Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Jan. 27, 1995, edition 1 / Page 2
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2 Friday, January 27,1995 SUSPECT FROM PAGE 1 ~ “The first two incidents set a perception About him that he was off the deep end,” the student said. Williamson’s mother, Fonda, said she was shocked to leam Thursday that her son was involved in the shootings. She said she last spoke with him Jan. 12 when he was home in Clyde for Winter Break. “We’re as baffled as to how this could have happened as anyone else, ” she said in a telephone interview from her home in western North Carolina. When asked if her son had been having problems recently, she said: “He’d been somewhat stressed. But all law students are under stress. “We’ve always had a good rapport. He has always been a very satisfactory son, a good student, an all-around good person until this happened.” Fonda Williamson, who lives with her husband, said they were discussing com ing to Chapel Hill. “We haven’t yet de cided whether to come,” she said. The pending warrants for her son’s ar rest on two counts of first-degree murder came as a total shock to Fonda Williamson. “We’re somewhat stunned,” she said. “He’s always been a sociable guy with a bunch of friends.” But law school classmates of Wendell Williamson portrayed him as a loner with few friends. Williamson graduated from UNC with honors in English in 1990. Law student Mark Bibbs said Thursday that he sat next to Williamson in a family law class last semester but had spoken casually to Williamson. “He was a very quiet individual from what I could tell. He kept to himself,” Bibbs said. “He didn’t engage in class dis cussions when I was there.” Third-year law student James Coblin said he often saw Williamson at bars and thought he was always pleasant to talk to. " “He’s a nice guy for all I know of him,” Coblin said. “He was definitely a loner type person.” Williamson often wore an army jacket or fatigue clothing, Coblin added. “I would never have thought this of him,” he said. “He wasn’t the normal kind of law school guy. He definitely had some thing strange about him.” Williamson lived alone at 103-M Rock Creek Apartments in Carrboro. A neigh bor said she had only spoken a few times with Williamson in the 2 1 /2 years the two had lived in the same building. “He hasn’t been around a lot recently. I’ve barely seen him in months, ” the neigh bor said. “I probably said ‘hi’ to him less than five times, and he’s lived here as long as I have. And I’ve been here 21/2 years. I’ve probably told him to be quiet, like, twice. Then he played (guitar) at 3 o’clock in the morning like two days in a row, and I wasn’t going to get up at 3 o’clock in the ;morning, so I filed a formal complaint.” The neighbor said she had a friend who Williamson might have had a romantic interest in but had had difficulty talking to inperson. “Hedidn’tharassher,”theneigh bor said. “He called her a couple of times, but he would never talk to her in public, really. He seemed too shy. We would all be out there, because a lot of us were friends, and he would walk by and not say any thing. Then as soon as we’d all go back to our apartments and she’d go back to her apartment, he’d call her. So he had to be -r/mf r—i— i y *► * *Jol LZyp. *■ "W™ Hjy* ywY'" r'f . DTH/CRAIG JONES Onlookers at a residence near the scene of the shootings watch as Reichardt’s body is loaded into an ambulance. SORORITY FROM PAGE 1 said. “He was crawling away (after being shot once) screaming ‘Oh God.’ He was hiding behind a car and was shot again.” The body was lying on the southbound lane in front of the annex at 215 Henderson St. between a white Chevy Cavalier and a silver Acura Integra. A brown mountain bike lay on its side across Henderson Street. Another man was found shot to death three houses down on the east side of the road. The Phi Mu house was damaged in the shootings. The gunman apparently fired once through the wooden front door of the annex, leaving a small bullet resting beside two pink chairs in the lounge. Also, at the main house, the gunman shot a hole through a window, seriously damaging a computer terminal in the computer room. Other women in the house who heard gunshots were shaken up. Tragedy Strikes University Community ' - : je&' ‘ IMF ** ■ . .r DTH/KATE CANNON Officials load Kevin Reichardt's body into an ambulance on Henderson Street about 4 p.m. Thursday. Reichardt, a sophomore lacrosse player from Riva, Md., was found between an off-white Chevy Cavalier and a silver Acura Integra in front of the Phi Mu annex at 215 Henderson St. watching us out there.” Women in the law school said that at times Williamson had made them uncom fortable by staring. “It didn’t come as a complete surprise to any of us,” said one third-year law student who spoke on condition of anonymity. “He didn’t hurt anyone at the law school, but he struck us as someone who was on the edge. He would stare at several women, and I know for a fact some of them felt very uncomfortable about it. People eventually had to go to the dean about it.” Professors and deans at the law school acknowledged Thursday that Williamson was enrolled in the law school, but they said they had no other comment. Students said they rarely saw Williamson at the law school this semes ter, but another third-year student who spoke anonymously said she had seen him the previous two days on Franklin Street. On Wednesday, he was in Brueggers Bagel Bakery and had a blank stare, she said. The student also said she had often seen Williamson at Henderson Street Bar & Grill and at Linda’s Bar & Grill. In la w classes, the student rarely partici pated, she said. “He always sat in the back row, and he always passed when he was called on, ” the law student said. “I don’t think he felt comfortable talking. He just seemed not to be a part of the whole process.” Thanassis Cambanis and Kelly Ryan contributed to this article. “I was in my bed napping, and I heard a noise which I thought was firecrackers,” said Julie Puckett, a member of Phi Mu. “I looked out the window and saw people running in the yard.” Many of the women in the sorority spent the afternoon calling worried parents who had seen accounts of the shootings on national television. Stephanie Vojvoda, state director ofPhi Mu, said plans were being made to aid the UNC chapter, but she declined to com ment further on the matter. Ron Binder, UNC director of Greek affairs; Nathan Berolzheimer, a clinical social worker at Student Health Service; and John Edgerly, director of the Univer sity Counseling Center, visited the sorority late Thursday to offer comfort and explain the services open to the women at the University. “I’m just amazed by the level of caring in that sorority,” Binder said. “These are the times that try brotherhood and sister SHOOTING FROM PAGE 1 he and Bob Epting tackled and disarmed the gunman. Chapel Hill police Chief Ralph Pendergraph said the police had no motive for the shootings. “We don’t have to deal with these things too often in our fives, ” he said. “The one thing we have a difficult time doing is trying to make any logic out of things like this. I think we all agree what happened was not something that any rea sonable person can understand.” According to witnesses, the gunman began walking south on Henderson Street just before 2 p.m. He opened fire on pedes trians and automobiles. The first victim, a man, fell in front of 302 Henderson St. Reichardt was the gunman’s next tar get. Witnesses said Reichardt was travel ing south when the gunman began firing at him. According to witnesses, Reichardt jumped from his bicycle and attempted to flee. The gunman then shot Reichardt again in front of the Phi Mu sorority annex at 215 Henderson St., witnesses said. “I didn’t actually see him (Reichardt) go down,” said April Coble, a senior from Angier. “I heard shots, and my roommate said she saw a man with a gun ... (the people) next door had seen the guy (Reichardt) get shot.” People on the street said they began to mn for cover when they heard the shots and saw the rifle. “He actually shot at me three times,” hood the most.” In the coming days, a variety of services will be open for students who are having a hard time dealing with the shock. At 3 p.m. today in the second floor of SHS, a support group will be held for students suffering from distress. If services students want are unavail able at certain times, they can go to the first floor of SHS and speak to a psychologist. “The important thing is to have a place to express feelings and just talk about what thoughts and feelings are going through them,” said Dr. Kathy Ney, associate di rector of Student Psychological Services. “We’re simply shocked and stunned. We’ve cleared out our schedules to arrange times with students.” Edgerly said the road to recovery from such shocking events varied in length, add ing that talking about the situation is rec ommended. “It will be a while,” he said. “This is a shocker, there’s no question about it.” CITY said Mallory Reeves, a junior from Selma, Ala. “I was riding down Henderson Street on my bike and at that little alleyway, I saw him walking (south toward Franklin Street). He was holding a big, brown rifle hold ing it down at his waist. When I saw him, he veered around into a shooting position, and I jumped off my bike and ran.” Pendergraph said the gunman was us ing a 30.06 World War 11-type rifle. He said the gunman did not have any other weapons with him. Witnesses said the gun man was also carrying a bag full of ammu nition that he used to reload the rifle sev eral times. Several people estimated that he fired more than 30 shots during the seven-minute incident. “I heard around 40 shots,” said David Jones, a bartender at Henderson Street Bar & Grill. “He was on the comer of Rose mary and Henderson firing off six to eight shots at a time. He first shot at a Coors truck. The driver got out and ran away.” After Reichardt was shot, Stephenson had turned south onto Henderson Street from Rosemary Street when the gunman fired into her car at point-blank range. The car swerved onto the curb and hit a parking meter. Witnesses reported that Chapel Hill police officers began returning fire from underneath a tree on the southwest comer of Henderson and Franklin streets. “I heard gunshots, the cops were com ing to the comer and returning fire,” said Lenny Williams, a Pizza Inn employee who witnessed the shootings. “People were running everywhere. It was complete mad- Reactions “This is a terrible and senseless tragedy that is impossible to understand. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of both victims.” John Swofford “We banned him from our bar. We didn’t want him in there because he’s weird and talked to his beer.” John Lauby, talking about the suspect m 5.'- ■ "s lUf - ' ||ii!" *, Chapel Hill police Chief Ralph Pendergraph and Chapel Hill Mayor Ken Broun respond to questions posed by the media Thursday evening. Broun said that the incident was a tragedy but that it could have happened anywhere. ness.” Pendergraph said that while Wilfiamson was being treated for two gunshot wounds to his legs, he could not confirm that an officer had returned fire resulting in the wound. “There is an SBI investigation of all officer-involved shootings, and I’ll get a report as soon as they get through.” Pendergraph said several officers were already in the area because hearings were in progress at the District Court on the comer of Franklin and Henderson streets. “I don’t know the number of officers who were under fire, but there were a significant number of officers,” he said. Gunshots hit at least five civilian ve hicles and several buildings during the in cident. Another two police cars had their back windows shattered, and shots hit the post office building. After shooting in the direction of the post office, witnesses said, the gunman backtracked and ended up behind the den tal offices of Dr. Celeste Hunter Sloop on the eastcomerofßosemary and Henderson streets. Atthat point, Leone made his move. Officials immediately blocked offßose mary, Henderson and Franklin streets. All roads wereclearedby 8:30p.m. Dr. Robert Thompson, chief state medical examiner, said autopsies would be performed this morning. Pendergraph said the arraign ment would take place when the suspect was physically able to appear in court. Wendy Goodman, Edward Marshall and Kelly Ryan contributed to this article. “I had a friend who was standing behind Silent Sam, and when he and all the students around him heard the shots, they all hit the ground.” Jennifer Harrelson “He shot at me and was about 20 feet from me ... I just kept running -and dodging between the cars.” Mallory Reeves (Sljp Daily 3ar Heel REICHARDT FROM PAGE 1 That’s how the 1995 North Carolina lacrosse media guide profiled Kevin Eric Reichardt, a sophomore midfielder with virtually his whole life and career ahead of him. The Riva, Md., native, who tumed2o on Jan. 20, lost the opportunity to excel in sports and beyond when a gunman shot and killed him and another man Thursday afternoon on Henderson Street. “This is a terrible and senseless tragedy that is impossible to understand, ” said UNC Director of Athletics John Swofford in a statement late Thursday night. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of both victims, especially the Reichardts. It is a tragic loss for them. “This is a horrible loss for the Carolina athletic family and a terrible bio w to Kevin’s lacrosse teammates. He will certainly be missed.” Swofford said Reichardt exemplified the term “student-athlete.” “He was a Dean’s List student and had been selected to rep resent the lacrosse team on the Athletic Director’s Student-Athlete Advisory Coun cil,” he said in his statement. Reichardt's death was not confirmed until late Thursday night because he had been mistakenly identified by police, said UNC Dean of Students Fred Schroeder. Reichardt was riding his bicycle on Henderson Street when he was initially shot near the Phi Mu sorority house. The gunman, according to witnesses, shot Reichardt once more after he crossed the street. One teammate said that whenßeichardt didn’t show up for practice Thursday, the team “didn’t think about it, but after (prac tice) we thought about it more and more.” Around 5:30 p.m., the team received word that Reichardt was not a victim but was instead thought to be a witness to the shooting. Later that night, several lacrosse players went to the police station on Air port Road when they put three clues to gether Reichardt was missing, his bike were missing, and they saw on television shoes similar to a pair owned by their teammate on a shooting victim lying on the ground on Henderson Street. At about 11:30 p.m., after the police contacted Reichardt’s parents, Schroeder released his name. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Reichardt, a business administration major, often wore Air Jordans for games on artificial turf. He scored four goals and one assist and won almost 53 percent of his 38 faceoffs in his freshman season last spring. Reichardt went to St. Mary’s High School, where he played four years of la crosse and two years each ofbasketball and soccer. He was a co-captain on all those teams as a senior. He is survived by his parents, Karl and Carol Reichardt. Jacson Lowe and Ryan Thornburg contributed to this article. " ‘: LEONE FROM PAGE 1 was being interviewed by the State Bureau oflnvestigation. He seemed calm but tired. He had on a hospital shirt, a visible ban dage across his left shoulder, gym shorts and a Virginia baseball hat. “I’ve felt better, but all things consid ered, I feel fine,” he said. His actions probably saved lives and led to the apprehension of the gunman by police. “It was not bravery, it was stupidity,” Leone said. “I don’t know why I did it.” Leone is an industrial relations major from Moorestown, N.J. He joined the Marines, with whom he served in Desert Storm, after high school to earn money for college. His actions didn’t come as a surprise to many who know him. According to friends, he is outgoing and has a good heart. “I could see him doing that,” said Chris Pierson, a friend and bartender at Tammany Hall. “He’s one of the nicest guys I know.” Leone’s roommate agreed that this was typical of his personality and said he was not surprised either. “He is a very brave guy and is willing to do anything for anyone,” said the room mate, Todd Butler. “He has a real big heart.” When asked if he considered himself a hero, Leone responded: “Not at all—l’m just happy to know that I saved lives.” Erica Beshears contributed to this article.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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