Oklahoma student blows himself up at game

[Drbio]

OU says student who blew himself up had history of problems

Extensive campus search turns up no other explosive devices


09:09 PM CDT on Sunday, October 2, 2005


By ARNOLD HAMILTON / The Dallas Morning News


NORMAN, Okla. – A University of Oklahoma student who killed himself by detonating a bomb near the jam-packed Sooner football stadium apparently had a history of emotional problems, authorities said Sunday.

Federal and state agents identified the man as John Henry Hinrichs III, 21, an engineering major at OU.

"He clearly was a very bright student," Mr. Boren said, yet one who "had very serious personal problems that led to this tragic death."

Mr. Hinrichs' father, Joel Henry Hinrichs Jr., said he was very surprised to hear the news about his son.

"We exchanged e-mails on an irregular basis, several in the last month, and nothing seemed out the ordinary," the father told The Associated Press.

His son was a National Merit Scholar who graduated in May 2002 from Wasson High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., and began attending OU in the fall of that year with a major in mechanical engineering.

"He was a very intelligent, very private individual who somehow lost the confidence that his life would be a good one," the elder Hinrichs said. "Obviously, every parent believes their son is a good kid, and I certainly believed that about mine."

Mr. Boren said authorities told him there was no indication that anyone else was involved with Mr. Hinrichs – or that he attempted to enter the stadium, where the Sooners and Kansas State were playing Saturday night. More than 80,000 fans attended the game, and some heard and felt the explosion.

"At this point, we have no information that suggests that there is any additional threat posed by others related to this incident," said a joint statement from the FBI's Oklahoma chief, Salvador Hernandez; U.S. Attorney John Richter; and OU Police Chief Elizabeth Woolen.

Mr. Hinrichs detonated the bomb while sitting on a park bench outside Cross Hall, one of the university's science buildings, just west of the stadium.

Authorities initially feared another explosive device might be inside a backpack near the body. They deployed a robot and some mild explosives in an attempt to detonate the backpack but determined there were no explosives inside.

Early Sunday, law officers and school officials also evacuated four buildings in Mr. Hinrich's nearby university-owned housing complex, Parkview Apartments, to search for evidence, including perhaps more explosives.

The complex, about four blocks southeast of the football stadium, remained cordoned off Sunday afternoon as law officers combed the area.

The estimated 35 to 40 student residents were moved temporarily into Norman hotels, where they were expected to remain until at least today.

Mr. Boren suggested Mr. Hinrichs could have chosen the location – and the time – to ensure the most attention for his death – or because that area of campus is especially serene and picturesque.

"He has had what I would call emotional difficulties in the past," Mr. Boren said.

The area near the detonation site, just west of the football stadium, was pretty much back to normal Sunday afternoon. University officials were busy replacing shattered windows in Cross Hall.