Friend Arizona Shooter: Loughner Wanted To "Create Chaos"
There are still many, many questions left unanswered when it comes to the tragic shooting in Arizona this weekend that killed six, including a federal judge and a nine year-old girl, and wounded many more, including Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. One question speculated on more than any other is, of course, why?
In a Mother Jones exclusive, a man who claims to be a former close friend of alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner discusses the Loughner he knew, how Loughner changed over the last few years, and what he believed was the motive behind the attack.
Bryce Tierney, who said he was a friend of Loughner's since middle school, claims he got a voicemail from the 22 year old shooter just hours before the event, saying they "had good times" and to "peace out."
Ten hours later, Loughner would begin his rampage.
But according to Tierney, although Loughner had developed a sort of vendetta against the Democratic Congresswoman he targetted, he wasn't really a party politics person at all.
Loughner would occasionally mention Giffords, according to Tierney: "It wasn't a day-in, day-out thing, but maybe once in a while, if Giffords did something that was ridiculous or passed some stupid law or did something stupid, he related that to people. But the thing I remember most is just that question. I don't remember him stalking her or anything." Tierney notes that Loughner did not display any specific political or ideological bent: "It wasn't like he was in a certain party or went to rallies...It's not like he'd go on political rants." But Loughner did, according to Tierney, believe that government is "fucking us over." He never heard Loughner vent about about the perils of "currency," as Loughner did on one YouTube video he created.
Loughner instead was angry at the politician because he believed she was "fake" for not answering his question well enough at a previous townhall meeting, according to Tierney.
Tierney, who's also 22, recalls Loughner complaining about a Giffords event he attended during that period. He's unsure whether it was the same one mentioned in the charges—Loughner "might have gone to some other rallies," he says—but Tierney notes it was a significant moment for Loughner: "He told me that she opened up the floor for questions and he asked a question. The question was, 'What is government if words have no meaning?'"
"He said, 'Can you believe it, they wouldn't answer my question.' Ever since that, he thought she was fake, he had something against her." Giffords' answer, whatever it was, didn't satisfy Loughner. "He said, 'Can you believe it, they wouldn't answer my question,' and I told him, 'Dude, no one's going to answer that,'" Tierney recalls. "Ever since that, he thought she was fake, he had something against her.
But despite his grudge, as well as his anger towards increasingly "pervasive authoritarianism," Tierney believes Loughner shot his victims for one simple reason: to create a chaotic media spectacle.
Since hearing of the rampage, Tierney has been trying to figure out why Loughner did what he allegedly did. "More chaos, maybe," he says. "I think the reason he did it was mainly to just promote chaos. He wanted the media to freak out about this whole thing. He wanted exactly what's happening. He wants all of that." Tierney thinks that Loughner's mindset was like the Joker in the most recent Batman movie: "He fucks things up to fuck shit up, there's no rhyme or reason, he wants to watch the world burn. He probably wanted to take everyone out of their monotonous lives: 'Another Saturday, going to go get groceries'—to take people out of these norms that he thought society had trapped us in."
If that is true, he most definitely got his wish.
