Collegio Online

Issue date: 3/11/10 Section: Front Page

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Early Thursday morning, March 4, 19-year-old Tyler Baker of Lee's Summit, Mo., was taken to the Crawford County jail on a charge of firing a gun on the porch of Nation Hall.
Police say Baker was under the influence of alcohol when he was arrested. He was booked on charges of possession of a weapon on state property, unlawful discharge of a weapon, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and being a minor in possession of alcohol.
At about 5 a.m., campus police were dispatched to Nation Hall after a 911 call. The caller reported a gunshot fired on the porch of Nation Hall. Director of University Police Mike McCracken says three campus policemen were on duty at the time of the call.
"It was about 15 minutes between the time when the call came in and when the individual had been identified and was in custody," McCracken said. "So, it was pretty rapid."
Police say that they were led to the suspect's room on the second floor of Nation Hall. They found Baker in his residence, where he gave them permission to search his vehicle. Police sat that two shotguns were found in Baker's truck, one of which was the weapon that was fired into the air.
"There was actually no real violent threat or anything made by the individual," McCracken said. "It wasn't what you would call an act of violence, it was more just a random act of bad judgment kind of thing more than act of someone intending to harm anyone."
Students who were close to Baker had differing opinions regarding his normal behavior.
"I've known Tyler Baker," Lacie Wood, freshman in biology, said. "I've associated with him and I've been friends with him, and I really don't think that he had any intention to hurt anybody."
Baker and his family declined to comment on the situation.
However, those who knew him say that the incident has been blown out of proportion.
"I think what he did was stupid, but I really don't think anyone should be scared," Wood said. "There's been a lot of gossip about it, with talking and rumors and stories."
Blane Siebert, freshman in commercial arts, was Baker's roommate until he was suspended from the university.
"There's been several incidents before this where Tyler showed he couldn't really handle drinking," Siebert said. "He just got too drunk, I guess."
It is unclear why the weapon was fired, but it is evident that the gun never made it into the building.
"That's another thing about this incident," McCracken said. "The weapon itself was never in the residence hall. It was fired on the steps and that's as close as it got."
McCracken encouraged students to absorb the lesson that could be learned from this incident: reporting illegal activities and being on guard for potential threats can save numbers of people time and trouble.
"Be aware of your surroundings just as a general safety rule," McCracken said. "If you hear something or see something that concerns you, don't hesitate to call us."

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