24-year-old Erik Ayala left a note for his Milwuakie roommate Saturday in an envelope marked “OPEN ON SUNDAY,” according to detectives, who released more information on the shooting at a 3pm press conference this afternoon.
AYALA: Left note…
“To my friends and family: I am sorry,” read the note.
“And to my friend, [name redacted],” the note continued, “I am especially sorry. I know it’s not much consolation but as my friend and roommate you are entitled to everything that I own. Maybe these things can bring in a few bucks. Good luck in this shitty world. Erik.”
The note was accompanied by a check to Ayala’s roommate, together with additional information listing his social security, bank account, alien number (police are still looking into Ayala’s immigration status), ODL, and birthdate: 03-10-84. He also gave his Qwest login.
“My car is up to date with its maintenance,” the note continued. “It just leaks a little oil. You can probably get at least 2.5 grand for it. It’ll be somewhere downtown but I’m not sure where. I’m sure you’ll get a letter about it soon.”
The note went on to talk about Ayala’s Playstation 3.
“You know my ps3 is special,” it said. “Similar USED ps3s go for AT LEAST $450-$500. Our landlord guy wants a ps3 like mine. Let him know that $400 would be a GOOD deal. If he doesn’t want it, format the drive by going to Settings>system Settings>Format Utility. You can say that it “comes with the latest firmware software” to help market it on the internet. In case you don’t know, it’s the special “100% backwards compatible” (60GB) ps3.”
“I’m sorry to put all this on you buddy, good luck.”
Ayala was initially thought to be dead in the street outside the Zone night club, said Detective Mark Slater, who said a 9mm semi-automatic Tanfoglio gun was retrieved, along with 7 shell casings, from the scene. While there were 9 victims, Ayala is alleged to have used ball ammunition, which may have travelled through one victim and into another.
Slater said a copy of the video game Grand Theft Auto 3 was found at Ayala’s apartment, but said police were not pursuing the video games angle at this time. “There were a lot of video games in the apartment,” Slater said. “Of a wide variety of the kind that you might find in any 24-year-old’s apartment.”
16-year-old Ashely Lauren Wilks was pronounced dead at the scene. The remaining victims, five females and three males, were taken to local hospitals. At the hospital, 17-year-old Martha “Tika” Paz De Noboa, of Peru, also died. Six victims are part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and are foreign exchange students. They include: 18-year-old Ana Zambrano Soledispa, from Ecuador, 18-year-old Gonzalo Vasquez Orozco, from Guatamala; 18-year-old Trista Chang, from Taiwan; a 16-year-old from Portland and 44-year-old Brad Yoast, general manager of a nearby establishment—it’s rumored to be Kells.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my 20 years of law enforcement,” said Central Precinct Commander Mike Reese, describing the scene of the incident when he arrived on Saturday night.
“I hate to talk about what it’s done to us personally at Rotary because obviously there are two dead, but one of the priorities is the safety of our students,” said Scott Bieber, youth protection officer for Rotary International’s 5100 district, which runs from SW Washington through to Northern Oregon, to Salem. “All of us who’re parents worry about our kids when they go to the end of the block, let alone a foreign country. But at the same time I think everyone recognizes that this was a random incident.”
Several people have said they saw signs that Ayala was depressed before the shooting. But there is no evidence to suggest that Ayala was involved in mental health treatment, or on any medication, according to detectives. Ayala had no criminal history. Detectives are asking for anyone who had contact with Ayala in the days before the shooting or with additional information to call 503 823 9319—particularly anyone with information on where Ayala may have obtained the gun.
“Attached are a few handy recipes using items from my mini-fridge, little buddy. Good luck! PS: The milk just expired, but it’s actually good for a few days beyond that. Sincerely, your considerate yet homicidal crazy roommate.”
$400 for a PS3. Pshaw. You get a few good games, and Blu-ray? I don’t think so.
That’s “Milwaukie” to you, partner.
Anyone noticing that the shooter seemingly took out his rage on non-whites primarily. Maybe that was coincidental, maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was not white/anglo-saxon himself. I tend to feel that coincidence is the last possible explanation for just about anything.
For clarification:
The police are saying that the victims’ nationalities is unlikely to be connected to the shooting. They have repeatedly stated that they can find no connection between the shooter and the victims, and that they believe the violence was random.
So weird how someone can be so apologetic to his roommate and then go out and blow a bunch of strangers away.
Also: Should I ever go on a shooting rampage (not likely, for you paranoid souls out there), my roommates would be the FIRST to go.
Senseless act by a guy who doesn’t know how to make a valid Oregon will. If he stays alive and spends the rest of his life in prison, he will wish his aim on himself had been as accurate as it was for innocent people.
Was it the economy that triggered this? A love interest? I bet it’s a few things, but apparently his roommate had nothing to do with it.
(Reposting from Erik’s thing about the O’s focus on Ayala’s gaming just in case someone here opts to focus on the same point:)
“The cops just released the suicide note, where the shooter goes on at length about how much his roommate should sell his “special” PS3 for.”
In defense of Mr. Ayala, he wasn’t talking about some magical sentimental value of his PS3, so please don’t read that into it. Assuming he wasn’t lying to his roommate, his PS3 is quite special, as Sony no longer makes PS3’s that play PS2 games using internal hardware (or, for that matter, using software either). So, if you want to have a PS3 that can also play PlayStation 2 games, you’re going to have to a) find one and b) shell out an extra few hundred dollars to get someone to part with it.
Wow. A “special” PS3. This guy was a nerd *and* a murderer.
He was a nerd muderer.
He was … wait for it … a nerderer!
NERDERER!!
hahaha……….
only on the mercury blog….
“Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.”
George Bernard Shaw
I find it very upsetting that someone as disturbed as this man could gain access to a weapon, let alone stunned why no publications are questioning how easily it is for people to bear arms. Premeditated? Random? Why did he have a gun in the first place?
Yes please take away our 2nd amendment rights because some whacko went nuts. Then please take our cars, because we can drive them into crowds of people, and pens, because when not signing checks for high priced PS3’s, I want to stick them in people’s eyes.
comparing guns to cars and pens is moronic.
what’s the useful purpose of your gun? it’s either a toy or a weapon. neither useful nor helpful.
jackass.
If your 24 years old and the most prized possession in your life is your PS3 game system, the mental analysis is easy. Borderline retarded, mentally ill, stupid, psychopath, whatever you want to call it. If you loose your job and you have absolutely nothing to turn to for venting, I mean anything, guitar, hiking, welding, cheese-making. the mind will start to rot!
@ben
Please don’t feed the troll.
“what’s the useful purpose of your gun? it’s either a toy or a weapon. neither useful nor helpful.”
I would call a weapon useful in the face of many situations.
A pen and car are applicable because their secondary uses can be to kill, just as a gun can be used to kill. Yet do we talk about banning cars or pens?
(The leading killer by far of people in this country amongst those three items.)
Has anyone noted that there is a large construction project going on in front of the Zone and has been for the last week, and that the barricades on the sidewalk would have effectively trapped people in the line of fire?
Has anyone noticed that the scene was spotless by Monday, and that there are no signs of bullet holes in any of the structures nearby?
There is something REALLY REALLY FISHY about the canned story on this. The police have sure been quick to say it was random, eh? Long before a real investigation can be started- much less completed.
Portland police have long been involved in backroom dealings with nighclubs and the like downtown.
I’m just sayin’. I feel for the families, but there is so much about this case that smells very, very, very fishy.
There wouldn’t be a cover-up going on, would there? Not in Portland?
-MG