Ohio school shooting results in 3 dead, 2 wounded

Daniel Parmerto, age 16

If you wish to leave any words of sympathy or support to the Chardon community about this shooting, you can do so HERE:
http://rememberingchardon.com/

America woke up to yet another school shooting. This time it was Ohio's turn to be the center of the nation's attention as early this morning a student shot up his Chardon, Ohio high school and was chased out of the building by a teacher. He was apprehended in the woods near the building by officers. From the article:

Russell King Jr., age 17

"We are shocked by this senseless tragedy," his family said in a prepared statement distributed to reporters. "Danny was a bright young boy who had a bright future ahead of him. The family is torn by this loss. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."

A student was in custody in the case, but has not been identified because of his age, officials said. He has not yet been charged, they said.

Media interviews with witnesses and survivors painted a picture of students preparing for the start of their school week, then thrown into the chaos of flight by the ominous popping sounds that came first from the hallway, where officials said the shooter opened fire with a handgun.

Demetrius Hewlin, age 17

Daniel Parmerto is the teen who died from his gunshot injuries. Kids should not have to face gunshots when they go to school. Parents of school children should not have to hear news of a shooting at their child's school and run in a panic to the school, hoping that one of the shot kids is not their own. Senseless is hardly the word here. Schools should be safe places for children. And where do kids get their guns? 65% of school shooters get their guns at home.

Also from the article: " "I'm a single dad and I'm pretty devastated," one parent told a television reporter. "This is not something you would expect at this locale."" No, no one ever expects these sorts of things to happen at their locale, at their school, in their town. But they happen anywhere and everywhere every day in America.

Joy Rickers, age 18

Where did he get the gun?  Every gun in the hands of a child or teen must first pass through the hands of an adult.

An update from CNN:  The shooter is identified by one of the wounded boys, Nate Mueller, as T.J. Lane.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/27/justice/ohio-school-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

UPDATES (2/28/12):

A second victim, Russel King Jr., has been pronounced brain dead, according to CNN.  A third victim, Demetrius Hewlin, has also been identified.

Nick Walczak, age 17

Russell King Jr., 17, was declared brain dead early Tuesday, according to the medical examiner's office. Student Daniel Parmertor died on Monday.

Now a third student, Demetrius Hewlin, has passed away.

His family made the following statement: 

“We are very saddened by the loss of our son and others in our Chardon community.  Demetrius was a happy young man who loved life and his family and friends.  We will miss him very much but we are proud that he will be able to help others through organ donation.  We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."

According to THIS article, the shooter chose victims at random, didn't know the victims well, and didn't shoot due to being bullied or drugs.

"He chose them randomly," Joyce said.  

Lane fired 10 shots in the cafeteria with a .22-caliber handgun, Joyce said. He told authorities that he did not know his victims, officials said. However, one student who was grazed by one of the bullets said on Monday he knew Lane in middle school. And several of those shot rode a bus with Lane each day and were listed as friends on his Facebook page. 

Joyce said at a news conference after the court hearing that Lane was someone who was "not well" and the incident did not involve bullying or drugs. 

Joy Rickers, 18, a senior, and Nick Walczak, 17, a junior, were also shot by T.J. and were taken to Hillcrest Hospital. Joy has been released, officials said.

HERE is some information on victim Russell King Jr.  HERE is information for Nick Walczak.


The shooter brought the .22-caliber gun from home, his grandfather's, usually happens in these cases.

T.J. Lane lived with his grandparents in Chardon, said Carl Henderson, a former Chardon police officer and Geauga County Sheriff who lived several homes away from the family. Mr. Henderson said he spent Monday evening with the family and learned that the .22 revolver of Mr. Lane's grandfather, Thomas Lane Sr., was missing from the home when they learned of the shooting. 

"The gun that the boy used, he took from the grandfather," said Mr. Henderson, 74. "A .22 revolver—the same gun the sheriff's office confiscated. Just a regular little revolver, a target revolver." 

Mr. Henderson said he was a frequent hunting partner of Thomas Lane Sr. and that he knew T.J. Lane also hunted. 

"We all have guns. Everybody in the community has guns," he said. "I'm sure that [Thomas Lane Sr.] has taught [T.J. Lane] how to use guns, and I'm sure [T.J. Lane] knows how to use guns from being around the family."

Also, some further information from CNN on the accused shooter, who was described as quiet or funny, but with a troubled family and background:

Accused shooter, T.J. Lane, age 17

"He seemed like a very normal, just teenage boy," [friend] Kovacik said of Lane. "He did have a sad look in his eyes a lot of the time, but he talked normally, he never said anything strange."

....

Lane may have been dealing with his own family problems, according to reports by The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland.

Lane's father, Thomas Lane Jr., has been arrested several times for violent crimes against female acquaintances, including Lane's mother, the newspaper reported citing court documents.Between 1995 and 1997, the first two years of Lane's life, his father and his mother were both arrested for domestic violence against each other, the paper reported.

His father also served prison time for assaulting a police officer and he also was charged with holding a different woman under running water and bashing her head into a wall, the newspaper reported.

It was unclear how much contact Lane had with his father. He rarely opened up about his family, some said.

"I've asked him once or twice, but he never would go into detail. He just said he had family trouble," Kovacik said

Evan Erasmus, who said his family knew Lane's family, was among several students who said what happened Monday took them totally by surprise.

"I was really shocked when I found out it was him," Erasmus said. "He was quiet, but was one of the nicest kids there. You could talk to him really easily. He was funny."

According to Kovacik, Lane told her that "he enjoyed hunting, he enjoyed video games, just normal things."

UPDATE (3/1/12): T.J. Lane has been charged according to THIS CNN article. Also more information on the shooter's past violence and background.

This is not Lane's first brush with the law, according to juvenile records released by authorities this week. 

When he was 15, Lane was charged with juvenile assault for putting another boy in a choke hold and punching him in the face, according to the complaint.
....
Lane's driver's license was recently suspended for two and a half months after he was ticketed for "failure to control" a vehicle. The license was reinstated in early February upon his completion of a mandatory driver improvement program, records show.

A good landing page for further updated information on this shooting and the aftermath:  http://www.cleveland.com/chardon-shooting/