Day After

     So, here we are, the day after another tragic school shooting.  What makes it all the more tragic is that the shooting was so predictable and, more important, predicted.
     Just a few short days ago, as we approached another tragic aniversery of the shootings at Columbine High School, the usual talking heads were speaking with some of the experts in such shootings.  All were on the mark when they commented that the next shooting wasn't a matter of "if", as it was a matter of "when".  They were right.  They still are right.
     There will be another shooting.  There will be more students shot.  There will be another shooter walking through a campus with guns, bombs or worse.
     And so, the pundits pontificate about how law enforcement  is somehow at fault, how the school administrators are at fault, how policy and response are at fault.  All are at fault except the shooter.
     Now, imagine that a different response had happened.  The police immediately shut down the entire campus, restrained and locked down all the thousands and thousands of students, staff and employees.  People had to be handcuffed because they refused to cooperate with police.  Cell phones were confiscated for safety reasons, backpacks searched, guns drawn and pointed at students. 
     Then, imagine after all this, nothing happened.  It was a false alarm.  The original report of a person with a gun was wrong.  It was just a student headed to a paint ball game off campus.
     Now imagine the response from the media, the students, the school administrators.  I'm sure that words such as "over reaction, Gestapo, Storm Troopers, civil rights violations" and more would be thrown about with vitriol and venom.  The police chief's head would be called for on a platter.
     This is what law enforcement runs into every time.  There seems to be no middle ground that wil placate all on each side.
     Local school administrators here don't want to educate students here about what to do in the event of an "active shooter" incident.  They state they don't want to scare the children.
     I asked one such administrator if she was then going to pull out the fire alarms, the lighted exit signs and the sprinkler system.  She looked at me as if I was from Mars. 
     "Why on Earth would I do that?" she queried.  I told her that statistically more students will die in violent incidents in schools each year such as shootings, stabbings and assaults then have ever died in school fires.  Which shall we prepare for?

     Lord knows I am not saying that the local law enforcement response at Virginia Tech was perfect.  It wasn't, nor could it ever be.  They were charged with the safety of a campus the size of a relatively small town.  Hundred of acres of grounds, dozens of buildings, some buildings housing almost 1,000 students with tens of thousands of people on campus.
     My little mountain town is only about 8,000 people in 3 square miles.  I can't imagine trying to lock down such a place.  Not that there shouldn't be a plan, though. 
      Too many schools, too many campuses, too many admininistrators, too many law enforcement types are badly infected with the disease of "It Can't  Happen Here"!

          But it can; Here is a list of high school and middle school shootings in just the past 10 years-(1)

 

1. 􀂃 Joplin, Missouri. October 9, 2006. A 13-year-old boy, obsessed with the Columbine school shootings, brought a MAC-10 semiautomatic assault rifle to school, pointing it at students and firing it into the ceiling until the gun jammed.

1. • Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. October 2, 2006. A truck driver walked into a one-room Amish schoolhouse with two rifles, a semi-automatic handgun, and 600 rounds of ammunition, selected all the female students, and shot them execution-style, killing five and seriously wounding six. The man then shot himself, apparently having left suicide notes beforehand.

1. 􀂃 Cazenovia, Wisconsin. September 29, 2006. A student walked into a rural school with a pistol and a rifle and shot the principal several times, critically injuring him.

1. 􀂃 Bailey, Colorado. September 27, 2006. A lone gunman enters a high school and holds six female students hostage, sexually assaults them, kills one of them, and then himself after a four-hour standoff.

1. 􀂃 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 17, 2006. Five Duquesne University basketball players are wounded after a shooting on campus after a dance. One of the two shooters was allegedly upset that his date had talked to one of the athletes.

1. 􀂃 Green Bay, Wisconsin. September 14, 2006. Two boys obsessed with the mass killings at Columbine High are arrested for amassing an arsenal of guns and bombs and planning an attack on East High School.

1. 􀂃 Hillsborough, North Carolina. August 30, 2006. After shooting his father to death, a student open fires at his high school, injuring two students. Deputies found guns, ammunition, and homemade pipe bombs in the student's car. The student had emailed Columbine High's Principal, telling him that it was "time the world remembered" the shootings at Columbine.

1. 􀂃 Essex, Vermont. August 24, 2006. A gunman shoots five people, killing two of them, in a rampage through two houses and an elementary school, before wounding himself.

1. 􀂃 Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota. March 21, 2005. The worst school-related shooting incident since the Columbine shootings in April of 1999. Ten killed and seven injured in rampage by high school student.

1. 􀂃 Bellflower, California. March 16, 2005. Another Columbine was averted when two juveniles were arrested for plotting to shoot up their high school.

1. 􀂃 Cumberland City, TN. March 2, 2005. School bus driver shot and killed while driving a school bus carrying approximately 20 students by a 14-year-old student who had been reported to administrators by the driver for chewing tobacco on the bus.

1. 􀂃 Nine Mile Falls, Washington. December 10, 2004. A 16-year-old high school junior committed suicide at the high school's entryway. A canister holding fireworks, shotgun shells, and rifle cartridges was found in a backpack belonging to the student.

1. 􀂃 Joyce, Washington. March 17, 2004. A 13-year-old student shot and killed himself in a school classroom where about 20 other students were present. The boy reportedly brought a .22-caliber rifle hidden in a guitar case and pulled it out during the 10 a.m. class.

1. 􀂃 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. February 11, 2004. A 10-year-old student was shot in the face and died after being shot outside a Philadelphia elementary school. A 56-year-old female school crossing guard was also shot in the foot as she tried to scurry children across the street as bullets were flying and children were on the playground.

1. 􀂃 Washington, D.C. February 2, 2004. A 17-year-old male high school student died after being shot several times and another student was injured after shots were fired near the school's cafeteria.

1. 􀂃 Henderson, Nevada. January 21, 2004. Gunman shoots and kills a hostage in his car on school campus. The gunman was allegedly looking for his ex-girlfriend as he searched the school full of children in an after-school program.

1. 􀂃 Sugar Land, Texas. November 8, 2003. A 17-year-old female high school student was shot and killed as a fight broke out at the side of a stadium at a high school football game.

1. 􀂃 Cold Spring, Minnesota. September 24, 2003. Two students shot and killed by a 15-year-old boy at Rocori High School.

1. 􀂃 Hopkinsville, KY. September 16, 2003. A 16-year-old girl fatally shot another teen and then killed herself as the two sat in a car parked at a shopping center across from their school.

1. 􀂃 Fort Worth, TX. September 10, 2003. A 16-year-old boy fatally shot a classmate, then dumped his body in a nearby construction site.

1. 􀂃 San Diego, CA. September 5, 2003. A 14-year-old boy jogging with his high school cross-country team is shot and killed in an ambush by his father, who then killed himself after a standoff with police.

         ô€‚ƒ Red Lion, Pennsylvania. April 24, 2003. Principal of Red Lion Area Junior High is        fatally shot in the chest by a 14-year-old student, who then committed suicide, as         students gather in the cafeteria for breakfast.

1. 􀂃 New Orleans, Louisiana. April 14, 2003. One 15-year-old killed and three students wounded at John McDonough High School by gunfire from four teenagers in a gang-related shooting.

1. 􀂃 October 7, 2002. Bowie, Maryland. A 13-year-old by was shot and critically wounded by the DC-area sniper outside Benjamin Tasker Middle School.

1. 􀂃 New York, New York. January 15, 2002. Two students at Martin Luther King Junior High School in Manhattan were seriously wounded when an 18-year-old opened fire in the school.

1. 􀂃 Caro, Michigan. November 12, 2001. A 17-year-old student took two hostages and the Caro Learning Center before killing himself.

1. 􀂃 Ennis, Texas. May 15, 2001. A 16-year-old sophomore upset over his relationship with a girl, took 17 hostages in English class, and shot and killed himself and the girl.

1. 􀂃 Gary, Indiana. March 30, 2001. 17-year-old expelled from Lew Wallace High School kills classmate.

1. 􀂃 Granite Hills, California. March 22, 2001. One teacher and three students wounded by a student at Granite Hills school.

1. 􀂃 Willamsport, Pennsylvania. March 7, 2001. Classmate wounded by a 14-year-old girl, in the cafeteria of Bishop Newuman High School.

1. 􀂃 Santee, California. March 5, 2001. A 15-year-old student killed two fellow students and wounded 13 others, while firing from a bathroom at Santana High School in San Diego County.

1. 􀂃 Baltimore, Maryland. January 17, 2001. 17-year-old student shot and killed in front of Lake Clifton-Eastern High School.

1. 􀂃 New Orleans, Louisiana. September 26, 2000. Two students wounded in a gun fight at Woodson Middle School.

1. 􀂃 Lake Worth, Florida. May 26, 2000. A 13-year-old honor killed his English teacher, Barry Grunow, on the last day of classes after the teacher refused to let him talk to two girls in his classroom.

1. 􀂃 Prairie Grove, Arkansas. May 11, 2000. Seventh grade student injures police officer in a hay field north of the student's school after leaving campus in an apparent fit of rage.

1. 􀂃 Savannah, Georgia. March 10, 2000. Two students killed by 19-year-old while leaving a dance sponsored by Beach High School.

1. 􀂃 Mount Morris Township, Michigan. February 29, 2000. A 6-year-old boy shot and killed a 6-year-old girl at Buell Elementary School with a .32 caliber handgun.

1. 􀂃 Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. December 6, 2000. A 13-year-old boy, armed with a handgun, opened fire outside Fort Gibson Middle school, wounding four classmates.

1. 􀂃 Deming, New Mexico. November 19, 1999. 12-year-old boy came to school dressed in camouflage and shoots 13-year-old girl with a .22 caliber as students were returning from lunch.

The Above Compiled from Associated Press and other news reports.

H:\SHARED\School Shootings\List of major school shootings since Columbine.doc 4

 

May 29, 1999
A student opened fire at Heritage High School, near Conyers, Ga., a town east of Atlanta, a month after the April 20 slaughter at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. There are no life-threatening injuries but six schoolmates were injured. The student suspect was quickly taken into custody.

April 20, 1999
Two young men wearing long, black trench coats opened fire in a suburban high school in Littleton, Colo., injuring as many as 20 students. In all, 15 were killed, including the two gunmen.

June 15, 1998
A male teacher and a female guidance counselor are shot in a hallway at a Richmond, Va., high school. The man suffers an injury to the abdomen that wasnt life threatening; the woman is reportedly grazed.

May 21, 1998
A 15-year-old student in Springfield, Ore., expelled the day before for bringing a gun to school, allegedly opens fire in the school cafeteria. Two students are killed. The suspects parents are later found shot dead in their home.

May 21, 1998

Three sixth-grade boys had a hit list and were plotting to kill fellow classmates on the last day of school in a sniper attack during a false fire alarm, police in St. Charles, Mo., say.

May 21, 1998

A 15-year-old boy dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Onalaska, Wash. Earlier in the day, the boy boarded a high school bus with a gun in hand, ordered his girlfriend off the bus and took her to his home, where he shot himself

May 21, 1998
A 15-year-old girl is shot and wounded at a suburban Houston high school when a gun in the backpack of a 17-year-old classmate goes off in a biology class. The boy is charged with a third-degree felony for taking a gun to school.

May 19, 1998
Two boys are suspended from school in Johnston, R.I., after being accused of writing and handing out threatening notes to classmates. The notes said things such as, All your friends are dead. The boys are ordered to remain out of school until they have been evaluated to determine whether they are dangerous.

May 19, 1998
Three days before his graduation, an 18-year-old honor student allegedly opens fire in a parking lot at Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville, Tenn., killing a classmate who was dating his ex-girlfriend.

April 28, 1998
Two teenage boys are shot to death and a third is wounded as they played basketball at a Pomona, Calif., elementary school hours after classes had ended. A 14-year-old boy is charged; the shooting is blamed on rivalry between two groups of youths.

April 24, 1998
A 48-year-old science teacher is shot to death in front of students at graduation dance in Edinboro, Pa. A 14-year-old student at James W. Parker Middle School is charged.

March 24, 1998

Four girls and a teacher are shot to death and 10 others wounded during a false fire alarm at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Ark., when two boys, ages 11 and 13, open fire from the woods. Both are convicted in juvenile court of murder and can be held up to age 21. (emphasis added)

December 1, 1997
Three students are killed and five others wounded while they take part in a prayer circle in a hallway at Heath High School in West Paducah, Ky. A 14-year-old student pleads guilty but mentally ill to murder and is serving life in prison. One of the wounded girls is left paralyzed.

October 1, 1997

A 16-year-old outcast in Pearl, Miss., is accused of killing his mother, then going to Pearl High School and shooting nine students. Two of them die, including the suspect's ex-girlfriend. The 16-year-old is sentenced to life in prison. Two others await trial on accessory charges.

Februaryt 19, 1997
A 16-year-old student opens fire with a shotgun in a common area at the Bethel, Alaska, high school, killing the principal and a student. Two other students are wounded. Authorities later accuse two other students of knowing the shootings would take place. Evan Ramsey was sentenced to two 99-year terms.

February 2, 1996
A 14-year-old boy wearing a trench coat walks into algebra class with a hunting rifle and allegedly opens fire, killing the teacher and two students. A third student is injured during the shooting at a junior high school in Moses Lake, Wash.

 

College Campus Shootings(2)

     April 16, 2007: A gunman fatally shoots 32 people in a dorm and a classroom at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. The gunman kills himself.

-Sept. 2, 2006: Douglas W. Pennington, 49, kills himself and his two sons, Logan P. Pennington, 26, and Benjamin M. Pennington, 24, during a visit to the campus of Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

-Oct. 28, 2002: Failing University of Arizona Nursing College student and Gulf War veteran Robert Flores, 40, walks into an instructor's office and fatally shoots her. A few minutes later, armed with five guns, he enters one of his nursing classrooms and kills two more of his instructors before fatally shooting himself.

-Jan. 16, 2002: Graduate student Peter Odighizuwa, 42, recently dismissed from Virginia's Appalachian School of Law, returns to campus and kills the dean, a professor and a student before being tackled by students. The attack also wounds three female students.

-Aug. 28, 2000: James Easton Kelly, 36, a University of Arkansas graduate student recently dropped from a doctoral program after a decade of study and John Locke, 67, the English professor overseeing his coursework, are shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide.

-Aug. 15, 1996: Frederick Martin Davidson, 36, a graduate engineering student at San Diego State, is defending his thesis before a faculty committee when he pulls out a handgun and kills three professors.

-Nov. 1, 1991: Gang Lu, 28, a graduate student in physics from China, reportedly upset because he was passed over for an academic honor, opens fire in two buildings on the University of Iowa campus. Five University of Iowa employees killed, including four members of the physics department; one other person was wounded. The student fatally shoots himself.

-July 12, 1976: Edward Charles Allaway, a custodian in the library of California State University, Fullerton, fatally shoots seven fellow employees and wounds two others. Mentally ill, Allaway believed his colleagues were pornographers and were forcing his estranged wife to appear in their movies. A judge found him innocent by reason of insanity in 1977 after a jury was unable to reach a verdict and he was committed to the state mental health system.

-May 14, 1970: Two students were fatally shot by police at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss., in the wake of riots that followed protests over the deaths at Kent State University in Ohio.

-May 4, 1970: Four students were killed and nine wounded by National Guard troops called in to quell anti-war protests on the campus of Kent State University.

-Aug. 1, 1966: Charles Whitman points a rifle from the observation deck of the University of Texas at Austin's Tower and begins shooting in a homicidal rampage that goes on for 96 minutes. Sixteen people are killed, 31 wounded.*

     
     Why schools and law won't admit, won't prepare, won't at least plan for such an incident is tragic in and of itself and egregious, neglegtful and woefully inadequate at worst.
     And, if you were able to go back in time and ask the police chiefs, the school's pricipals, the teachers, did they ever think a shooting could or would happen on their campus, I am sure of their repsone.
     "It could never happen here."
     So, when friends and family members ask me about such shootings, (as so many are teachers), I tell them to have in their own mind, firmly, just what they would do if ever confronted by an unraveling incident such as that at Virginia Tech.
     Plan ahead of time where they would go, how they would secure the doors to their classrooms, where the safe exits might be, how to black out the windows, where all the students should meet once outside the building, how to care for the injured, what to tell the police and so on.  At the very least, have a mental plan, at best, have a written plan and review it, often.
     Then, be prepared to be accused of being an alarmist, paranoid, scaring the children and so on.  Because it can never happen here, can it?

(1) Angle Fire article
(2)Associate Press 04-16-07