NEW YORK -- 'Death Wish' gunman Bernhard Goetz confessed to police 'it was so easy' to shoot four teenagers on a subway and refuted reports that one victim was joking when he demanded $5, a newspaper said today.
Goetz' lawyer said his client may set up a program to help disadvantaged youth avoid a life of crime and would use money pouring into his defense fund to pay for the program, the Daily News also reported in today's editions.
Joseph Kelner, a prominent New York lawyer, is representing Goetz for free.
The newspaper cited sources familiar with the statement Goetz gave to New Hampshire police upon his surrender Dec. 31 in printing the quotes.
'I know it's disgusting to say, but it was so easy. I can't believe it. God.' the newspaper quoted Goetz, 37, as saying in a videotaped confession.
Goetz also admitted using 'dumdum' bullets and a fastdraw holster when he shot the teens on a subway train in lower Manhattan on Dec. 22. Dumdum bullets are illegal and explode on contact.
In the confession, Goetz told police he had taken a seat on the train when one of four youths approached him and asked for $5.
'He wasn't joking. He just said gimme five dollars. I read where they said they were just laughing and joking,' Goetz said. 'But it wasn't a joke. I looked into his eyes. His eyes were shining. He was enjoying himself. He had a big smile on his face.'
In his confession, Goetz told police he felt the four teenagers 'were playing' with him, 'kind of a like a cat playing with a mouse,' and said he saw something bulging from a pocket of one of his victims.
'I knew it wasn't a gun but I could tell they were going to beat the s-- out of me,' the newspaper reported. Goetz then described how he pulled out his gun, took a shooter's stance and 'all hell broke loose.'
The News quoted him as saying, 'Suddenly, things speeded up as soon as the gun came out. I aimed at the middle of their bodies. When I fired the fifth shot, that kind of scare me. If I missed once, that scared me.'
Dubbed the 'Death Wish' gunman after the Charles Bronson vigilante character in the movie of the same name, Goetz was quoted Friday in the News and the New York Post as saying he regretted that he did not do more harm to his victims.
'I would have kept shooting had I not run out of bullets,' he told police. He was also quoted saying, 'I should have gouged his eyes out with my car keys.'
The sources quoted said Goetz was referring to Troy Canty, 19, one of four youths who harassed him.
Goetz shot all the teenagers, helped an elderly woman to her seat and then fled through a subway tunnel. One of the teenagers remains in a coma.
Kelner told the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington Thursday that his client 'acted reasonably.'
Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, R-N.Y., told the hearing that he too was afraid of the subways and told Kelner he would be willing to testify about the dangers of riding the subways if Goetz is brought to trial.
Kelner said no decision had been made whether to subpoena the senator.
He also said it was not yet decided whether Goetz would appear before a grand jury investigating the case but expects to announce a decision 'Monday or Tuesday.'
Goetz's next scheduled court appearance is Jan. 29. He is charged with attempted murder and illegal weapons possession.
