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May 12,1999
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(Tlje Fortiani' ©baeruer
Page A3
Columbine ‘Boy in
the Window’ OK
By SANDY SHORE
© T he A ssociated P ress
LITTLETO N , Colo. (A P) — Pat
Ireland doesn’ t rem em ber everything
that happened the day he was shot
three tim es and craw led out a sec
ond-story window . He does recall
thinking som eone w’ould catch him.
P e o p le a r o u n d th e w o rld
w atched on live telev isio n as the
17-year-old stu d en t escap ed the
C o lu m bine H igh S chool ram page
by tu m bling out o f a library w in
dow and into the arm s o f police.
“ It w as the shortest w ay dow n,
o u t,” Ireland said Friday, sitting in a
w h eelchair betw een his parents. "1
felt confident that th e re ’d be som e
one there to catch m e.”
It was the first time he has spoken
publicly since the April 20 massacre
that left 15 dead, including the two
student gunmen, and 22 others injured.
“W e know that everyone has been
w ondering w hat happened to the
boy in the w indow , and h e ’s doing
really, really w ell, said Ireland s
opened fire, “1 closed my eyes,” he said.
Ireland w as shot once in the right
foot and tw ice on the left side o f his
head, suffering neurological dam age
that m im ics a stroke. The extent o f
perm anent dam age isn’t known.
“T his is a very rem arkable, brave
y o u n g m a n ,” s a id D r. A la n
W eintraub, adding that Ireland is
m other, K athy.
Ireland knew o f gunmen Eric Hams,
18, and Dylan Klebold, 17. but was not
acquainted with them. W hen they
m aking a steady recovery.
Ireland occasionally has muscle
spasm s in his leg. The m ost difficult
aspect o f his therapy is speech and
reading because “the words get mixed
up in my head som etim es and I’m not
sure o f all o f the m eanings,” he said.
During a hospital news conference,
Ireland stopped occasionally to confer
with his parents before he answered
questions in a strong, clear voice.
“ I d on’t really rem em ber all o f it,”
he said. “ I ’m still trying to piece
together the events that happened.”
H e adm itted he feels a “ little bit”
o f anger, but has not given it m uch
thought. A nd he is eager to return to
school, yet unsure how he w ill react.
Mrs. Ireland said she and her hus
band, John, did n ’t realize the boy in
the w indow was Patrick until they
saw a a video
video ot
o f the
saw
the rescue
rescue three
mree days
uays
after the attack.
“I felt, and I think John did too, that
there w asn’t any reason to consider
that might be Patrick because we knew
he was paralyzed and we couldn timag-
ine that,” she said “ I didn’t picture it
happening that way. When we did see
it, w e knew immediately it was him.
Four other students rem ained hos
pitalized Friday, two in serious co n
dition and one in fair condition. The
fourth was undergoing rehabilitation.
M eanw hile, 13 w ooden crosses
erected at Clem ent Park in m em ory
o f the victim s will have to com e
dow n again. Religious symbols aren t
allow ed in such a public space, said
E die H ylton, m anager o f the F oot
hills Park and Recreation D istrict.
Illinois carpenter G reg Z anis ini
tially erected 15 crosses, including
tw o for the gunmen. Those w ere tom
dow n and Zanis rem oved the rest.
He put them back up this w eek
after the controversy died dow n, but
park m anagers say they will have to
be rem oved — a declaration that
“ shocked” Zanis.
“ I’ve gotten 80 letters from people
saying how important the crosses are
to the healing process,” he said.
Amy Fisher Gets Parole A fter 7 Years
■
■
B> MARC HUMBERT
© T he A ssociated P ress
A L B A N Y , N.Y. (M ay 6) - Amy
Fisher, w ho at 16 becam e the tab
loid headline "L o n g Island Lolita
after shooting her lover s w ife in the
head, w as granted parole today after
nearly seven years in prison.
Officials said she would be released
w'ithin one week from the western New
York prison where she is being held.
" S h e ’s been served (w ith the de
cision) this m orning and granted re
lease,” state Parole Board spokes-
m an Thom as G rant said.
The three-m em ber parole panel,
w hich interview ed Ms. Fisher on
Tuesday, voted 2-1 to free her, ac
cording to Grant. He said the board
has ordered her release by a w eek
from today from A lbion state prison.
She could be let out sooner. Grant said.
Ms. Fisher shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco,
then 37, in the head at the front door o f
the Buttafuoco hom e on N ew Y ork’s
Long Island in 1992. She had been
having sex with Mrs. Buttafuoco's hus
band, Joey, a 38-year-old business
man who later served six months in jail
for statutory rape for the affair.
The teen was sentenced to five to 15
years in prison for first-degree assault.
A judge last m onth agreed to give
her a shorter prison sentence, making
her eligible for release if the parole
board agreed. Ms. Fisher had argued
she was denied effective legal coun
sel w hen she initially pleaded guilty.
D uring a court appearance last
m onth, Ms. F ish erto o k resp o n sib il
ity for the shooting and apologized
to M rs. B uttafuoco.
" W h a t h ap p e n ed to you - it
w a sn ’t y o u r h u sb a n d ’s fault ... It
w asn ’t m y fath er’s fault. It w as my
fault and I ’m so rry ,” she said.
Mrs. B uttafuoco said her faith in
God allowed her to forgive the woman
who seriously w ounded her. The two
corresponded for several m onths.
The Buttafuocos now live in Los
Angeles, where Buttafuoco has been a
cable television talk show host. The
case inspired several television movies.
lnastatem ent,M s. Fisher’sm other.
Rose Fisher, said she had ‘ ’prayed and
waited for this momenttoarrive. Know
ing my daughter is coming hom e is the
best M other’s Day gift I could wish for.
" I a m looking forw ard to holding
her in my arm s, telling her I love her,
and getting started on the rest o f our
lives together,” Mrs. Fisher added.
Mother Charged in
Daughter’s Death
© T he A ssociated P ress
O R L A N D O , F la. (A P ) — A
w om an w ho sa id she w as en rag ed
that h er 8 -y e a r-o ld d a u g h te r w et
h er p ants w as ch arg ed S un d ay w ith
b ea tin g th e g irl to d ea th w ith a
b ase b a ll bat.
A nita Sim m ons, 36, told investi
gators she hit the girl eight or nine
tim es on the head and shoulders Sat
urday morning. Six siblings also were
hom e at the time.
“T he m other indicated to the in
vestigators that the child was wetting
her pants at the age o f 8, and that
infuriated her,” said O range County
S h e riffs Sgt. Bernard Presha.
S im m o n s ’ b o y frie n d . D arry l
T h o m as, 3 1 , c a lle d for help w hen
he g o t h o m e sh o rtly b efo re m id
n ig h t, at le ast 13 h o u rs la ter, a u
th o ritie s said.
The girl, Causla N icole Glover,
w as pronounced dead early Sunday,
Presha said.
M s. S im m ons faced a b ail h ear
ing M onday on a seco n d -d eg ree
m u rd er charge.
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No Charges for Police
Shooters
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mained unconscious throughout and
Bi ANTHONY BREZNIi AN
© T he A ssociated P ress
RIV ERSID E,Calif. (A P )— Four
police officers acted in haste and in
error, but were justified in shooting
an unresponsive, arm ed young black
w om an found sitting in a car, the
district attorney said.
The death o f Tyisha Miller, 19, in
December led to allegations that the
officers — three whites and a Hispanic
— were racists. Religious leaders, civil
rights activists and residents o f River
side, 60 miles east o f Los Angeles,
protested the shooting at town hall
meetings, vigils and marches.
D istrict A tto rn ey G ro v er T rask
said T h u rsd ay the o fficers m ay
h av e acted h astily and m ade m is
tak es in ju d g m en t, b ut they did not
act crim in ally .
M iller’s relatives were angry with
the decision.
“ It is sickening and it is sad,” said
the Rev. Bem ell Butler, a cousin.
“Police officers are able to m urder
and
it.
U
11U get 1 aw
’’ ay with
'
never reached for the gun.
Ms. M iller had pulled into a gas
A coroner’s report indicated all
station parking lot w ith a flat tire.
the
bullets entered her body from the
Relatives w ho arrived to help her
back,
proving that she was n ot lying
said they called police after Ms.
down when she was shot, Trask said.
M iller appeared to be having a sei
Her loaded gun was never fired. Ms.
zure and w as foam ing at the mouth.
M iller was hit by 12 o fth e 23 bullets.
T h e o ffic e rs fo u n d th e ca r still
Four struck her in the head.
ru n n in g , w ith the rad io an d lights
T o x ico lo g y tests sh o w ed M s.
on. In sid e, M s. M iller w as u n re
M iller had a b lo o d -alco h o l level
sp o n siv e, ly in g on the fully re
o f . 13 p ercen t. A d riv er in C a lifo r
c lin e d d riv e r’s seat w ith a gun in
nia is leg ally in to x ica ted at .08
h er lap. T h e o ffic ers w ere unable
percent. T ests also d e te c te d m a ri
to aw a k en h er by b an g in g on the
ju a n a resid u e.
w in d o w s, sh in in g lig h ts o r sh a k
The officers’ plan to break in the
ing the car, T ra sk said.
window
o f her locked car to get the
W hen an officer tried to break the
gun
out
o
f her lap may have been a
d river’s side w indow w ith a baton
mistake, but did not reach the level o f
and reach for the gun, Ms. M iller sat
crim inal conduct, Trask said. It was
up, lifted a pager and stared at the
a judgm ent call and it w as probably
cop, w ho backed aw ay, T rask said.
a m istake in their judgm ent,” he said.
O ne officer yelled at the others to
In Sacram ento, A ttorney G eneral
hold their fire, and the w om an lay
Bill
Lockyer endorsed T rask ’s deci
dow n again, Trask said. W hen she
sion,
but said he would investigate
rose up again and appeared to reach
reports
o f “racial insensitivity and
for the gun, the officers all fired, the
even racial hostility” w ithin the Riv
prosecutor said.
erside Police Department.
Fam ily m em bers contend she re-
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Volunteers to Help
■ ■
M
B f S
JL =
Tornado V ic tim s
HOOD
HOOD RIVER,
RIVER, OREGON
OREGON —
— A
A
Red Cross volunteer on her way to
OklahomaCity to help tornado victims
says she expects it’ll take a while for
the loss to sink in. Susan Hoffman from
the town o f Hood River says victur
victims
are in shock after powerful winds flat
tened sections o f Oklahoma. Hoffman
has volunteered at several disaster sites,
and says she knows ‘ 'they really haven ’ t
<»* •
come to realize exactly what all they’ve
lost orw hat all thatthey still face.” And
in spite o f her experience, she says
from what she’s seen on T V , this one
looks overwhelming.
Crime Dip Credited On Tough Sentences
SA LEM , O R EG O N — The
sp o n so r o f O re g o n ’s to u g h crim e
se n ten cin g law say the law has
cau sed a h ealthy drop in O re g o n ’s
crim
Rep-
V
I l l l i v e I rate.
U i v . Salem R epublican
---------------------
r
re se n ta tiv e K evin M annix say s
o v era ll crim e is dow n m o re th an
six -p erc en t from a y ear ago. S ta
tis tic s from the Law E n fo rcem en t
D ata System also show that crim es
th ro u g h a co m m ittee o v er the o b
je c tio n s o f a re lu c ta n t ch airm an .
C o m m ittee m em b er R e p re se n ta
tiv e L y n n L u n d q u ist su p p o rts the
b ill— sa y in g he th in k s th e b ill
w o u ld lessen th e p o te n tia l to h av e
gu n s in crim in al h an d s. B ut o p p o
V
ag ain st p eo p le h av e d ro p p e d m ore
than th ree -p e rc en t w h ile crim es
ag ain st p ro p erty h av e sh o w n an
eig h t- p erc en t d ecrease.
•n--.
•Sc »
More Hurdles for Background Checks
S A L E M , O R E G O N — G un-
b u y ers in O reg o n can cu rren tly
av o id a b ack g ro u n d -ch eck if they
b u y firearm s at a g u n -sh o w , b ut
th at co u ld change. B ackers o f a
b ill to ex ten d b ack g ro u n d ch eck s
to gun show s m an ag ed to p u sh it
J--.
p
n ents. in clu d in g the O re g o n G un-
O w ners A sso c iatio n , sa y the b ill
goes too far. T he b ill’s o p p o n en ts
co u ld sen d it to an o th e r c o m m it
tee— red u c in g the ch a n c e th at it
w ould ev en get to the full H ouse o f
• iu
•"-jiZY
R ep resen tativ es.
Psychologist Recounts
Balkan Trauma
PORTLAND, OREGON — A
p sy ch o lo g ist ju st returned from A l
b a n ia w h ere he helped refu g ees in
th e w arrin g B alkans get m ental
h ealth c o u n sellin g . The em o tio n al
trau m a for the refu g ees w as so
c le a r th at a group o f P o rtlan d -
b ased m edical d o cto rs took a p sy
ch o lo g ist for the first tim e on one
o f its m issio n s to a d isa ste r area.
D r. Jo h n Fazio (F A Y -zee-o h ) says
i t ’ll get m ore d iffic u lt for the re fu
gees em o tio n ally as they realize
th a t th ey m ig h t n ev e r retu rn to the
life th ey knew . Dr. F azio say s
th e re 's so m uch su ffe rin g in the
refu g ee cam p s that it tak es w ork to
keep from b eco m in g so co ld to it
that it d o e s n 't reg ister. D r. F azio
is a so cial science p ro fe sso r at
W arn er P acific C ollege.
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