VERY OFF: In lieu of the religious debate

[DAMON CAPEHART]

This is a forwarded assoc. press release concerning the student who
shot and killed 3 students and wounded a few others at a prayer
meeting.  If you do not want to read it, delete it NOW.  As tempted
as you may be to reply via BOC-L, *all* responses should be
directed to my personal e-mail address <monsieur at mymail.net>.

My basic motive in forwarding this press release is to show that A)
not all lunatics are Christians, and B) not all Christians are
lunatics.

[ I'm a lunatic, but I'm a -nice- lunatic. :-) ]

Damon Capehart

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 2 Dec 1997 09:30:00 -0600 (CST)
From: Michael A Hamblin <michaelh at utdallas.edu>

Press releases are of course copyrighted by the Associated Press
and may be copied for personal or non-profit use.  This page's URL
is:  <http://www.usatoday.com/new/nds18.htm>

Three students die in Ky. school attack

WEST PADUCAH, Ky.  - Ben Strong is the son of a pastor, a senior
who has led prayer groups in the Heath High School lobby every
school day. Sometimes, Michael Carneal and other self-professed
atheists would stand nearby and mock them.

Moments after Strong and 35 other students murmured "amen" Monday
morning, three of them were shot to death and five others were
wounded. Authorities immediately arrested a 14-year-old freshman
identified by his friends as Carneal.

As his friends screamed and ran for their lives, Strong ran toward
Carneal, who had told him last week to stay away from Monday's
circle - a mysterious warning that had worried him all weekend.

"When we got done praying, I kind of thought everything was going
to be OK," Strong said. "And I just heard a pop and I spun around.
And I ... was like, 'Mike, what are you doing?  And then he just
let a bunch of them go."

Strong said Carneal squeezed off 11 shots before he knew what was
happening.

"Then I seen some people fall, and I seen blood," Strong said. "And
I just ran over there. ... I was just telling him to be calm, drop
the gun, whatever. And he just kind of slouched down and dropped
the gun."

By then, 15-year-old Kayce Steger, Jessica James, 17, and
14-year-old Nichole Hadley were shot. All were dead by Monday
night.

Of the wounded students, ages 14 to 17, two were hospitalized in
serious condition, one was listed in good condition and two were
treated and released.

Carneal was charged as a juvenile with murder and attempted murder
and also with burglary for allegedly stealing on Thanksgiving Day
the pistol used in the shootings and four rifles found among his
belongings. The homeowner didn't know the weapons were missing
until deputies called after the shootings.

Authorities did not identify Carneal as the suspect, but friends
and others at the scene confirmed his name to The Associated Press.
A Dec. 10 hearing was set to decide whether the case should be
transferred to adult court.

As families mourned, dazed school officials and authorities began
piecing together a picture of Carneal, the son of an attorney in
this small western Kentucky community just south of the Ohio River.

Principal Bill Bond described him as a "very intelligent young man"
who had had "some minor problems" but had never been suspended from
school.

Strong said Carneal had been picked on but no more than other
students. He said Carneal hung out with people who said they didn't
believe in God - some would even occasionally heckle the informal
worship group.

"It was pretty much making fun of, stupid little things like that,"
said Michael Zink, a 16-year-old student who identified his friend
Carneal as the gunman. He said Carneal and others who called
themselves atheists were "just trying to be rude and obnoxious."

The Rev. Kevin McCallon, who visited witnesses and victims'
families, said no one believed Carneal was a genuine threat.

"They saw him as a jokester," McCallon said. "Even when he pulled
the gun, they thought it was a toy. They had no idea he was capable
of any of this."

Bond said Carneal had warned friends last week that "something
big's going to happen" and they chalked it up as a potential prank.
But authorities said there was no indication of a specific motive,
and Carneal didn't mention religion to investigators.

"He stated there was no personal vendetta against anyone. It was
just a random shooting," said Frank Augustus, the McCracken County
sheriff. Asked about a motive, the sheriff said: "He himself will
have to answer that, and he says he doesn't know why."

Carneal allegedly carried a handgun with extra ammunition, two
rifles and two shotguns into the crowded lobby, concealing the
larger weapons in blankets. He told curious students the bundle
contained props for a science experiment.

Witnesses said he waited until the prayer group was finished before
calmly inserting earplugs and pulling the pistol out of a backpack.

"As soon as they said amen, he opened up on them," Bond said. "Only
the first three shots could have been aimed. After that, it was
just as fast as he could pull the trigger."

Bond praised Strong's courage for approaching the gunman as he was
still firing. The handgun still had a bullet in the clip when the
shooting stopped.

"He was, like, 'I can't believe I'd do this,"' Strong said.
"Because he shot one of his friends who was just a few feet away,
because he wasn't aiming at any person. And he said, 'Kill me now'
or something like that."

Strong said Carneal had warned him on Wednesday not to be at the
prayer gathering, a statement he confided to a friend and his older
brother.

"He told me he was going to do something, but he wouldn't tell me
what it was," Strong said. "But he told me not to be there,
because, you know, we're friends."

By The Associated Press

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

Just remember that behind every screaming atheist there is someone
with a broken heart who is seeking an answer of any kind.

michaelh