New Mexico Shooter Nehemiah Griego Loved Violent Video Games, Hoped to Be Killed by Police

[Jazzy]

Nehemiah Griego admitted to police that he killed five members of his immediate family, including his two sisters and one brother who were all less than 10 years old. But it could have been even worse: After committing the murders, Griego reloaded his weapon with the possible intention of going to a nearby Walmart so that he could harm more people.



According to the police report, “he wanted to shoot people at random and eventually be killed while exchanging gunfire with law enforcement.” It is not clear at this time what, if anything, prevented the boy from carrying out this plan or if he ever attempted to go to the Walmart.



As the investigation into the shooting -- which happened on Saturday -- has progressed, more details about the supposed shooter have emerged. “The suspect was involved heavily in games — violent games — and was quite excited as he got the opportunity to discuss them with our investigators,”sheriff Dan Houston revealed at a Tuesday press conference. Two of the games Griego enjoyed playing were Modern Warfare and Grand Theft Auto.



Griego told police that he was feeling homicidal and suicidal when he began the attack on his family, and that the violent incident started because he was “frustrated” with his mother. After killing her, he took a photo of his deceased mother and sent it to his 12-year-old girlfriend.



Police recovered four guns during the investigation, two of which are believed to have been used in the killings. All four were legally owned by the boy’s father, local pastor Gregory Griego. Although the investigation is still ongoing, police are not looking for any other suspects in the matter.

Source



In your opinion, did playing violent video games cause him to do this? Why or why not?

 

[Sinon]

No.



While yes, videogames can provide visual outlets and examples of horrific acts, they are rarely ever designed as guidelines of murder. A personal example - I've recently been playing Ninja Gaiden 3, a very gory, fast-paced game which revolves around the player acting as dragon ninja Ryu Hayabusa, a man capable of supernatural feats of killing and destruction. Much of the game's combat focuses on severely wounding enemies before killing them. Slice an enemy's arm off with your katana, use their buckling body to vault into the air, and drive your blade straight down, slicing their entire skull in half, vertically.



I own katanas. I play violent games involving katanas. Do I go outside and perform the acts found within these violent games? I do not. The reason being that I am level-headed and not crazy.



According to this article he is 15, yet enjoyed games such as Modern Warfare, and Grand Theft Auto. Both games are rated M, which I believe in the US is 17+. So already, it seems shaky ground to blame something that is obviously not designed for somebody his age. The article also states that he admitted to having anger issues.



I often notice that whenever something like this happens, pro-gun people leap to the defence of how it's not the fault of the weapon, yet usually have no qualms in blaming something in the media. Maybe they should look into the boy's upbringing, though. A heavily Christian family, home-schooled, and living in one of (if not the most) impoverished states in the USA.

 

[Jazzy]

What he wanted was suicide by cops. He didn't have the guts to kill himself so he killed his family. I don't believe the violent video games were a direct result of this massacre. I do believe, however, they played a part. This boy was obviously mentally disturbed but yet the parents took no action to help him. The father is nothing more than an irresponsible gun owner, These weapons should have had gun locks and they should have been locked in a secure location. Without access to the weapons, this would not have been able to happen. I lay the blame on this one on his parents but more heavily on the father.