Richard Glassel made an initial court appearance early this morning. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
As he blasted away at his victims in Peoria on Wednesday, a gunman said he was "getting even" with them for the problems their homeowners association had caused him, according to court documents filed today.
Richard Glassel, 61, who had a running feud with the Ventana Lakes Property Owners Association for two years, twice drove by the group's meeting at the Yacht Club Recreation Center in a U-Haul truck Wednesday, "checking out the area," according to the document.
Maricopa County Attorney Richard Romley said during a news conference today that he will decide within the next 45 to 60 days whether to seek the death penalty for Glassel. He also said investigators will look into Glassel's mental-health history.
Glassel is in a Maricopa County jail charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. A county grand jury is expected to get the case within 10 days.
According to the court document, Glassel strode into the meeting of 30 or 40 people armed with three handguns and a semi-automatic rifle.
Shooting randomly into the group, Glassel killed Esther La Plante, 58, who was attending her first meeting as the group's secretary-treasurer, and Nila Lynn, 69, wife of board member Duane Lynn, who was unhurt.
Glassel also shot Paul Ettinger, the board's vice president, in the chest. Ettinger, 69, is in intensive care at St. Jospeh's Hospital and Medical Center. Board President Walter Sergeant was unhurt but reportedly is so distraught that he does not remember what happened.
Another board member, William Cigoy, did not attend the meeting.
As Glassel fired, he also wounded Gilbert McCurdy, 64, who is in good condition at John C. Lincoln Hospital-North Mountain, with wounds to his foot. Charles Yankowski, 69, who was hit in the thigh, was treated and released from John C. Lincoln.
Twenty seconds after Glassel opened fire, frightened residents called 9-1-1, asking for help and an ambulance.
"A guy was shot. A guy has been shot. People have been shot," a male caller said as screaming was heard in the background.
"This is an emergency," said another caller. "We need police here right away. There has been a shooting. And an ambulance. Please hurry."
The callers told 9-1-1 operators that they had subdued the gunman and taken his weapons away.
During his news conference, Romley praised Lyle Baade, 77, who he said was the first bystander to wrestle Grassel to the ground.
"But for his actions, this tragic situation might have been much worse," Romley said of Baade, who he said had a heart transplant a year ago.
This afternoon, Baade remembered jumping across the room to knock down the gunman.
"I think God told me I could make it, and God picked me up and put me on top of him," Baade said.
Ken Hunstad, another resident, said he knocked Glassel's glasses off after jumping on him.
"I had the urge to choke him," Hunstad said. "I should have. I know I'd go to jail for it, but I should have choked him."
Romley also assured Arizona's retirement communities that Wednesday's shooting was an isolated incident and that residents should not be concerned.
In other developments, Peoria police said this morning that they had located Susan Glassel, the shooter's wife, in Simi Valley, Calif.
Residents in the Ventana Lakes retirement community had said that Susan Glassel had been gone for about eight months. Police said no missing persons report had been filed.
Peoria police also said this morning that they found hundreds of rounds of ammunition in the U-Haul truck Glassel drove to the recreation center but no bombs, as had been feared. Police also found the handguns and rifle inside the center.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has joined the investigation, including one agent who worked on the shootings a year ago today at Columbine High School in Colorado. Agents will use computer programs to reconstruct the crime after examining the shell casings and bullet holes in the recreation center.
They also will try to trace the ownership of the handguns and rifle found inside the recreation center.
Peoria police plan to be at the scene throughout the day.
"We will start taking apart this crime scene piece by piece," Lt. Karen Ashley said. "We'll be here well into the evening hours."
Glassel had picketed the homeowners association meetings in the past because he was angry with them over several issues, including the landscaping at his home.
He had ordered landscapers away from his property and told the association he wanted to do it himself. The group was trying to collect a $1,081 judgment for legal fees from Glassel after winning a judgment from him in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Copyright 2000, Arizona Central
