TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: school shooting

  • Hainstock’s claims a ‘total joke’

    Hainstock’s claims a ‘total joke’

    Jailed teen drew teachers’ concern since preschool:

    One teacher at Weston High School says that Eric Hainstock’s claims of harassment are bogus…

    The gunfire that killed Principal John Klang early Friday seemed to echo through the rolling hills of rural Cazenovia as residents absorbed the shock of the slaying and the first-degree murder charges.

    Some said they were repelled by reports that Hainstock – being held in the Sauk County Jail in Baraboo – told investigators he just wanted someone to listen to his complaints about being tormented by classmates who rubbed up against him and called him “fag” and “faggot.”

    His special education teacher on Saturday called the claims a “total joke.” James Nowak said Hainstock didn’t give his anger management counselor a clue of what was to come.

    But Nowak, one of three special education teachers at the school, said Hainstock had just finished serving a three-day suspension. Nowak said that about two weeks ago, the student swore at him and, when he fled, threw a stapler at him.

    “He said something to me and scared me,” Nowak said. “I backed out of the room and got out of there and ran. The stapler flew past my head and hit the wall. He had the stapler open – it cracked the cement.”

    Police were called, and they released him to the custody of his father, Nowak said.

    Hainstock told police he gunned down Klang before classes began Friday because he was upset with a reprimand Klang had given him. He was facing an in-school suspension for having tobacco in school Thursday, the criminal complaint said.

    He told police he was also upset because he felt teachers didn’t stop students who harassed him, the complaint said.

    But Nowak said the youth was unlikely to have been the butt of jokes. “He wasn’t picked on,” he said. “He was the one who would have picked on people.”

    The description of Hainstock as victimized is “a total joke,” he said. “We stand up for these kids (special education students) as much as possible. We are advocates for the kids. If they are being picked on, we try to stop it.”

    The ultimate bullies are the ones that have to resort to guns to resolve their own issues.

  • Hainstock charged as adult

    Hainstock charged as adult

    Wisconsin teen charged in deadly school shooting:

    September 30, 2006 – A 15-year-old Wisconsin boy has been charged as an adult for murdering his principal. Police say Eric Hainstock went to his Cazenovia school armed with a pistol and a shotgun Friday morning where he shot the principal, John Klang, three times during a struggle. Klang later died at the hospital.

    Remember kids, no matter how big and bad you think you are because you have a gun, there is always going to be someone bigger and badder than you when you’re spending the rest of your life behind bars. It’s not worth it.

  • Every day, it’s something hits me all so cold

    Every day, it’s something hits me all so cold

    The troubled life of shooting suspect:

    You just had to know it was coming. The media are starting to roll out the excuse for why Eric Hainstock shot and killed Weston Schools principal John Klang. He was abused. He was bullied. He was a special ed student. And to all that, I have to ask the usual question of common sense. So what?

    While the father, Shawn Hainstock, sounds like a real son of a bitch…

    The elder Hainstock kicked the boy several times in the hip area because he was angry that the boy, who was identified in the records by his initials and date of birth, had not watered some pets, the records indicate.

    Shawn Hainstock also poured hot sauce and hot peppers in the boy’s mouth for lying and using foul language, and threatened the boy with juvenile court and foster care, according to court records.

    …it sounds like the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree…

    Whatever his reasons, Hainstock had been a disruptive student for several years at both the Weston School District and in Reedsburg, where he attended elementary school, said Roger Frommund, a family friend.

    “(The shooting) shocks me, and yet it don’t shock me,” said Frommund, who said he last saw Hainstock in June 2005.

    “In the past, he’s had his problems. Even as a little boy, he was kind of disruptive,” said Frommund, whose grandson attended school with Hainstock in Reedsburg.

    And this is supposed to make us feel sorry for him…

    Hainstock, who’s being held in the Sauk County Jail, told investigators that students at the school had been picking on him, calling him “fag” and “faggot,” and that staff members wouldn’t stop them.

    Welcome to life, kid. As usual, I have to reiterate that tons of kids throughout the history of schools in our world had bad home lives and were harassed in school. Except that the majority of them didn’t go on to kill anyone. And as far as the special ed argument goes…

    Harvey Schmuker, who lives on property adjoining the Hainstocks’, saw Eric Hainstock around 7 a.m. Friday morning carrying what looked like a car battery.

    “I always had an odd feeling” about Hainstock, Schmuker said, but added he was surprised by the shooting.

    Hainstock was a smart child, Schmuker said. “I’m sure he knew what he was doing. This (the shooting) must have been cooking for a little bit.”

    And the family is already making excuses…

    A man who identified himself only as a second cousin to Hainstock asked that the teen “be treated fairly” by the public.

    “I think people want to damn an individual for their actions and not take into consideration there are other circumstances that brought that on,” the man said. “What he did was a mistake. By our laws it’s inexcusable (but) I can sympathize with the fact that he was picked on quite extensively by his fellow classmates.”

    I bet John Klang’s family and friends wished that he was treated fairly instead of being shot in the head.

    There are never any excuses for a school shooting. But it seems that common-sense and personal responsibility have entered some kind of suicide pact in Wisconsin.

  • Wisconsin principal dies after shooting

    Wisconsin principal dies after shooting

    Student kills Wisconsin principal:

    CAZENOVIA, Wis. — A teenager brought two guns to his rural school and shot the principal to death Friday after struggling with him, authorities said.

    The 15-year-old was taken into custody and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, the district attorney said. No one else was hurt.

    The homecoming weekend shooting comes one day after Weston Schools Principal John Klang gave the student, Eric Hainstock, a disciplinary warning for having tobacco on school grounds, the criminal complaint said.

    Hainstock had told a friend the principal would not “make it through homecoming,” the complaint said.

    Hainstock said that a group of kids had teased him by calling him “fag” and “faggot” and by rubbing up against him, the complaint said, and the teen felt teachers and the principal wouldn’t do anything about it.

    So Hainstock decided to confront students, teachers and the principal with the guns to make them listen to him, according to the complaint.

    So Friday morning, he pried open his family’s gun cabinet, took out a shotgun and then took a handgun from his parent’s bedroom, the complaint said.

    The complaint said he shot the principal intentionally three times.

    A custodian and teacher saw Hainstock enter Weston Schools with a shotgun before classes began Friday morning, according to witnesses and investigators. Hainstock pointed the gun at a social studies teacher, but the custodian wrested the gun from the teen. When Hainstock reached for another gun, the custodian and teacher ran for cover.

    Then Klang went into the main hallway and confronted Hainstock. A teacher said after the shots were fired, Klang, already wounded, somehow wrestled Hainstock to the ground and swept the gun away, the complaint said.

    The 49-year-old principal died Friday afternoon at University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison after being shot in the back of the head, chest and leg, authorities said. An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday.

    No death penalty in Wisconsin, just for victims.

    And if you think being called a “fag” in high school is bad, just wait until you get to prison. You’ll wish you were back in high school.

  • A tout le monde

    A tout le monde

    Megadeth defends music Dawson College gunman loved:

    I am a huge Megadeth fan. I didn’t even know that Kimveer Gill had referenced one of my favorite Megadeth songs in his lunatic ravings. I was pissed when I found out. I can only imagine how pissed Dave Mustaine was…

    In his blog posted on vampirefreaks.com, Gill, who described himself as a huge Megadeth fan, had singled out the song À Tout le Monde, urging others to listen to it. He wrote in his blog that the song helped convince him to go on his shooting rampage that killed one and injured 19.

    Megadeth likes to perform the song À Tout le Monde in Montreal because the title and lyrics are in French, Mustaine said in an interview before the concert.

    The song’s chorus says: “A tout le monde/ A tous les amis/ Je vous aime/ Je dois partir,” which means: “To everyone/ To all my friends / I love you / I have to leave.”

    Mustaine was deeply offended when he found out Gill referred to the song in his online plans for Dawson.

    “I was so angry that this guy would use my song, and that he would try and turn that beautiful song into something ugly and nasty,” he said. The singer wrote the song about his mother, who died when Mustaine was young. “I had a dream that she came back to me, and said ‘I love you.’ That’s the whole song.”

    The song is in memory of the living, Mustaine explained. “It’s for those who lost their lives, and it’s a gift to those who are in the process of healing.”

    There was no question in Mustaine’s mind that Megadeth would perform the song in Montreal during their show Wednesday night. “[Gill] is not going to control us from the grave.”

    I don’t always agree with Dave Mustaine’s opinions, but I have more respect for him now than I ever did.

  • Catching up on Platte Canyon High

    Catching up on Platte Canyon High

    Just getting everyone up to date on the siege at Platte Canyon High School that left the gunman and one hostage dead…

    US school gunman ‘abused’ girls:

    “He did traumatise and assault our children – I’ll only say that it’s sexual in nature,” the sheriff said.

    So not only was he a coward, he was also a pervert.

    Update: Gunman at school identified:

    The gunman who held hostages and shot and killed Platte Canyon High School student Emily Keyes before killing himself Wednesday has been identified as a 53-year-old transient named Duane Morrison.

    The gunman shot Keyes once in the back of the head as she was fleeing from him after SWAT team members stormed the classroom where Morrison had barricaded himself, said Joe Morales, executive director for the Colorado Department of Public Safety. Then the gunman shot himself, he said.

    “We firmly believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that the suspect was responsible for the death of the child,” Morales said.

    Morales said the gunman had been living in his car and had a minor criminal record.

    ‘I love U guys,’ school victim messaged before slaying:

    BAILEY, Colo. – As the hours dragged by and the gunman inside Platte Canyon High School released four hostages one by one, standing among the desperate parents was John Keyes, wondering about the fate of his 16-year-old daughter, Emily.

    Louis Gonzalez, a spokesman for the family, said the father had just bought Emily and her twin brother cell phones for their 16th birthdays. As he stood near the school, he searched for a volunteer to send a text message to Emily.

    “How are U?” it asked.

    At 1:52 p.m., Emily messaged back: “I love U guys.”

    Less than two hours later, Emily was dying from a gunshot wound to the back of her head delivered by the suicidal gunman as authorities stormed into the classroom. He died at the school and she was declared dead at a Denver hospital.

    Colorado Gunman Sexually Assaulted Some Girls:

    (CBS News) BAILEY, Colo. The gunman who killed a student and committed suicide during a high school standoff methodically selected six girls as hostages — apparently favoring blondes — and sexually assaulted at least some of them, authorities and witnesses said Thursday.

    Sheriff Fred Wegener said the assaults went beyond touching or fondling.

    “It was pretty horrific,” Wegener said, without elaborating.

    Shooter was living out of Jeep:

    Guns and mountains.
    In the end, Duane Roger Morrison would combine both his passions – with horrific results.

    The 53-year-old gunman invaded Platte Canyon High School on Wednesday, taking six female students hostage and ultimately murdering 16-year-old Emily Keyes before turning one of two guns on himself as SWAT officers stormed a classroom he turned into his bunker.

    Morrison’s four hours of sudden and seemingly random violence ended his life, which had been devoid of a significant criminal history, although he was accused two years ago of threatening to settle a score with an assault rifle.

    “I was very shocked and surprised” to learn of Morrison’s rampage, former neighbor Keith Hoagland said Thursday.

    “He was kind of a quiet guy, and he pretty much kept to himself.”

    Park County sheriff’s investigators have concluded that for a period of time immediately leading up to Wednesday’s rampage, Morrison had been living out of his vehicle.

    On Nov. 22, 2004, Morrison allegedly called Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson in Littleton, according to court records, in an agitated state and complained about having received one of the business’s catalogs in the mail.

    In a message left on the firm’s voice mail, Morrison “threatened to come to the store with an assault rifle to see if that would fix the situation,” according to court records.

    Morrison reportedly had made earlier harassing calls, stemming from a complaint he had over service he’d received there.

    “We took it seriously enough that we called the Littleton police, and they took it seriously, too,” store general manager Jay Seibel said.

    Morrison was charged with harassment and subsequently was named in a fugitive warrant after failing to appear for a court date.

    This past summer, on July 11, he was arrested on that warrant by Lakewood police at the Stonewall Motel on West Colfax Avenue and charged with obstructing justice for his failure to show up in court to respond to the harassment charge.

    According to Littleton Municipal Court clerk Pat Spindler, Morrison pleaded guilty on Aug. 15, received a suspended nine-day jail term and was ordered not to return to Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson.

    Colo. school gunman wrote of suicide in letter:

    BAILEY, Colo. – The gunman who took six girls hostage in a high school classroom, killing one of them before taking his own life, sent his brother a long, rambling letter warning of his impending death, investigators said Friday.

    “This is not a suicide note or a diary,” Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said. “However, many times, the letter references suicide. This letter clearly acknowledges his pending death.

    “It also apologizes to his family for his actions that will occur.”

    The 14-page letter contains no reference to Platte Canyon High School or any school, nor is there a time reference, authorities said, leaving investigators without any known connection between Duane Morrison and this mountain town 35 miles southwest of Denver.

    Morrison molested all six girls and sexually assaulted at least two of them before SWAT teams stormed into the classroom. During a gun battle with police, Morrison shot a 16-year-old girl in the head and fired at authorities, then killed himself.

    Wegener earlier said that officials are checking a rumor that Morrison might have targeted his victims via the Web site myspace.com and looking at the pages for students at Platte Canyon High School.

    Wegener on Thursday said Morrison might have had a list of victims.

    “A male high school student was approached by a suspect (Wednesday) and asked about the identity of a list of female students,” Wegener said, later adding that he wasn’t sure if it was a written list or names rattled off by Morrison.

    It was not disclosed whether the list included 16-year-old Emily Keyes, whom Morrison shot in the head as a SWAT team broke through the classroom door in a rescue attempt.

    Thanks to Elessarion and Andrew for their help and tips.

  • Principal Shot in Wisc.

    Principal Shot in Wisc.

    Principal shot at Cazenovia school:

    This is all I can do right now. Feel free to post updates in the comments. If your link doesn’t show up, that means it’s been modded. Please be patient.

  • More from Platte Canyon

    More from Platte Canyon

    Gunman, hostage die:

    Some additional details have emerged about the siege at Platte Canyon High School in Colorado that left the gunman and a hostage dead…

    Authorities did not release the name of the victim, but friends of the family said she was 16-year-old Emily Keyes. Lynn Bigham, a friend of the victim’s, described Emily as “sweet and affectionate.”

    The man, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and carrying a backpack, entered the school at 11:40 a.m., apparently looking for someone specific, according to witnesses, although police would not confirm that.

    He entered Sandra Smith’s honors English class and fired a shot in the air, then told all the students to stand facing the chalkboard, said Tom Grigg, whose son, Cassidy, was in the classroom.

    Then, the gunman approached each boy in the class and told them to get out.

    “A guy came up and pointed a gun at (Cassidy) and told him to leave,” Grigg said. “He said, ‘No, I want to stay with the girls,’ and the guy put the gun in his face and said, ‘You. Out of here.”‘

    Police would not say whether the gunman sexually assaulted any of the girls. But Grigg said his son told him, “There were some really bad things that happened in that classroom.” He did not elaborate.

    The gunman had shielded himself with one of the two girls, the sheriff said. He declined to say whether deputies fired any shots in the classroom.

    As usual, the guy with the gun is a coward.

  • Hostage dies from injuries

    Hostage dies from injuries

    Gunman, hostage dead after high school siege:

    The female teenage hostage at the Platte Canyon High School siege has died from her injuries…

    A girl who was shot by the gunman died about 4:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. ET) at the hospital after a helicopter transported her there, said Bev Lilly, a spokeswoman for St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver.

    Police said earlier they believed the girl was 16. She was shot as police stormed the room where the gunman was holding hostages, police said. The gunman then shot himself.

    My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of the victim.

  • Hostage crisis over

    Hostage crisis over

    Hostage situation over:

    The hostage situation at Platte Canyon High School in Colorado has ended. One student was critically injured, and the adult gunman took his own life…

    The gunman was cornered with the girls in a second-floor classroom and he released four of them, one by one. Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said authorities decided to enter the school after the man cut off negotiations and set a 4 p.m. deadline. At the time, he was still holed up with two girls.

    “It was then decided that a tactical solution needed to be done in an effort to save the two hostages,” the sheriff said, his voice breaking. “Entry was made. The suspect shot one of the hostages, then shot himself.”

    The remaining hostage was unharmed and talking with authorities. The sheriff said the gunman threatened the girls virtually throughout the four-hour ordeal, at one point fired a shot within the classroom and shielded himself with his hostages.

    The suspect was not identified and the sheriff was at a loss to explain a motive.

    “I don’t know why he wanted to do this,” Wegener said.

    Students described the suspect as a bearded man toting a camouflage backpack and the sheriff confirmed that: “He did have a backpack and said he would set it off.” The man was also toting a handgun.