School Violence Timeline

The following is a timeline of gun violence in schools. The names of the shooters in the following accounts will be anonymous. Bodyteen encourages everyone to forget their names. They don't deserve any notoriety for senseless acts of violence. If they desired to be infamous, they should be ignored. If anyone is remembered, it should be the victims. However, the shooters are described to give you a better awareness of warning signs.

From this list you can see that school violence is no joke, no matter where you live. Be aware of warning signs. Report threats and suicidal discussions immediately to avoid more acts of senseless death.

March 7, 2001, Bishop Neumann Junior-Senior High School, Williamsport, Pennsylvania: An 8th-grade girl shot a 13-year-old classmate during lunch. Fortunately, no fatalities occurred.

March 5, 2001, Santana High School in Santee, California: A 15 year old boy killed two classmates, and wounded 13 others

February 2, 2001, Osborn High School, Detroit, Michigan:
A shooting grazed 2 students and a teacher. No suspect was caught.

January 17, 2001, Lake Clifton Eastern High School, Baltimore, Maryland: A 17-year-old boy was shot three times while standing in front of the school.

September 26, 2000, Woodson Middle School, New Orleans, Louisianna: A 13-year-old and a 15-year-old were critically wounded when they shot each other with the same gun, during a fight. The gun had been slipped through a fence to one of the students by a 13-year-old who had been expelled from the school.

July 17, 2000, Renton, Washington:
A 13-year-old boy shot a handgun into the ceiling of the school cafeteria surrounded by 100 students. Fortunately, no one was injured.

May 26, 2000, Lake Worth, Florida:
A 13-year-old 7th grade honor student shoots a teacher in the face, killing him. The boy had been sent home for throwing water balloons and returned to the school with a handgun he found in his grandfather's dresser.

March, 10, 2000, Beach High School, Savannah, Georgia:
A 19-year-old boy shot and killed a 19-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy as they were leaving a dance.

February 29, 2000, Buell Elementary School, Mount Morris Township, Michigan: A first-grade boy fatally shot a 6-year-old girl after the two children had a verbal spat. He took the .32-caliber handgun from his uncle's home, where he was living.

December 6, 1999, Fort Gibson Middle School, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma: A 13-year-old student fires at least 15-rounds, wounding four classmates.

November 19, 1999, Deming, New Mexico:
A 12-year-old boy shot a 13-year-old girl in the head at school. She died the next day.

May 20, 1999, Heritage High School, Conyers, Georgia: A 15-year-old boy opens fire at school, wounding six students.

April 20, 1999, Columbine High School
Littleton, Colorado:
Within 71Ú2 minutes 2 students, a 17-year-old and 18-year-old, shot and killed 10 people and wounded 12 more within the school library. They had placed two 20-pound propane bombs in the school cafeteria the morning of the assault, but they failed to detonate. Had the bombs worked properly, all 488 people in the room may have died. The shooters had made a list of 67 people they disliked for various reasons, but only one of those named was actually wounded randomly in the attack. Their plan miserably failed. By the end of the shooting, 23 innocent bystanders were wounded and 15 were dead including the shooters.

June 15, 1998, high school, Richmond, Virginia:
A male teacher and a female guidance counselor are shot in a hallway. Fortunately, neither are seriously injured.

May 21, 1998, Thurston High School,
Springfield, Oregon:
A 15 year old boy with a history of violent behavior is suspended for bringing a gun to school and released under the care of his parents. He kills his parents, walks into the cafeteria the next day, and unloads 51 rounds of ammunition between a rifle and a handgun, leaving two dead and 22 injured. Another handgun was waiting to be used in his backpack. The boy was fascinated with explosives and bragged about bringing a pipe bomb to school. He had given a speech on how to build a bomb in class. His classmates jokingly voted him "Most Likely to Start World War III." He bragged about torturing animals and claimed to have killed his cat and blown up a cow. He had been caught throwing rocks off an overpass at passing cars. He had a very short explosive temper. From all records, the boy's family seemed loving and was struggling to keep him out of trouble. The boy was reported to hang out with the wrong crowd.

May 21, 1998, Onalaska, Washington:
A 15-year-old boards a high school bus with a gun in hand, orders his girlfriend off the bus and takes her to his home, where he shoots and kills himself.

May 21, 1998, suburban high school, Houston, Texas:
A gun in the backpack of a 17-year-old boy goes off wounding a 15-year-old girl.

May 19, 1998, Lincoln County High School, Fayetteville, Tennessee: Three days before graduation, an 18-year-old honor student opens fire in the school parking lot, killing a classmate whom was dating his ex-girlfriend.

April 28, 1998, elementary school, Pomona, California:
A 14-year-old boy is charged for shooting 2 teen-age boys to death and wounding a third as they played basketball hours after classes had ended.

April 24, 1998, James W. Parker Middle School, Edinboro, Pennsylvania: A depressed, alienated 14-year-old boy shoots a 48-year-old science teacher to death in front of students at a graduation dance.

March 24, 1998, Westside Middle School
Jonesboro, Arkansas:
2 boys, ages 11 and 13, shot 15 of their classmates and teachers, killing 5. The boys set off a fire alarm and open fired on the evacuating students and teachers from a nearby woods, killing four girls and a teacher and wounding 10 others. One of the boys had said he wanted to hurt people and that he enjoyed killing animals. The other often threatened people.

December 1, 1997, Heath High School, West Paducah, Kentucky: A 14-year-old boy, described as emotionally immature, opens fire on a group of students as they take part in a prayer circle in a school hallway. 3 students are killed and 5 are wounded, one girl of which is left paralyzed.

October 1, 1997 Pearl High School, Pearl, Mississippi:
A 16-year-old outcast kills his mother, then goes to school and shoots nine students, two of which die, including his ex-girlfriend.

February 19, 1997, high school, Bethel, Alaska: A 16-year-old opens fire with a shotgun in a common area, killing the principal and two students and wounding two others. The boy is now serving two 99-year prison terms.

February 2, 1996, junior high school
Moses Lake, Washington:
In a seemingly safe tranquil town, 2 boys on two separate occasions took the lives of 6 people.

Feb 2, a 14 year old boy enters a ninth-grade algebra class in a trench coat with a hunting rifle and starts shooting, killing two classmates, a beloved teacher and permanently injuring another student. The shooter was from a troubled home. He had told fellow students exactly whom he wanted to kill and had asked for ammunition. These students didn't tell anyone until after people had died. He wrote poems and assignments about killing and how certain people deserve to die. He had no friends and nobody to talk to about his problems.

Dec. 6, The previous shooter's 13 year old best friend/cousin wrote a suicide note addressed to both his parents. The boy was depressed and lonely from his friend's death. He explained that he didn't understand his feelings, that he didn't know how to talk with his parents, and that he feared if he told them what he was feeling they would turn him into the police. He decided to take his beloved sister with him so he wouldn't be alone. He shot his sister. His mother returned home unexpectedly in the middle of the tragedy, so the boy shot his mom and then took his own life. This boy needed to talk with someone, but didn't feel comfortable enough to do so. Everyone needs to find someone they can tell anything to, whether it's a parent, a local religious leader, a friend, a team coach, etc.

Other students were easily startled and had suicidal thoughts long after the tragedies occurred. All need to continue talking and to express what they are feeling.

January 18, 1993, East Carter High School, Grayson, Kentucky: A 17-year-old boy walks into an English class, and shoots the teacher in her head. He then shoots the janitor. The boy is now serving life without parole.

May 1, 1992, Olivehurst, California:
A 20-year-old kills four people and wounds 10 in a siege at his former high school. The attack was said to be in retaliation for a failing grade. The shooter was sentenced to death.