December 12, 2007 8:45 AM
Hero guard: who cares about her past?
Jeanne Assam, the volunteer security guard who faced down a killer who had her out-gunned and shot him to stop the rampage, is a hero whose past has bubbled up to public attention.
The 42-year-old wounded Matthew Murray, who shot himself to death as he lay on the floor of New Life Church after fatally shooting two teenage sisters and wounding three others.
Assam was fired by the Minneapolis Police Dept. in 1997 over an incident in which she lied to investigators over an incident in which she cursed a bus driver.The incident has been recounted in many of the stories written and broadcast locally and nationally as the 42-year-old was swept up in a media vortex.
The appropriate reaction: who cares about her past? Assam's extraordinary courage under fire was reinforced Tuesday when she walked police through the confrontation.
Hector Gutierrez reports:
At one point, Assam walked to the entrance of the church's theater, which primarily is used for children's events, and positioned herself behind a wall. Assam then peered out from behind the wall in her re-enactment and maneuvered her hand like a gun.The likelihood that Assam saved the lives of scores of people Sunday has reverberated around the country, with many hailing her as a hero.
Assam's hero status has put her image on national television news shows, and that was after she was introduced during a news conference at the Colorado Springs Police Department as a volunteer guard who rendered the crazed gunman helpless.
December 12, 2007
9:23 AM
Slit Skirt writes:
Rightys will condemn her for her past, the way they condemn Bill Clinton for having consensual sex with an adult woman and lying about it.
Progressive thinkers will hail her as a hero - which she is. Her clear,quick thinking saved at least a few lives.
It's fortunate that a woman with her training and shooting skills was in the right place at the right time.
December 12, 2007
9:28 AM
gr8fuldad writes:
Her actions saved lives that day. That is undisputed. I am glad that she had the training and courage to face this guy down.
Say what you will about the church involved, or Christians as a whole. I would challenge anyone to say taht she did not do the right thing at the right moment.
As to being in a dispute with a bus driver ten years ago, I would speculate that if ANY of us were to be put under such a media spotlight, we would ALL be found to have some skeletons in the closet, either real, or exaggerated by the media. An excellent illustration to this point is the novel "The Bonfire of the Vanities" by Thomas Wolfe. (Avoid the POS film adaptation, by all means)
December 12, 2007
9:29 AM
Anonymous writes:
It seems the paper cares the most about her past. You just cannot quit calling her a security guard or ex-law enforcement. I guess it just really bothers the media that a citizen stopped a killing. Bothers you so much you must find a way to make it seem she was something she was not.
December 12, 2007
9:32 AM
Anonymous writes:
It seems the paper cares the most about her past. You just cannot quit calling her a security guard or ex-law enforcement. I guess it just really bothers the media that a citizen stopped a killing. Bothers you so much you must find a way to make it seem she was something she was not.
December 12, 2007
9:36 AM
Tree writes:
8Dude-
How come no one is calling her the Terminator? Is that too tabloid? Wait, the RMN is a tabloid.
December 12, 2007
9:41 AM
gr8fuldad writes:
Tree - Give it time, I am sure some trendy name will be applied...I remember when Goetz had his fifteen minutes in 1984, it took less than that for the NY Daily News to brand him the "death wish" gunman.
BTW, check out next week's "Boston Legal"...the topic is right up your alley.
December 12, 2007
9:47 AM
jay writes:
I'm glad she was a security guard for the church....but didn't the coroner confirm that the guy killed himself?
December 12, 2007
9:51 AM
loon spotter writes:
Skirt
Leave it to a loon to make this political.
You left out Clintons infidelity.
The more vile the Clintons become the more the loons pardon them.
This lady saved perhaps dozens of lives.
She is a hero and I'm a conservative.
You, on the other hand, are just an idiot and you'll still be an idiot tomorrow.
December 12, 2007
10:04 AM
Tree writes:
8-
Lemme' guess, twisting one up while holding a medical license all while downloading porn on a laptop in a public restroom stall tapping feet with a wide stance.
I have that show set on Tivo, never miss it.
December 12, 2007
10:17 AM
Kay writes:
It is remarkable that, instead of appreciating the fact that this woman had the courage to save perhaps what could have been hundreds of lives, that we have to turn into spineless wimps and break her down to make ourselves feel better. That woman deserves a medal. Do any of us have the backbone to do the same thing? People that bring up a 10 year old incident when she balled out a bus driver (who hasn't wanted to chew somebody out at some point?) are really only trying to make themselves feel more like heroes. Give this brave lady the honors she deserves and grow up.
December 12, 2007
10:23 AM
leftside writes:
Not only is she the hero of the day she has shown law enforcement how to deal with these crazed gunnmen.
Does it seem strange to anyone else that the pastor is always at her side? Why would the police allow him to be there during the walk through?
December 12, 2007
10:34 AM
me writes:
...and she's a babe!
December 12, 2007
2:08 PM
Scott writes:
The lady is a hero!
Only anti-women jerks and/or gun-grabbers would really care that this lady screwed up and got canned TEN YEARS AGO for lying to an investigator.
God help me if I ever get into this position. I'm sure that the gun-grabbers would dredge up that I had to do some "extra military instruction" while in the Navy for leaving my rifle unsecured.
Scott
December 12, 2007
2:33 PM
jay writes:
I imagine a lot of security guards are former cops...no matter how they came to leave the force...
December 12, 2007
2:41 PM
Hogar De Vuelta (العودة) writes:
She is a true hero, and this minor incident of ten years ago has no place in the news. The media loves to tear down anyone who stands up and does the right thing.
http://www.startribune.com/local/12356581.html
December 12, 2007
2:50 PM
Jay writes:
Jay,
Your observation about security guards is correct.
I have worked at three different companies that used security guards. One of them employed rent-a-cops. These are the characters that could not get onto a police force and their attitude was to be the biggest jerks around. The other two companies' security guards had a large percentage that were ex- or moonlighting cops. These guards had nothing to prove and are the nicest guards I have ran across.
Scott
December 12, 2007
3:57 PM
Scott writes:
I did it again! I put the addressees name in for mine. That last one was posted by me, not Jay.
Scott
December 12, 2007
4:05 PM
shaggy writes:
This lady risked her life to save others and our two Denver papers say thanks to her by digging for bones in her closet.
Nice going Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. No wonder why your papers are failing.
Tomorrow why don't you do a story on how this murderer was actually a hero.
Everyone who has heard about this story knows Jeanne has bigger nuts than you idiots.
hahaha jay is now posing as Scott and answering his own questions hehehehe.
Yea Scott, we believe you, wink wink.
December 12, 2007
4:15 PM
gr8fuldad writes:
Shagster - And the best part is that she's single...42, no kids, and never been married. Wants a boyfriend.
Maybe you should start hanging out in the Springs there Shag...
December 12, 2007
4:26 PM
Hogar De Vuelta (العودة) writes:
Gr8,
I think I see a pattern, she shoots every new guy she meets!
December 12, 2007
5:05 PM
Tree writes:
Hogar-
She needs to date the cop under investigation in IL for I don't know, 4 dead wives or something. My $ is on her.
Thunderdome!
December 12, 2007
5:17 PM
Tree writes:
8-
Single, 42, no baggage, hot enough, athletic, knows how to use the cuffs and not afraid. She could do well on Craigs list.
Sat night-
Honey, let's go LoDo tonight. Nah, it's too dangerous.
Sunday morning-
Honey, get out of bed, we're late for Church. You go, it's too dangerous.
Has a South Park episode in the makes.
December 12, 2007
6:25 PM
Karen writes:
As a cop, she got fired for cussing out a bus driver. C'mon, who hasn't cussed out a bus driver? Give the lady a break, she's a hero.
December 13, 2007
7:13 AM
gr8fuldad writes:
Tree / Buff / HDV -
Didn't Nicholson say something in a "Few Good Men" about the greatest thing is having to salute a woman in the morning, so to speak...?
Seems relevant here. Used to date a lady cop, and there was something to be said for it.
On a totally unrelated note, the wife had her test yesterday. Barring complications, by next summer we should have a third member of the household. We're very happy.
December 13, 2007
7:23 AM
Tree writes:
Alright 8dude, since we are talking about guns, yours works. I'm thinking the Woody Allen movie with the weight lifting sperm. Now go twist a fatty tonight, I know you've been on the wagon. You Can handle the truth.
December 13, 2007
7:44 AM
just sayin' writes:
"Save me an egg"
December 13, 2007
8:19 AM
ML writes:
Mazel Tov, 8dude! Beware the time, though...my youngest turns 17 today and it seems like only yesterday...sigh.
December 13, 2007
8:36 AM
David Hakala writes:
Nothing succeeds like success. The public and the media thrive on ancient skeletons in the closets of public figures. "It shows the person's true character" and all that. But we'll ignore this woman's indiscretion because she saved a lot of lives.
December 13, 2007
9:12 AM
Hogar De Vuelta (العودة) writes:
Gr8,
Couldn't be happier for you both. You are obviously not shooting blanks!
Give yourselves some extra vacations, kids have a way rearranging priorities.
December 13, 2007
10:10 AM
gr8fuldad writes:
Guys -
Thanks for the sentiments. We're heading to Asia for Christmas to see the in-laws before the real fun starts. Also debating stocking up on tyedye onesies...
Tree / Hogar / Anyone who likes the good stuff - This site has your names all over it:
http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/
December 13, 2007
11:10 AM
history buff writes:
8dad
God bless.
December 16, 2007
2:25 PM
Holier Than Thou writes:
Maybe she had a good reason for cussing out the bus driver. Personally, I have never found a reason to cuss at any bus driver. On the contrary, bus drivers have saved me from much cussing at other motorists, which is one of my favorite reasons for riding the bus in the first place.
But Jeanne Assam might have fallen asleep on the bus and they went past her stop with nary a peep. Such would constitute incitement for a sharp rebuke.
Or maybe the bus was dirty or someone got motion-sickness and puked in the aisle because the driver refused to stop in time to let off the nauseous rider.
My biggest complaint about the media is that if they insist on bringing up dirt from someone's past, they need to be unbiased in how they present the information and not just do it to sell crap and advertising space with a lot of jingoistic nonsense and gossip.