Amy Bishop (booking photo)

It is extremely rare to have a woman shooter on campus, and even more rare that the shooter is a professor targeting co-workers.  Professors are there to educate and protect the children/students, not harm others. I spoke with Sgt. Mark Roberts from the Huntsville Police Department this morning.  We spoke in length about the shooting that occurred on Friday, February 12, 2010 on the University of Alabama Huntsville campus involving Professor Amy Bishop. Sgt. Roberts says there was a faculty meeting on campus, and just before 4 p.m. gunfire erupted inside the conference room.  Police were called, and responded to the building within minutes.  They didn’t know at the time where the alleged shooter, Amy Bishop was hiding out, but they eventually found her outside the building and took her into custody.  Sgt. Roberts says investigators on the scene did not immediately find the 9 mm gun that was allegedly used, but later that night authorities located the weapon on the 2^nd floor bathroom inside a garbage can.  Amy Bishop did not have a permit for the gun.  Sadly, three professors died, and three were injured.  Sgt. Roberts says that one of the injured was released from the hospital yesterday, and the other two are still in critical condition.  Bishop had her first 72 hour court hearing yesterday where the charges she is facing were explained to her.  Her next court date is scheduled sometime for the week of Feb. 22^nd. 

Right now, Bishop is held without bond at the Madison County jail.  She is facing capitol murder and attempted murder charges.  When I spoke to a representative at the jail earlier today, she would not say if Bishop is on suicide watch, but she did confirm the suspect was at their facility.  I also spoke with a representative at the District Attorney’s office in Huntsville, and she said that at this point, Bishop’s case has not been assigned to an attorney, and that it may take another day or two to find out who the prosecutor will be.  Less than an hour after the shooting, Sgt. Roberts says his department obtained a search warrant to enter Bishop’s house to search for more evidence, but he does not know the specifics of what was taken.   

Investigators say in 1986 Bishop shot and killed her brother.  The shooting was ruled an accident by the local Braintree Police Department, and by the District Attorney in Boston.  I spoke with the former police Chief Polio at his home, and he told me that because of so many questions in the case, he had it turned over to the state police.  The District Attorney at the time made the final ruling on that investigation.  Also, in 1993, Bishop and her husband, James Anderson were questioned into an incident where a bomb was sent to a Harvard University professor.  Reports say Anderson spoke out to say five years after the incident, he and his wife were sent a letter to say they were cleared. I spoke with the Lt. Bruce Apotheker with the Newtown Police Department, and he says on December 19, 1993, 11:10 p.m. they received a call from a professor.  The man said he received a bomb through the mail, he said he and his wife returned from vacation, opened the mail.  Lt. Apotheker says the professor said he observed wires and a metal cylinder, shut the box.  The Newton Police department notified the state police because they have an expert bomb team.  The bomb squad arrived on location, detonated one of the bombs in the front yard, and took the other one with them. 

All classes at the University of Alabama Huntsville are canceled this week to give students and faculty a chance to digest and grieve over the lives lost. In a written statement, the university says counselor’s are available to help with the grieving process.  Counselors are available Wednesday through Friday this week from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  If you would like to call a grief counselor directly, please contact:  (256) 479-8915 or (256) 322-3313

A memorial service is scheduled for this Friday, February 19, 2010, 7:00 p.m. in Spragins Hall.  According to a release on the university’s website, “UAHuntsville is a resilient institution. We will face this tragedy together, will learn from this experience, and we will emerge with strength and confidence.”