White House shooter thought he was Jesus

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This article was published 18/11/2011 (5261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho man accused of firing an assault rifle at the White House believed he was Jesus and thought U.S. President Barack Obama was the anti-Christ. He had become increasingly agitated with the federal government, and at one point suggested the president was planning to implant computer tracking chips in children, according to court documents and those who know him.

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, was charged Thursday with attempting to assassinate the president or his staff. He is accused of firing nine rounds at the White House Friday night — one of them cracking a window of the Obama family living quarters — when the president and his wife were away. It’s not clear whether their two daughters were home. If convicted, Ortega faces up to life in prison.

Ortega was arrested Wednesday at a Pennsylvania hotel when a desk clerk called police.

Ortega’s public defender, Christopher Brown, declined comment after his first court hearing in Pennsylvania. Ortega’s mother has said he has no history of mental illness, though authorities had reported he had “mental health issues” when looking for him.

In Idaho Falls, where Ortega is from, a computer consultant said the two met July 8 after Ortega asked for help editing a 30-minute infomercial. Monte McCall said during the meeting at Ortega’s family’s Mexican restaurant, Ortega pulled out worn sheets of yellow paper with handwritten notes and started to talk about his predictions the world would end in 2012.

“He said, ‘Well, you know the president is getting ready to make an announcement that they’re going to put GPS chips in all the children, so they’re safe,’ ” McCall said. “…And then he said, ‘That’s just what the anti-Christ is going to do to mark everybody.’ “

Kimberly Allen, the mother of Ortega’s former fiancée, said he was well-mannered and kind in the four years she knew him. But he recently began making statements to her daughter that were out of character, including that he believed he was Jesus. Allen said the family was worried when he went to Utah recently and didn’t come back. Ortega’s family reported him missing Oct. 31.

“I believe that the boy needs help,” she said.

Her daughter, Jessica Galbraith, was engaged to Ortega and they have a two-year-old son. She declined to comment Thursday except to say: “I love him, and I’m here for him.”

It was unclear why or when they split.

Ortega’s mother told the Post Register in Idaho Falls he has no history of mental illness.

“He has different ideas than other people, just like everyone, but he was perfectly fine the last time I saw him,” Maria Hernandez told the newspaper. “He might be saying weird stuff that sounds crazy, but that doesn’t mean (he) is crazy. He might be confused and scared.”

At his first appearance in court in Pennsylvania, Ortega sat quietly, hands free but his feet shackled. He said only, “Yes, ma’am,” when he was asked if he understood he would go back to Washington, D.C., to face the charge.

A court document released after the hearing says authorities recovered nine spent shell casings from Ortega’s car, found abandoned near the White House shortly after the shooting. An assault rifle with a scope was found inside.

A person who knows him told investigators he had become increasingly agitated with the federal government and was convinced it was conspiring against him, the document said.

— The Associated Press