Heath High School shooting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Heath High School shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Paducah, Kentucky, USA |
| Date | December 1, 1997 |
| Attack type | School shooting, massacre |
| Weapon(s) | .22 rifle, shotgun, .22-caliber handgun |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 5 |
| Perpetrator(s) | Michael Carneal |
The Heath High School shooting occurred at Heath High School, in West Paducah, Kentucky, United States, on Monday, December 1, 1997. The gunman, 14-year old Michael Carneal, opened fire on a group of praying students, killing three and injuring five others.
Contents |
[edit] The shooting
On December 1, 1997, Michael Carneal wrapped two shotguns, two rifles and one .22 pistol in a blanket and took them to Heath High School. Carneal had stolen the two shotguns from his father's closet and the two rifles from a friend's home on Thanksgiving Day.
When he arrived he inserted earplugs and pulled the pistol out of his bag. He fired 8 rounds in quick succession at a youth prayer group. Five people were hit in their heads and another three were hit in their torsos. Three seriously injured girls died while hospitalized; five others were wounded, two critically.
Carneal was said to have dropped the gun after being confronted by a member of the prayer group, Benjamin Strong, but Strong eventually testified that Carneal simply dropped the gun of his own accord when he was finished[1]. Carneal placed his pistol on the ground and surrendered to the school principal, Bill Bond.
[edit] Deceased
- Nicole Hadley, 14
- Jessica James, 17
- Kayce Steger, 15
[edit] Wounded
- Shelley Schaberg, 17
- Melissa “Missy” Jenkins, 15
- Kelly Hard, 16
- Hollan Holm, 14
- Craig Keene, 15
[edit] Prosecution
| Michael Carneal | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 West Paducah, Kentucky, United States |
| Penalty | Life in jail without the possibility of parole for 25 years |
In October 1998, Judge Jeff Hines accepted Carneal's plea of guilty but mentally ill from Michael Carneal. Under a plea arrangement, the judge agreed to accept the pleas on condition that the maximum penalty -- life in prison without possibility of parole for 25 years -- would be imposed. The plea allows Carneal to receive mental health treatment within the prison system as long as he needs it or until his sentence has been completed, according to prosecutor Tim Kaltenbach. Carneal was transported to Northern Kentucky Treatment Center, a maximum security facility for serious offenders where fellow inmate George Mullins assaulted Carneal in 2004, inflicting a major skull fracture and concussion. After the incident Carneal was transported to the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville where he remains. [2]
[edit] Lawsuit
In early 1999, the parents of three victims represented by Jack Thompson filed a $33 million lawsuit against two Internet pornography sites, several computer game companies and makers and distributors of the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries. They claimed that media violence inspired Carneal and therefore should be held responsible. [3]
The case was dismissed in 2001. 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."[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ ..."When Grief Wanted a Hero, Truth Didn't Get in the Way", New York Times, 25 July 2000...
- ^ Kentucky school shooter - guilty but mentally ill. CNN (1998-10-05). Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ AP, Media Companies Are Sued in Kentucky Shooting, The New York Times, April 13, 1999.
- ^ James v. Meow Media, Inc. 300 F.3d 683, 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2002.
