Violence in Our Schools

August 1, 1991 through July 31, 1992

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To report a threat of school violence before the instigator has a chance to act on his/her intentions, please contact Speak Up at 1-866-SPEAKUP (that is 1-866-773-2587)

I would like to thank all of the Survivors and others who have contacted me with information about school violence.  I really do appreciate the help, for without their help, several of these occurrences would not be here.

One other thing I would like to ask of those who read over this list of tragedies is this: If you can provide me with any more details of any of these incidents, I would greatly appreciate the information. Or, if you know of another violent act at a school that is not on this list, please forward that information to me as well.  The link to my e-mail is above.

This evening, the Madison High School football team traveled to Barnett Stadium to play Yates High School in a very competitive game between the two schools.  When the team returned to their own campus after the game, a group of Yates students followed them.  About 11:00 in the evening, students from Madison and the group from Yates began fighting.  The fight escalated to a gun battle when 20 gunshots were exchanged between the two groups. 19-year-old band member Mario Pittman was standing in front of his school, and was caught in the crossfire when he was struck down by the flying bullets.  Authorities pronounced him dead at the scene.  With hundreds of students at the scene, police still had a very difficult time of getting the facts straight as nearly all of the students wouldn't admit to seeing anything.  This was the end of the third week of school for the Houston school district.

Source: Houston Chronicle - Madison Student Killed in Gun Battle; Houston Chronicle - Gang Violence Suspected in Slaying

Clarence Notree was monitoring over two dozen students who were playing basketball this afternoon when a 14-year-old boy ran in through an open door.  The boy sprayed the crowd with a dozen shots before fleeing.  Clarence was injured when one of the bullets struck his wrist.  Police believe this shooting to be in retaliation for a gang shooting that occurred two blocks away.

Source: Chicago Tribune - Safety of a School Again is Shattered by Shooting (published 12-4-92)

At the middle of the fourth week of school in Houston, violence struck again.  Our story begins a couple of days ago when 17-year-old Arthur Jermel Jack and 15-year-old LaKeeta Cadorre slept together.  She told him not to tell anyone to keep her reputation in tack and from the news getting back to her family.  Arthur ignored the request and told some of his fellow football teammates.  Word spread and students began to ask her about it, she said she was going to kill Arthur.  In the breakfast line this morning, LaKeeta confronted Arthur.  He called her a bitch.  She didn't take that to well as she pulled out a gun and shot Arthur twice.  One of the bullets tore into his stomach, killing him.  Two students rushed to Arthur's aide, but it was too late.  Arthur was one of the stars of the football team at Crosby while LaKeeta was an honors student.

Source: Houston Chronicle - Teen Crime Wave on Rise / Recent Slayings Offshoot of Increase in Violence; Houston Chronicle - 'We Have to Learn to Value Life' / Slain Madison Student Mourned; A visitor to my site

Yesterday, 16-year-old Kim Young received a handgun from one of his classmates.  Today he was going to show the gun off.  At 7:14 this morning Dustin Sulak and Kim got on the school bus at Bear Creek Meadows Lane.  They made their way to their seats and a moment later, Kim pulled out a .25-caliber handgun.  He showed it to Dustin and then shot him in the right leg, just above the knee.  In a state of shock, Kim quickly left the bus and threw the gun in the sewer.  Dustin was transported to Memorial City Medical Center and listed in good condition.  Kim was apprehended by police and said he had only taken the gun to school to show his friends. Since he didn't intended on shooting Dustin, police ruled the shooting accidental. However, they did charge him with having a weapon on school property.

Source: Houston Chronicle - Spring Branch Student Shot on School Bus; Houston Chronicle - Spring Woods Student Shot

Due to a gang-related shooting two years ago at the annual football game with Crenshaw High School, school officials decided to move the start time from 8 p.m. to 3 p.m. to prevent a repeat event.  They were unsuccessful.  Dorsey was ahead 28-12, with 65 seconds left in the fourth quarter when gunfire erupted in the field next to Jackie Robinson Stadium.  Ten to 15 members of rival gangs exchanged gunfire for almost three minutes before the shooting stopped at 5:30 p.m.  Two teens were injured, one in the leg, the other in the arm.  Officials ended the game and declared Dorsey the winner.  Five hours later, with presidential names all over the place, another shooting at a another LA high school football game.  Fortunately, nobody was injured in the second shooting.  It happened while Franklin High School was playing Lincoln High School at the stadium at Roosevelt High School with four minutes left to play.  Lincoln High was declared the winner with a score of 14-6.

Source: L. A. Times - Dorsey Victory Comes Early Because of Gunfire; 2 Teens Hurt in Shooting at High School Football Game

17-year-old Tryon Whittaker was a member of the rap group Tuff Inc, which was featured in the Mario Van Peebles film Rappin.  This morning he walked his girlfriend to James Monroe High and as she went inside (as he attends Adlai Stevenson High School a mile away) he remained outside to talk other students. The talk led to an argument and Tryon challenged one of the boys to a fight.  The boy said, "I don't fight with my hands.  I'll be back."  The young boy left the school, obtained a gun, returned at 9:15 a.m. and shot Tryon twice in the chest at point-blank range.  Tryon collapsed to the ground and our young instigator fled the scene.  Tryon was transported to Jacobi Hospital where he died shortly thereafter.  Police were still looking for the shooter by the time this news story went to press.

Source: The New York Times - A Bronx Youth is Shot to Death Outside a School

As recess was wrapping up for second graders this afternoon at 1:15, somebody shot 7-year-old John Barnett as he stood at the back of the line.  The bullet came from a .22-caliber gun and went right through John's body, ricocheted off a door and came to rest on the sidewalk.  It entered near his left shoulder blade and exited his chest, but did not strike his heart.  He didn't collapsed, but told his teacher that he couldn't breathe.  He was airlifted to Hermann Hospital in Houston for treatment.  Police initially questioned a 21-year-old man that had been walking by the school at the time.  However, a neighbor from the nearby community heard gunfire coming from a house around the same time that John had been shot.  The neighbor informed school officials the next day, who in turn informed police.  The police picked up a 13-year-old boy who was shooting at birds and squirrels in his yard yesterday with a .22-caliber rifle and didn't realize the distance his bullets could travel.  It was from his gun that bullet that hit John came from.  The shooter attends Park View Intermediate School.

Source: Houston Chronicle - "I Thought I Had Lost Him" Second-Grader Shot at School; Houston Chronicle - Aiming at Bird Blamed in Wounding of Boy, 7

During second lunch today, two boys began harassing a 15-year-old boy as he sat with his cousin eating lunch.  When he had finished eating, the boy took his tray back to the kitchen area.  His two tormentors followed him and continued to verbally bully him.  The three boys left the cafeteria and then our bullied boy pulled out a .25-caliber automatic pistol.  He pointed it at his two tormentors.  Other students and teachers saw the gun and began running for cover.  The boy, a freshman at the school, also ran from the scene, firing one shot into the air as he fled the campus.  Police arrested our young instigator at the Woodruff Arms Apartments around 12:30 and charged him with possession and pointing of weapon on school grounds.

Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal - Student Accused of Pulling Pistol

Drumestic Contreal Brown, 18, was tired of hearing how his 15-year-old little brother was getting picked on and harassed by other students at his school.  This morning, the high school dropout decided to put an end to it.  Drumestic, his younger brother and a 15-year-old boy who was friends with his brother arrived at the high school about 7:45 a.m. with the intent of finding the bullies.  The trio found one of the bullies, an unnamed 17-year-old boy and started to hit him, egging him on to fight back.  However, the unnamed boy did not fight back.  Four other students saw the whole confrontation and stepped in to protect their fellow classmates.  The foursome told the trio to stop fighting and leave their school.  The trio then turned on the foursome and they fought each other for about 10 minutes before the foursome, a security guard and an assistant principal were able to chase them out of the building.  One of the students in the foursome was 15-year-old Andrew "Pudgy" Gaston.  About a dozen students, including Pudgy, followed the trio to make sure they were leaving the campus.  At this point, Drumestic pulled out a handgun and shot toward the school doors, striking Pudgy in the face.  The rest of the students that had gathered around scattered when the gun went off.  Pudgy collapsed to the ground.  The trio fled the scene by running down Stag Road.  Paramedics rushed to the school and worked on Pudgy for about ten minutes before taking him to Charlton Methodist Hospital.  By 9 a.m., Andrew "Pudgy" Gaston had died.  Within hours of the shooting, metal detectors were in place at A. Maceo Smith High School and counselors descended on the school at lunchtime to help students cope with the tragedy. Later in the morning, Drumestic's mother drove him to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center where he turned himself in.  Drumestic told police he threw the gun away after the shooting.  He was charged with murder and held in lieu of a $50,000 bond.

Source: Dallas Morning News - Student Slain at Oak Cliff High School

Source: Something Should Be Done by Russell Madden; Rensselaer Graduate Council September 2000 Newsletter - Deadly Scholarship; A Tree of Legacies by Crockett Grabbe, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

During lunch today eight girls argued over an unknown topic.  When classes let out for the day, they continued their argument.  As they argued on the school's front lawn, another group of students looked on.  During the argument, Robert Lee "Coco" Monroe jumped out of his blue truck and fired five times at the students.  The bullets struck Dumas D. Robertson in the chest and Marlin Jackson in the shoulder.  Dumas is 14 and Marlin is 15. Dumas was walking out of the school when the shooting began.  Marlin ran toward Louisiana Avenue while Dumas stumbled back inside the school and collapsed in the stairwell.  Principal Leroy Gray rushed to the stairwell and found Dumas unconscious.  He and a teacher drove Dumas to the Touro Infirmary as they didn't have time to wait for an ambulance.  Dumas died at the infirmary, thirty minutes after being shot.  Marlin was taken to Charity Hospital and listed in stable condition. Police talked to Dumas's family and they said Robert, 19, is a boyfriend of one of the arguing girls.  The shooting occurred around 3:30 in the afternoon.  Police arrested Robert Thursday evening at 7 p.m. in a bedroom at his parent's home and charged him with first degree murder and aggravated battery.

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune - Student Killed, 1 Hurt in Shooting at School; New Orleans Times-Picayune - Teenager Arrested in Student's Slaying at N.O. High School

Source: The New York Times - 16-Year-Old is Shot to Death in a High School in Brooklyn; The New York Times - High School Mourns the Day After a Killing

During a holiday basketball tournament at WHS, 18-year-old Alfonsa George Jr. walked up to Henry Norton Jr., also 18, as he stood outside the gym.  Alfonsa asked Henry, "What's up?"  Before Henry could answer, Alfonsa pulled a handgun from his pants and opened fire.  One of the bullets struck Henry in the back and lodged in his spine.  Another bullet struck Bobby Wilson, 25, in the stomach.  Both were taken to Columbus County Hospital and were in fair condition.  Police began searching for Alfonsa and arrested him late Friday night.  He is charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.  The rest of the basketball tournament was cancelled.

Source: The Fayetteville Observer - Police Seeking Suspect in Whiteville Shootings; The Fayetteville Observer - Man Charged in Shooting at School

When you are at school, it pays to be in class when you are supposed to be.  A 13-year-old seventh-grade boy learned this lesson the hard way.  He was walking in a second floor hallway at 1:30 p.m. when he should have been in class.  Three boys from C. J. Colton Junior High School, who also should have been in a classroom and not in another school's hallway, attacked the seventh-grader for an undisclosed reason.  When he tried to flee, one of the trio pulled out a handgun and shot him in the buttocks.  Another student ran to the main office to alert the security officer.  As the officer was investigating, he saw the three boys leave the school.  He called police and 25 NOPD and School Board police officers arrived on the scene.  The officers were able to track down two of the attackers after a 15-minute chase.  One of the arrested boy's is 14-years-old and the other is 15.  However, police were still looking for the shooter. Our injured seventh-grader was taken to Charity Hospital for treatment.  

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune - Student Wounded at Gentilly Junior High - Victim was Ambushed in Hall by 3 Assailants

Source: New York Times - After 2 Killings, a Plan for More School Security

Shortly after 10 a.m., Undrell Hulbert and D'Anza Lucas, both 17, were arguing over an unknown topic near their school's gym.  The war of words climaxed when D'Anza pulled a small knife from her pocket and stabbed Undrell in the abdomen.  After she was stabbed, two of D'Anza's friends began to kick her.  Undrell was taken to the Medical Center of Louisiana and was listed in stable condition. Police arrested D'Anza and charged her with aggravated battery.  Police also arrested her two friends, both 16-year-old females, as they were principals in the battery.  In case you haven't figured it out yet, all four students are female.

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune - Student Booked in Stabbing

While the class was taking an exam, one of the students was playing with the gun in a backpack.  The gun discharged accidentally and the bullet lodged itself in a desk  No injuries were reported.  A 16-year-old student was booked with illegal discharge of a firearm and carrying a weapon to school.

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune - School Safety Baffles Parents

O. Perry Walker's first school shooting happened this morning around 8:15.  The second shooting at O. Perry Walker takes place in March 2005.  Two groups of boys were having an exchange of words when they met up in a breezeway at the school.  The exchange of words quickly escalated and Herman Tureaud, 15, pulled out a .38-caliber revolver.  He fired one shot, striking Jomo-kenyatta P. Joseph, also 15, in the head.  Jomo-kenyatta was rushed to JoEllen Smith Medical Center where he was pronounced dead in the afternoon.  Police were able to arrest Herman later in the day and charge him with first-degree murder.  They also arrested Earl Parker, 19, and charged him with accessory to murder as he hid the gun after Herman fired it.  Apparently, he didn't hide it too well as police found it near the Behrman Memorial Gym. 

Source: The Times-Picayune - 15-Year-Old Fatally Shot at West Bank School

Dameon Steadham graduated from Lincoln High School last year, but he kept in touch with his friends still at the school.  Tonight, at the end of a school sponsored dance, the teens gathered in the parking lot around their cars, began drinking and firing guns into the air.  According to the news story, this is a common way for the students to end a school dance.  What is uncommon is for some one in the crowd of students to get injured by the bullets as they came speeding back down to Earth.  That's what happened tonight when a bullet tore through Dameon's head.  His longtime friend, an unnamed 19-year-old man, was holding Dameon when the paramedics arrived.  He was pleading and crying for Dameon not to die.  Dameon was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital where he was put on life support.  Saturday morning, his family had the life support machine removed and Dameon died.  His longtime friend was arrested by police for the shooting death of 18-year-old Dameon Steadham.

Source: Dallas Morning News - Man Shot After Dance at School; Dallas Morning News - Man, 18, Shot at School Dies

To read three Survivor's accounts of Lindhurst, click here.

Source: Several Survivors from Lindhurst High School

Last Friday there was a dance at Huntsville Junior High School.  Patrick Wilson, 14, was there and he made rude comments to several girls there.  One of the girl's was friends with 15-year-old Quinn Ashworth.  Quinn rebuked Patrick for the words and the two boys continued to argue throughout the weekend.  The exchange of heated words continued during the week with Patrick threatening Quinn on Wednesday that he would bring a gun to school tomorrow and kill him. The argument climaxed at 7:45 this morning when the two eighth-graders met up in a courtyard between the main academic building and the cafeteria. Quinn head-butted Patrick in the nose and broke it.  Patrick took about 10 steps away, pulled out a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol and shot Quinn in the chest. Quinn stood there for a few seconds before realizing he had been shot and then collapsed to the ground.  Philip Kiser, an industrial arts teacher, heard the gunshot as he was leaving the teacher's lounge.  He saw Patrick carrying the pistol and, when asked, the boy gave Philip the gun.  Philip then took Patrick to the office while another teacher carried Quinn to the nurse's office. Quinn was later transported to Houston's Hermann Hospital where one of his lungs was removed. The removal of the lung brought on a stroke which caused Quinn to loose some movement in his left hand and leg. Patrick was taken into custody by the local authorities and charged with attempted murder. On Friday, July 10, 1992, a jury acquitted Patrick of shooting Quinn.  The .38-caliber pistol was manufactured in the early 1900s.

Source: Houston Chronicle - Gunfire at a Junior High / Boy Hurt in School Shooting; Houston Chronicle - Shot Teen Admits He Attacked 14-Year-Old; Houston Chronicle - Student Says He Didn't Mean to Shoot Teen; Houston Chronicle - 14-Year-Old Acquitted in Shooting; Visitor to this web site

Silverado Middle School, Napa, California

Thursday, May 14, 1992

Also on Thursday, after being bullied to the edge, eighth-grader John McMahan, 14, shouted out, "I'm a New Jack City hustler!" (The movie about gang warfare was shown over the weekend in Napa.) He pulled out a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum and opened fire on his first period science classmates.  They were dissecting worms at the time.  He targeted two students and wounded both of them, one was grazed across the chest and the other was struck in the left arm.  John left the room and wandered around campus for awhile.  He fired another shot into some bushes on campus before teachers were able to talk him into surrendering.  The two wounded boys were taken to Queen of the Valley Hospital for treatment. The attack started at 8:45 in the morning.  

Source: San Jose Mercury News - 2 Students Shot in Napa Classroom; The San Francisco Chronicle

Escambia High School, Pensacola, Florida

Thursday, May 28, 1992

While riding home from school on the last day of classes for the year, 15-year-old Sheree Jones got onto a bus with one her friends.  It wasn't her normal bus that would have taken her home.  For an unknown reason, the friend slipped Sheree a razor knife during the ride.  Later, Sheree attacked Denise Hale for an unknown reason.  Denise was successfully defending herself from Sheree, until she grabbed the knife.  Sheree jammed the razor knife into Denise's throat in front of more than twenty other students on the bus at the time.  Denise, 17, died in the attack.  Sheree was sentenced to 22 years in prison by Escambia Circuit Judge John Parnham.

Source: Visitor to this web site

Venice High School, Los Angeles, California

Friday, May 29, 1992

This morning four males in a stolen maroon Honda Civic drove up to a trio of students standing on the sidewalk near the school's delivery entrance.  The occupants of the Civic flashed their guns, shouted gang names and epithets before they fired on the trio.  Over a dozen rounds were shot toward the students, one of whom was Rene Hernandez, an 18-year-old male.  The students raced for the safety of the school, but all three were injured.  The news story only gave their ages, 15, 17 and the aforementioned 18-year-old Rene.  They had superficial wounds to the back, left leg and hip and right arm.  (Although who was injured where wasn't stated.)  The three injured students were taken to UCLA & Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital for treatment.

Source: L.A. Times - 3 Wounded in Drive-By at Venice High

Merced High School, Merced, California

Saturday, June 6, 1992

This evening, the Merced Lao Family Community Inc., threw a party in Merced's gymnasium to honor all Asian school graduates.  The party started at 10 p.m. and ran until 1 a.m. on Sunday.  During the celebration, Tou Lee, 23, and an unnamed 17-year-old boy got into an argument.  The two combatants were in between the cafeteria and music building when the fight started.  The fight climaxed when the younger boy shot Tou in the chest at 11:18 p.m.  Tou was able to walk across the campus to a Taco Bell restaurant on G Street where he called police.  Tou was taken to Mercy Hospital in Merced but was later transferred to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto on Sunday.  With the music being as loud as it was inside the gym, the party-goers, never knew about the shooting until much later.

Source: Modesto Bee - Boy Held in School Shooting

Brent Tucker, an eighth-grader, had had all that he could handle from the school bully.  Early in the second semester (January to March time frame, probably in January but not 100% sure), Brent came to school with a hunting rifle that had been given to him for Christmas by his stepfather.  Brent always carried around a large blue duffel bag that the rifle fit perfectly into, and no one ever questioned his need for such a large bag.  At the beginning of second period on this Friday (still trying to verify, but believe the information to be correct), which was Brent's shop class, he aimed his Christmas gift at his tormenter and fired off a round.  However, the bullet missed the bully's head by mere inches struck a male classmate in the arm.  The wounded male student still struggles with the psychological ramifications to this day.  In third period, everyone was handed a nicely printed press release, which the teachers read to the students, and class went on as usual. School was not dismissed early due to the shooting.  On Monday, counselors were brought in to help the students anyway they could.  Brent was sentenced to juvenile probation, but was banned from the Port Huron Area School System.  He moved to Texas where his sister lived.  A couple years later, he returned to Michigan to live with his family, and to attend college.

Source: A Survivor of this school shooting and a visitor to this web site

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