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School shooting

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File:Eric harris dylan klebold.jpg
The Columbine High shooters caught on a security camera during their rampage

A school massacre is an incident of attempted mass murder involving at least one actual death that occurs at a school. Unlike other forms of school violence, there is usually no single target. The perpetrator's objective is to kill as many people as possible. Sometimes these events are perpetrated by students. In other cases, expelled students, alumni, or even total outsiders commit them. In the worst school massacre in United States history, the Bath School disaster, the perpetrator was a member of the school board.

In the United States, everyday school violence, such as beatings and stabbings, especially of the gang-related sort, is more common in working-class, inner-city schools. However, student-perpetrated school massacres most often occur in overwhelmingly white, middle class non-urban areas (i.e. small towns and suburbs) where they receive the most media attention due to their severity in a brief period of time.[citation needed] Several experts in child psychology, including Dr Carl E. Drake, have stated that in most cases, the victims of the shootings are involved in bullying or other exclusionary acts towards the perpetrators, and that the perpetrators seemed to think this justified the act of murder.

Like terrorist attacks, school massacres are somewhat rare yet traumatic. They receive extensive media coverage and often result in nationwide changes of school discipline and security policies.

The most widely publicized school massacre in the United States was the student-perpetrated Columbine High School massacre in the U.S. state of Colorado. This was due to both the sheer number of deaths compared to other student-perpetrated school shootings and the long-term planning of the attack.

"Profiling" school shooters

An anonymously-made quilt protesting against school shooters
An anonymously-made quilt protesting against school shooters

A thorough study of all U.S. school shootings by the U.S. Secret Service warned against the belief that a certain "type" of student would be a perpetrator. Any "profile" would fit too many students to be useful and may not fit the potential perpetrators. "The researchers found that killers do not 'snap'. They plan. They acquire weapons. They tell others what they are planning. These children take a long, considered, public path toward violence." [1] Stanford's Katherine Newman points out that, far from being "loners", the perpetrators are "joiners" whose attempts at social integration fail, that they let their thinking and even their plans be known, sometimes frequently over long periods of times. The shootings seem as though an attempt to adjust their social standing and image, from "loser" to something more like "master of violence".

And there is no profile. Some lived with both parents in 'an ideal, All-American family.' Some were children of divorce, or lived in foster homes. A few were loners, but most had close friends. Instead of looking for traits, the Secret Service urges adults to ask about behavior: "What has this child said? Does he have grievances? What do his friends know? Does he have access to weapons? Is he depressed or despondent?"[1]

Epidemics

File:Evacuating Columbine.jpg
Evacuation of Columbine High School after the deadly shooting. This incident inspired many plots, most of which were prevented

A secondary danger of school shootings is that, like youth suicide, they have a tendency to inspire "copycat" incidents or even epidemics of the same behavior. After the Columbine massacre, for example, a number of American and Canadian high school students plotted "Columbine-like" attacks; the vast majority of these plots were half-baked and unlikely ever to be taken to execution. Of those attempted, almost all were foiled. The Red Lake High School massacre in 2005 (Red Lake, Minnesota) was a notable exception, copying the element of a gunman in a black trench coat.

Although Columbine prompted a number of shooting plots, most deadly school shootings took place earlier, between 1996 and 1998. As of 2005, there are indications that China is experiencing its own epidemic of school violence. In China, most school killings involve knives. In the U.S., they involve firearms.

In contrast to Columbine, the 1927 Bath School disaster engendered no copycat attempts. Following the forty-five deaths that resulted from the Bath school disaster in Bath, Michigan, there was much less media reporting on the event and no legislative response on any level other than local legislation to appropriate small amounts of money for the victims' families.

Significant dates

Every year threats are made on and around April 20, as some sort of a tribute to the Columbine High School massacre, and other historical events such as the birth of Hitler. Dozens of teenagers have been arrested since 2000 for plotting an attack on their school on that day.

Additionally, threats were recently made on the date of June 6, 2006, which could be interpreted as 666, a number associated with the devil in Christianity and pop culture. Despite these threats, however, there were no incidents of school violence on the day.

Infamous school massacres

File:BathSchoolMuseumflag.jpg
Bombing aftermath of Bath School disaster

Infamous school shooters

File:Harrisklebold.jpg
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold

Other primary and elementary school killings

January 29 1979 San Diego, California, USA Armed with a .22 rifle she had been given for Christmas, 17-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire at Cleveland Elementary School. She wounded eight children and one police officer and killed two adults. When the six-hour incident ended, she was asked of her motive for the killing, to which she shrugged and replied "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." Soon after, the Dublin punk band Boomtown Rats wrote the song "I Don't Like Mondays" which was based on the incident.
May 20, 1988 Winnetka, Illinois, USA 30-year-old Laurie Dann walked into a second grade classroom at Hubbard Woods Elementary School carrying three pistols and began shooting children, killing eight-year-old Nicholas Corwin and wounding five others before fleeing. She entered a nearby house where she shot and wounded a 20-year-old man before killing herself.
September 26, 1988 Greenwood, South Carolina, USA 19 year old James Wilson opened fire at Oakland Elementary School, killing two eight year old girls and wounding nine others, seven of whom were children. He had been taking several psychiatric drugs at the time, including Valium, Halcion, and Xanax.
February 29, 2000 Mount Morris Township, Michigan, USA Armed with a .32 pistol he had stolen from his uncle's house, 6 year old Dedrick Owens fatally shot Kayla Rolland in the neck. This story is featured in the 2002 documentary Bowling for Columbine.
June 1, 2004 Sasebo, Japan An 11-year-old girl fatally slashed classmate Satomi Mitarai at Okubo Elementary School. This led to the creation of the Nevada-tan Internet phenomenon.
October 2, 2006 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA A 32-year-old truck driver named Charles Carl Roberts enters a one-room Amish schoolhouse at approxamitely 10:35 a.m. with a shotgun and handgun. He also brings plywood and boards up the windows and doors after releasing 15 male students and four adult females. After a police confrontation, he shoots and kills 4 female students in the back of the head "execution-style", before killing himself. Three of the girls died at the schoolhouse and another at a nearby hospital, and six other female students are injured in the massacre.[3]

Other secondary and post-secondary school killings

December 30, 1974 Olean, New York, USA 18-year-old honor student Anthony Barbaro blockaded himself into a third story classroom at his high school and opened fire on those below, killing three people and wounding eleven. He later hanged himself while awaiting trial. A drama was written about the incident entitled Sniper.
October 21, 1975 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 18-year-old Robert Poulin opens fire on his class at St. Pius X High School, killing one and wounding five before turning the gun on himself. Poulin had raped and stabbed his 17-year-old friend Kim Rabit to death prior to the incident. A book was written on the incident called Rape Of A Normal Mind
January 21, 1985 Kansas, USA Armed with an M-1A Semi-Automatic Rifle and a .357 Pistol, 14 year old James Kearbey fatally shot his principal and wounded 3 other teachers and a student at Goddard Junior High School.
March 2, 1987 Missouri, USA After constant teasing and humiliation about his weight, Nathan Ferris armed himself with a pistol and killed a fellow student after he bullied him in class. He then turned the gun on himself.
May 1, 1992 Olivehurst, California, USA Armed with a pistol, 20-year-old Eric Houston took hostages at his former high school, killing four people and wounding 10. His motive was his inability to find a good job due to the fact that he had failed a grade at school. He was given the death penalty for the shooting. The 1994 Hostage High is directly based on the shooting.
January 18, 1993 Grayson, Kentucky, USA 17-year-old Scott Pennington fatally shot his English teacher and a school janitor with a pistol.
September 21, 1995 Rochester, New York, USA 13-year-old Stephne Givens was fatally stabbed at Jefferson Middle School by a fellow student.
November 15, 1995 Giles County, Tennessee, USA Armed with a .22 Remington Viper, 17-year-old Jamie Rouse walked into the Richland School and shot two teachers in the head, killing one. He then fired at the football coach, but hit a 14-year-old freshman in the neck, wounding her.
February 2, 1996 Moses Lake, Washington, USA Armed with a high-powered hunting rifle and two handguns, 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis killed his algebra teacher and two students before taking hostages. He also shot a girl in the arm, who he released during the hostage situation. The incident ended when a teacher burst into the room and tackled him. Loukaitis is now serving life in prison.
February 2, 1996 Atlanta, Georgia, USA 12-year-old David Dubose killed a teacher in the hallway of his school with a pistol.
September 17, 1996 University Park, Pennsylvania, USA In the Hetzel Union Building shooting at The Pennsylvania State University, 19 year old Jillian Robbins opened fire on students walking to classes, killing one student and wounding another.
January 27, 1997 West Palm Beach, Florida, USA 13-year-old Tronneal Magnum shot and killed another student in front of his school.
February 19, 1997 Bethel, Alaska, USA Armed with a pump-action 12 gauge shotgun, Evan Ramsey killed a student and the principal of Bethel High School, and wounded two others. He is now serving a 210 year sentence.
October 1, 1997 Pearl, Mississippi, USA 16 year old Luke Woodham stabbed and beat his mother to death, then took a lever-action rifle to Pearl High School where he shot into a crowd of students, killing his ex-girlfriend Christina Menefee and her friend Lydia Kay Dew and wounded seven other students. Woodham later claimed that he did not remember killing his mother.
December 1, 1997 West Paducah, Kentucky, USA 14-year-old Michael Carneal carried five fully-loaded guns to Heath High School, shot at a prayer group, killing three students (Jessica James, Nichole Hadley and Kayce Steger) and wounding another five. Five of the victims were shot in the head, and three were hit in the upper torso. One of the wounded girls was paralyzed for life.
April 24, 1998 Edinboro, Pennsylvania, USA 14-year-old Andrew J. Wurst went to the school graduation dance where he shot and killed a popular science teacher. He subsequently opened fire on more students, wounding another teacher and two classmates before he ran out of ammunition.
May 19, 1998 Fayetteville, Tennessee, USA Three days before graduation, 18-year-old honor student Jacob Davis fatally shot 18-year-old Nick Creson with a bolt action rifle. He then discarded the rifle and calmly watched Creson die.
May 21, 1998 Springfield, Oregon, USA Kip Kinkel opened fire with a .22 rifle at Thurston Senior High School, killing 2 students and wounding 25 before being tackled by a wounded student. His parents were later found at home, murdered by Kinkel. He is now seving 111 years in prison without parole.
April 28, 1999 Taber, Alberta, Canada In both the first school shooting since Columbine and the first Canadian school shooting in over 10 years, Todd Cameron Smith brought a sawn-off .22 rifle to W.R Meyers High School and shot two students, killing one.
October 20, 1999 Houston, Texas, USA During a fight between 14-year-old Estanislao Balderas and 13-year-old Samuel Avila at Deady Middle School, Baldera produced a screwdriver and fatally stabbed Avila with it.
November 20, 1999 Deming, New Mexico, USA A boy shot 13-year-old Aralecy Tena in the back of the head with a handgun at Deming Middle School. Tena died after being taken off of life support.
March, 2000 Brandenburg, Bavaria, Germany A 16 year old student fatally shot a teacher and then turned the handgun on himself but survived, and has been in a coma ever since.
May 26, 2000 West Palm Beach, Florida, USA 13-year-old Nathaniel Brazill shot his English teacher, 35-year-old Barry Grunow, in the face on the last day of school.
March 5, 2001 Santee, California, USA Armed with .22 revolver, 15-year-old Charles Andrew Williams opened fire in a boy's bathroom at Santana High School, killing two students. He then exited the bathroom and shot at nearby students, wounding 13. Shortly afterwards he retreated back into the toilets where he surrendered to police.
April 26, 2002 Erfurt, Germany The 19-years old Robert Steinhäuser killed 13 teachers, 2 students and a police officer armed with a 9mm Glock 17 and a Pumpgun and then himself. For more informations look Erfurt massacre
April 29, 2002 Vlasenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed with a 7.65mm pistol, 17-year-old Dragoslav Petkovic killed his history teacher because he was sure that the teacher did not like him and would give him a failing grade. He then shot another teacher in front of the whole classroom, wounding her lightly, before committing suicide.
April 24, 2003 Red Lion, Pennsylvania, USA 14-year-old James Sheets fatally shot his school principal in the cafeteria of his middle school before committing suicide.
September 24, 2003 Cold Spring, Minnesota, USA 15-year-old Jason McLaughlin shot Aaron Rollins and Seth Bartell at Rocori High School with a .22 pistol. Rollins died the same day; Bartell died October 10 of injuries sustained in the attack.[2]
January 13, 2004 Den Haag, Netherlands Murat D. killed Hans van Wieren, a 49-year-old teacher at Terra College.
February 2, 2004 Washington, D.C., USA 19 year old Thomas J. Boykin fatally shot 17 year old James Richardson at Ballou Senior High School. Boykin was later acquitted on the charge of murder[4].
February 3, 2004 Palmetto Bay, Florida, USA 14-year old Michael Hernandez stabbed and slit the throat of 14-year-old classmate, Jaime Rodrigo Gough, while in a restroom at Southwood Middle School. Hernandez was tried as an adult, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. A search of his home revealed he had concocted plans to murder several classmates and even his younger sister. His journal revealed he was obsessed with perfection, and admired Hitler and the Nazis.
March 30, 2004 Gary, Indiana, USA Neal Boyd IV was fatally shot in the parking lot of Wallace High School by a fellow student.
August 4, 2004 Beijing, China Xu Heping, a 51-year-old doorman with a history of mental illness, stabbed several students and teachers in Beijing University's Number One Hospital, killing a child and wounding 17 others, 14 of whom were children.
September 28, 2004 Carmen de Patagones,
Buenos Aires Province, Argentina 		Armed with his father's 9mm pistol, a 15-year-old boy opened fire on his classmates during a flag-hoisting, killing 3 students and wounding 5 others.
November 26, 2004 Ruzhou, China With no apparent motive, an intruder stabbed eight students to death and injured four others at Ruzhou's Number Two High School in the sixth such incident in China in the past four months[5].
November 8, 2005 Jacksboro, Tennessee, USA After reports that a freshman had a handgun, the principal and two assistant principals confronted student Kenneth Bartley Jr., who opened fire on them, killing one of the assistant principals and wounding the two others.
September 27, 2006 Bailey, Colorado, USA A hostage crisis leaves one student and the perpetrator dead.
September 29, 2006 Cazenovia, Wisconsin, USA; 15-year-old Eric Hainstock shoots his high school principal, who then managed to wrestle Hainstock to the ground. The principal died later in hospital from multiple gunshot wounds.

Non-fatal school shootings and attacks

July 8, 1996 Blakenhall,
Wolverhampton, England, United Kingdom 		Horrett Campbell, a 33-year-old man with paranoid schizophrenia, invaded a teddy bears' picnic being held at St Luke's Primary School and slashed three young children and four adults with a machete. Lisa Potts, a 20-year-old nursery nurse, was awarded the George Medal for saving children's lives despite suffering severe injuries.
October 1996 Queensland, Australia Paul Streeton set six year old Tjandamurra O'Shane on fire in the playground of his school, burning over 70% of his body. The motive was apparently racism due to the boy's aboriginal background.
May 21, 1998 Houston, Texas, USA A 17-year-old’s gun accidentally discharged in his backpack, wounding a nearby girl.
June 15, 1998 Richmond, Virginia, USA 14-year-old Quinshawn Booker fired a pistol in a crowded hallway of Armstrong High School, injuring two adults, as other students were taking final exams.
May 20, 1999 Conyers, Georgia, USA 15-year-old Thomas J. Solomon used a .22 rifle and .357 handgun to wound six classmates at Heritage High School before surrendering to a teacher.
December 6, 1999 Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, USA Armed with a 9mm pistol and carrying over 100 rounds of ammunition, 13 year old Seth Trickey opened fire on a crowd of students, wounding four.
April 20, 2000 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada A year after the Columbine massacre, a student attacked and injured four students and a school clerk with a butcher knife at Carine Wilson High School in the suburb of Orleans.
October, 2000 Glendale, Arizona, USA 14-year-old Sean Botkin uses a gun to hold his former 8th grade class hostage for several hours. The situation eventually ended peacefully with Botkin surrendering to the police.
March 7, 2001 Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA An eighth grade girl injured another eighth grade girl at Bishop Neumann Junior-Senior High School. This was the first time a shooting occurred in a Catholic school and one of only four known incidents in which the main perpetrator was female.
2002 China A kindergarten doctor confessed to putting rat poison in salt at a rival nursery. 70 children and two teachers became seriously ill.
May 7, 2004 Randallstown, Maryland, USA 18-year-old Matthew McCullough and 24-year-old Tyrone Devon Brown shot four students of Randallstown High School following a brawl with football players in a parking lot. One of the victims was left partially paralysed.
September 2004 Suzhou, China A man armed with a knife and homemade explosives attacked 28 children at a kindergarten.
October 21, 2005 Saginaw, Michigan, USA 16-year-old Clarence Russell III shot Daniel Foster in the halls of Saginaw High School. Russell[6] [7].
February, 2006 Bellaire, Texas, USA A boy at Bellaire High School stabbed another boy in a stairwell. The victim survived the stabbing, and the attacker was arrested and prosecuted.
February 26, 2006 Roseburg, Oregon, USA 15-year-old Vincent Leodoro stole a 10 mm handgun from his stepfather's home and brought it to school where he shot 16 year old Joseph Monti in the back. When Monti fell to the ground, Leodoro shot Monti a further 3 times.
March 14, 2006 Reno, Nevada, USA 14-year-old James Newman brought his father's revolver to Pine Middle School and wounded two students. He was sentenced to house arrest and community service, which outraged several members of the public when he was not sentenced to prison.
August 30, 2006 Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA 19-year-old Alvaro Rafael Castillo opened fire at Orange High School with a rifle and shotgun, shooting eight times and wounding two students. Officers ordered him to stop firing and he immediately complied. Castillo killed his father with a firearm before driving to school in a van. In the van police officers found ammunition, pipe bombs, and other weapons. Castillo will be charged with first-degree murder in the death of his father while charges for the school shooting are pending.[8]

Foiled or exposed plots

May 25, 1999 Bridgman, Michigan, USA Bridgman, Michigan school shooting plot
March 2006 Sydney, NSW, Australia After hearing of students planning to assault their suburban high school, police searched a suspect's house and found plans to bomb the school, along with books such as The Anarchist Cookbook, which the student was using to learn how to make a bomb.
March 2 2006 Muscatine, Iowa, USA Joseph Dewayne Titus a 17-year-old, attempted to bomb Muscatine High School. He was arrested at 6:45 a.m. at his home. Police later found homemade explosives, some of which already had detonated.
March 3 2006 Greenwood, Indiana, USA Three 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy were arrested for attempting to hold Center Grove High School hostage using guns. Their claim was they were tired of athletes making fun of them. [9]
April 20 2006 Riverton, Kansas, USA Five students, ages 16-18, planned to kill a dozen potential victims, including a staff member at Riverton High School. The students revealed on April 19 on MySpace that they were going to commit the school shooting. The five teens planned to dress in black trench coats and shoot out the school security cameras. Authorities arrested four of the students at their homes and the other on campus on April 20 when a woman alerted them to the postings on MySpace.com about the plot. When the students' homes were searched, guns, ammunition, and knives were found. Prosecutors will charge the five students with conspiracy to commit murder. The school shooting was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting and Adolf Hitler's birthday[10]

[11].

April 22 2006 North Pole, Alaska, USA Six middle-school students were arrested after it was revealed they planned to kill students and faculty members. The students intended to use knives and guns, while also disabling the power and telephone systems at the school. Unlike most other school shootings, the students planned to kill selected students and faculty and then escape the school. The plot was exposed when a student told one of his parents about rumors of the upcoming school shooting and the parent contacted authorities. According to authorities, the six students could face charges for first-degree conspiracy to commit murder. [12]
April 23, 2006 Pearl, Mississippi, USA Two students from Pearl Junior High were arrested and charged with making threatening statements to fellow classmates. They broadcast their intentions on the Web site Xanga, warning students not to go to class on May 1, 2006. On the site, the students used the alias of Luke Woodham, the student who killed his mother and two students at Pearl High School in 1997. [13]
April 24, 2006 Puyallup, Washington, USA Brian Michael Evans, 16, was arrested after plotting to shoot people at his school. He was caught when he sent an instant message to another student, who reported him. Evans allegedly had planned to attack the school and then commit suicide afterward. In the message, the sender claimed he wanted "to finally go out in a blaze of hatred and fury". When Evans' house was searched, a home-made bomb, and a CD detailing how to make bombs, were found. [14]
June 2, 2006 Utica, New York, USA Two gangs at Proctor High School in Utica, New York, were rumored to shoot at each other during school after one of the gang's members, Keith Moore, was killed the night before. Most of the students either left the school or signed out, but nothing happened.
September 15, 2006 Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA Two 17-year-old boys and one 18-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of a possible shooting attack at Green Bay East High School. News reports said they were depressed and were fascinated with Columbine. Numerous weapons were found in their homes.
September 18, 2006 Hudson, Quebec, Canada A 15-year-old was arrested after uttering death threats via the same Internet site as Dawson College shooter Kimveer Gill. He was planning a similar type shooting at a high school west of Montreal [15].
October 2, 2006 Cincinnati, Ohio, USA A 15-year-old freshman was arrested at his home when he sent a text message threatening to bring his gun to a local high school. The school was locked down while police arrested the suspect, but re-opened in time for classes. [16]
May 4, 1970 Kent, Ohio, United States National Guard open fire on students at Kent State University during an anti-Vietnam protest, killing 4 and wounding 10. See Kent State University shootings for more information.
January 8, 1991 Richardson, Texas, United States Jeremy Wade Delle brought a .357 magnum to Richardson High School and committed suicide in front of his class of about 30 students. This incident inspired Pearl Jam's song Jeremy. [17] [18]
October 7, 2004 Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States A 15 year old boy committed suicide near his high school. He was reportedly despondent after breaking up with his girlfriend.
December 10, 2004 Nine Mile Falls, Washington, United States A 16 year old boy killed himself with a handgun in his high school and the gunshot sent the faculty into panic, causing them to lockdown the school. A canister containing fireworks, shotgun shells and rifle cartridges was later found in the boy's backpack.
January 13, 2006 Longwood, Florida, United States 15 year old Chris Penley brought a handgun to Milwee Middle School, and held his class hostage for a short time before eventually being fatally shot in a bathroom by police. It was soon discovered that the gun was actually a pellet gun, causing controversy over whether his death was justified.
September 14, 2006 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada A 22 year old university law student fired a pellet gun at one of the buildings of the University of Ottawa in a drive-by shooting. He was quickly arrested at his home and was subsequently banned from the University. No one was injured.[19]
October 2, 2006 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States A gunman killed six, including himself, in an attack on an Amish [20]
October 2, 2006 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States An ex-student of Mohave High School went on campus with a gun, his motive unknown at the time. Students recognized him as not being a student anymore and notified school police immediately. The suspect ran from the school and dicthed his gun behind a church close to Mohave. Mohave, as well as 3 middle schools and 1 elementary school were placed on lockdown while police searched for him.

School shootings on film

Documentaries

Plays

TV series featuring school shootings

Songs about school shootings

Youth of the Nation was written in memory of the victims of school shootings
Youth of the Nation was written in memory of the victims of school shootings

Additional Notes;

Novels about school shootings

Cover Art for Vernon God Little
Cover Art for Vernon God Little

References

  1. ^ Deadly Lessons: School Shooters Tell Why , description of Secret Service study. (October 15 2000) Chicago Sun-Times. Accessed April 8 2006
  2. ^ "Two Years After Rocori Shootings, Trial Begins". WCCO.com. Retrieved 2006-08-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear=, |month=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help)
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