'Revenge' Shooting At Amish School

Four Girls Killed, Six Others Hospitalized; Cops Say Gunman Killed Himself

(CBS/AP)  Police say a milk truck driver carrying three guns and a childhood grudge stormed a one-room Amish schoolhouse, sent the boys and adults outside, barricaded the doors with wood planks, and then opened fire on a dozen girls, killing three people before committing suicide.

Early Tuesday, authorities confirmed reports that a fourth girl has died.

The 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m. at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said.

"Her parents were with her," Buehler Stranges said. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."

Six other girls are in the hospital.

At Penn State Children's Hospital, a 6-year-old girl is in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl is in serious condition. Another victim is at Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where officials are not releasing any information. And three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, are at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where a spokeswoman says they are out of surgery but are in critical condition.

Police say notes and phone calls show the gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, was "angry at life, he was angry at God." While some who knew him saw no signs of trouble, others say his mood had darkened and he'd stopped chatting and joking with co-workers and customers.

This is America's third deadly school shooting in less than a week.

CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller reports President Bush, reacting to the shootings, has ordered the U.S. Attorney General and the Secretary of Education to study ways the government can help prevent school violence.

A conference on that subject is planned for next week with the participation of law enforcement, educators and parent groups.

Monday's rampage shattered the typical quiet of Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, home to the Amish, horse-drawn buggies, green pastures and neat-as-a-pin farms, where violent crime is rare.

A teacher called police around 10:30 a.m. and reported that a gunman was holding students hostage.

---

Click here to read about the U.S. Department of Education's school safety initiatives. Keep Schools Safe provides additional resources for parents on school safety issues.

---

Most of the victims had been shot execution-style at point-blank range after being lined up along the chalkboard, their feet bound with wire and plastic ties, authorities said. Two young students were killed, along with a female teacher's aide who was slightly older than the students, state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said.

"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said.

Miller says Roberts, who lived in the nearby town of Bart, Pa., was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago" when he was a boy.

Miller refused to say what that long-ago hurt was.

A family spokesman, Dwight LeFever, read a short statement from Roberts' wife.

"The man who did this today was not the Charlie I have been married to for almost ten years. My husband was loving, supportive, thoughtful... all the things you would always want and more," she said. "Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today. Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."

Neighbors who knew the Roberts' family said they saw no indications of trouble brewing.

"They're a fine Christian family. It's ironic and it's heartbreaking," said Lois Fiester, a relative, as she stood outside the family's modest tan ranch house.

Police say Roberts was not Amish, appeared to have nothing against the Amish, and apparently chose the school because it was close by, there were girls there, and it had little or no security.

The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colorado, and authorities there raised the possibility that the Pennsylvania attack was a copycat crime.

[alexis0763]

I'm sickened by the images being shown by the media. The Amish are private people. Many of them hold the belief that if your picture is taken your soul is stolen. Whether we agree with that belief or not, in the midst of their tragedy, we should not be exploiting them like this.

The American media should be deeply ashamed for what they are doing to the Amish people.

[dwmckeown]

Look at all the headlines, what do you expect when even in Washington DC at the capitol your child isn't even safe? We need to change our liberal views and protect all children even the unborn. Some politicians say they protect and defend those that can not protect themselves and then believe in killing the unborn babies at the rights of someone else. Ask your child if they think abortion is okay and then tell them how they should value others in society. Let us value all kids and teach them respect for others and to value every life.

[vegaslife1]

What is this world coming to? I am deeply sadened to see all of these school shooting. These gunmen are very disturbed to pick their victims out for whatever reason and then kill them and then kill themselves. There just isnt any justice when that happens. My heart goes out the those families that have lost their CHILDREN. God bless the rest of the families and their children who are fighting to stay alive.

[rudy654-2009]

To jilli78,

Knock it off! A tragedy has occurred and it's not an opportunity for you to vent your religious bigotry.

[denysbuchana]

This simple is a tragedy that will scar our country for many years to come. For something like this to happen in a community is bad enough, but for it to happen in a place where it's people are not in anyway confrontational and are actual quite nice. I have made a few Amish and Mennonite friends over the years and they would bend over backwards to help me if I needed it. This is a real tradgey and I mourn the lose off such peace and trust.

[wendyhoo-2009]

On another NOTE... WHY are spending so much time on terrorism when we have our own sick people to deal with. Why not while doing a census check or something do a random 5 question test to see if people are fit to live amongst the normal and if not then maybe these people need to go for further testing. We shouldn't have to worry about our children when we send them to school in the morning. Of course we worry but we shouldn't have to worry about some random guy coming off the street and killing our babies. Yeah worry about the bully stealing your kids lunch money etc... it is a sad place right now... and I do agree.... the more the media covers this stuff the more sick people go CLICK that is an idea. I am just sick over the past month of school shootings... in and out of the US. We need to do something!!!

[wendyhoo-2009]

***!!!! Don't blame some female for the action of this man. Even if he was rejected or whatever the case may be doesn't make it right for him to kill 5 young girls. The **** was sick in the FN head!!!! Who even said it was about some broad when they were younger!!!! The paper indicates it may have been due to a death of a child they had 10 years ago. Until the sucide notes actual become public don't judge it as it was because some female dissed him. Not that it is right but why go to an Amish school... he dropped his kids off at thier school a little before going to the Amish school. Not that I think he should have done it at thier school but pick out this one and not stay at the school you were already at. His family is not going to be able to live comfortably there anymore and not that it is thier fault but unfortunately they have to live with what thier mental case father did.

[searingtruth]

My friends,

This heart wrenching tragedy is a tear in the very soul of humanity, and a symptom of a species gone very, very, wrong.

But there could be a much different, a much better, world in our near future.

Some are planning for it.

"One of the greatest tragedies of our existence is that we are a people united by so many common goals, but divided by so many uncommon beliefs.

I believe that our goals are more important. We all want to be free. We all want our children to be healthy and happy. Most all of us want peace so long as our own rights are protected.

These are the ideals that we can all strive for together. These are the threads of humanity that cannot be torn apart."
SearingTruth

Get "A Future of the Brave" - www.searingtruth.com

[antimason-2009]

"I'm actually curious as to what could he possibly have written to his children to attempt to justify what he knew he was about to do" - Whoever..

^^ 'When i was 12, some girl ditched/dissed/refused me...'

[antimason-2009]

and btw ... hellisfree.blogspot.com

[madreloca]

I'm actually curious as to what could he possibly have written to his children to attempt to justify what he knew he was about to do. How can anyone leave this kind of legacy to their children? And the poor Amish community, can you think of anyone less prepared for this kind of thing to happen? There are many Amish in my area and they are known to be very non-confrontational.
I don't know whats going on in our world these days when we start killing off our children. I'm not sure gun control is the answer although it may help. I think we need to pay more attention to each other, talk to each other. People are so cut off from each other these days that they have no one to vent to.
My thoughts go out to the families and the victims

[antimason-2009]

Its interesting to see EVERY SINGLE SHOOTING was a MALE! - sunflower79 at 01:26 AM : Oct 03, 2006


^ What the hell is that all about? You do know , if you are a believer, that your God is a FATHER and his SON Jesus came into this world as a MAN.
Didn't that chinese woman just kill herself because she killed her own child few weeks ago? How about that idiot girl who attacked another woman just get herself a child? Oh wait, Jezebel was a male too. Stupid feminists make the world more stupid.

The reality of the situation is that if some *** feminist like you hadn't broken that guy's heart when he was young, poked fun at him, made her *** male friends to bully him for no good reason, what happened was only a matter of time.

What is even more silly is the right to bear arms, the stupid second amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Get rid of it already.

Say, like in England, people attacked each other using these knives, the number of casualties in this particular incident would have reduced to, at most, one. If he didn't possess the guns, those amish people would have held him tight. It just goes to show that the amish people are stupid not to get along with technology. They, like the people of afghanistan, must have called the gun a devil like the afghans once termed russian tanks as such.

As far as these comments hurting amish is concerned, in case yall didn't know, amish people don't use the internet.

[antimason-2009]

Its interesting to see EVERY SINGLE SHOOTING was a MALE! - sunflower79 at 01:26 AM : Oct 03, 2006


^ What the hell is that all about? You do know , if you are a believer, that your God is a FATHER and his SON Jesus came into this world as a MAN.
Didn't that chinese woman just kill herself because she killed her own child few weeks ago? How about that idiot girl who attacked another woman just get herself a child? Oh wait, Jezebel was a male too. Stupid feminists make the world more stupid.

The reality of the situation is that if some *** feminist like you hadn't broken that guy's heart when he was young, poked fun at him, made her *** male friends to bully him for no good reason, what happened was only a matter of time.

What is even more silly is the right to bear arms, the stupid second amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Get rid of it already.

Say, like in England, people attacked each other using these knives, the number of casualties in this particular incident would have reduced to, at most, one. If he didn't possess the guns, those amish people would have held him tight. It just goes to show that the amish people are stupid not to get along with technology. They, like the people of afghanistan, must have called the gun a devil like the afghans once termed russian tanks as such.

As far as these comments hurting amish is concerned, in case yall didn't know, amish people don't use the internet.

[sunflower79-2009]

My comments in the previous message are regarding the shootings throughout the United States.
My prayers are with the families who have suffered and lost their loved ones. I beleive for those have lost their daughters that they are safe in heaven and for the girls who were injured I pray for a healing body and a renewed soul. God Bless

[sunflower79-2009]

Its interesting to see EVERY SINGLE SHOOTING was a MALE! Nothing but the usual actually. These Boys are proving themselves repeatidy to be unmanageable,ungrateful,self-centered,losers. What is going to have to change to make young MEN out of reckless Boys?

[p10716]

violence on tv and all the news channels who broadcast such things as the amish school shooting are to blame . 3 in one week ,think about it

[hhueff]

Stricter gun laws could prevent much of these incidents. Potential gun owners should go through an intense screening process, mental evaluation and waiting period. Qualified gun owners should be required to demonstrate a high level of accountability for the custody and safe storage of their weapon(s). If tobacco companies are now culpable for their products then a similar level of liability should apply to gun companies. Historically, hand guns were designed & manufactured to kill people. It would be hard to argue the same for tobacco products. I bet that those who try to defend gun ownership as the right of all Americans probably never had the misfortune of looking down the barrel of a loaded weapon. The people that commit these kinds of acts are cowardly and could never act out in the up close and personal manner that would be required with a knife or other weapon. To be sure that they will never have to be confronted by society for their crime, they take the cowards way out and turn the weapon on themselves. Enough is enough let's take the weapons away from the psychos ASAP!

[loudpipes3]

With all that is happening in the world; The Iraq war, the Muslems hating the US, the hate crimes, the school shooting stuff, --------Auugh! ---Is all THIS, a sign of the times to come? ---Because, as I can see, all this stuff has happened suddenly, ---in the last 10 years or so! ------This is NOT a good portend, of what it may come to be later! ------------------------Something to think about!

"CBS please wipe out all of these comments and shut this story down for comments. These people are adding salt to the severe wounds of the affected people. When did common sense become so uncommon?"-ojama

Yes, let's get rid of the First Amendment while we're at it. Give me a break.

www.politipoll.net

[FreddyB]

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America, and to the republic for which it ONCE STOOD.........