imported post
This man is accused of killing three people with a hammer and knives.
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/art...0080820.a.pg1.tt20rushing_s1.1889470_top6.txt
Suspect’s gun permit raises some questions
BY KIMM R. MONTONE AND BOB KALINOWSKI
STAFF WRITERS Published: Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 4:30 AM EDT Randal Rushing was granted a concealed-gun permit in Luzerne County about 17 months before he allegedly set out to brutally kill three young men inside a South Side home.
The application — listing illegible references and the address of a Wilkes-Barre homeless shelter — was approved in less than 24 hours Feb. 21, 2007.
Though officials in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties say denying the permit alone would not have prevented the triple homicide at 1604 S. Irving Ave. in Scranton on July 17, it has raised several permitting concerns, prompted a review of Mr. Rushing’s application and was brought to the forefront as an example of why the Luzerne County sheriff has enacted a more thorough review of gun permit requests.
Pennsylvania laws do not require registration to purchase or own a firearm but do require permits to carry a concealed gun.
“At best, we should have called the people,” said Sheriff Mike Savokinas, who started his term in January, of the references listed on the application. “This wasn’t going to stop him from killing someone, but this goes to show if we had better procedures in place, he probably wouldn’t have gotten the permit.”
Mr. Rushing had allegedly lived in Luzerne County before renting a basement from Cynthia and Wesley Collier. It was inside the South Side home that authorities say he used a handgun to intimidate and threaten his victims before killing Justin Berrios, 20, and brothers Dustin Hintz, 22, and Leslie Collier, 16, with a carpentry hammer and knives.
The 25-year-old suspect also took hostage his ex-girlfriend Samantha Hintz, 19, and the 2-year-old son she had with Mr. Berrios, as well as Matthew Collier and Cynthia Collier, 43, who is the mother of Leslie, Dustin, Matthew and Samantha.
Sheriff Savokinas criticized the practices of his predecessor’s administration, saying the sheriff’s office had been a “one-stop shop” for permits.
“I can tell you there are two addresses (on the permit application), 70 Davis Place and 332 Park Ave.,” he said. “The 70 Davis Place is a VISION shelter. It’s a shelter for homeless people whether they need food or a place to sleep. In my opinion, it should have drawn a red flag.”
The Times-Tribune obtained a copy of Mr. Rushing’s application. On it, he had written his address as 70 Davis Place in Wilkes-Barre and provided two references, whose names were illegible, and listed their addresses as a 70 Davis Place and 332 Park Ave.
The Davis Place address is reserved for homeless clients to receive mail for work or medical services, said Vince Kabacinski, executive director of the Volunteers in Service in Our Neighborhood.
“I was not aware of the fact that he had used it for a gun permit,” said Mr. Kabacinski, who declined to discuss Mr. Rushing’s association with the agency. “My question would have been, ‘Why would someone in a homeless shelter need a gun permit?’ ”
Mr. Rushing initially checked the box indicating that the permit would be for employment purposes. However, he then scratched out that mark and instead checked a box for the “self defense” category.
Former Luzerne County Sheriff Barry Stankus defended his administration’s decision, saying, “I followed all the guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Crimes Code and utilized the (PICS) system established by the Pennsylvania State Police.”
While state police may review an applicant’s criminal history, department spokesman Jack Lewis said the county sheriff has the final authority on whether to issue weapons permits.
“If they were disqualified for a criminal record, they wouldn’t be able to overrule that,” he said. “(The sheriff’s office) could disqualify them for reasons other than a criminal record.”
The state criminal database, however, only includes records of arrests in Pennsylvania, Mr. Lewis said.
Under the revised policy, Sheriff Savokinas said, the sheriff’s office policy will more closely resemble state laws and require that references are checked. This application process could take 21 to 45 days, he said.
The sheriff, meanwhile, has also directed an independent investigation into whether there were other discrepancies with Mr. Rushing’s application.
Reached for comment on Tuesday, Scranton detectives investigating the case said they were aware of Mr. Rushing’s gun permit, although Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola said he was not.
“The gun was stolen that he had at the house,” Mr. Jarbola said. “It wouldn’t have made a difference if he had a permit or not. He wasn’t issued a permit to carry a stolen weapon.”
Contact the writer: kmontone@timesshamrock.com, bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com
This man is accused of killing three people with a hammer and knives.
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/art...0080820.a.pg1.tt20rushing_s1.1889470_top6.txt
Suspect’s gun permit raises some questions
BY KIMM R. MONTONE AND BOB KALINOWSKI
STAFF WRITERS Published: Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 4:30 AM EDT Randal Rushing was granted a concealed-gun permit in Luzerne County about 17 months before he allegedly set out to brutally kill three young men inside a South Side home.
The application — listing illegible references and the address of a Wilkes-Barre homeless shelter — was approved in less than 24 hours Feb. 21, 2007.
Though officials in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties say denying the permit alone would not have prevented the triple homicide at 1604 S. Irving Ave. in Scranton on July 17, it has raised several permitting concerns, prompted a review of Mr. Rushing’s application and was brought to the forefront as an example of why the Luzerne County sheriff has enacted a more thorough review of gun permit requests.
Pennsylvania laws do not require registration to purchase or own a firearm but do require permits to carry a concealed gun.
“At best, we should have called the people,” said Sheriff Mike Savokinas, who started his term in January, of the references listed on the application. “This wasn’t going to stop him from killing someone, but this goes to show if we had better procedures in place, he probably wouldn’t have gotten the permit.”
Mr. Rushing had allegedly lived in Luzerne County before renting a basement from Cynthia and Wesley Collier. It was inside the South Side home that authorities say he used a handgun to intimidate and threaten his victims before killing Justin Berrios, 20, and brothers Dustin Hintz, 22, and Leslie Collier, 16, with a carpentry hammer and knives.
The 25-year-old suspect also took hostage his ex-girlfriend Samantha Hintz, 19, and the 2-year-old son she had with Mr. Berrios, as well as Matthew Collier and Cynthia Collier, 43, who is the mother of Leslie, Dustin, Matthew and Samantha.
Sheriff Savokinas criticized the practices of his predecessor’s administration, saying the sheriff’s office had been a “one-stop shop” for permits.
“I can tell you there are two addresses (on the permit application), 70 Davis Place and 332 Park Ave.,” he said. “The 70 Davis Place is a VISION shelter. It’s a shelter for homeless people whether they need food or a place to sleep. In my opinion, it should have drawn a red flag.”
The Times-Tribune obtained a copy of Mr. Rushing’s application. On it, he had written his address as 70 Davis Place in Wilkes-Barre and provided two references, whose names were illegible, and listed their addresses as a 70 Davis Place and 332 Park Ave.
The Davis Place address is reserved for homeless clients to receive mail for work or medical services, said Vince Kabacinski, executive director of the Volunteers in Service in Our Neighborhood.
“I was not aware of the fact that he had used it for a gun permit,” said Mr. Kabacinski, who declined to discuss Mr. Rushing’s association with the agency. “My question would have been, ‘Why would someone in a homeless shelter need a gun permit?’ ”
Mr. Rushing initially checked the box indicating that the permit would be for employment purposes. However, he then scratched out that mark and instead checked a box for the “self defense” category.
Former Luzerne County Sheriff Barry Stankus defended his administration’s decision, saying, “I followed all the guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Crimes Code and utilized the (PICS) system established by the Pennsylvania State Police.”
While state police may review an applicant’s criminal history, department spokesman Jack Lewis said the county sheriff has the final authority on whether to issue weapons permits.
“If they were disqualified for a criminal record, they wouldn’t be able to overrule that,” he said. “(The sheriff’s office) could disqualify them for reasons other than a criminal record.”
The state criminal database, however, only includes records of arrests in Pennsylvania, Mr. Lewis said.
Under the revised policy, Sheriff Savokinas said, the sheriff’s office policy will more closely resemble state laws and require that references are checked. This application process could take 21 to 45 days, he said.
The sheriff, meanwhile, has also directed an independent investigation into whether there were other discrepancies with Mr. Rushing’s application.
Reached for comment on Tuesday, Scranton detectives investigating the case said they were aware of Mr. Rushing’s gun permit, although Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola said he was not.
“The gun was stolen that he had at the house,” Mr. Jarbola said. “It wouldn’t have made a difference if he had a permit or not. He wasn’t issued a permit to carry a stolen weapon.”
Contact the writer: kmontone@timesshamrock.com, bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com
