Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez
Encyclopedia
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez (born 1990) is an American charged in the attempted assassination of President of the United States
Barack Obama
on November 11, 2011. According to the charge, Ortega-Hernandez, who is from Idaho Falls, Idaho
, fired two rounds from a semi-automatic rifle which hit the White House
.
On November 17, 2011 he was charged with attempting to assassinate the president. It is the first White House shooting since Francisco Martin Duran
attempted to assassinate U.S. President Bill Clinton
in 1994.
Ortega was arrested on November 16, 2011 at a hotel in Indiana, Pennsylvania
, and arraigned on November 17, 2011.
According to a preliminary psychiatric examination, he was deemed fit for trial, but the prosecutorial team has asked the judge to allow for a more thorough psychiatric evaluation if it becomes necessary at some future point during the trial's proceedings.
. A suspicious black Honda Accord was then seen speeding away from the scene, eventually abandoned at the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
as the driver was witnessed crossing into Virginia
on foot. One of the bullets smashed the exterior window of the Yellow Oval Room of the White House, and another was found on November 15, 2011 on south side. Evidence recovered from the abandoned vehicle was later linked to Ortega-Hernandez. On November 17, 2011, he was charged with attempting to assassinate U.S. President Barack Obama
. He reportedly was sighted at the Occupy Washington D.C.
encampment at McPherson Park at one point, but an investigation found no connection between Ortega-Hernandez and Occupy D.C.
Ortega has a prior record, including drug charges, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer, and alcohol-related charges from Texas, Utah, and Idaho.
, the founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center
in Arlington, Virginia, told The New York Times
that he suspects that Ortega-Hernandez is suffering from "a textbook case" of schizophrenia
.
Ortega-Hernandez's father told Telemundo
that his son was obsessed with the apocalypse
and had believed that November 11, 2011 -- the day of the shooting -- would be the day the world would end
. Other witnesses claimed that Ortega-Hernandez believed President Obama to be the Antichrist
and the Devil
, and had expressed a desire to kill him. A year before the shooting, Ortega-Hernandez reportedly viewed the Alex Jones documentary The Obama Deception, which claims that President Obama is involved in a New World Order
conspiracy.
On November 18, Idaho television station KBOI
released a video featuring Ortega-Hernandez, allegedly intended for submission to The Oprah Winfrey Show
. In the video, Ortega-Hernandez, wearing a crucifix
, claimed to be "the modern day Jesus Christ that you all have been waiting for," and that "I have never felt so sure that I was sent here by God to lead the world to Zion
." The video was shot by an Idaho State University
student named Ramon Bailey, who found Ortega-Hernandez's comments so disturbing that he never edited or submitted the video.Judge: Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez Competent To Stand Trial In White House Shooting Case.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
on November 11, 2011. According to the charge, Ortega-Hernandez, who is from Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 56,813, with a metro population of 130,374....
, fired two rounds from a semi-automatic rifle which hit the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
On November 17, 2011 he was charged with attempting to assassinate the president. It is the first White House shooting since Francisco Martin Duran
Francisco Martin Duran
Francisco Martin Duran is most known for his actions of October 29, 1994, when he fired 29 rounds from an SKS rifle at the White House...
attempted to assassinate U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in 1994.
Ortega was arrested on November 16, 2011 at a hotel in Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
, and arraigned on November 17, 2011.
According to a preliminary psychiatric examination, he was deemed fit for trial, but the prosecutorial team has asked the judge to allow for a more thorough psychiatric evaluation if it becomes necessary at some future point during the trial's proceedings.
Background
He disappeared from his home in Idaho Falls in October 2011, and his family reported him missing "around Halloween."Shooting
On Friday, November 11, 2011, gunfire was reported coming from the direction of the The Ellipse and Washington MonumentWashington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
. A suspicious black Honda Accord was then seen speeding away from the scene, eventually abandoned at the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge is located in Washington, D.C. It carries Interstate 66 and U.S. Highway 50 over the Potomac River near the Kennedy Center, connecting the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Virginia, with Washington...
as the driver was witnessed crossing into Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
on foot. One of the bullets smashed the exterior window of the Yellow Oval Room of the White House, and another was found on November 15, 2011 on south side. Evidence recovered from the abandoned vehicle was later linked to Ortega-Hernandez. On November 17, 2011, he was charged with attempting to assassinate U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. He reportedly was sighted at the Occupy Washington D.C.
Occupy D.C.
Occupy D.C. is a non-partisan people's movement focused on spreading the ideas of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together in Washington, D.C. The group has been demonstrating in McPherson Square since October 1, 2011. Despite crackdowns on other Occupy protects across the country, federal...
encampment at McPherson Park at one point, but an investigation found no connection between Ortega-Hernandez and Occupy D.C.
Ortega has a prior record, including drug charges, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer, and alcohol-related charges from Texas, Utah, and Idaho.
Speculations of mental illness
The police have speculated that Ortega-Hernandez is mentally ill. E. Fuller TorreyE. Fuller Torrey
Edwin Fuller Torrey, M.D. , is an American psychiatrist and schizophrenia researcher. He is Executive Director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute and founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center , a nonprofit organization with the goals of eliminating legal and clinical obstacles to the...
, the founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center
Treatment Advocacy Center
The Treatment Advocacy Center is national U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating legal and other barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illness...
in Arlington, Virginia, told The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
that he suspects that Ortega-Hernandez is suffering from "a textbook case" of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
.
Ortega-Hernandez's father told Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
that his son was obsessed with the apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
and had believed that November 11, 2011 -- the day of the shooting -- would be the day the world would end
Apocalypticism
Apocalypticism is the religious belief that there will be an apocalypse, a term which originally referred to a revelation of God's will, but now usually refers to belief that the world will come to an end time very soon, even within one's own lifetime...
. Other witnesses claimed that Ortega-Hernandez believed President Obama to be the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
and the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, and had expressed a desire to kill him. A year before the shooting, Ortega-Hernandez reportedly viewed the Alex Jones documentary The Obama Deception, which claims that President Obama is involved in a New World Order
New World Order
New World Order, New world order or The New World Order may refer to:*New world order , any period of history evidencing a dramatic change in world political thought and the balance of power...
conspiracy.
On November 18, Idaho television station KBOI
KBOI
KBOI is a commercial radio station located in Boise, Idaho, broadcasting on 670 AM and is under ownership of Cumulus Media. KBOI airs news/talk programming...
released a video featuring Ortega-Hernandez, allegedly intended for submission to The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
. In the video, Ortega-Hernandez, wearing a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
, claimed to be "the modern day Jesus Christ that you all have been waiting for," and that "I have never felt so sure that I was sent here by God to lead the world to Zion
Zion
Zion is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem. The word is first found in Samuel II, 5:7 dating to c.630-540 BCE...
." The video was shot by an Idaho State University
Idaho State University
Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....
student named Ramon Bailey, who found Ortega-Hernandez's comments so disturbing that he never edited or submitted the video.Judge: Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez Competent To Stand Trial In White House Shooting Case.