Additional Details Released On Fatal Shooting In Park

Additional details on the fatal shooting that occurred in the park on March 8th have been made public in court documents. Excerpts from an article in Sunday’s Richmond Times-Dispatch follow; a link to the full story appears at bottom: “The Army soldier killed in a standoff with police in Shenandoah National Park on Sunday was acting so bizarrely that day that he painted his face and dressed to look like The Joker, Batman's nemesis. Spc. Christopher N. Lanum, who attacked a fellow soldier at Fort Eustis with a knife and stun gun while wearing the costume, ‘idolized’ The Joker, according to records filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Norfolk. Lanum ‘said everything The Joker did he did for a reason, like killing people, and that he agreed with the philosophy of doing things for a reason,’ the records said. Lanum also left a note saying he was ‘preparing for war,’ according to the records. Lanum, 25, was shot dead by police in a minivan on Skyline Drive after refusing to drop a shotgun he was holding, with his finger on the trigger, according to the records. The details emerged from an affidavit filed to obtain a warrant to arrest Patsy Ann Marie Montowski of Chesapeake, Lanum's girlfriend. She was arrested Wednesday and charged with being an accessory after the fact in Lanum's attack on his roommate, Spc. Mitchell Stone. Montowski, who was a passenger in Lanum's car when he was killed, suffered a minor wound in the confrontation with police. Montowski told federal agents that the incident started when a fight broke out between the two men early Sunday morning at their Fort Eustis apartment, whose walls were decorated with Joker masks and paintings. She said at one point she used a stun gun on Stone and tried to push Stone off Lanum. Stone told authorities that Lanum, for no apparent reason, shocked him three times with the gun. He said Montowski also shocked him at least four times as he fought with Lanum. At one point, Stone said Lanum came from behind him and cut at his throat twice, according to the affidavit. Stone was treated and released at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital after the attack. Lanum and Montowski took off in her car after the attack and ended up on Skyline Drive, where a park ranger noticed the couple ‘because they were both wearing head coverings which covered their hair and one of them stared at the [park ranger] with big eyes, appearing startled,’ according to the affidavit.” The chase and confrontation ensued. According to Pete Webster, the park’s acting chief ranger, the two rangers involved in the shooting incident returned to full duty status on March 19th. The rangers and park staff greatly appreciate all of the support and assistance they have received from throughout the system.