The man charged with killing six people and wounding 14 others in Tucson, Arizona last week once socialized online with a close-knit group of gamers, fans of online strategy game Earth Empires. His online interaction with that group has just been published in full.
https://lastchance.cc/heres-the-game-the-accused-tucson-shooter-played-5732484%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Jared Lee Loughner allegedly used the handle “Dare” when posting on the Earth Empires forums. He chatted about game strategy, his life and personal issues, but also posted barely coherent messages about grammar, having sex with the mentally handicapped and his battles with authorities at his community college.
https://lastchance.cc/jared-lee-loughners-troubled-past-a-darkening-path-tow-5733815%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Most users on the Earth Empires forums appear to dismiss Loughner’s ramblings as those of a troll or under the influence of drugs. The tone of Loughner’s posts on the forum indicate an individual openly struggling with his issues, becoming frustrated that they didn’t seem to understand him.
https://lastchance.cc/accused-tucson-shooter-asked-fellow-gamers-if-they-had-5731751%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
“I have no substance abuse problems currently,” Loughner responds, adding “Dude….I feel as if there is something wrong….” Throughout the forums, Loughner refutes accusations that he is using drugs.
The Earth Empires team released the forums posts publicly today “to provide proper context for many of the quotes that have been surfacing in the media in recent days.” The FBI requested Loughner’s communication records from the Earth Empires team earlier this week.
The posts tied to Loughner feature some potentially offensive language and images. They are available to read at the game’s official web site.
Update: Looks like Earth Empires’ site is experiencing heavy traffic. Read a PDF version of the post dump here
Jared Lee Loughner Posts [Earth Empires]
