Local football coach killed - please pray...

[DWGal210]

Hi everyone -

I just wanted to post a prayer / good thoughts request. This morning, a gunman went into the weight room at Aplington/Parkersburg, Iowa, high school and killed the head football coach, Ed Thomas. He was an amazing coach and pillar of the community. The story is below:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31525308/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

If you remember hearing about Parkersburg in the news, this is the same community that in June 08 was nearly leveled by and F5 tornado. These people have been through so much and now this terrible tragedy.

I just wanted to send out a prayer for his family, friends and the kids he coached. What a senseless and terrible thing.

 

[laurie31]

How horrible! They are in my prayers.

 

[N&B'smom]

That's so sad.

 

[Angelhalo]

How horrible! That community will be in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[C.Ann]

How tragic for the family - and all of those students who witnessed it..

 

[DWGal210]

Thank you for the prayers - he was such a good man and it's terrible. It's been a hard year for his family - his house was destroyed last year in the tornado and part of the high school as well, and when they rebuilt the football field they named it after him. He was also the NFL High School Coach of the Year in 2003 and from this small town football team, 4 of his former players are currently playing in the NFL.

I feel too for those kids who had to see that - how awful to witness something so terrible.

 

[debster812]

I just heard this on ESPN. How horribly sad.

 

[Allison]

I found out about this a little while ago. Have they said who the shooter is at this point?

I hope the kids are doing okay.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

What a horrible thing to have happen! I haven't had the news on, so haven't seen this. i'm sure it will be the top of the Register tomorrow morning.

I have never heard anything but positive comments about Coach Thomas, he will be missed.

 

[Allison]

Now the news is saying it was a former football player.

 

[disney1990]

So Sad.

I just saw this on MSNBC a few minutes ago.

 

[Deb in IA]

I found out about this a little while ago. Have they said who the shooter is at this point?

I hope the kids are doing okay.

We've been following the story here in Iowa City as well. So sad, so senseless.


Suspected shooter is Mark Becker, 24, a former student and football player.
He was apparently involved in a police chase last weekend, and taken for psychiatric evaluation. Unfortunately, the police were never notified when he was released.

There were abou 50 students in the weight room - none were hurt, thankfully. Counselors have been called in for the witnesses.

http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=10586585

 

[lisalynn]

OMG. I will keep the town & it's residents in my thoughts. As an Iowa native, myself, who attended UNI in Cedar Falls, I know the Parkersburg area well--they have had so much to deal with as a town in the past few years.

 

[newbie2disney]

We live less than 45 minutes from Parkersburg and Ed Thomas has been the topic everywhere I went today. We drove through Parkersburg last night on the way to a funeral visitation in New Hartford. As we passed through we admired the school, football field, and the way the town has changed since the tornado and floods last year. It is hard to imagine what they are going through today after losing such a role model and outstanding citizen of the community. Our prayers go out to the family and communities of Aplington and Parkersburg, Iowa. I'm anxious to see what the motive of the killer is and why he chose Ed.

 

[Deb in IA]

I'm anxious to see what the motive of the killer is and why he chose Ed.

I don't know if this is a factor, but on one of the local newscasts last night, they reported that this Mark Becker had recently applied for a job as an assistant football coach for Ed Thomas, and was rejected. They apparently have tons of assistant coaches already (I think I heard 15?), and I'm sure with Becker's criminal record, he was not a viable candidate.

And then there is this whole incident of Becker breaking into a house and leading police on a high speed chase through Cedar Falls this past weekend. He was admitted to Covenant Medical Center on Sunday, and the police were to be notified when he was released, but he apparently was released on Tuesday and spent the night at his parents' house without the police knowing that this had happened.

 

[Deb in IA]

Now Covenant is saying they were never asked to notify the police . . .

Hospital: Not asked to notify police of Becker's release
the Associated Press • June 25, 2009

PARKERSBURG — An Iowa hospital says it was never asked to notify police about the release of a man who later is accused of killing a high school football coach in front of students.

Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo released a statement Thursday saying staff would have told authorities about the release of Mark Becker but a review "shows no evidence of this request, so notification was not made."

Becker was released Tuesday. On Wednesday, police say he shot and killed Ed Thomas in a Parkersburg high school weight room.

Butler County deputies had arrested Becker and told Cedar Falls police the suspect would be taken to the hospital for a psychiatric exam. Cedar Falls police said they had asked to be notified when he could leave the hospital.


Butler County Sheriff Jason Johnson declined to immediately comment on the matter.



http://www.press-citizen.com/articl...ot-asked-to-notify-police-of-Becker-s-release