Valley Neighbors Describe Gunman As Man On The Edge “We All Knew He Was Having A Problem. We Just Didn’t Know How Far He Was Going To Go.’

Neighbors did not know a lot about Richard Ross, but what they did notice was his growing agitation.

Lately, Ross had seen pacing frantically in front of his home on the corner of University and Broadway early in the morning. The stress from caring for his elderly mother had gotten to Ross and he had been on edge the last few days, neighbors supposed.

“Shooting his mother wouldn’t surprise me at all,” said Weston Withers, who has known Ross for years. “We all knew he was having a problem. We just didn’t know how far he was going to go.”

Lucy Johnson also suspected something was wrong when she saw Ross traipsing in his front yard before she left for work about 5 a.m. Wednesday.

“He seemed real agitated,” she said.

When Johnson asked Ross what he was doing out so early, he told her, “I’m so god-damned tired of this crap that’s going on here. I can’t sleep. I’m just not tired.”

Ross lived in the house with his mother, who is nearly blind, and Ross resented her for the care she required, Withers said.

Ross’ anger finally boiled over in a violent rage Thursday afternoon.

Ross, a retired Marine Corps lance corporal who served in Vietnam, was known to keep guns, Withers said. He said Ross showed him a hunting rifle and three handguns that he stored in his house.

“He wanted to show them one time, but I wouldn’t look at them,” said Paul Olsson, who regularly mowed Ross’ yard this summer. “I’m scared of guns.”

Olsson said Ross always paid his bill on time and often was complimentary of his work. But Ross’ love of guns and eagerness to flaunt them kept Olsson suspicious.

“He was nice to me. He always gave me a nice compliment when I got done,” Olsson said. “It’s a sad thing, but I knew it was coming. I just had a feeling.”

The shooting was not the first at the house, Withers said. Ross shot up the inside of the house in June after an argument with his mother. No one was hurt during the attack and Ruth Ross did not call police, Withers said.

Nevertheless, the gunfire shocked many who lived around Ross.

“He never bothered anybody,” said Ed Bucknell, who lived three houses west of Ross.

One of three children, Ross lived in the house on the corner of Broadway and University all his life. He attended University High School in the mid-1960s.

About 10 years ago, Ross’ father, Robert Ross, killed himself in the basement of the house, Withers said.

Most recently, Ross had been working at a Valley car dealership.

“I used to wave at him when he went to work and when he came home,” Withers said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo Graphic: Fiery death