Lawrence "Larry" King News Articles
Archives
February 2008
Los Angeles
Times
Los Angeles Times
Boy Killed at Oxnard School
Remembered
Lawrence 'Larry' King is memorialized as a
sensitive child who liked to draw, paint and crochet. A classmate is charged in
his death.
By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times Staff
Writer
February 23, 2008
At a memorial attended by more than 500 people in
Port Hueneme, Lawrence "Larry" King was remembered Friday as a sensitive child
who liked to draw, paint and crochet.
One Christmas, he helped his mother
crochet hundreds of scarves so that U.S. troops in Afghanistan wouldn't be
without a holiday gift, said the Rev. Dan Birchfield.
King also liked hunting down crayfish and had
such a beautiful singing voice that he had been tapped to open his younger
brother's Little League season with his rendition of the "Star Spangled
Banner."
But most of all, he loved insects, Birchfield told those who
came to pay tribute to King, 15, who was shot to death, allegedly by a
classmate, Feb. 12 at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard. He wanted to become an
entomologist and was learning the scientific names of the bugs he carefully
carried out of the family home, Birchfield said.
One day, his mother
found a big, ugly potato bug and asked King to remove it. He did so
enthusiastically, adding a gentle reminder on the correct name of the insect,
Birchfield told the packed sanctuary.
"He'd say: 'It's a Jerusalem
cricket,' " Birchfield said.
It was a light moment in an otherwise somber
hourlong reflection on King's life as a boy growing up in and around Oxnard. It
was also a chance for his family, seated in a front row of Westminster
Presbyterian Church, to offer a fuller portrait of the boy.
King came to
the public's attention in the days after the classroom killing when it was
revealed that suspect Brandon McInerney, 14, allegedly had targeted him after a
falling out between the two about King's sexual orientation.
Officials
have not yet revealed a motive in the shooting. But prosecutors have filed a
murder charge against McInerney with the added allegation of a hate
crime.
Students at E.O. Green said the two had been feuding in the days
before the killing, reportedly because King revealed that he had a crush on
McInerney.
King had been the subject of taunting at the school after he
told friends that he was gay and began wearing feminine accessories with his
school uniform, student witnesses said.
McInerney is being held in
Juvenile Hall on $770,000 bail but will be tried as an adult, prosecutors said.
He has not entered a plea.
At Friday's memorial, Birchfield made no
reference to the events leading to King's killing, other than asking the crowd
to pray for a world where there is no "verbal discrimination of any
kind."
The victim's parents, Greg and Dawn King, didn't speak at the
memorial and have declined to discuss their son's life in any detail. King in
recent months had been in foster care at Casa Pacifica, a children's shelter in
Camarillo. The family declined to comment on what led to his placement in the
county's dependency court system.
The only other speaker besides
Birchfield was Oxnard Mayor Tom Holden, who urged the Oxnard community to see
King's death as an opportunity for change.
"Next time you see someone on
campus or on the street who needs help, it can be you to step up," Holden said.
"Be a friend."
King's parents told Birchfield that they wanted the
memorial at his church because their son loved the way the stained-glass windows
in the sanctuary looked illuminated at night. The family did not belong to the
church.
King was also a gardener and planted a passion fruit vine in the
family's backyard so that it would attract butterflies, Birchfield said.
Butterflies were his favorite insect, he said.
On Feb. 13, the day King
was removed from a ventilator, his mother said goodbye to him for the last time
and walked out of St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, Birchfield
recounted.
"She was greeted by a beautiful butterfly," he
said.
The memorial service drew a diverse group of mourners who said the
killing had touched them deeply. Several students wore buttons bearing his
picture.
Michael Herrera, who runs a mentoring program for lesbian, gay
and transgender youths in Los Angeles, said he came to represent the adolescents
with whom he works.
His organization, called Lifeworks, held a
candlelight vigil in honor of King on Wednesday, he said.
"He expressed
himself in a way that is not the norm," Herrera said. "And he paid for
it."
Paul Dalton, 12, is a student at King's school. He attended the
memorial with two buddies, brothers Parkher, 14, and Ben Murphy, 12. "We wanted
to show the family that we care," Dalton said.
catherine.saillant@latimes.com
Depending on Pop-Up
Blocker: Use Browser Back Button or Close Window to Return to GLEE,
I-Peace,
PTB's My Space, Plaxo, Twitter or Pride Tampa Bay's
Website
Los Angeles Times
Teaching Tolerance Without A
Class
Creating a culture of consideration for
others is the best way to keep our kids safe in school.
February 22, 2008
The fatal shooting of an Oxnard middle-school
student who told classmates he was gay serves as a sorrowing andurgent reminder
that all kids need a safe school environment, free of threat or harassment.
That's best taught to children through everyday interactions in the classroom
and on the playground, by observant teachers, stern principals and strong school
leaders. Both a proposed California curriculum on diversity education and a
ludicrous decision in Virginia to pull a children's book depicting two male
penguins raising a chick send the schools in the wrong direction.
When a
14-year-old is charged with murdering a classmate, it's certainly tempting to
respond with official action that we'd like to think would prevent such horrors.
We applaud Assemblyman Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park) for his good intentions,
inspired by the death of Lawrence King. But just as school D.A.R.E. programs
have been ineffective at preventing drug abuse, Eng's proposal for a pilot
curriculum on tolerance strikes us as one of those ideas that sound better to
adults than to kids. It also lays another Sacramento mandate on teachers who can
barely squeeze required history lessons into the school day.
The state
already has mandates against harassment of gay students; many schools have
anti-bullying programs in place. The most effective practices create a school
culture around consideration for others. Teachers notice and reward kind
behavior and punish bullying. Student counselors volunteer to mediate.
Principals back their teachers by swiftly intervening in disputes and by
imposing discipline that opens the eyes of both students and
parents.
Standing up for tolerance even when parents are hostile isn't
one of the easier tasks school administrators face. And it's where a
superintendent in Virginia failed miserably.
A parent complained that a
book in the elementary schools promoted gay lifestyles. "And Tango Makes Three"
is based on the true story of two male penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo
that tried to hatch a rock. A zookeeper gave them a fertilized egg, which they
did hatch, raising the chick. The book certainly sends a message that two-father
families exist, and quite happily. That's simply the truth, whether or not some
people would like to ban gay ornithological unions. Too bad that, even though
two committees favored keeping the book, the superintendent pulled it from all
elementary shelves in the school district.
It takes common sense and
sometimes bravery to nurture tolerance at school. There are teachers, school
counselors and even students doing this every day. Leaders would be better off
supporting their efforts than putting more requirements on their shoulders or
forbidding true stories of acceptance.
Depending on Pop-Up
Blocker: Use Browser Back Button or Close Window to Return to GLEE,
I-Peace,
PTB's My Space, Plaxo, Twitter or Pride Tampa Bay's
Website
Los Angeles Times
Shooting Sparks Call For
Changes
At a meeting on an Oxnard campus, parents
ask why the slaying of a student in a classroom wasn't
prevented.
By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times
Staff Writer
February 20, 2008
Hundreds of parents filled an Oxnard
gymnasium Tuesday night to ask hard questions about why school officials didn't
intervene more aggressively in an escalating feud between two students, which
ended last week with the shooting death of 15-year-old student Lawrence
King.
In orderly fashion, one parent after another asked for metal
detectors on campus, more programs dealing with bullying and for stricter
enforcement of the district's uniform policy.
"There were probably weeks of this student being
subjected to harassment," said Joe Gonzales, parent of a student at E.O. Green
Junior High in Oxnard, where King was killed Feb. 12. "We need to know what was
done, or not done, so we can prevent something like this from happening again
instead of reacting to it."
Details about events the days before the
shooting also trickled out as a panel that included school officials, mental
health counselors and Oxnard Police Chief John Crombach responded to
questions.
One parent said her daughter told her that several students
exchanged text messages the day before the shooting that talked about what the
suspect planned to do.
Crombach acknowledged that several students told
police they heard about "comments, statements and threats" that were made but
that they didn't take the chatter seriously and that there was no evidence that
it was reported to school officials.
The police chief said the alleged
shooter, Brian McInerney, 14, has refused to talk to investigators so it is
unclear why King was shot.
His actions that morning, however, made it
clear he planned an attack, Crombach said. The classroom teacher had little time
to react, he said.
"It's pretty clear our suspect was focused on his
victim and what he planned to do," the chief said. He later said that the
suspect apparently got the small-caliber handgun from his home.
Crombach
and school officials told parents that they are reviewing safety procedures and
considering installing metal detectors.
A school assembly is planned next
month to talk to students about bullying and what they should do if they see it
on campus.
The killing last week has sparked anguish not only in Oxnard
but across the nation as worried parents and gay rights advocates ask whether
school officials should respond more aggressively to schoolyard
bullying.
King's classmates said he had proclaimed himself gay in recent
weeks and began wearing feminine accessories with his school uniform.
The
boy endured frequent taunting but appeared to be holding his own, students said,
refusing to change his appearance.
Prosecutors have charged McInerney
with premeditated murder and added an allegation that it was a hate crime.
Witnesses said McInerney pulled out a handgun in class and shot King in the head
before fleeing.
He was apprehended by police a few blocks away from the
school, and is being held in Juvenile Hall. Prosecutors are trying him as an
adult.
On Saturday, 1,000 students marched through downtown Oxnard to
plea for peace and tolerance on their school campuses.
At least a dozen
candlelight vigils and memorials are scheduled this week for King, including
events in San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento and Ukiah, Calif., and in
Massachusetts,
New York and South
Carolina.
A memorial service for King is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at
Westminster Presbyterian Church of Hueneme, 755 Bard Road in Port Hueneme.
King's family said they scheduled an after-school time so that students may
attend.
A private burial will also be held Friday, according to Camino
del Sol Memorial Center and Funeral Home in Oxnard, which is handling the
arrangements.
catherine.saillant@latimes.comTimes staff writer Gregory W. Griggs contributed to this
report.
Depending on Pop-Up
Blocker: Use Browser Back Button or Close Window to Return to GLEE,
I-Peace,
PTB's My Space, Plaxo, Twitter or Pride Tampa Bay's
Website
Los Angeles Times
Thousand March In Oxnard In Tribute To
Slain Teen
A march organized by students focuses on
tolerance in the wake of the fatal shooting of an openly gay
boy.
By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times Staff
Writer
February 17, 2008
The Goths in their black T-shirts were there.
So were the punks with fluorescent hair and multiple piercings.
There
were even a few adolescent boys carrying skateboards among the nearly 1,000
Oxnard youth and other supporters who turned out Saturday for a hastily
organized peace march to pay tribute to Lawrence
King, 15, the Oxnard student shot to death
in a classroom last week.
"Larry, Larry, Larry!" the crowd chanted before
marchers clasped hands in a moment of silence for the fallen student.
There were no bullhorns, no speeches and no politicians. Just a mass of
mostly adolescents wearing bright clothing, carrying signs and singing John
Lennon's "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance."
The size of the turnout
surprised police, school officials and even the two Hueneme High School
sophomores who put the event together just three days ago, spreading the word
with fliers, cellphone calls and MySpace bulletins.
"We were expecting
maybe 100 or 200 people," said Courtney LaForest, 16, as she gazed at a broad
"peace circle" formed by march participants at Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard.
"This is incredible."
Courtney said the turnout reflected a community's
anguish over a senseless shooting that has destroyed the lives of two young men.
It was also a public plea for tolerance on school campuses for those who are
different, she said.
"I didn't know Larry. A lot of people here didn't
know him," she said. "We are saying you don't need to accept people who are gay,
but you should tolerate them."
King, an eighth-grader at E.O. Green
Junior High School in south Oxnard, had revealed he was gay this school year. In
recent weeks, he had begun accessorizing his school uniform with feminine items
and was often teased by other students, several of his classmates
said.
"What he did was really brave -- to wear makeup and high-heeled
boots," said Erin Mings, 12, who hung out with King at the school. "Every corner
he turned around, people were saying, 'Oh, my god, he's wearing makeup today.'
"
Erin said King was an outgoing and funny boy who stood his
ground.
"When people came up and started punking him, he just stood up
for himself," Erin said.
Jeremiah, another student and friend of the
victim, said King had recently told the 14-year-old boy who is alleged to have
shot him that he had a crush on him.
"I see no point in shooting someone
for telling them that you like them," said Jeremiah, who didn't want to give his
last name.
Brandon McInerney, 14, who attended E.O. Green with King, has
been charged with premeditated murder and will be tried as an adult. He is being
held in Ventura County Juvenile Hall in lieu of $770,000 bail. McInerney could
face 50 years to life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors added a hate crime
allegation that could bring an additional one to three years.
Saturday's
march began at Carty Park, adjacent to the junior high school where the shooting
took place Tuesday. Students busily scribbled signs on poster boards, with such
messages as "RIP Larry King," "Gay Pride" and "Support Love and Tolerance."
Melissa Crutcher, 16, who helped organize the march, said King's slaying
infuriated her. Sporting pink-tinged hair, hot pink pants and multiple ear
piercings, Melissa said she knew what it was like to get picked on for looking
different.
"I know I stick out myself," she said. "And it's just
appalling that just for being himself he got shot."
Jerry Dannenberg,
superintendent of the Hueneme School District, of which E.O. Green is a part,
joined the marchers. He had been told that an event was being planned by
students and sent word that the school should support it, Dannenberg
said.
"We forget the goodness that is in most of our kids," Dannenberg
said. "This tremendous turnout by kids is an expression of their voices, their
opinions."
Connor Sipes, 13, showed up with two of his buddies. They
attend a different middle school, Connor said, but learned about the march
through a posting on MySpace.
Connor wore a headband and a gold peace
sign around his neck as the three boys walked the two miles from the school to
the city park. He participated because what happened to King "wasn't right," he
said. "It will be a better future if we are more tolerant."
Depending on Pop-Up
Blocker: Use Browser Back Button or Close Window to Return to GLEE,
I-Peace,
PTB's My Space, Plaxo, Twitter or Pride Tampa Bay's
Website
Los Angeles Times
Residents Shaken by Oxnard
Shooting
As vital organs are harvested from the
15-year-old victim, one woman says, 'What everyone wants to know is: Why did
this happen?'
By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times
Staff Writer
February 16, 2008
With school out Friday, Madel Duran and her
10-year-old son, Victor, knew just how to spend their free afternoon. They made
the short trek from their Oxnard home to honor a boy they never knew.
At
E.O. Green Junior High School, mother and son placed a hot-pink flower lei and a
wooden rosary on a growing makeshift memorial for slain eighth-grader Lawrence
King.
Police say the 15-year-old, who students say had
been teased at school for his effeminate dress, was gunned down early Tuesday by
a student in his English class.
His alleged assailant, Brandon McInerney,
14, has been charged with first-degree murder with the special allegation of a
hate crime. He was being held in Juvenile Hall in lieu of $770,000 bail and will
be tried as an adult.
"It's a tragedy for Oxnard, because this has never
happened before," said Victor, a fifth-grader who expects to attend E.O. Green
next fall. "And it should never happen again"
Although other local
shootings have occurred near schools or in their common areas, this week's
killing inside a classroom was a first for Ventura County, authorities
said.
As news of King's killing continued to spread Friday, Oxnard
residents said they had been shaken deeply by the sensational crime in their
backyard.
"This is a good community filled with good people," said Duran,
40, adding that her older son had gone to E.O. Green with no problems. "This is
a good school. What everyone wants to know is: Why did this happen? We don't
understand."
An Oxnard father who would identify himself only as Robert
said he too was saddened, not only by the senseless loss but by the black eye
the week's events might give the city he calls home.
"When you say you're
from Oxnard, people always immediately think 'gangs,' " he said as he watched
his daughter and her friends frolic outside an ice-cream shop in the city's
refurbished downtown. "But it's not all gangs and violence here. It's a friendly
place and a good place for families."
The crime rate typically is higher
in Oxnard than in Ventura County's other nine cities. The city also has more
gang- related crime, prompting police and prosecutors to designate two areas
where known gang members are restricted from gathering.
But residents say
that is simply a reflection of the city's transformation from a tiny
agricultural town, where farmers grew lima beans and sugar beets, to Ventura
County's biggest and most diverse city.
Oxnard has an estimated
population of 193,000, of which about two-thirds are Latino.
"We're
basically a blue- collar community, and some crime goes with it," said Manuel
Perez, 81, who was born in Oxnard and has lived in the same home with his wife,
Virginia, 79, for five decades. "But it's really a very nice place to live with
really good people."
Bullies can be found anywhere, Perez
said.
What bothers him about this week's shooting is that it might have
been prevented if school officials had more aggressively responded to reports of
friction between the two young men.
"Junior high is a critical age, and
there are red flags," Perez said. "They're not babies anymore, and they're not
in high school. They are just starting to feel their oats."
Organs were
taken from King's body Thursday and an autopsy was performed Friday, said Senior
Deputy Medical Examiner Craig Stevens. He declined to say what organs were
harvested or where they went.
In an interview with the Ventura County
Star newspaper, King's father, Greg, said the family believes the donation was
the right thing to do. His son was headstrong, artistic and giving, he told the
newspaper.
Greg King said seven vital organs were harvested Thursday,
adding, "If Larry had the story to write, he'd say, 'If I have to give someone a
heart, I want to give it to them on Valentine's Day.' "
The boy's death
has prompted vigils, a student-organized march and calls for more attention to
anti-gay bullying and harassment in schools.
On Friday, officials at the
Gay & Lesbian Center in Los Angeles held a news conference to denounce
anti-gay student violence, and a memorial vigil organized by the Ventura County
Rainbow Alliance was scheduled for Friday night in Ventura.
A peace march
organized by King's classmates at E.O. Green is scheduled for noon today. It
will start in a park near the school at 3739 S. 6th St. and continue north
through the city to the downtown area.
catherine.saillant@latimes.com
Depending on Pop-Up
Blocker: Use Browser Back Button or Close Window to Return to GLEE,
I-Peace,
PTB's My Space, Plaxo, Twitter or Pride Tampa Bay's
Website
Los Angeles Times
Oxnard Student, Larry King, Declared
Brain Dead
Lawrence King, 15, was shot at a junior
high school Tuesday. A classmate faces murder charge.
By Catherine
Saillant and Gregory W. Griggs, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
February 14,
2008
An Oxnard junior high student who was shot in the
head by a classmate earlier this week was declared brain dead Wednesday, and the
14-year-old male suspect now faces a first-degree murder charge, authorities
said.
Lawrence King, 15, was declared brain dead by two neurosurgeons
about 2 p.m. at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, said Craig
Stevens, senior deputy Ventura County medical examiner. King's body remains on a
ventilator for possible organ donation, he said. He was shot early Tuesday in a
classroom at E.O. Green Junior High School.
Authorities initially believed that King was
improving. But the boy's condition worsened early Wednesday, and he was placed
on a ventilator a few hours later with his family nearby, said an official, who
asked not to be named.
David Keith, an Oxnard police spokesman, said the
family would have no comment and asked the media to respect their
privacy.
Police said the suspect, whose identity was not disclosed
because of his age, shot King at least twice at the beginning of the school day
and then fled the campus. The boy was apprehended by police a few blocks away
and is being held in Juvenile Hall. He is scheduled to appear in court
today.
Ventura County Dist. Atty. Gregory Totten said prosecutors would
decide whether the case should remain in Juvenile Court after reviewing the
police investigation. Under state law, prosecutors can ask the court to try the
suspect as an adult, he said. "In all probability he will be charged in adult
court," Totten said.
Police have not determined a motive in the slaying
but said it appeared to stem from a personal dispute between King and the
suspect.
Keith and Totten declined to elaborate.
But several
students at the south Oxnard campus said King and his alleged assailant had a
falling out stemming from King's sexual orientation.
The teenager
sometimes wore feminine clothing and makeup, and proclaimed he was gay, students
said.
"He would come to school in high-heeled boots, makeup, jewelry and
painted nails -- the whole thing," said Michael Sweeney, 13, an eighth-grader.
"That was freaking the guys out."
Student Juan Sandoval, 14, said he
shared a fourth-period algebra class with the suspect, whom he described as a
calm, smart student who played on the basketball team. "I didn't think he was
that kind of kid," Sandoval said. "I guess you never know. He made a big
mistake."
"Their lives are both destroyed now," said student Hansley
Rivera, 12.
Several students said that a day before the shooting, King
and several boys had some kind of altercation during the lunch period.
If
the suspect targeted King because of his sexual orientation, the case could rise
to the level of a hate crime, authorities said.
"We've heard that and a
lot of other things," Keith said. "But I can't say what the motive is until we
finish our interviews."
Totten said he could not comment on the specifics
of the case until he reviewed the police investigation. But a hate-crime
enhancement is something that prosecutors would consider as they move forward,
he said.
"It's something we will look at," he said. "But the case is
going to be reviewed as a murder involving the use of a firearm, and that
carries a potential sentence of 50 years to life."
Jerry Dannenberg, the
school district superintendent, said the school's staff was aware that King had
butted heads with other students, including the suspect, and offered both
students help.
"They had been doing a lot of counseling and a lot of work
with [King] to help him deal with some of his concerns and issues," Dannenberg
said. "But I can't go into specifics about what was going on."
Bullying
in schools has long been a problem. But recent studies show that a student who
comes "out" as gay or lesbian is far more likely to suffer abuse than others,
said Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network based in New York.
A student thought to be gay was five
times as likely to be threatened or injured by a weapon, a 2002 California
Department of Education study said. Jennings said other studies have found
similar results. His group advocates more teacher training on how to handle
bullying and harassment, specifically of gay students.
"This Oxnard
shooting is very upsetting but not surprising," Jennings said. "The real issue
is not the kid coming out, but the kid sitting next to him. Schools must teach
that we may not like one another, but we must respect one
another."
Teachers and counselors at E.O. Green Junior High, meanwhile,
sought to calm fears about escalating violence at the south Oxnard
campus.
About a quarter of the school's 1,000 students stayed home
Wednesday due to fear of reprisals, Dannenberg said.
He said the school
would have extra staff and police on campus for the next few
days.
catherine.saillant@latimes.com
greg.griggs@latimes.com
Depending on Pop-Up
Blocker: Use Browser Back Button or Close Window to Return to GLEE,
I-Peace,
PTB's My Space, Plaxo, Twitter or Pride Tampa Bay's
Website
Los Angeles Times
Student Shot in
Oxnard
The 15-year-old's condition, initially
critical, is improving. A schoolmate is being held in the attack at E.O. Green
Junior High School.
By Catherine Saillant and Steve Chawkins, Los
Angeles Times Staff Writers
February 13, 2008
A student at an Oxnard junior high school shot
another classmate Tuesday in front of two dozen other students who were settling
into their first-period English class, police said.
The 15-year-old
victim was rushed to St. John's Regional Medical Center, where he was initially
listed in critical condition. By day's end, his condition was described as
improving.
He's gone from very critical to a little bit
better," said Oxnard police spokesman David Keith. "He's actually communicating
with personnel at the hospital."
The boy's alleged assailant ran from the
E.O. Green Junior High School and was apprehended nearby a few minutes later by
Oxnard and Port Hueneme police officers.
The shooting was not
gang-related, said Keith, who added that the school had not been a particular
trouble spot before.
"It looked like it was personal between the two of
them," he said, declining to elaborate.
Some students said the victim,
whose name was not disclosed, sometimes wore makeup and feminine jewelry and had
declared himself gay. They said he was frequently taunted by other boys and had
been involved in an argument with the alleged shooter, an eighth-grader who also
was not named, and others Monday.
During the lunchtime argument, one of
the boys shouted at Tuesday's victim, "You better watch your back," said one
student who witnessed the encounter.
Police said they had not determined
a motive for the crime.
Keith said investigators had also heard that the
victim was gay but did not know whether that was true or whether it figured in
the attack. They were sorting through several other possibilities as well, he
said:
"Which are true and which are rumor, we're trying to figure out."
How a gun was sneaked into the classroom also was unclear, although the
school has no metal detectors. Officers are assigned to some area high schools,
but junior high and middle schools generally have no need for more than a
part-time police presence, Keith said.
Six hours after the shooting,
13-year-old Mariah Thompson emerged with her mother from the locked-down school.
Mariah had been interviewed by detectives, along with the two dozen other
students in the school's computer lab, where the English class was meeting at
the time of the attack.
"He didn't deserve it," she said, crying. She
said she was one of the wounded boy's few friends, a confidant he trusted with
stories about others making life at school miserable for him.
"I would
always tell him, 'Don't let them get to you,' " she said.
Mariah said she
had been settling in at her desk and looking at her keyboard when she heard two
shots. She said she heard no words exchanged before the blasts or afterward,
when the gun-wielding boy bolted.
School administrators expressed shock
as word of the shooting spread.
Jerry Dannenberg, superintendent of the
Hueneme School District since 2002, said he had not heard of any guns showing up
in the district's schools before Tuesday.
"The ones we've found have
been toys," he said.
With about 1,100 students in grades six through
eight, E.O. Green has "very few problems compared to other schools," said
Dannenberg, who praised the staff for immediately locking down the school and
following other measures laid out in an emergency plan that is honed in practice
drills once or twice a year.
Depending on Pop-Up
Blocker: Use Browser Back Button or Close Window to Return to GLEE,
I-Peace,
PTB's My Space, Plaxo, Twitter or Pride Tampa Bay's
Website