February 6, 2010 4:49 AM

Teen Dies in Ala. Middle School Shooting

By
CBSNews
(AP)  A ninth-grader was shot by another student during a class change at a north Alabama middle school Friday has died at a hospital, officials said.

Todd Brown, 14, was shot about 1:45 p.m. and taken by ambulance from Discovery Middle School to Huntsville Hospital, where he died, said hospital spokeswoman Kristen Bishop. She wouldn't release any other details.

The suspected shooter was arrested inside in the school, where police are regularly stationed.

Police did not release the name of the alleged shooter, also a ninth-grader at the school, citing their ongoing investigation.

No one else was injured, school officials said. It wasn't immediately clear what prompted the gunfire.

"This was a singular incident," said Dee Fowler, the city school superintendent. He said churches are working with the school system to offer counseling throughout the weekend and counselors will be at the campus Monday.

Debbie Nalley has two grandsons at the school, including one in the ninth grade who sent a text message to his mother after the shooting.

"He said there was a boy who had his hand in his pocket, and when he pulled it out he shot this other boy in the head in the ninth-grade hall," Nalley said. "It's upsetting for all the kids."

Hannah Mannis told WHNT-TV that she and other students hunkered down in the dark while the school was on lockdown after the shooting. She said someone with Internet access on their cell phone learned there had been a shooting on campus and students started sending text messages to each other throughout the school.

"It was very scary for us. We turned off all the lights, got in a corner, locked the doors and we just couldn't do anything until we got further information," Mannis said in an interview outside the school.

"Everyone was screaming, everyone was freaking out and calling their parents and they said someone got shot," Mannis said.

About 1,000 students attend the school, which has 7th, 8th and 9th grades. Concerned parents were seen hurrying toward the campus, where yellow crime scene tape was wrapped around the parking lot.

Officials said emergency responders arrived at the school within two minutes of the 911 call.

Madison has about 38,500 residents, many of whom work in technology jobs related to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center at Redstone Arsenal.

AP
Add a Comment See all 37 Comments
by erb0087 February 6, 2010 3:34 PM EST
by cladagh February 6, 2010 9:22 AM EST
Are you kidding? The same [that stories like this should be relegated to the back pages] could be said of headline stories about any news-worthy event or situation, except natural disasters. Your logic is flawed and dangerous.
=========================================

Not if the news agencies do it voluntarily, as a matter of editorial judgment.

They already do this, as a matter of fact.

Other people must have died in northern Alabama as a result of drunk drivers or criminal assaults, that might not even make it to CBS News at all, let alone the headline page.

To give shooters like this kid, a spotlight on center stage, can only have the affect of inspiring other impressionable kids to copy the crime.

There is no "dangerous" censorship involved. Just a plea for journalistic responsibility.

The principle of giving center stage to crimes like this ["If it bleeds it leads"], is what is flawed and dangerous.
Reply to this comment
by erb0087 February 6, 2010 3:35 PM EST
Effect, not affect.

"To give shooters like this kid, a spotlight on center stage, can only have the effect of inspiring other impressionable kids to copy the crime."
by bill0bob February 6, 2010 4:31 PM EST
"To give shooters like this kid, a spotlight on center stage, can only have the affect of inspiring other impressionable kids to copy the crime." -- erb0087

Every single day in the USA, 80 people are killed by someone with a gun, yet you don't even hear about 1 a day on the news. So, they are ALREADY shielding your delicate little eyes from the truth that GUNS ARE FOR MURDER, nothing else.

If you don't like the news, don't complain about the messenger-- do something to stop the insane deluge of guns in this country. The more guns there are, the easier it is for kids to get them, and the more kids there will be killed by guns. The math is simple. Anyone but an NRA member can understand it.
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by rootofdavid February 6, 2010 1:22 PM EST
Sad, very sad indeed. If you cant see from headlines like this, that we live in a (moraly)lawless and sinful world. If the shooter didnt have a gun, he would have probally found the boy after school and beat him to death with a bat, the gun was a tool to carry out the wicked desires of his heart. The gun isnt evil, our hearts are. We've all Lied, Stolen, Lusted in our hearts, and Desired things that dont belong to us. Weve all broken Gods moral law, the ten commandments. Christ Jesus came to take the penalty for your lawbreaking upon Himself so if you agree that your guilty and are truly sorry(repentence), and put your trust in Christ alone for your salvation, you will be forgiven of all sins past, present and future. Then God will give you a new heart and new desires to help you turn from sin. Now you can go to heaven, not because you worked your way there, but because your a bad person who has been forgiven by a good God.
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by AttentionDeficit February 6, 2010 5:19 PM EST
So, an idiot does a stupid thing with a gun and that makes us a "(morally) lawless and sinful world"?
by jumkey February 6, 2010 12:34 PM EST
Americans care more about their guns than other people's children.
Reply to this comment
by winchester70 February 6, 2010 2:46 PM EST
More than your mother's child, for sure.
by Mark_67 February 6, 2010 3:05 PM EST
The schools should be required to have metal detectors in every door. Instead they spned money on football and the dance team. I hope those programs are worth your kids lives. If they say we cant offord detectors then cut some programs that arent going to benefit our kids in real life. Really, how many kids go on to become NFL stars? And, with home invasions on the rise, you may want to have a gun but like with anything a kid should never get hold of, you need to be responsible. Dont leave a gun where the kid can get it. Same as you dont leave your car keys out so they can take off in the middle of the night with your car. If they did and killed someone would you say we need to get rid of cars?
by janeyre-2009 February 6, 2010 12:25 PM EST
Strange, most of these school killers, aren't Gang Members. In fact none of them were, andacar... Where have you been? Most of these shooters were White Males. Not Gang Members... Or did I miss something?
Reply to this comment
by dwilson59 February 6, 2010 12:04 PM EST
by bill0bob February 6, 2010 9:49 AM EST
"Exactly WHERE and WHEN has the NRA said everyone should carry guns?" - Hosheen

Just what do you think the "right to carry" laws they've been advocating mean?

The official position of the NRA is that guns are for "self defense" and for "hunting". Since guns don't defend, they only kill, and since almost nobody needs to go hunting to get food, what are guns really for? MURDER!


BillObob

I can see that your passionate about not having guns. We have to look at what laws were broken. If the kid took the gun from his parents then the parents will fall. I grew up with guns and my father would shoot with us almost every weekend. He thought us how to respect guns and every time he drilled us on safety. Just taking guns away from everyone will do nothing. If your going to have guns in the house lock them up if you have kids. I carry so I have one with me at all times, when family comes and visits at times I will lock it up. I take my neice and nephew shooting every summer but before we sit down and talk about guns and safety then go target shooting. This year I will be taking my nephew who is 13 deer hunting because who doesn't like venison stakes and burgers. You have a good point "almost nobody needs to go hunting to get food" but with one deer you could feed your family for 4 months and it is Organic.

This is just my opinion.
Reply to this comment
by bill0bob February 6, 2010 4:39 PM EST
"If your going to have guns in the house lock them up if you have kids" -- dwilson59

Just last week a kid murdered one of his parents. He went to the safe where they kept their gun "for self defense" and he got out the gun and he waited til the parent got home and he shot him dead. If you have kids, and you have something in a "safe" that you think you can keep away from them, you are fooling yourself.
by earthling76 February 6, 2010 8:50 PM EST
Bill,

Prohibiting gun ownership in this country will not have the effect that you desire. Just as the war on drugs has not had the desired effect. Christ, we can't even keep drugs out of prisons. The only people you will be successful disarming are people who wish to abide the law. All others will continue to buy, sell, trade, and use guns as they see fit. And since kids find it easier to obtain illegal drugs than alcohol it is just as probable that they will find guns available to them via the same avenues. Your stance is understandable. But it is an over reaction and would have far greater negative consequences of which you are not considering.
by robinspp February 6, 2010 6:12 AM EST
NRA wants everyone to carry guns. All credit should goes to NRA. NRA and religion are poisons.
Reply to this comment
by Hosheen February 6, 2010 6:26 AM EST
Exactly WHERE and WHEN has the NRA said everyone should carry guns? Promulgating obvious lies destroys your credibility when you actually have some good things to say. We agree about religion, but I would never make a statement about them that I couldn't prove.

I don't agree with all of the NRA policies, but I don't attribute to them things they never said.
by bill0bob February 6, 2010 9:49 AM EST
"Exactly WHERE and WHEN has the NRA said everyone should carry guns?" - Hosheen

Just what do you think the "right to carry" laws they've been advocating mean?

The official position of the NRA is that guns are for "self defense" and for "hunting". Since guns don't defend, they only kill, and since almost nobody needs to go hunting to get food, what are guns really for? MURDER!

Every single day of the year in this country, 80 people are murdered with guns by gunowners. The more guns there are, the more people will be murdered.

The stupidest, most evil policy of the NRA, by the way, is their fight to keep the "gun show loophole" wide open. The NRA board consists of GUN SELLERS, and they know they can't continue to increase gun sales, and keep on lining their dirty pockets, if they can't sell to criminals. If thugs can't buy guns at gun shows, they will have to return to the "bad old days" of having to steal guns from the "law abiding citizens", rather than just walk right up to a gun show and buy anything they want to use for their next robbery or murder. That will make the criminals' job twice as difficult. Criminals say a big "Thank You!" to the NRA!
by tdentino February 6, 2010 5:05 AM EST
Very sad RIP young man.
Reply to this comment
by erb0087 February 6, 2010 4:48 AM EST
It may be futile, but I appeal to news services not to make headline stories of these tragic incidents.

Report them on the back pages.

As headlines, they inevitavbly provoke imitations.
Reply to this comment
by erb0087 February 6, 2010 4:50 AM EST
inevitably

As headlines, they inevitably provoke imitations.
by writer10 February 6, 2010 9:07 AM EST
yup
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by bankersvox February 6, 2010 3:40 AM EST
With all the violent video games, movies like Av. and others that glorify shooting and such, it is no wonder. I personally would like to see a ban on all violence in schools, including football .
Reply to this comment
by newsterl February 6, 2010 2:34 AM EST
It wasn't immediately clear what prompted the gunfire. "

Who cares, its always some stupid frivolous "reason" the lawyers dream up to excuse it.
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