Student Dies After Fla. School Shooting

15-Year-Old Girl Is Dead; Another 15-Year-Old Girl Being Questioned By Police

(AP)  A 15-year-old student died after a shooting at a Fort Lauderdale high school Wednesday, and police were questioning another student believed to be responsible.

Sophomore Amanda Collette was confirmed dead after being discovered on a hallway floor by a school resource officer at Dillard High School around 11 a.m. Another 15-year-old girl was being held and questioned by police in the death.

"This is a situation where we are more than heartbroken," said Jim Notter, the superintendent of schools for Broward County.

The discovery of the body started a confusing series of events. Police said they did not believe gunshots were heard, and an initial examination found no major wound on the girl's body, leading to questions about whether or not she was shot.

Authorities later confirmed there was a shooting, but Sgt. Frank Sousa, a spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale Police, said it was possible a smaller-caliber gun was used and the wound closed around the bullet.

Police said no other students were believed to have been involved.

"This appears to be an isolated incident," said Sousa.

Stephan Willis, a sophomore who said he witnessed the shooting, said the girls were arguing in an outside corridor when the suspect suddenly produced a gun and shot Collette.

"She's a nice girl. She's quiet. She just keeps to herself," said Willis, who said he had known the victim since elementary school.

Another student, 14-year-old freshman Hermond Davis, said the hallway was crowded after Collette collapsed and students screamed and panicked.

"As I am walking to the cafeteria, I saw this girl collapsed," Davis said. "She just fell, she just fell right out of the sky."

The suspect was apprehended at an area restaurant after a caller there reported she may have been involved in a school shooting. A gun was recovered.

The school was locked down for a short time, but classes soon resumed. Still, as police were announcing the fatality, gates were chain-locked and access was being restricted as a news helicopter hovered overhead. Several dozen parents gathered outside, some openly weeping.

"I'm just trying to get my baby out of here," said Betty Barnes, whose 15-year-old daughter, Tiffany, is a sophomore at the school. "I want to make sure she's OK. It's very scary not knowing."

Dillard has about 1,700 students. They don't pass through metal detectors, but officers are stationed on campus and security cameras are placed throughout.

[rrozsa-2009]

The first thing Hitler (and indeed, every other dictator) did was to convince the populace to turn in their guns "for the safety of society". Then when the government was the only entity remaining with guns, there was no one left (except other countries, including the US) who could defend against the holocaust. No dictator has ever taken over an armed country. I agree, we need tougher penalties and stricter laws. But I will not give up my gun as long as the constitution gives me the right.

[ahrats]

Maybe they need metal detectors now that its too late. Hope that school system has a lot of money, I smell lawsuit and the school system will lose. I assume the suspect will be back next week ready to kill somemore for who ever disagrees with her. This was probably over some boy who both are interested in. what ever happened to a good old cat fight.

[think51]

That''s my point professor. We need to address the problem of people killing eachother, not addressing the weapons they use.

[questionnews]

Hows this sound for a compromise?

Leave the second amendment alone & all you righties can keep your guns.
Keep abortion legal and all you lefties can have all the abortions that you want.

Either way it results in the deaths of thousands of people, but everybody gets what they want.

[think51]

I''m sure professor, given the technology of today, that things more lethal than our hunting guns are just around the corner. If you fail to see that, or somehow believe that people''s desire to kill others is not the real problem, there is nothing more to be said. You don''t turn a law abiding citizen into a killer by putting a gun in his hands, anymore than you turn someone into a drunk driver by giving them a car.

[questionnews]

Posted by Questionnews

How far have they expanded from South-Central now?

Posted by usclimey at 04:00 PM : Nov 13, 2008


All the way up the I5 corridor to Canada.

[usclimey]

The 100,000 figure is an estimate. All surveys are estimates. Why would the Department of Justice be looking for an specific number? The Department of Education, if anything, will low estimate the number. That problem is partly their fault. Other studies put that number at 130,000.

Posted by Professor209

I''ve checked enough of your figures over the years to know you''re usually right on the button with them. I had not heard this one about kids in schools - UGH!!! Do you know how that estimate was arrived at? Is it broken down by Grade and area at all? There are apparently 96,000 or so public schools in this country - that''s approximately 1 gun per school per day - that''s frightening!

[dagrandma]

Professor209: I find it hard to believe there are 100,000 guns brought to school each day. The three studies you reference look to me like organizations who are looking for that figure. Why, for instance, isn''t it 102,491 or 99,729?

At any rate, since my guns have killed no one, I don''t know why I should be penalized because others use their guns to kill. I certainly won''t be killing anyone with them -- unless, of course, it''s someone breaking into my home.

[usclimey]

And if you could see how many of these little gangsters (Mostly Bloods & Crips) are running around my neighborhood threating and intimidating people, you too would be armed! And for those that say call the cops---Been there, done that, no results.

Posted by Questionnews

How far have they expanded from South-Central now?

[questionnews]

I will gladly give up my guns once I am given iron clad, written in stone, indisputable evidence that every two bit criminal, gangbanger & robber doesn''t have one. Until then, mine are clean, loaded & ready. And if you could see how many of these little gangsters (Mostly Bloods & Crips) are running around my neighborhood threating and intimidating people, you too would be armed! And for those that say call the cops---Been there, done that, no results.

[usclimey]

You just don''''t get it do you professor. It the killers that are the problems, not the guns. Get rid of guns and they will find another way. As long as their are killers there will be killing. It''''s the moral decay of society at it''''s best. I have guns professor and I didn''''t buy them to kill people, any more than I bought my car to run over people.

Posted by think51

Now you see your logic is flawed here. You bought your car to get you from A to B. Killing people with your car, though very easy, is a secondary use for a car. If you didn''t by a gun to kill people with, what did you buy it for? Can''t eat it, can''t ride it, can''t play baseball with it, can''t cut meat with it, can''t do anything with it other than make it go bang. Once it goes bang you either hurt paper (I guess that''s the fun part), critters (maybe that''s the fun part) or people (hope that''s not). You see hurting things is the only thing a gun is good for; unlike the car it''s the gun''s primary use. The world would be better off without the *** things.

[usclimey]

I''m all in favor of libsh8the USA''s idea (can''t believe I said that) with slight modifications; Pass this FEDERAL law; 20 years for carrying a gun to a crime, 30 for using it, life for actually killing someone with it (no death penalty; hanging, drawing a quartering didn''t stop murder in the Middle Ages, sticking a needle in someone''s arm ain''t going to stop it now). No questions asked, no state involvement, just straight sentences.

I also suggest we repeal every gun law in existence for three months. Scientific experiment; gun owners would say the murder rate will go down; common sense says the murder rate will go up. Add up the numbers after the trial period. If murders dropped OK I give in lets just have a free for all. If murders rise then we start with a country-wide ban on assault weapons. We wait six months if the rates still not down - we ban magazine sizes of 8 and higher. We carry on making the laws stricter until the murder rate does come down. Oh, add to the original law 10 years for owning the forbidden item.

[think51]

I beg to differ with you professor, but guns are not made to kill people. They may be used for that, like many other things, such as knives, cars, spears, etc. If there were no guns, do you think the rate of murder with knives and other means wouldn''t increase? Also I have seen many different kinds of targets, but never one in the shape of a man.

[dagrandma]

Professor209: None of these were caused by MY gun. My ownership of a gun has nothing whatsoever to do with these crimes. I have a right to own it. I have no right to use it to harm anyone who is not a threat to me so I don''t. I am not the problem.

Incidentally, where do you get your information for "100,000 students bringing guns into our schools each day, 100 MILLION dollars bill to tax payers?"

[sepa2]

Latest updates point to a very small gun with no blast sound and tiny entry wound that cannot be seen. NRA, we are progressing and we will get there when all of us have a pin size gun for our "protection"

[dagrandma]

I don''t want to live in a society where the only people who have guns are government agents and criminals. I don''t trust either of them.

[justiceform1]

In my last message I shoulod have said "protesting" and not protecting. My fault.

[think51]

You just don''t get it do you professor. It the killers that are the problems, not the guns. Get rid of guns and they will find another way. As long as their are killers there will be killing. It''s the moral decay of society at it''s best. I have guns professor and I didn''t buy them to kill people, any more than I bought my car to run over people.

[aztecdakota]

To Oprah Speaks, forget Obama, what are you doing about this? Yupper I know, just moaning and groaning. If you are so hiped up on this, why don''t you go and volunteer to help Obama do something about it? Yea right, betcha ya don''t do it.

[tiredofitnow]

How is it that you assume people are racists because they disagree with Obama''s policies?? Are people who don''t like rap or hip-hop racists? That doesn''t even make sense! Not everyone votes because of the color of a politician''s skin. Some people actually listen to what the person is saying, or not saying and base their opinion on that. Shocking, I know.