POV

This is just an opinion and it is not scientific at all. I am in no way delegated to this type of profiling and respect the people that do. But I do have experience with reality. I do not know Travis or his circumstances.

I woke up Friday morning to read that three G4 employees were shot and killed while delivering money to ATM's at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton. Another person was injured, it is not known how seriously.

When I first heard this story, I thought it was more than one person that did the shooting. I also felt that they had to have some inside information. Later in the day, the police indicated they wanted to speak to Travis Baumgartner, who was one of the guards, there were 5 in all. That suggest to me a lot of money.

I was thinking he was inside guy, and that he helped. I didn't think that 4 co-workers could be taken down by one guy. This is not a situation where the guards are doing something else and surprised, they are paid to be prepared. So gun recovery would be faster. The police have now charged Travis with 3 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

I did a google search on the guy and found his Twitter and Facebook page. He also had a personal ad on Plenty of Fish. The FB page made me think I had the right guy. There were no pictures of him, but some of his friends had guns. He had the info pretty stripped down. I started to get some idea. Later in the day, it was revealed that Travis' mother had contacted the police as she had a big fight with him over money.

My take: Travis was on midnight shifts, he had been on them for one month rotations. He hated them, he was single. He thought himself to be a good looking guy and he was young, he should be dating. Hell he should have women chasing him. Travis was stuck with the midnight shifts and it was damned hard to meet anyone.

After a year or so, he started hanging out at Casinos, as they were open long hours and they were busier than the bars. Travis started to play the machines, just for something to do. He did ok, he wasn't winning lots, but not losing lots. Or so he thought.

He started to play the tables, blackjack, poker and roulette. He was luckier on the table than on the machines, but when he went big, he lost big. He made friends there and they hung out. Soon it became more than a habit, it was a lifestyle. He was spending all of his off time there. Everyonce in a while he'd do well and the girls would be around him. He'd treat them to drinks, food, and even take one. Life was good.

Time past, and he didn't recognize that he was losing more than he was winning. He fell behind on the truck payments. He was still living at home, his Mom decided she wanted rent money from him, hell he was 20 years old and employed.

The pressure started to build, it was the third night of a midnight shift. The bank had called him asking for payment on the truck. The credit card companies were starting to send him letters threatening him. His Mom was pressing for money. Travis felt his back was to the wall, he knew that the solution was money. The trips to the University to stock the ATMs for the weekend would solve all of his problems. As they started to fill the machines, Travis decided it was too much. Gun out he shot one of the guards, this person was removed from the others. He knew they were dead. He then moved on to the next guard and shot them, dead. The third guard heard the pop and turn to shoot him, he had no choice. The fourth guard was kind of a friend and he couldn't do the kill shot.

Travis gathered up as much money as he could and headed back to the truck. He loaded all the bags into the truck and headed back to the office. Travis parked the truck and ran back to the parking lot to get his truck. He drove back to the armoured loaded the bags into the back of his pickup and headed out of town.

Travis knew it would not be long before the police were looking for him. He knew better than to head home, but he did head East. He grew up in Sherwood Park and knew the area. He headed East to the Hastings Lake area.

All the way there he was trying to decide where to go. East to Saskatchewan, if so how? Take a Northern route or just blast straight East on 14, then jog down to 13. He knew 13 was less travelled. Travis changed the plates on his truck, he found another pickup like his, not the same colour or year. He took the plate. He figured he was safe for awhile.

Travis took the sim card out of his iphone and chucked it. He knew it would help the police track him.

Travis was trying to figure out what to do with all the money, he knew he needed some of it. But he didn't need all of it. He tried to think of places where he could go to hide some of it. He knew friends that had a cottage by Tofield. He'd put it there, someplace easy to get to.

After he had done that he headed down to highway 630 and went South on it, to 14. He headed East to Viking, then South to Killam and East on 13. He paid cash for gas in Hardisty, he was happy that the guy at the gas station was only concentrating on the money. He had no TV either. Travis was sure his picture was everywhere now.

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As the day went on, Travis starts to panic. He heard on the radio that the US border patrol has been contacted and there is a Canada wide warrant out for him. His mother is pleading with him to give himself up.

Travis tried to call a few friends, for advice. True friends, ones that would not give him up. They told him to give up, they said it was not going to end well. Travis in his cockiness said that he would not go down without a fight.

The plan that seemed to certain after the killings was starting to unravel. Travis needed to pull over to the side of the road and sleep, think about it.

He needed to lose his truck, there were a lot of pickups in Alberta, but not a lot the same colour as his truck. He is 6'4 tall, and towers over a lot of people. There is not much he could do to change that.

Now to the point of this little exercise, Travis the gig is up. There is not much else you can do. The writing is on the wall. You are not going to be safe anywhere. Even if some distant relative is hiding you, they won't be for long as the police start to drill down through your relatives. That too and when a reward is offered.

You are still young, the jail time will pass. You will find peace and a new meaning to your life, sure you'll be restricted for a long period of time. Your mother will be more at peace than if you were shot dead. Go ahead, get laid, this one last time, well that kind anyway. Then turn yourself in.

not boadcasting this post, if people read it, they do. I just needed to write my thoughts.