1997 Heath High School shooting
The Heath High School shooting occurred at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, United States, on Monday December 1, 1997. Fourteen-year-old Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of praying students killing 3 girls and wounding 5 others.
Victims
Deceased
- Nicole Hadley was a fourteen-year-old freshman. Nicole was kept alive until 10:00pm the evening of the shooting. Nicole played in the school band and on the freshman basketball team. She was a member of the Heartland Baptist Worship Center and the Heartland Baptist Youth Group. Her family had moved to Paducah from Nebraska the year before the shooting. Her parents received praise for their decision to donate Nicole's organs, a decision they said their daughter supported. President Clinton cited the family's "courageous decision" in his Proclamation 7083 on National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week in 1998.[1]
- Jessica James was a seventeen-year-old senior. Jessica died in surgery at Western Baptist Hospital Monday afternoon.
- Kayce Steger was a fifteen-year-old sophomore. Kayce died at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah about 45 minutes after the shooting. Kayce played clarinet in the school band, played on the softball team, and was a member of the Agape Club. She was an honor student, worked at Subway, and attended 12th Street Baptist Church. She was a member of Law Enforcement Explorers Post 111 and hoped to be a police officer. Her parents reported that Michael Carneal had asked her out on a date a little over a month before the shooting.[2]
Wounded
- Shelley Schaberg, 17 at the time, was described by the principal as the school’s best female athlete. Voted Miss Heath High School by the senior class, Shelley was homecoming queen. Though her injuries from the shooting prevented her from playing basketball, her college honored her basketball scholarship and she went on to play college soccer.[3]
- Melissa “Missy” Jenkins, age 15 at the time, was president of the Future Homemakers of America. She was paralyzed from the waist down in the shooting. Missy has appeared on numerous national and local television shows, talked to newspaper reporters and is appearing in two TV commercials for Channel One, an educational channel that reaches schools throughout the country. [4]
- Kelly Hard, 16 at the time, was a member of the softball team and the Future Homemakers of America. She transferred to the local Catholic school the year after the shooting.[5]
- Hollan Holm, age 14 at the time, was a member of the Academic Team, the Spanish Club, and the Science Olympiad. In his valedictory speech at the class of 2001 graduation, he reminded his class that they had lost not one but two members on December 1, 1997,: Nicole Hadley and Michael Carneal. [6]Holm has been involved with an organization that urges students to speak up if they know of threats against schools or students. [7]
- Craig Keene, age 15 at the time, was a member of the Agape Club, the band, and the basketball team.[8]
Perpetrator
Possible Motives
Because of his small frame and physical weakness, Carneal was frequently bullied. He would bring items to schools and sell them in an attempt to make friends. People who knew Michael Carneal described him as physically weak and emotionally immature.
Carneal's name was published in a middle school paper claiming that he had feelings for another male student. This led to more name-calling, with students now calling names such as "homo" and "faggot" among others.
(Citation needed in all these facts)
School Performance
Carneal was a B-student at Heath High School. He was also said to be a good student with no discipline problems.
Warning Signs
Weeks before the incident, Carneal stole a .38 handgun from his parents' room and attempted to sell it. A student took the gun, threatening to tell police if Carnael didn't give it to him. The student promised to pay Carnael later, but never did.
Additionally, Carneal had told students that "something big is going to happen on Friday" but no-one took him seriously. In fact, the shooting took place on a Monday, not a Friday.
Firearms
In the weeks before the shooting, Carneal stole several firearms from both his own home and a friend's home.
Friend's home
On the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day Carneal went to a friend's home and broke into their garage, taking:
Later, he also stole:
- A Ruger .22 pistol
- Several .22 magazines
Own Home
Presumably sometime after Thanksgiving Day, Carneal stole two shotguns from his father's closet and hid them under his bed.
December 1st, 1997: Shooting at Heath High School
On the 1st of December Carneal wrapped two shotguns and two rifles in a blanket and took them to school, passing them off as props for a school play. He also carried the loaded .22 pistol in his backpack. Carneal rode to school with his sister and arrived at approximately 7:45AM. When he arrived he inserted ear plugs and pulled the pistol out of his bag. He fired 8 rounds in quick succession at a youth prayer group. After seeing that he had killed a friend of his (Nicole Hadley), he placed his pistol on the ground and surrendered to the school principal Bill Bond.
Sentencing
Carneal was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences for 3 counts of murder and an additional 120 years for 5 counts of attempted murder and burglary.
Lawsuit
In early 1999, the parents of three victims filed a $130 million lawsuit against two Internet pornography sites, several computer game companies and makers and distributors of 1995 film The Basketball Diaries. They claimed that media violence inspired Carneal and therefore should be held responsible. [9]
The case was dismissed in 2002. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was "simply too far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."[10]
See also
External links
Notes and references
- ^ "Proclamation 7083 on National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week". Retrieved 1998].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ National Research Council. "Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence". Retrieved 2002].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ National Research Council. "Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence". Retrieved 2002].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ Joseph Gerth. "Victims of the attack find different ways to move on with lives". Retrieved 2001].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ National Research Council. "Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence". Retrieved 2002].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ National Research Council. "Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence". Retrieved 2002].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ Joseph Gerth. "Victims of the attack find different ways to move on with lives". Retrieved 2001].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ National Research Council. "Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence". Retrieved 2002].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ AP, The New York Times, Media Companies Are Sued in Kentucky Shooting
{{citation}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|accessdate=(help). - ^ James v. Meow Media, Inc., 300 F.3d 683 (6th Cir. 2002) ].