Gunman Charged After H.S. Hostage Incident

Student Fired Shots, Took Hostages, Then Released Them At Northern Calif. School

(CBS/AP)  A student gunman held a high school drama class hostage Friday, firing shots and holding three of the students for more than an hour before police persuaded him to surrender, authorities said. No one was hurt.

The 17-year-old has been charged with the intent to shoot another student, reports CBS News affiliate KOVR-TV.

Police would not say what the student's motive might have been, but several students said he was distraught over a breakup with his girlfriend the night before.

The gunman initially took about 25 students and a substitute teacher hostage in a band room at Las Plumas High School. He eventually released all of them except for three girls, Capt. Jerry Smith of the Butte County Sheriff's Department said.

Turbo Her, an 18-year-old senior who was in the class, said other students initially thought it was a joke. ?I said, 'Oh no, this is a real gun,?' Her said. ?The girls were crying and hysterical. He wanted to scare them, to let them know it's real.?

One shot was fired into the ceiling, Her said. Authorities said at least two shots were fired from the .22-caliber handgun the boy was carrying.

Her said the boy told students he did not want to hurt them and just needed to hide out for a bit. At least two students talked with family members by cell phone while they were being held hostage, Lt. Al Smith said.

Her said that after about 30 minutes, the gunman said that ?anyone who's scared can leave,? and about 25 students and the teacher left. Sheriff's officials said three remaining hostages did not stay there voluntarily, but they did not know why the gunman chose them to remain.

Smith said the gunman's only demand to deputies during the standoff was that they ?back off.? He asked for cigarettes, but Smith said he did not know whether the boy was given any.

Six schools in the Oroville Union High School District were locked down while a deputy talked to the hostile student on a cell phone.

?We made him realize that the best thing for him and everyone concerned was to release the remaining three hostages,? Smith said.

Another student, Candace Carey, 18, said she was in algebra class next door to the drama classroom where students were taken hostage. She said she and her classmates crawled out a window to flee.

The boy's name was not released because of his age. Smith said he was a student at the school.

Deputies took the boy for questioning after he gave up and placed him in custody at Butte County juvenile hall, where he would remain at least until his first court appearance, authorities said.

Parents were directed to an Oroville church to be reunited with their children, and cars were backed up for half a mile leading to the church. Friday night's high school football game was canceled.

Oroville is 80 miles north of Sacramento.

[nexgen99]

Too much time spent sitting infront of a video game and becoming a social misfit. Parents, throw out the video games, get your kids outside playing, like normal kids should be doing.

[signof4]

I''ll bet there was no ''separation of church and state'' while those shots were going off!

[michellem99-2009]

Here we go again..Pupils attend school to learn their lessons..Mum/Dad/caretakers where were you as yer teen got ready for school and went there..Too busy ..Well I know whan my caretakers did..They know what I wore and what was carrird in my book bag. Oh yes.They looked in my book bag and my person had to pass before I walked out the door to catch the school bus. Every day they did this. Foster parents knew what was allowed at school for learning..That was pre computer. Today they be allowed their lesson books pens,pencils,rule,notebook,laptop computer, sp needs items for the handicapped. Not a gun. No sah. Them baggy outfits should be barred as well. I

[r_lamprey]

The teenage hostage taker probably learned his lesson from President Bush: If you have problems, try solving it with violence...

[candy-apple]

And I''''ll bet the situation wasn''''t resolved by prayer.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by cneron at 04:35 PM : Sep 28, 2007

Maybe, but I bet you that everyone in that room was praying to God that they get out alive!!!

[michellem99-2009]

From my last post.I say school uniforms all schools nation wide, Parents lock up yer guns since we have that right to bear arms..That boy was too young to carry a firearm..In my day we had tv.. 3 channels back then.. Foster mother would not allow us to watch programmes that had any violance in them and yes the news she banned as well. She wanted to know what we saw on tv sat with us .We listenened to classical music. We played out doors. Had recess at school. There are computer games not fit for kids and teens. I don''t blame tv ,computer,music.. The blame is on the failure of Mum/Dad to do their duty as care takers. Let them whine. You deal with it as yer the care takers. GUNS DON''T BELONG IN CHILDREN''S PAWS.

[shanev137]

He should have stuck with the status quo and offed himself.....he''ll be in jail for the rest of his adult life now.

It''s better that these punks just go ahead and kill themselves so we can save our tax dollars.

[planotiger]

He should have stuck with the status quo and offed himself.....he''''ll be in jail for the rest of his adult life now.

It''''s better that these punks just go ahead and kill themselves so we can save our tax dollars.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by shanev137 at 04:54 PM : Sep 28, 2007

Compassionate conservatism at its finest, eh Shane?

[michellem99-2009]

He should have never took that gun from his perents home as he is not allowed to bear arms and he is a pupil at school. That said he will now sit in a cell.

[tnt1954]

if you think the pink elephant crackdown is bad,
just wait until the clintonista crackdown.
share and share alike, all your wealth so we
can all have health. and work together, billary''s
public works project, called the love-in project
is for all people under 30 to pitch in and build
a pontoon bridge to hawaii, so we can all drive there.
then we wont'' have to fly or take a ship there.
all dotted with motel 6''s and gas stations along
the way. a real floating loan.

[johnny_chaos]

well, killing yourself beats getting raped for the next 50 years, so shanev137 view point is sort of compassionate.

[johnny_chaos]

parents? what are they? isnt that what we have the government for? after all, they do what MichelleM99''s parents did for us now.

[johnny_chaos]

snidegrass, love the pink elephant analogy.

[johnny_chaos]

when i was a kid, i carried guns, into the woods to shoot targets. and I always carried knives, but I knew enough to use my fists to settle the score.

[michellem99-2009]

Parents..what parents ..I was raised in foster homes..Yer parents or caretakers teach ye right from wrong. If they didn''t then that is the mess we all face today. There are kids who are in gangs, doing crimess,drugs, why. Yer too busy to do yer parenting. When Jane/John mess up.. Yer go why, my child would never do it. The govt is that yer answer. Sorry Sir..The kids are so out of control that they boss their Mum when she should be the one that is the parent not a 4 year old.. I was told as a child to mind and say grace at meals. I was raised to say it to yer face. Adults in the time before 54 pushed to remove prayer. My parents were teens and could not vote as yer had to be 21 back then..

[dmhphils]

When we throw God out of the government and out of the schools and out of the homes, darkness and violence comes in like a flood. We make provision for every other religion on the face of the earth so that they will not feel discriminated against and rip the words of God off government buildings and prayer out of the schools. We are slitting our own throats and don''t even know it. I guess its gonna take more than bringing down a couple of skyscrapers to get our real attention.

[jonesforch]

Turbo Her, an 18-year-old senior who was in the class, said other students initially thought it was a joke. %u201CI said, ''Oh no, this is a real gun,%u201D'' Her said. %u201CThe girls were crying and hysterical.


Can we say hazing . By a senior?

[mdc76082]

You gotta love this country! Got a problem with someone? Just shoot''em! Only in America Baby!

[michellem99-2009]

God was banned in the home,school,workplace and nanny govt. I am 53. A Godless nation. No where in the US constution does it use the term sep of church and state. God Allmighty is the reason America is. The fathers didn''t want God kicked in His teeth. I don''t attend church. But the founding Fathers wanted God apart of this nation. They didn''t want one religion to rule. God is not a religion. He is a Being.

[fascistusa]

ZEITGEISTmovie.com.

It''s not "God" The Fascists.. I mean Right Wing Nazis... are selling you. It''s an Agenda.

TV is Brainwashing. Our Mainstream "News" is filled with complete LIES. Bush/Cheney did 9/11 with the Israeli Mossad''s help.

[johnny_chaos]

MichelleM99 my thought on the matter is if the only reason you dont commit sin is fear of god your off to hell anyway.

looking at history, and the sexual/human rights abuse done in gods name, history refutes your belief.

[johnny_chaos]

reporter, if these things are happening in your house, maybe the drugs your taking are good.

[johnny_chaos]

MichelleM99 actually i was agreeeing with your post about parents not taking responsiblity for their children. i sarcastially suggested that people expect the government to do what the family is supposed to. i''m sorry that you misunderstood my meaning as i agree with you too some degree.

[lyrical_lie7]

Turbo Her, an 18-year-old senior who was in the class, said other students initially thought it was a joke. %u201CI said, ''''Oh no, this is a real gun,%u201D'''' Her said. %u201CThe girls were crying and hysterical.


Can we say hazing . By a senior?


Actually, many, including teachers thought it could be fake because it was drama class. I was talking to one teacher when i returned back to get my car, and some books out of my locker and he said he thought it could be fake at first because it was drama.

[incog-nito]

Problem solving the American way: Walk into a school and threaten to shoot up everybody, or actually do it.

[michellem99-2009]

Yep.I can''t count the many nights I cryed me to sleep in foster home after foster home. While mother done as she wished as let a man break up the home so as an unwanted small child dumped on the town years ago. I am not worried about who will/won''t be in hell. Parents know they can dump their child on the town /toss him/her in the streets. I fear man over God..That being Bush. That boy be in a cell while that teen''s family may wash their paws of him as some parents do. The parents will go on with their life. He done this over the break up of a girl. He sure learnt a painful lession. She was not worth all that.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Of course, if all the other children and teachers had guns, this probably would not have occurred"... pro gun lobby.

[juwboy]

fascistusa said:

"Bush/Cheney did 9/11 with the Israeli Mossad''s help".

Your comment implies that Jews control America.

However, Jews are out-numbered by about 50-to-1 in the US and by about 400-to-1 worldwide.

This being the case, I''ve often wondered why Gentile-Americans like yourself are so weak and ineffective at presenting your views to Congress and the President.

My question is answered IN SPADES by your inane comment.

[myidoncbs]

"Of course, if all the other children and teachers had guns, this probably would not have occurred"... pro gun lobby.

THAT''S RIGHT! If all the other children had guns, LOTS MORE SHOTS would have been fired, KILLING SEVERAL PEOPLE! Hooray for the NRA. They really know what''s good for America!!!

We ALREADY have more guns than we know what to do with! Every gun is just waiting to be picked up and used, to kill someone. Perhaps it will be the gun owner, in an accident, or in a moment of drunkeness or depression. Perhaps it will be a spouse or a child, when the gun owner hears a bump in the night. Perhaps it will be some kid who gets shot when he comes to the wrong door, trick or treating. Perhaps it will be a random person who is killed because the gun owner didn''t aim very well (even cops only hit their intended target about 20% of the time!). Perhaps the gun will be stolen (as so many are) and it will be used in a robbery or murder. There are countless ways that EACH AND EVERY GUN can end up killing innocent people, and da-mn few ways they can be correctly, legally, safely used for "protection".

SO, let''s give guns to all our children so they can play a giant game of "russian roulette" to thin out the herd! What a "great day" that will be for America, the land of the truly insane cowboys!

[myidoncbs]

Somebody said, "my thought on the matter is if the only reason you dont commit sin is fear of god your off to hell anyway."

Acting "good" out of fear is the thinking of an authoritarian personality type. Ever wonder why the Repugnant Ones'' (GOP) "base" consists of warmongers and Christians? It''s because they share this same, fear based, approach to everything.

Sociologically speaking, they are bullies and their victims, acting out their little terror plays. Psychologically speaking, they are atavisms. Unable to use reason to solve their problems, they respond to every stimulus with "fight or flight".

What sad little people they are, and how unfortunate it is that this little group (about 30% of our country) has been able to shape the destiny of the world for so long, leading to so much unnecessary death and destruction.

[linfinster]

How does breaking up with a girlfriend warrant taking a gun to school, shooting it and taking hostages help?

[getloud1]

If Americans don%u2019t wake up their will be nothing left, our Nation is broke and Wall Street is the only people making a profit. While the Hidden inflation tax continues to rise and the value of the dollar declines. Ron Paul is the only one who truely understands this, and honestly if he is not elected America should be prepared for a real economic depression like it has never seen before.

Unless you want a North American Union and a new currency the "Amero" split with Canada and Mexico. And lose all your rights and freedom. Vote For Ron Paul 2008!

So my advice is to bypass the media and spread the word to your family and friends about him. The power of the People is far greater than a campaign spending 10''s of million to buy an image. Because this man is a real American Hero. He has dedicated his life to this country and everyone in it, and now he is trying to save it from disaster.

Spread The Word! Go Ron Paul 2008!

Ron Paul Has Raised $838,000 in 5 Days from people who really love this country and their freedom!

http://www.ronpaul2008.com

Join The ReVoLuTiOn:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities

[vanver]

If you are to blame guns on killings, let''s blame misspelled words on my pencil. The fact is, the people who commit murders, or threaten others with guns are disturbed in some manner. What happens when you take guns away? THEY''LL FIND OTHER MEANS. A multitude of weapons have been developed by people throughout history, and different types of weapons will continue to develop as we look to the future. It''s just how history has been, and it''s just how the future will be. Think about in a prison where technically you''re not supposed to have any type of weapon available, but shanks are made, and prisonmates are hurt and sometimes killed by these weapons. You think gun control is going to solve the problem? All gun control will do will put the guns in the hands of the criminals who stole them in the first place and leave the others who legally "follow the rules" defenseless at the same level.

[bb19631]

I want to know why the substitute teacher left 3 students behind??? I wouldn''t hire him again. The teacher is responsible for all his class.

[michellem99-2009]

In my day ,our teacher had to report to the office if called to go there. She KNEW if we got out of line. We were told no talking,our mind on the lession told to study.
I am shcocked that people feel children should be armed to shoot at a mimute''e notice. A child/teen. For Pete''s sake. School is a place to learn yer reading,writing,numbers,spelling, education. Dressed properly for their lessons. True I am poorly schooled . Yer have the right to bear arms and to use them properly but most don''t. The answer is not the behaviour of this pupil. Taking away the guns will make it worse. There are gun free places and they should remain so. The crimmals get their paws on them co they can..Yer can''t stop that. With or without a gun they will do the mess. I don''t like it. Let get away the wild west thinking, it is not for today, Turn off *gunsmoke*. I am 53.

[myidoncbs]

vanver says, "people who commit murders, or threaten others with guns are disturbed in some manner. %u2026take guns away? THEY''LL FIND OTHER MEANS"

It''s true, they are "disturbed in some manner". However, is that a good reason to encourage them to die or to kill someone else? I think this WHOLE WORLD is seriously disturbed. But it would be a very lonely place if all the disturbed people had to die.

Ever heard of a "drive-by knifing"? No. It''s always "drive by shooting". That''s because guns make it so much easier to kill. That is the only thing they are designed for. Sure, a few very well trained people can use them to merely disable someone, but they don''t usually bother. Once the gun is picked up, its job is to kill and that''s what it does.

Would you give a gun to a little kid? That''s basically what we are doing in this country. Id-iots who get drunk, or are deranged, or just really p!ssed off can all own guns. In many states they can carry guns (openly or concealed), and in too da-mn many states, they can shoot to kill the moment they feel "threatened" by anybody else. That is truly IN-SANE!

[myidoncbs]

darkmeat4 says, "You liberal swine... Going on about... our current little situation in Iraq (if you arent over there, then shut up already)."

Why should someone have to be IN IRAQ to comment about it? That''s about the stu-pidist thing I''ve ever heard.

Also, are you not aware that anyone who actually IS IN IRAQ, if they are in the US military, is not allowed to say anything about what''s going on there, unless it''s totally positive and is approved by his chain of command? Who wants to hear those lies?

We have the right to speak our mind here, as do you, if you have a mind to speak of. But calling "liberals" names is not particularly indicative of intelligence; so don''t expect very many happy responses.

PS: Here''s something at your level: Guns are for re-tards with tiny pe-nis-es! Na na na na na!

[getloud1]

***** Stop The War & Restore America *****

Why Don''t You Know Ron Paul??????

The corporate media will not give Ron Paul any Exposure. Because, NBC is owned by GE. GE is one of the world''s largest war-makers. They make things
that go boom. They make $Billions on war. A Ron Paul administration would be bad for business. CNN is owned by AOL. Majority share holder is Saudi Royal Talal who is also partners with GHWBush in The Carlyle Group. Another major warmaker. And on and on. You get the picture. This is why they are doing
a Media Blackout on him.

Because they don''t WANT YOU TO KNOW THE TRUTH!

Who is Ron Paul?
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about

Join A ReVoLuTiOn Group In Your City:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities/

Ron Paul Has WON 10 Straw-Polls!
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/straw-poll-results/

RESTORE YOU LIBERTY & FREEDOM
SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT RON PAUL 2008!

** Stop Iraq War Immediately
** Eliminate IRS
** Eliminate Federal Reserve
** Eliminate Government Wasteful Spending
** Restore America''s Work Force & Values
** Restore America''s Freedom!

HE HAS RAISED ALMOST 1 MILLION DOLLARS IN 5 DAYS!
Check out www.ronpaul2008.com

GET UP AND GET ACTIVE TODAY!!!
VOTE RON PAUL 2008!

[michellem99-2009]

Good idea but Bush is for the iilegals..Every night on the local news there is a drive by shooting,a driver pissed off..Deport their azzes, but no America wants to do the right and keep them for what ever reason. I don''t know why really..Maybe the vets know.

[whispyseas]

'' ... i couldn''t give you less than free food and free medicine forever if i even wanted to ... nah, actually: to feed the world, i gotta tax everyone in the world and deny options to the begging ... soo laughing ... anyways: i''ve been wondering lately, if the average county is 577 square miles and 90,000 folk occupying 300 16 acre trail crossings and 300 folk in 300 weeks turn out 90,000 (little eco friendly non resource depleting) museums of medical you are here map song dance skit kit, and 90,000 folk turn out many billion museums of medical you are here map song dance skit kit in the same period, and for many many small small tips, and the average home is 340 squre feet with 2500 square feet of garden and costs anywhere from $2400 to $60,000; then, on a cosmic scale: what''s the average county skize? and how many trail trail crossings? of how many cubic light years? and how many naked folk dance get well feed world songs rallyd round the sick beds drifting the spore bloom weed dragon trail fickle first aid lunch farm cottage studio trail groups at each trail crossing? and how many (little eco friendly non resource depleting) museums of medical you are here map song dance skit kit does each collection of how many folk turn out in what amount of time? and how volume density surfacearea is the average homed sheltet and the average lawn? and what''s the average cost? ... ''

[Krazcarl]

WISPYSEEYES...Thank-you when I hear your rant I feel intelligent. What does it feel like to get on line and be a simlpleton. TOUR ON DRUGS OR STUPID OR BOTH/

[zootallures2]

The drama class...LOL! Serves them right.

[michellem99-2009]

Let see this for what it is. A pupil pissed over girl/guy who was dumped. life goes on. Years ago boys played sports for the lessons taught and learnt from them. It has gotten so bad their parents and childreb alike never learn.* My child better win *ie their thinking. If not all hell breaks. They were not taught right,not everyone wins all the time. IF OUR TEAM LOST SOCIAL GRACES KNOWN AS MANNERS ARE THERE. Yer played so yer did yer best. Yer to wish the the winning team crats. Today the losers whine and carry on like little brats. They lose they throw a fit go grab a gun what what ye and get even. Nope yer don''t. What happened to loseing gracefully. They don''t teach that. I lost a game I played on computer. So what..Next time I may win. Now a pupil is paying for lost lessons never taught. A wasted education. All cause he violated the rules. No guns there.