Western Psych Shooting Victim's Father: "It Was Senseless"
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The grieving father of the man who was killed during the shooting at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Oakland earlier this week says the loss of his son has left a hole in his heart.
The Schaab family has gone through an incredibly difficult few days.
When it was reported that all the families of those who were shot had been notified, the Schaabs figured everything was okay, they just hadn't heard from their son.
It wasn't until about nine hours after the shooting that a state trooper showed up at their door to tell them their son didn't survive. It's the second time they've lost a child to gun violence.
The Thursday afternoon shooting at Western Psych took the life of 25-year-old Michael Schaab. He had just returned from his lunch break when the shots rang out.
He was a therapist there to elderly patients, loved it, and by all accounts, was terrific at it.
"The one gentleman would say, my father talked to him, and he said it was like I was talking to another person, after your son was with him, and talked with Michael, it was like this person's problems are gone," Harry Schaab, Michael's father, said. "He had that influence."
His family says that's not surprising because everyone who met Michael, loved him.
"To lose somebody that loving, you wonder why," Michael's father said. "Why he was taken from us, I don't know. It's just, I mean, it's just a hole in my heart."
It's the second time the Schaabs have had a child who was shot to death. Their daughter, Nancy, was shot and killed in October of 2010.
"When I had to make that phone call to him that morning when we lost Nancy it was like, he was devastated; but boom the next day, he was holding me and saying it was going to be all right dad, and now I don't have that person," said Harry. "He was my rock."
Michael had just gotten engaged to his fiancé, Megan Shively. They were planning on getting married next year.
She called him the nicest, kindest person she'd ever met and they were looking forward to having a family.
"She lost the love of her life, and she would have been a great mother," Harry added. "Michael would have been a great father. And I'm going to miss… you know, you're taking that life away from everybody. It was senseless."
The Schaabs say Michael was the kind of guy who would give up his life to save others, and it appears that's what will come of his death.
It is likely Western Psych will now have better security to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. Unfortunately, it took a tragedy for that to come to pass.
RELATED LINKS:
STORY: Mayor: Western Psych Shooter Had 2 Guns, Acted Alone (3/8/12)
STORY: Funeral Plans Announced For Western Psych Shooting Victim (3/10/12)
VIDEO: Western Psych Shooting Press Conference (3/8/12)
VIDEO: Uncut: Pittsburgh Police Identify Western Psych Shooter (3/9/12)
PHOTO GALLERY: Shooting At Western Psych Leaves 2 Dead, Several Injured
MORE: Other Related Stories
LINK: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
