Haskell went to the Stay home and held the children at gunpoint until their parents returned, when he began shooting.

Texas stand-off
The suspect pictured during the stand-off with police
According to court documents, he kicked open the door when Cassidy told him her parents were not home.

Haskell was said to be shaking during Friday's court appearance before he collapsed.

"I think reality is setting in," Assistant Harris County District Attorney Tammy Thomas told the Houston Chronicle.

[Samm]

urge what a vile human

[Ninastar]

Truly disgusting. Hope he rots in jail.

Totally agree about needing much tighter gun restrictions. But I think that if guns were banned completely, it would make things a lot worse...