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The mother who reported her son to police after he amassed what she feared were weapons to attack a southwest Missouri movie theater during a "Twilight" showing said he had recently asked her if he was a failure.
Polk County Sheriff's Office
Police say Blaec Lammers, 20, was plotting a shooting spree at a movie theater screening of the new "Twilight" film in Missouri.
Tricia Lammers made her first public statements Tuesday since the arrest last week of her 20-year-old son, Blaec. Authorities said he admitted planning to attack the theater in Bolivar and then a nearby Wal-Mart store, where he'd been arrested in 2009 after following around a clerk while armed with a knife.
Investigators determined he recently purchased two assault rifles and 400 rounds of ammunition.
During a news conference at the National Alliance for Mental Illness in Springfield, Tricia Lammers said her son had undergone inpatient treatment. She said her son has shown signs of Asperger's syndrome, borderline personality disorder and other conditions.
"He didn't ask to be born different. He grew up his whole life in (his sister) Kristyn's shadow. He wanted to be successful and be somebody," she said, KLOR-TV reported. "Just two weeks ago he asked me — both my kids still call me mommy — he said, 'Mommy, do you think I'm a failure?' I said, 'No, Blaec, I don't.'"
'Twilight' movie theater shooting plot in Missouri foiled, police say
She added that she loves her son, but that she loves her community just as much.
Earlier Tuesday, the arrest report from the 2009 incident was released. It said Blaec Lammers went to the Wal-Mart store with a knife and a rubber mask looking for an "easy victim" after watching the horror film "Halloween." Lammers, who was 17 at the time, said watching the main character killing people "got him to thinking," the arrest report said.
Lammers told authorities he watched a store clerk for more than two hours. He said he was planning to follow the clerk into a storage room and kill him when he heard his name over the public address system and his father calling his name, according to the report.
No charges were filed in that case. Instead, the teenager was committed for 96 hours for a mental health examination, Polk County prosecutor Ken Ashlock said Tuesday. Ashlock, who was not the county's prosecutor in 2009, said he didn't know what happened after the commitment.
As in the recent case, Lammers' parents tipped off authorities about the 2009 incident.
The police report said Lammers' mother called authorities after finding a suicide note from her son and a missing knife in October 2009. An officer was en route when the mother said her son's vehicle had been found in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart store in Bolivar, a town about 130 miles southeast of Kansas City.
The parents said in 2009 that their son had been diagnosed with depression, and his mother said Lammers had an appointment that day with his psychologist and "he has been acting different since then."
Lammers made his first court appearance Tuesday in the movie theater case and was ordered to undergo a mental health exam. Lammers, who is being held on a $500,000 bail, is charged with first-degree assault, making a terroristic threat and armed criminal action.
His public defender, DeWayne Franklin Perry, declined comment Tuesday.
Lammers was arrested Thursday after his mother contacted police, telling them she was concerned that her son "may have intentions of shooting people" during the opening weekend of the final film in the popular "Twilight" vampire movie series.
According to a police probable cause statement, she said she believed her son had amassed weapons similar to those used by the gunman who attacked a theater in Aurora, Colo., in July during a showing of the latest Batman movie. That attack killed 12 people.
Lammers was questioned Thursday afternoon and told authorities he bought tickets to a Sunday "Twilight" screening in Bolivar and planned to shoot people inside.
Lammers also said he planned to "just start shooting people at random" at the Wal-Mart store less than a mile away, so if he ran out of bullets, he could "just break the glass where the ammunition is being stored and get some more and keep shooting until police arrived," investigators wrote.
The probable cause statement said Lammers was "off of his medication," but his mother said Tuesday that to her knowledge, that wasn't true.
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Leave a Comment:
Close call. From reading the story he seemed like he has the personality to do something evil. Why do they hide juvenile mental records. The back ground checks are for catching people like him. His mother did the right thing.
Such a heartbreaking decision for a mother to have to make. As if dealing with the day to day stresses of a mentally ill son is not enough.
What does evil have to do with mental illness?
Should'nt a background check reveal any medication or mental disorders a person has? Why was he able to purchase an Assualt Rifle, and that much ammunition? Even if your going hunting, I would think a semi automatic weapon is overkill for hunting deer.
This is why gun controls need to be made tighter for stuff like this, why are normal people allowed to purchase these types of weapons, and large amount of ammo? That alone should draw a "red flag" at the gun store.
Whitemilk: "Why was he able to purchase an Assualt Rifle, and that much ammunition?"
Because the NRA tells us that "guns don't kill people, people kill people!" Also we all must have our 2nd amendment rights--the hell with our belonging to any "well-regulated militias." And let us not forget that "if we outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns."
When will we get sick and tired of all the dumb cliche's?
How sad that you are so without empathy and understanding of mental disorders that you are incapable of understanding that.
Evil is an attempt to explain the unexplainable-in this case what we know as mental illness.Yes,we do need guns.At the rate folks like you want to give away our rights,my great great great grandchildren will not be able to fight the SUPER corrupt business/govt of the future
Why was he turned loose upon society when he was first caught at the age of 17 without court mandated follow up?
He did receive follow up.
The system for dealing with the mentally ill just doesn't work that well. It is very hard to get someone committed and harder to keep them in a hospital. Very few mentally ill people are killers. It's extremely difficult to predict which ones are odd, but harmless, and which are a threat to society. In the case of this young man, there is now considerable evidence that he is a danger to society.
This mother should be commended for having the insight and the relationship with her child to prevent another tragedy from occurring. She said it herself, "he didn't ask to be born different".....sometimes nature has its flukes. To you mom, you are an incredible mother and a hero. Thank you for caring enough for your child to save others.
And isn't it sad that he's sitting in prison where he'll get no help. I'm not saying he deserves to be free, but he does deserve to be helped by professionals. He'll serve some time (he didn't actually do anything so they can't give him life without parole), not get proper treatment, have time for all of this to fester and his disease to get progressively worse and then they'll release him probably to some kind of state program where he'll be watched for another two years but that's it. He'll max out of the system and be back on the streets with no help, no job skills, nothing. If you've ever had a family member with mental illness, you'll understand what I'm writing. My brother has schizophrenia and this is our constant cycle with him, ward of the state for two years and then they say he's magically fine. Comes home, decompensates, living on street, temporary institution stays, tearful court proceedings and begging of officers to help him and then finally he does something drastic like causes a rucus in Penn Station, starving himself to near death, threatening a child we're currently in round 4 of this cycle and he's 40. Should something happen to me and my mom I don't know who will watch out for him. My heart bleeds for this mother. What a horrible thing to have put away your baby because of something that is not his fault.
We can squander billions all over the world but when it comes to mental illness at home so many slip through the cracks and when they do there is hell to pay. He is the only victim here because thank God his mother is a hero and did something, the question now will they carry the ball or drop it as usual. If he is given minimal treatment turned loose and eventually kills a lot of people who's fault will it be?
Psychiatric treatment is only successful when the patient is willing to be engaged in the therapuetic process. You don't do treatment on people, you engage in therapy with people. Court mandated treatment is rarely successful, and as long as he is not posing a direct danger to himself or to others, he cannot be legally held in an inpatient facility.
Mark: "We can squander billions all over the world but when it comes to..."
Yes, Mark, "We can squander billions all over the world but when it comes to..." HEALTH CARE--we don't believe our fellow citizens deserve it either.
Sad sad comment on our society...
See Joe's comment 5.2 below--he advocates the "murder of teenage girls."
"If they are dumb enough to watch that dreck yes I do. Thin the herd before they join society and ruin it further."
Way beyond our denial of healthcare to our fellow citizens. I rest my case.
I would not do it myself but would not mourn for one second
I do hope that you have family members who care about you enough to get you the help you need, just as this mother did for her son.
What help do I need DOCJT? I admit I am without empathy for strangers when they die. I admit I feel some people need to be removed from the earth. I admit to being honest with myself and non violent.
So what help do I need?
Sadly DOCJT Our society worships violence, bloodshed and mayhem. Look at the movies, TV, video games and music. Children today are shown violence as a normal part of life and people are so shocked when horrible things happen.People like to say well just turn it off, many of these kids don't have anyone home to turn it off. Many parents are struggling to survive and some are just too selfish. Then you get those with mental illness that also fall through the cracks, it reminds me of the story of the two wolves and which wolf you feed.
If you watch twilight you deserve to get shot
So you advocate the murder of teenage girls.
If they are dumb enough to watch that dreck yes I do. Thin the herd before they join society and ruin it further.
You're a fu*king idiot.
DNFTT
And to this boys mom, you just saved the holidays for a lot of potential victims by doing what's right! You are definitely appreciated! Atta girl!
I think it's about time people call it what it is. This guy actually put time & effort into planning how he was going to kill, multiple times. This just isn't a case of "he is on medication", its worse. Heck, even the mom said its not the meds. This guy and others who have a thirst to see someone get hurt or die needs to be removed from normal society.
Well, if you think about it, it would be more cost-effective to simple execute anyone diagnosed with a mental illness. If you're into cost-effectiveness. After all, we can't be too safe.../s
If kids had to get out and work to earn their way instead of leaching off parents they would not have time to think about such evil things.
Warren - your gross generalization is ridiculous and idiotic. In this case, do you even know what Asperger's syndrome is? Know anyone with it? I do and I do. Simply put, the wiring is different from "normal" people. Just by getting them to work, or anyone for that matter, will not solve this problem.
BTW: it's not just kids leeching off of parents. You should define "kids"
The sheer ignorance astounds me.
@ Observing2
No offense meant. Generalization is all that is possible in a public forum.
Life sucks and then you die, what else can I offer you.
@Observing, I think his response to you means that warren doesn't have a clue what Asperger's syndrome is. He's just trolling.
An excellent alert mom. Her intervention certainly saved many lives. Hope he gets the treatment he needs, long term hospitalization or incarceration, the main thing is he's off the street.
I commend this mother for taking the steps in not only protecting her community but understanding what is wrong with her son. Sadly, some parents and families of mentally ill people are in denial and that's when horrible things happen. Unfortunately, mental illness is something that is over looked. Most states have laws in each state that in order for anything to be done, they must prove they are a danger to others and/or themselves which is the "after the fact" situation. Just with like taking medications for their illness, you cannot make them especially if they are over 18 years old. Yes, most mentally ill people aren't going to kill and hopefully its an example for others to step up and help protect those who are afflicted and everyone else.
Given that he had purchased weapons and made plans, it was already proven that he was a danger to himself or others. That is how the mother was able to probate him. She had plenty of criteria to start the probate procedure. Quite often, the first step to probating someone who is mentally ill and in need of being in a locked psychiatric facility begins with calling the police. In an ideal situation, the police transport to an ER or a crisis intervention clinic that can assess and begin the probate procedure, including contacting the judge to agree to the pink slip.
Finally - a vigilant parent who saved innocent lives as well as the life of her son.
I hope more people are as astute, aware and swift in addressing these kinds of situations as Ms. Lammers; I'm sure all those who were saved from your sons bullets will be giving Thanks to you tomorrow!
So glad his parents are still "parenting" him and watching him closely even though he is chronologically old enough to be on his own. Way to go Mom!
I think it is more of a matter of how he was brought up...
I think the problem started it when his mom named him "Blaec".
(Just kidding, Mom. You did the right thing. With turning him in, not spelling "Blake" like the rest of us humans do...)