2006 Weston High School shooting: Difference between revisions

2006 Weston High School shooting
2006 Weston High School shooting
Location	Cazenovia, Wisconsin, U.S.
Date	September 29, 2006 ; 8:00 a.m.
Target	Staff at Weston High School
Attack type	School shooting
Weapons	.22 caliber revolver; 20-gauge shotgun;
Victim	John Klang (killed)
Perpetrator	Eric Hainstock
Motive	School bullying

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The Weston school shooting was a school shooting that occurred on September 29, 2006, in Weston High School in Cazenovia, Wisconsin, United States. The perpetrator, student Eric Hainstock, entered the school's main hallway with a revolver and fatally shot principal John Klang. He is serving a life sentence and will be eligible for parole in 2037.

Details

On 29 September 2006, Eric Hainstock, a 15-year-old freshman at Weston High School, entered the main hallway of the school with a .22 caliber revolver and a 20-gauge shotgun taken from his father's locked gun cabinet.^[1] Arriving at school around 8:00 a.m., he aimed the shotgun at a social studies teacher. The school custodian, Dave Thompson, wrestled the shotgun away from Hainstock. Principal John Alfred Klang then entered the hallway and confronted Hainstock, who was still armed with the handgun. Hainstock grabbed the revolver from inside his jacket and fired several shots. Klang then grabbed Hainstock, wrestled him to the ground and swept away the gun. Klang was on top of Hainstock, a pool of blood by Klang's leg. Staff and students apprehended Hainstock, holding him until the police arrived.^[2]

Klang was treated at Reedsburg Area Medical Center where he underwent surgery, and was then flown to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, where he died shortly after 3 p.m. Klang was the only one shot in the shooting. For his actions in wrestling away the gun and subduing Hainstock, Klang was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal by the Carnegie Hero Fund.^[3]^[4]

The high school students were initially taken to the elementary school gym, where they had the option to talk to a crisis counselor or go home. The elementary students were taken home by bus or by their parents. The homecoming events were canceled.^[5]

Perpetrator

Hainstock lived with his father and stepmother in a two-story A-frame farm house about four miles northwest of Cazenovia in La Valle located on a hill surrounded by farm land. Eric Hainstock was born on April 4, 1991, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Shawn Hainstock and Lisa Marie Buttke.^[6] His parents divorced when he was two years old, and in December 1995 went to court to seek custody of Eric. When Hainstock was nine, his mother's parental rights were terminated by court order after she failed to pay child support.^[6]

His father remarried, and Eric was adopted by his stepmother. Hainstock's father was unemployed and received disability pensions. In September 2001, the Sauk County Department of Children and Families were called to the residence after he had allegedly kicked his son.^[6] By court-order, Eric was forced to live with his paternal grandmother, before he returned to his father's care in April 2002. In a letter he submitted to Madison newspaper Isthmus, Eric claimed he was treated like a slave by his father, having to do all of the cleaning, even having to clean past midnight. He claimed to have been severely disciplined by his father. He claimed that his father would make him stand in his bedroom corner with his nose touching a wall and holding one of his legs in the air for long periods.

At Weston High School, Eric claimed that about 25 to 30 students bullied him. When he complained to the faculty, Eric claims that nothing was done to prevent the bullying. In early 2006, Hainstock had started his fifth year at Weston High School, where he had transferred in 6th grade, after having behavior problems and relatively poor test scores at his previous school. On one occasion shortly before the shooting, Eric and his stepmother were involved in a physical confrontation, and Eric was left with human bite marks on him. After Eric shot John Klang, he told police that he had not meant to hurt him; his goal was to confront him and "make him listen" about the bullying. He reported that he was only allowed to shower once a week, which left him with poor hygiene. The clothes and shoes that his father bought for him were in poor condition and were not the right size.^[6]

It later transpired that as a student, Eric had been under medication and using prescription drugs in a bid to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Dr. Peter Breggin, a doctor and an expert on the US drug industry, has theorized that there is a possibility that these prescription drugs could have caused imbalances in Eric, leading to him carrying out the shooting.^[7]

In prison, Michael Caldwell, a Middleton psychologist hired by Hainstock's public defenders, diagnosed Eric with ADHD, depression, and features of borderline personality disorder after having spent seven hours with Hainstock on three occasions and reviewing records of Hainstock's past. Hainstock had engaged in self-harm as a result of his negative self-image.^[6]

Imprisonment

Hainstock was charged with first-degree murder by the Sauk County District Attorney's office. He was found guilty on August 2, 2007, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole in 2037 when he is 46 years old.^[6]

Hainstock is currently serving his sentence at Oshkosh Correctional Institution after previously being incarcerated at the Green Bay Correctional Institution in Green Bay, Wisconsin. While in prison, he has allowed Isthmus to share his story. He has written a ten-page letter with the help of his cellmate. According to Hainstock, he has gained 50 pounds, his reading went from a fourth-grade level to a tenth-grade level, and he is working on his GED. Hainstock's father and stepmother Priscilla visit him about every month. In his letter, Hainstock takes responsibility for what he did, but he believes that he is not to blame for everything.^[6] In October 2008, Hainstock's supportive cellmate at Green Bay was reassigned without any official explanation.^[8]

While imprisoned, Hainstock wrote his own cookbook, "The Wisconsin Prison Cookbook: 33 Step-by-Step Recipes to Free Your Taste Buds", which was published on November 11, 2019 by Winding Hall Publishers.^[9]

Eric's father, Shawn, passed away March 1st, 2023 in Lavalle, Wisconsin.^[10]

References

^ Principal Dies In School Shooting – News Story – WISC Madison
^ "Boy, 15, guns down Weston High School principal." La Crosse Tribune. September 20, 2006; November 10, 2008.
^ "John A. Klang Press Release". Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
^ "Latest Carnegie Medal Awardees". Carnegie Hero Fund Awardees. Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. April 10, 2008. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
^ "Details emerge about teen held in Wis. shooting". NBC News. September 29, 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Eric Hainstock: Free at last". July 31, 2008.
^ Sasha Knezev (director and writer); M.D.Smith (writer) (2016). The Big Lie: American Addict 2 (Interview with Dr. Breggin) (documentary). Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Jonathan Davis and Matthew Perry. Pain MD Productions; 888 Films. Event occurs at ^{[time needed]} – via YouTube Movies & TV.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Crime and Punishment: Part 2: A rebirth behind bars". June 11, 2009.
^ "Our Authors". Winding Hall Publishers. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
^ "Shawn Hainstock Obituary". Farber Funeral Home. Retrieved August 31, 2024.

External links

43°28′48″N 90°11′27″W / 43.48000°N 90.19083°W / 43.48000; -90.19083

[1] Principal Dies In School Shooting – News Story – WISC Madison

[2] "Boy, 15, guns down Weston High School principal." La Crosse Tribune. September 20, 2006; November 10, 2008.

[3] "John A. Klang Press Release". Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2008.

[4] "Latest Carnegie Medal Awardees". Carnegie Hero Fund Awardees. Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. April 10, 2008. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved June 7, 2008.

[5] "Details emerge about teen held in Wis. shooting". NBC News. September 29, 2006.

[free-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Eric Hainstock: Free at last". July 31, 2008.

[7] Sasha Knezev (director and writer); M.D.Smith (writer) (2016). The Big Lie: American Addict 2 (Interview with Dr. Breggin) (documentary). Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Jonathan Davis and Matthew Perry. Pain MD Productions; 888 Films. Event occurs at ^{[time needed]} – via YouTube Movies & TV.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[8] "Crime and Punishment: Part 2: A rebirth behind bars". June 11, 2009.

[9] "Our Authors". Winding Hall Publishers. Retrieved March 7, 2024.

[10] "Shawn Hainstock Obituary". Farber Funeral Home. Retrieved August 31, 2024.

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+{{short description|School shooting in Cazenovia, Wisconsin}}
-[[Image:JAKlang.jpg|thumb|right|250px|John Alfred Klang, principal of [[Weston High School (Cazenovia, Wisconsin)|Weston High School]] in [[Cazenovia, Wisconsin]], killed by fifteen-year-old freshman Eric Hainstock.]]
+{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2012}}
+{{Infobox civilian attack
+| title = 2006 Weston High School shooting
+| location = [[Cazenovia, Wisconsin]], U.S.
+| target = Staff at Weston High School
+| coordinates =
+| date = {{Start date|2006|09|29}}
+| time = 8:00 a.m.
+| type = [[School shooting]]
+| victim = John Klang (killed)
+| perp = Eric Hainstock
+| weapons = * [[.22 LR|.22 caliber]] [[revolver]]
+* [[Gauge (bore diameter)|20-gauge]] [[shotgun]]
+| motive = [[School bullying]]
+}}
+The '''Weston school shooting''' was a [[school shooting]] that occurred on September 29, 2006, in [[Weston High School (Wisconsin)|Weston High School]] in [[Cazenovia, Wisconsin]], United States. The perpetrator, student Eric Hainstock, entered the school's main hallway with a [[revolver]] and fatally shot principal John Klang. He is serving a life sentence and will be eligible for parole in 2037.
+==Details==
-The '''Weston High School shooting''' was a [[school shooting]] that occurred on [[September 29]], [[2006]] in [[Weston High School (Wisconsin)|Weston High School]] in [[Cazenovia, Wisconsin|Cazenovia]], [[Wisconsin]]. It occurred only two days after the [[Platte Canyon High School shooting]] in [[Colorado]].
+On 29 September 2006, Eric Hainstock, a 15-year-old [[freshman]] at Weston High School, entered the main hallway of the school with a [[.22 LR|.22 caliber]] [[revolver]] and a [[Gauge (bore diameter)|20-gauge]] [[shotgun]] taken from his father's locked gun cabinet.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061021115232/http://www.channel3000.com/news/9965185/detail.html Principal Dies In School Shooting – News Story – WISC Madison]</ref> Arriving at school around 8:00&nbsp;a.m., he aimed the shotgun at a social studies teacher. The school custodian, Dave Thompson, wrestled the shotgun away from Hainstock. Principal John Alfred Klang then entered the hallway and confronted Hainstock, who was still armed with the handgun. Hainstock grabbed the revolver from inside his jacket and fired several shots. Klang then grabbed Hainstock, wrestled him to the ground and swept away the gun. Klang was on top of Hainstock, a pool of blood by Klang's leg. Staff and students apprehended Hainstock, holding him until the police arrived.<ref>"Boy, 15, guns down Weston High School principal." ''La Crosse Tribune''. September 20, 2006; November 10, 2008.</ref>
+Klang was treated at Reedsburg Area Medical Center where he underwent surgery, and was then flown to the [[University of Wisconsin Hospital]] in [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], where he died shortly after 3&nbsp;p.m. Klang was the only one shot in the shooting. For his actions in wrestling away the gun and subduing Hainstock, Klang was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal by the [[Carnegie Hero Fund]].<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=John A. Klang Press Release|url=http://www.plumsystems.com/db/chf/plum_press2.asp?id=79725|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715093751/http://www.plumsystems.com/db/chf/plum_press2.asp?id=79725|archive-date=July 15, 2011|accessdate=June 7, 2008|website=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=April 10, 2008|title=Latest Carnegie Medal Awardees|url=http://www.carnegiehero.org/awardees_recent.php#1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040812150530/http://www.carnegiehero.org/awardees_recent.php|archive-date=August 12, 2004|accessdate=June 7, 2008|work=Carnegie Hero Fund Awardees|publisher=Carnegie Hero Fund Commission}}</ref>
+The high school students were initially taken to the elementary school gym, where they had the option to talk to a crisis counselor or go home. The elementary students were taken home by bus or by their parents. The homecoming events were canceled.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15060698|title=Details emerge about teen held in Wis. shooting|website=[[NBC News]] |date=September 29, 2006 }}</ref>
-==Overview of event==
-* '''Eric Hainstock''', a freshman, entered the school with a handgun and a shotgun, both owned by his parents.<ref>http://www.channel3000.com/news/9965185/detail.html</ref> After arriving at school at approximately 8:00 a.m., he aimed the shotgun at a teacher, but it was wrestled from him by the [[custodian]]. A struggle ensued, and the shotgun was taken away.
-* Still armed with the handgun, Hainstock sought out and confronted the school's principal, '''John Alfred Klang'''. Klang attempted to subdue Hainstock; in response, Hainstock shot Klang several times. Klang then managed to sweep away the gun and wrestle Hainstock to the ground, where others helped to hold him down.
-* Klang was treated at Reedsburg Area Medical Center and then flown to the [[University of Wisconsin Hospital]] in [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], where he later died as a result of the wounds he received.
-* Hainstock was arrested and charged with first degree intentional homicide by the Sauk County District Attorney's office.
-* Hainstock was found guilty of first degree intentional homicide on August 2, 2007. He was sentenced at 10 a.m. on August 3, 2007<ref>http://www.channel3000.com/news/13814448/detail.html</ref> to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years.
+==Perpetrator==
-==Motive of shooter==
+Hainstock lived with his father and stepmother in a two-story A-frame farm house about four miles northwest of [[Cazenovia, Wisconsin|Cazenovia]] in [[La Valle, Wisconsin|La Valle]] located on a hill surrounded by farm land. Eric Hainstock was born on April 4, 1991, in [[La Crosse, Wisconsin]], to Shawn Hainstock and Lisa Marie Buttke.<ref name=free>{{cite web|title=Eric Hainstock: Free at last| date=July 31, 2008 |url=http://www.isthmus.com/isthmus/article.php?article=23349}}</ref> His parents divorced when he was two years old, and in December 1995 went to court to seek custody of Eric. When Hainstock was nine, his mother's parental rights were terminated by court order after she failed to pay child support.<ref name=free/>
-Reports indicate Hainstock was repeatedly attacked and bullied by homophobic remarks.<ref>{{cite news
-  | title = Gay Advocates Say Bullying Contributed to Rash of School Violence
-  | work = [[GayWired.com]]
-  | date = 2006-10-06
-  | url = http://www.gaywired.com/article.cfm?section=9&id=10929
-  | accessdate = 2006-10-06 }}</ref> He perceived that teachers and the principal did nothing to help the matter. However, other students and acquaintances of Hainstock's family had described him as a troubled child. Furthermore, on the day prior to the shooting, the school principal John Klang gave Hainstock a disciplinary warning for having [[tobacco]] on school grounds.
+His father remarried, and Eric was adopted by his stepmother. Hainstock's father was unemployed and received disability pensions. In September 2001, the Sauk County Department of Children and Families were called to the residence after he had allegedly kicked his son.<ref name=free/> By court-order, Eric was forced to live with his paternal grandmother, before he returned to his father's care in April 2002. In a letter he submitted to [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]] newspaper ''[[Isthmus (newspaper)|Isthmus]]'', Eric claimed he was treated like a slave by his father, having to do all of the cleaning, even having to clean past midnight. He claimed to have been severely disciplined by his father. He claimed that his father would make him stand in his bedroom corner with his nose touching a wall and holding one of his legs in the air for long periods.
-==Timing of events==
-The shooting occurred only two days after the [[Platte Canyon High School shooting]] and was the third school shooting in the United States and Canada in two weeks, the first two being the [[Dawson College shooting]] and the aforementioned Platte Canyon High School shooting. A fourth shooting, the [[Amish school shooting]], transpired a few days after the Weston incident.
+At Weston High School, Eric claimed that about 25 to 30 students bullied him. When he complained to the faculty, Eric claims that nothing was done to prevent the bullying. In early 2006, Hainstock had started his fifth year at Weston High School, where he had transferred in 6th grade, after having behavior problems and relatively poor test scores at his previous school. On one occasion shortly before the shooting, Eric and his stepmother were involved in a physical confrontation, and Eric was left with human bite marks on him. After Eric shot John Klang, he told police that he had not meant to hurt him; his goal was to confront him and "make him listen" about the bullying. He reported that he was only allowed to shower once a week, which left him with poor hygiene. The clothes and shoes that his father bought for him were in poor condition and were not the right size.<ref name=free/>
+It later transpired that as a student, Eric had been under medication and using [[prescription drugs]] in a bid to treat [[attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]] (ADHD). Dr. Peter Breggin, a doctor and an expert on the US drug industry, has theorized that there is a possibility that these prescription drugs could have caused imbalances in Eric, leading to him carrying out the shooting.<ref>{{cite AV media|date=2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgt1qKVTfdo |people=Sasha Knezev (director and writer); M.D.Smith (writer)|title=The Big Lie: American Addict 2 (Interview with Dr. Breggin)|type=documentary|others=[[Ron Paul]], [[Dennis Kucinich]], [[Jonathan Davis]] and [[Matthew Perry]]|time={{time needed|date=November 2023}} |publisher=Pain MD Productions; 888 Films|via=[[YouTube TV|YouTube Movies & TV]]}} {{free access}}</ref>
+In prison, Michael Caldwell, a Middleton psychologist hired by Hainstock's public defenders, diagnosed Eric with ADHD, depression, and features of borderline personality disorder after having spent seven hours with Hainstock on three occasions and reviewing records of Hainstock's past. Hainstock had engaged in self-harm as a result of his negative self-image.<ref name=free/>
+== Imprisonment ==
+Hainstock was charged with [[first-degree murder]] by the [[Sauk County]] District Attorney's office. He was found guilty on August 2, 2007, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole in 2037 when he is 46 years old.<ref name=free/>
+Hainstock is currently serving his sentence at [[Oshkosh Correctional Institution]] after previously being incarcerated at the [[Green Bay Correctional Institution]] in [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]]. While in prison, he has allowed ''Isthmus'' to share his story. He has written a ten-page letter with the help of his cellmate. According to Hainstock, he has gained 50 pounds, his reading went from a fourth-grade level to a tenth-grade level, and he is working on his [[General Educational Development|GED]]. Hainstock's father and stepmother Priscilla visit him about every month. In his letter, Hainstock takes responsibility for what he did, but he believes that he is not to blame for everything.<ref name=free/> In October 2008, Hainstock's supportive cellmate at Green Bay was reassigned without any official explanation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.isthmus.com/isthmus/article.php?article=26112|title=Crime and Punishment: Part 2: A rebirth behind bars|date=June 11, 2009 }}</ref>
+While imprisoned, Hainstock wrote his own cookbook, "The Wisconsin Prison Cookbook: 33 Step-by-Step Recipes to Free Your Taste Buds", which was published on November 11, 2019 by Winding Hall Publishers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Authors |url=https://www.windinghall.com/our-authors |publisher=Winding Hall Publishers |access-date=7 March 2024}}</ref>
+Eric's father, Shawn, passed away March 1st, 2023 in Lavalle, Wisconsin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shawn Hainstock Obituary |url=https://www.farberfuneralhome.com/obituary/Shawn-Hainstock |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Farber Funeral Home}}</ref>
+==See also==
+* [[List of homicides in Wisconsin]]
+*[[List of school shootings in the United States (2000–present)|List of school shootings in the United States]]
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
 ==External links==
 * [http://www.weston.k12.wi.us/ Official website of Weston High School]
-* [http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2006/10/01/0609300607.php Wisconsin State Journal eyewitness account]
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071114200819/http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2006/10/01/0609300607.php Wisconsin State Journal eyewitness account]
-* [http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2006/10/03/0610030292.php Wisconsin State Journal article on aftermath and legal repercussions]
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071114200814/http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2006/10/03/0610030292.php Wisconsin State Journal article on aftermath and legal repercussions]
-* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15937552 John A. Klang] at [[Find A Grave]]
+* [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15060698 MSNBC Report on the event]
+{{School shootings in the United States}}
-==References==
-<references/>
+{{coord|43|28|48|N|90|11|27|W|scale:5000|display=title}}
-[[Category:School killings in the United States]]
-[[Category:History of Wisconsin]]
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Weston High School shooting, 2006}}
-[[Category:2006 crimes]]
-[[Category:2006 in the United States]]
+[[Category:2006 in Wisconsin]]
-[[Category:Richland County, Wisconsin]]
+[[Category:2006 murders in the United States]]
+[[Category:School shootings in Wisconsin]]
+[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Wisconsin]]
+[[Category:School shootings committed by pupils]]
+[[Category:Murder in Wisconsin]]
 [[Category:Sauk County, Wisconsin]]
+[[Category:High school killings in the United States]]
+[[Category:September 2006 crimes in the United States]]
+[[Category:High school shootings in the United States]]
+[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2006]]
+[[Category:Mass shootings involving shotguns]]
+[[Category:Bullying in the United States]]