A Community in Shock

Shooting Wreaks Devastation in Moscow, Idaho

By Joan Opyr, 5-20-07

Update: At a press conference late this morning, Idaho authorities revealed that the shooter had in fact killed his wife before his rampage at the courthouse and the church, bringing the death toll to three. The gunman, who killed himself, was identified as Jason Hamilton, 37, a maintenance worker with a long history of mental illness and domestic violence. His wife, 30-year-old Crystal Hamilton, was found dead in their home with a single gunshot wound to the head. Crystal Hamilton worked at the Latah County Courthouse, where her husband unleashed a barrage of semi-automatic weapons fire Saturday night, and Jason Hamilton had done cleaning work at the church where he killed the caretaker.

The wounded police officer was identified as Brannon Jordan, and he was released from the hospital today after being treated for leg wounds. A 20-year-old university student remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition.

Update Two: Joan Opyr in Moscow has posted a complete account from the press conference here.

At six-thirty [Sunday] morning, a friend called from Virginia.  She’d seen Moscow, Idaho on the national news and wanted to know if my family was okay.  We are—but that was the first we knew of the shootings that took place last night in our town.

So far, we know only the bare facts.  A gunman armed with an SKS assault rifle opened fire on the Latah County Courthouse and the Sheriff’s Office.  He fired round after round through the windows and walls of the dispatcher’s center and through the walls of the building, more than 75 rounds altogether.  He shot and killed Moscow Police Officer Lee Newbill and wounded Sheriff’s Deputy Brannon Jordan, who remains in serious condition.  One civilian was wounded and is reported in stable condition following surgery.  The gunman then fled into The First Presbyterian Church, which is located just across from the Courthouse at the corner of Fifth Street and Van Buren.  There, he shot and killed Paul Bauer, the church caretaker, before apparently turning the gun on himself.

Some reports have suggested that the shooting spree may have originated in a case of domestic violence.  I have heard that the gunman may have killed his wife, or that he tried to kill her, before attacking the Sheriff’s Office.  This information has not been confirmed, and I only report it because it’s important, I think, to understanding this community.  Moscow is a small town.  Our population is approximately 22,000, but to be honest, I think that’s stretching it.  Those of us who live here joke that the city counts the University of Idaho students and, for all I know, we may. 

This is a friendly, quiet, peaceful community.  When residents who heard the shots called 911 last night, they were advised to lock their doors, stay away from windows, and try to find a safe room in the center of their homes.  Common sense advice, but in how many cities do you have to be told to lock your doors?  Many of us don’t bother in Moscow.  Some of us don’t even lock our cars.  The feeling of connection to one another makes Moscow a pleasant, peaceful place to live.  This small town has never met a stranger.  If you’ve just moved here, people will welcome you.  We may joke if you’re from California—and hope that you’re not going to try and impose your California ways on our independent Idaho spirits—but we’re progressive, friendly, and open. 

If you’ve lived here for more than a generation, then you probably play the “how are we connected” game.  When you meet someone, you ask did my mother go to high school with your father?  Or was I in your sister’s graduating class?  Perhaps we meet one another for coffee at the Moscow Food Co-Op or chat by the local history shelves at Bookpeople.  Maybe my partner’s grandmother delivered three generations of your family during the forty years she worked as an obstetrics nurse at Gritman Medical Center.  We know one another here, and if we don’t always know one another well, it’s not for lack of trying.

I knew Lee Newbill, the officer who was killed—not well, just to say hello to.  We met a few years back at a protest—I was protesting, and Lee was protecting and serving.  He had a good sense of humor and a light, deft touch with the crowd.  He was intelligent, not belligerent; the kind of officer who works well in a small town in which people may disagree strongly but don’t really want to fight.  I understand that Lee had a wife and kids.  Sadly, I don’t know their names.  That’s not the sort of question you ask when you’re waving a sign demanding something or another, and the police officer talking to you is asking, politely, that you step back and keep the peace.

Moscow has its secrets, and it has its faults.  We are not perfect.  We cope with our fair share of cheats, liars, weasels and thieves.  I wish I could say that they were few and far between, but as in most places, the selfish are always too prevalent.  So this isn’t Mayberry—it also isn’t bad.  Moscow is a damned fine place to live.  My partner was born here, and I have lived here happily since 1993.  This city is home to a great many good and decent men and women, to kind and generous and brave people.  As a community, we care deeply about education and the environment.  We love our small town, and we move forward in the belief that tomorrow will be better than today.

A few short weeks ago, I was trying to find the right words to console my friend in Virginia over the shootings in Blacksburg.  She had friends at Virginia Tech, former students and old colleagues.  She wanted me to know that Blacksburg wasn’t a war zone, that it was more—so much more—than the images being shown on the national news.  Today, I watch the news on CNN, and I see that Moscow has become the war zone, the new Blacksburg, and I at last understand how she felt.

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