George Alfred Sodini

George Alfred Sodini was born on 30 September 1960. At the time of the shooting, he was 48 years old and resided in Scott Township, Pennsylvania. He worked professionally as a systems analyst for the international law firm K&L Gates. Sodini was a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, an institution to which he later attempted to leave his estate.

Sodini never married and lived alone. In the months leading up to the attack, he maintained a website registered in his own name where he wrote extensively about his personal life, emotional state, and perceived social isolation. Over a period of approximately nine months, he documented repeated romantic rejections and long‑standing sexual frustration, stating that he had not engaged in sexual activity since July 1990. He described difficulties forming relationships with women and expressed resentment toward them, writing that women did not give him attention in any setting.

In 2008, Sodini also posted videos online in which he spoke about his emotional struggles and provided a recorded tour of his home. One of these videos was reportedly created as part of a homework assignment from a self‑help seminar he attended that focused on dating and interpersonal relationships.

Shortly before the shooting, on 28 July 2009, Sodini brought an inert grenade onto a Port Authority bus in the Pittsburgh area. A fellow passenger alerted authorities, and Sodini was questioned by police. No criminal charges were filed in connection with that incident.

The mass shooting occurred on 04 August 2009 at approximately 8:15 p.m. inside an LA Fitness health club located in Collier Township, Pennsylvania, near the borough of Bridgeville. The gym was situated within the Great Southern Shopping Center, roughly ten miles south of downtown Pittsburgh. At the time of the attack, a women’s aerobics class was in progress.

Sodini entered the aerobics studio carrying a duffel bag. According to police accounts, he placed the bag on the floor, turned off the lights, and removed multiple firearms. He opened fire on the class using two Glock 9×19mm semiautomatic pistols, discharging a total of 52 rounds. A .32‑caliber semiautomatic pistol was later found in his pocket but had not been used. After the shooting, Sodini fatally shot himself in the head with a .45‑caliber revolver, resulting in a murder‑suicide.

Three women were killed during the attack: Heidi Overmier, aged 46; Elizabeth Gannon, aged 49; and Jody Billingsley, aged 37. All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene. In addition to the fatalities, approximately nine other individuals sustained gunshot wounds and survived.

Investigators later reported that Sodini left a handwritten note inside his gym bag expressing hatred toward women. His personal website, which became public after the shooting, contained references to a planned act of violence that he referred to as an “exit plan.” He also wrote that he had previously considered carrying out a similar attack earlier in 2009 but stated that he did not follow through at that time.

It was later disclosed that Sodini had purchased firearm accessories from TGSCOM Inc., an online gun wholesaler based in Wisconsin. The company had previously sold items to perpetrators involved in other mass shootings. TGSCOM Inc. ceased operations in 2012 following multiple investigations by federal and local authorities.

On 18 August 2009, it was revealed that Sodini had attempted to his estate, valued at approximately $225,000, to the University of Pittsburgh. The university declined the bequest and requested that the funds instead benefit the victims and their families. In subsequent years, civil litigation followed, including legal action involving Sodini’s insurance provider related to liability claims arising from the shooting.