William Freund

William Freund (c. 1986 – October 29, 2005) was a nineteen-year-old male who donned a cape and paintball mask and went on a shooting rampage in the city of Aliso Viejo, California. He shot and killed two people before going home and killing himself with a shot to the torso. Before going on the rampage, he is said to have posted his plans on the online Asperger's Syndrome message board wrongplanet.net. He also posted on the Something Awful Forums under the alias "forbiddenforum" asking for information on where to buy Hevi-Shot ammunition. Forum members responded with information, then derision as he claimed that he was going to be shooting at people attempting to vandalize his Halloween pumpkins. The thread was closed a few days before his shooting spree. He also posted on AnandTech but never commented on suicide or his plans to kill. He was a computer expert who, according to his employer, kept to himself and severely lacked social skills.

Before his shooting spree he had asked several people for advice on how to avoid being institutionalized as well as offering to pay people for the real names and addresses of channel operators in IRC channels that banned him.

After the shooting, local Aliso Viejo punk band, Kyoko, released a song entitled, "Diminished", which appeared on their second album. Guitarist, Tio Lavranos, crafted the lyrics specifically about William Freund. All four members of the band, including Kurt Isobe, Ian Nakazawa, and Cole Querry, attended school with Freund, as early as elementary school all the way up to the same graduating class. Freund attended Aliso Niguel High School and graduated in 2004.

On November 17, 2006, the family of the two victims sued Freund's parents for "wrongful death and emotional distress."

Trivia
Aliso Viejo Middle School has a music department that continues to use a t-shirt design that was created by William Freund when he played in the school's orchestra in the year of 1998-1999. He was in the 6th grade and it is a little known fact that his design was voted on by students in the orchestra. It contains a treble clef with a falcon, which is the school's mascot; both in the school's colors: light purple, teal, and black. Freund played the violin but never received any royalties or compensation for the school's continued use of the design.