Eight people murdered in Appomattox
Spencer Pyke, Copy Editor
Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: Security
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Speight, who emerged from the woods wearing camouflage pants and a bulletproof vest, is being held without bond on a charge of first degree murder.
After shooting the eighth victim, Speight shot at arriving officers and hit a police helicopter with four high caliber rifle shots, which punctured the fuel tank forcing the helicopter to make an emergency landing, according to an article on New York Times website.
Bomb technicians and dogs carefully combed Speight's house after his arrest and found seven explosive devices, according to a Washington Post article.
A search warrant led police to a stock of weapons in the house and in a backyard bunker that Speight owned which included night vision goggles, pipe bombs, smoke bombs, two explosive devices with chemical agents, land mines, two Uzi's and at least four assault rifles, according to an article on the WSET website.
Speight's alleged victims were his sister and brother-in-law, Lauralee and Dewayne Sipe, 38; Ronald Scruggs, 16; Emily Quarles, 15; Karen and Jonathan Quarles, 43; Morgan Dobyns ,15; and Joushua Sipe, 4.
The Attorney for the family of the victims, Henry Devening of Lynchburg, confirmed that Speight has had mental issues after he suffered from a mental breakdown in 2007 following the passing of his mother the previous year and recent arguments had arisen between Speight and his sister and brother in law about living situations and he feared they were going to kick him out, according to an Associated Press article.
Claudi Zapp, family friend of the Quarles Family, read a statement from the family that thanked the community for all its support and Robert New, speaking for the Sipe Family also said that the family has received a lot of support from the community since the tragedy, according to the News and Advance website.
Senior Amanda Lewandowski is from Appomattox and said that the tragedy affected her even though she was on campus at Lynchburg.
"Being from Appomattox and hearing what happened was a tragedy that affected me greatly, although I was not home at the time of the event. It was a blessing that our small community could come together to show love and support for the friends and family members of the victims," Lewandowski said in an email.
This tragedy is Virginia's worst mass shooting since April of 2007, when a lone gunman took the lives of 33 people at Virginia Tech.
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