Student Gunman Was An Eagle Scout

(CBS/AP)  An 11th-grader despondent that his parents might curtail his after-school activities because of poor grades took a rifle to school Tuesday and killed himself between classes in a hallway, authorities said.

The gunman, Shane Joseph Halligan, 16, had no intention of hurting anyone else in the 9 a.m. shooting at Springfield Township High School, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said.

Halligan was an Eagle Scout and a volunteer firefighter whose poor grades had led his parents on Monday to threaten to cut back on his after-school activities, Castor said.

"The picture that's emerging is he was despondent over (the fact) his grades are down, his parents are taking appropriate steps to limit extracurricular activities to get the grades up, and he saw the things that he felt were important in his life being taken from him," Castor said.

The boy pledged to get his grades back up.

On Tuesday morning, he ate breakfast with his family. At some point, he retrieved the rifle from a locked cabinet and found high-powered ammunition in the basement, Castor said.

The boy fired shots into the ceiling in the science-wing hallway after first period, said Michael Delaurentis, who was about 30 feet away.

"I was walking to my class," said Delaurentis, who turned 18 on Tuesday. "I just hear 'Get down.' I heard shots fired into the ceiling and I saw smoke."

A security camera showed the boy taking the gun out of bag and shooting into the ceiling, said Randall D. Hummel, the township police chief. Students in the hallway scrambled for cover, and the teenager walked to another hallway out of view, then shot himself, Hummel said.

It was an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," Hummel said. Halligan left a note for his family, but authorities did not disclose its contents.

The student's death was initially reported on the school district's Web site.

"We have received a report that a student brought a rifle to the High School. Shots were fired. Some students left the building. What we know is that an unidentified student shot himself. NOBODY ELSE HAS BEEN INJURED," the online statement said.

The township police station is next door to the high school and officers were on the scene almost immediately.

Officers in the building heard a single shot and found the boy dead in the hallway, Hummel said.

Halligan's father talked briefly to reporters outside the family's home Tuesday.

"We see this on the news and wonder how it could happen. It doesn't happen in our family," John Halligan said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I'm at a loss."

The other students were evacuated to an adjacent middle school, and all the district's schools were locked down, said Laura Feller, a spokeswoman for the Springfield Township School District. Parents trickled to the school later Tuesday morning to pick up their children.

Nearly three months ago, a 10th-grader at the same school, just outside Philadelphia, was arrested on suspicion of bringing in a loaded gun.

Superintendent Roseann Nyiri said officials considered installing metal detectors after that but felt it was an isolated incident. Instead, they decided they would try to screen for children who are potentially at risk and try to work with them.

"We're all very much aware that even metal detectors have not deterred students from bringing guns into schools in the past," Hummel said.

Delaurentis' father, Michael, said: "It just makes you a little in fear of the future, and not just at this school, any school, because I don't think any school is 100 percent secure."

[flolake]

Syphlis: I agree! I have ALWAYS heard that one that truly contemplates suicide is either in more physical OR psycological pain than that person can bear. They've reached their limit, so to speak.

Sems like that shot into the ceiling was his last effort at reaching out but it was just too dramatic and who knows if anyone looked back into his eyes or if the gun ever dipped if only for a split second.

I really wish these stories would NOT receive national press' attention in that a copycat almost always comes along shortly...

[syphlis]

hey matvei1107, when someone is suicidal they don't think rationally, all they see is a way out and a chance to hide their shame, unless you've been there and felt that, you can't say *** and you dont know ***, so shut the *** up

[flolake]

If I didn't know better, I'd say Human$hitizen and Agnim were twins.

[linfinster]

My initial reaction was based solely on what I focused on. How can a Boy Scout, fireman helper and overall high grade student become so distraught as to take his own life at his high school?! I'm thinking the boy is so spoiled rotten that losing a few privileges would cause him to do that? But NO. There is more going on here, and I'm sure the media will be unable to keep thier fat noses out of it .. AND I'll probably follow the story ...

[cornflower3]

another sad story of a young person in terrible pain and saw the only way out is suicide. when will people start talking to each other and listening so this sort of thing can be avoided in some cases. i know this pain myself and feel deeply for the lost soul

[diverinnl]

robjk1, just so you know where the in the Bible (King James Version)it states suicide is wrong:

1 Corinthians 3:17: "If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."

[perseptshun]

Thanks, I think you put it in perspective.

[bripct]

What a tragic story of a confused teen. Making it more tragic are the headlines designed to lead one to believe that being an "Eagle Scout" somehow has something to do with a mixed-up 16 year old who commits suicide after a fight with his parents.

The "journalists" then expand the coverage with unrelated stories of school violence, metal detectors, etc.

The comments here are equally irresponsible as depression, bible, even the civil war gets dragged into the fray.

Perhaps the coverage might be better focusing on the incredible pressure put upon our young people for good grades & tests. Here is a well respected and well liked young man who by all standards was everything a parent would want. Yet, he takes is own life after an argument over grades!

This goes far deeper than Boy Scouts, volunteer firefighting and good grades. This is truly a tragic story that deserves far more than tabloid headlines.

[emhawks]

Agnim: Look up the meaning of this word-
COMPASSION

[perseptshun]

If you want something to be done about the gun situation, write a letter. Try to make there be more strict laws on gun control. If he didn't have gun's at his house, he would have gotten one somewhere else. It's not like his dad handed him the gun and said, "here! take it to school!" He trusted his kid, which most parents do, if you have a problem with the gun situation, do something about it. Stop complaining about it and blaming the kids father. He could have gotten a gun anywhere. Would you rather he have made a bomb? and instead of just shooting himself in a secluded hallway, blew a bunch of people to pieces? You say it doesnt matter what was going through his head, but if we knew, we could have prevented it.

Kids these days are terrorized every single day.