I looked up PMEL on Wikipedia....

[MIRCS]

Yes they are Marine

[Hoopty]

The shooting incident was real.  It was not because he was PMEL though...

[flew-da-coup]

It was becuase he was crazy. One crazy PMEL guy goes postal and now we are all dangerous? Who is that IP address. It sounds like something Flamy78 would do.

[Old-Navy]

Not Flamy.. it was me.  And I won't put it back in there.  If it happens again, it wasn't me! 

[H0T-Lead]

I was at Cannon right after he was discharged from there....heard all the stories...our squadron commander was also on "the List"....there was a few SPs assigned to her for a while...he was shot by an SP as he was outside a base legal office taking shoys of people walking out the doors....the SP that shot him was on a bike...got the call, rode over, pulled out HER 9mm and put 3 rounds center body mass at 90yds....that is the tale we got from the Squadron Commander after it happened....everyone there was scared of him....

Need to put a bit in here:
1.  Dean was at Fairchild (as far as I can tell) primarily to kill two people: my brother, Capt Alan London, the psychologist who had him taken to Wilford Hall in restraints, and Maj Tom Brigham, the psychiatrist who endorsed the action.  About a month before Alan was killed I remember him mentioning an airman who was being put out of the AF and that he and Tom were going to need to buy flak vests.

2.  I spoke the provost marshall a week after the shootings and he confirmed that Sgt Andrew Brown (HER 9mm indeed!) was on bicycle patrol in the housing area and was first to respond to a 911 call at the base hospital.  He saw Mellberg who had just completed one pass through the Psych annex and the hospital itself (where he had shot, I think, 27 people) and who was either reloading or clearing a jam in his weapon.  Sgt Brown dismounted, commanded Mellberg to drop his weapon and, when Mellberg began to raise his weapon to fire at Brown, the AP fired 4 rounds from his 9mm pistol at about 80 yds range, hitting Mellberg twice in the face.

3.  As for Mellberg going PMEL, during his psych eval at Wilford hall, he was diagnosed with a whole series of mental disorders which were changed over and over again due to the interference of Mellberg's mother and congressman.  The net result of which was the discharge of Mellberg for disciplary reasons.  I was particularly upset by this as it was Alan and Tom's intention that he be hospitalised.  It was their considered opinion that he was dangerous and that, should he be discharged from the Air Force administratively, he would rapidly decompensate -- which indeed proved to be the case.  Incidentally, the USAF was ordered by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to pay $19 million in damages to the survivors and families of the deceased victims.  We never got any of it.  As both Alan's widow, Kathy and I were in active service at the time we were precluded by law to participate in the lawsuit.

Just thought I would set the record straight.

[Hoopty]

I'm sorry for your loss... and for the crappy way the gov't has apparently handled it.

Thanks for taking the time to set us straight.  BTW, I did a little research and found this:

Shortly after the shooting, President Clinton directed that Brown receive the Airman's Medal for heroism. Gen. John M. Loh, Air Combat Command commander, presented the medal June 30.

Additionally, I ran across this on Google:  US Court of Appeals: Sigman V USA

[PMEL_DEVIL-DOG]

I was at Cannon right after he was discharged from there....heard all the stories...our squadron commander was also on "the List"....there was a few SPs assigned to her for a while...he was shot by an SP as he was outside a base legal office taking shoys of people walking out the doors....the SP that shot him was on a bike...got the call, rode over, pulled out HER 9mm and put 3 rounds center body mass at 90yds....that is the tale we got from the Squadron Commander after it happened....everyone there was scared of him....

3 shots rapid fire...From 90 yards.....All center mass, huh? Sorry bro, I gotta pull the BS flag on that one. Not that I'm a gunslinger or anything, but I was on the Marine Corps pistol and rifle team (Oh, I'm distinguised in rifle and doulbe-distinguised for pistol). Anyway....

WHAT'S UP, FELLAS?! I've been gone awhile. Hey Coup, you kill anything this year?

[docbyers]

Maybe they're confusing yards with feet...  90 feet, and it would still be a helluva shot with a pistol.

[Powerslave]

like i said...i wasn't there as it happened, just heard stories from those who were there...

[PMEL_DEVIL-DOG]

Yeah, kinda like when my father-n-law told me he killed a deer with a pellet rifle. Shot right thru the spine!

Whatever.....

[H0T-Lead]

3 shots rapid fire. . . From 90 yards. . . . . All center mass, huh? Sorry bro, I gotta pull the BS flag on that one.

If you look at my post above, you will see that I did spoke to the provost marshall, who was kind enough to take me on a walking tour of the site.   I was shown where Brown had dismounted and where Mellberg had been standing when Brown ended the spree (along with a whole lot more that I need not go into just now). 

It was 80 yards, give or take one or two, and Sgt Brown fired four (4) rounds in (if I remember correctly) a Weaver stance.   This is not a "shootout at the OK corral" kind of stance.   This is "Breathe, Aim, Release, Squeeze," and affords at least one second between shots --  sufficient time for a proficient marksman to recover his aim following a recoil.

I will grant that the maximum effective range of the M92 pistol is only 25 meters but that does not mean that the bullet drops to the ground at the 26th meter.   It keeps going a little while.   So, I deduce the following from this:

1 - Sgt Brown was a proficient marksman;
2 - Sgt Brown took his life in his own hands by confronting a shooter who was out of range and had a much more powerful weapon; and
3 - God smiled on Sgt Brown's poor judgement by helping two of his four bullets reach their target before Mellberg could engage.

Oh, and by the way --- Mellberg was nuts long before he joined the Air Force.   

[flew-da-coup]

I heard that the SP was a Girl? I guess they were wrong.

[H0T-Lead]

Unless, of course, Brown's parents decided that "Andrew" was a suitable name for a girl.

[apbrown]

I am interested in hearing from anyone who knew Mellberg.   Also Dr.  London's Brother.

I am just looking for some background info as I conduct further research into the shooting.

I was a Security Policeman at Fairchild who responded to the Hospital shooting.

Thank you, and sorry for reviving such an old post.

Andy Brown
 

[RichieRich]

I don't have any knowledge to pass along but just wanted to thank Andy for what he did.  Seriously - way to step up man.  You're a hero - no B.S.