Thurston High School Shooting
Recent school shootings in the United States
In the last six yea/s, at least eight stoobngs have occurred by students around the nation. Today, shootings occurred m Spring
field: Onaiasta. Wash.; and Houston,
■ MAY 1,1992: CHrvehurst Calif. — Eric Houston, 20,
kifted four people and wounded 10 in an armed siege at his
former high school Prosecutors sard the attack was retri
bution for a faffing grade.
■ JAM. It, 1993: Grayson, Ky. — Scott Pennington. 17,
walked into Deanna McQantfs seventh period Engfish class
at East Carter High School, and shot her in the head. He
then shot janitor Marvin Hicks in the abdomen.
■ FEB. 2,1996: Moses lake. Wash. — A14-year-old stu
dent turned an assault rifle on his algebra class, killing two
classmates and a teacher.
■ FEB. 19,1997: Bethei, Alaska—A 1&-year-old student
opened fire with a shotgun tn a common area of Bethel High
School. Killed were school principal Ron Edwards and
classmate Josh Paiacious. Two other students were in
jured.
■ OCT. 1,1197: Pearl. Miss.—A 16-year-oto outcast was
accused of killing Ws mother, then going to school and
shooting nine students. Two of them died, including the
toy's ex-girlfriend.
■ UK. 1,1997: Paducah, Ky.—A youth opened fire on a
student prayer circle in a hallway at Heath High school.
Three students were toiled and five others were wounded
■ MARCH 24,199#: Jonesboro, Ark.—Two boys opened
fire with rifles on classmates and teachers when they came
out during a false fire alarm at Westside Middle School.
Four girts and a teacher were lolled and 11 people were
wounded.
■ MAY 29, 1998: Fayetteville, Tenn., — A high school se
nior shot and killed another student in the school parking
lot at the Lincoln County high school three days before they
were scheduled to graduate.
SOURCE: cm Wrt site
MATT GARTON/Emeratd
Shooting: One shot while disarming assailant
■ Continued from Page 1A
Quimby said. "People started
screaming, 'Gun, blood, get
down,’ and that's when I real
ized it was real."
After Kinkel’s arrest, initial
questioning of the suspect led in
vestigators to 88082 Chita Loop
in Springfield, where they dis
covered what are believed to be
the bodies of Kinkel’s parents,
according to Lane County Sheriff
Jan Clements.
The two gunshot victims were
found at 9:26 a.m.. but the time of
death has yet to be determined.
Kinkel’s older sister, a former
University student and cheer
leader in 1994, was out of the
state at the time of the shooting.
In all, 22 students and one ad
ministrator were admitted "to
McKenzie-Willamette Hospital
in Springfield and Sacred Heart
Medical Center in Eugene after
the shooting at Thurston.
“We haven’t had anything this
devastating in the history of Sa
cred Heart,” said Beverly May
hew, director of public affairs for
the medical center.
“We did two things," she said.
“First, we put out an alarm for
trauma alert. In addition, we
called a disaster alert, which no
tifies the entire hospital that
something’s going on. We’re
lucky to have two excellent hos
pitais in tne area.
The school shootings came
one day after Kinkel and one oth
er student were suspended pend
ing expulsion for possession of a
firearm on school grounds.
Police were notified of the
concealed weapons incident and
arrested Kinkel, who was re
leased Wednesday to his parents
after being charged with posses
sion of a stolen firearm.
Springfield Police Chief Bill
DeForrest said Kinkel's only oth
er involvement with authorities
came when he was referred to a
Eugene juvenile facility after
throwing rocks at cars from an
overpass in Deschutes County.
Kinkel returned to campus
early Thursday morning, parked
his car a few blocks away and
walked onto the closed campus
allegedly armed with a .22-cal
iber semi-automatic rifle, a .22
caliber handgun and second
handgun identified as a “dock”
by Capt. Jerry Smith of the
Springfield Police Department.
The school’s cafeteria was un
usually full that particular morn
ing because of a school-spon
sored senior event, along with
the normal breakfast crowd.
According to broadcast re
ports, students said the suspect,
wearing a cream-colored trench
coat, put the rifle at his hip and
ran through the cafeteria shoot
ing at random.
"I closed my eyes, then
opened them and saw Jake and
Josh Ryker run towards him to
tackle him,” said Quimby, a
Thurston junior, referring to two
of her classmates.
Jake Ryker, who was shot in
the chest, is one of several stu
dents who helped detain and
disarm the assailant and are be
ing called “heroes” by local au
thorities. He is listed in critical
but stable condition as of 2:35
p.m. on Thursday. His brother,
Josh Ryker, was unharmed.
“We have several student he
roes who wrestled with the sus
pect and in all likelihood proba
bly prevented wounding and
killing more students,” DeFor
restsaid.
Students said Thurston was a
“safe school” and this incident
came as a shock.
“When I was a freshman, my
friend got stabbed,” Thurston se
nior Isaac Sharp said. “I've been
here four years, and I’d never in
my whole life picture something
like this happening.”
Utner community members
arrived on the scene to assist.
“I’m just here to help,” said
Bill White, a minister at the Mt.
Vernon Church of Christ in
Springfield who said several stu
dents and parents were members
of his congregation.
“It’s a tragedy,” he said. “It
makes it really hard when it
strikes this close to home.”
Authorities said Kinkel is the
lone suspect in the shootings.
However, investigations contin
ue at both the school and
Kinkel’s residence.
“An incident of this type re
quires very careful investiga
tion,” DeForrest said.
Thursday’s investigations led
authorities to deploy a bomb
squad to both Kinkel’s car and
home to check for evidence of
explosives.
Kinkel’s arraignment will be
held today at 1:30 p.m. at the
Lane County Jail. District Attor
ney Doug Harcleroad said the
suspect will be tried as an adult
under Oregon law, but will not
be subject to the death penalty if
found guilty.
School throughout District 19
will be closed today. However,
Thurston Middle School will be
open for grieving students, facul
ty and staff.
LAURA GOSS/Emerald
St. Alice Catholic Church was the site of counseling services and
community-provided lunch in the aftermath of the shooting.
LAURA GOSS/Emerald
Mourners left flowers in the fence at Thurston High School in
support of the victims of Thursday’s shooting.
Injured:
Mayor plans
counseling
■ Continued tram Page 1A
a.m. They arrived on the scene to
find shooting suspect Kipland P.
Kinkel, a 15-year-old Thurston
freshman, physically detained by
students and faculty.
Units from the Springfield Fire
and Safety Department as well
from Eugene Fire/Emergency
Medical Services also responded
to the initial call and established
a triage and treatment area in the
cafeteria. All patients were trans
ported from the scene within one
hour. Of the 23 wounded taken to
local hospitals, 12 were taken to
Eugene’s Sacred Heart Medical
Center and 11 were transported to
Springfield’s McKenzie
Willamette Hospital.
According to Lottie Duey of
McKenzie Willamette Hospital,
all victims arrived at the hospital
sustaining gunshot wounds. All
victims taken to Sacred Heart
Medical Center also sustained
gunshot wounds, a City of Spring
field press release stated.
The 12 victims at McKenzie
Willamette Hospital included:
Jennifer Alldredge, 17, critical
condition; Elizabeth McKenzie,
15, fair; Ben Walker, 17, in a deep
and irretrievable coma; Jesse Wal
ley, fair but stable; Joshua Pear
son, 17, fair and discharged; Ryan
Atteberry, 17, serious; Kyle
Howes, 16, fair but stable; Tara
McMullen, 17, fair but stable;
Melissa Taylor, 27, serious ; Mel
lissa Femrite, fair and discharged;
Sara Branom, fair and discharged;
and Christine Osbourn, 17, fair
but stable.
The 11 victims taken to Sacred
Heart Medical Center included:
Tony Case, critical but stable;
Nathan Cole, fair; Tabitha Fain,
14, good; Trina Harty, 17, fair;
Betina Lynn, 18, fair but stable;
Carolyn McClain, 15, fair; Teresa
Miltonberger, critical; Richard
Peek, 17, fair but stable; Amber
Ramsey, 15, serious; Jacob Russel
Ryker, serious; and Gabriel
Thomas, 17, treated and released.
The deceased, Mikael Nicko
lauson, was pronounced dead at
the scene of the incident by para
medics.
The incident has prompted
Springfield's mayor and others to
plan counseling sessions to help
affected community members.
“Unfortunately it takes some
thing like this to get peoples’ at
tention," Springfield Mayor Bill
Morrisette said. "We will heal to
gether.”