6 Die in School Shooting : Berserk Man in Satanic Garb Wounds 35 Others in Stockton : Shoots Self in the Head After Spree
STOCKTON, Calif. — A gunman dressed in Satanic garb opened fire on the campus of a Stockton elementary school today, killing six children and wounding at least 35 children and adults, police said. He then fatally shot himself in the head, they said.
Deputy Police Chief Ralph Tribble said the gunman began the rampage by setting his car on fire and then stormed into the Cleveland Elementary schoolyard with several weapons, including an assault rifle.
“I heard a noise that sounded like rapid fire, like one of those things that dig up the street,†said a speech therapist who witnessed the attack.
‘Some Kids Crying’
“I went out and saw some kids crying, and some were hurt. It happened outside.â€
Witnesses said the children who were able to fled inside to their classrooms, where the teachers locked the doors.
Police said the children were being kept in their rooms “under the control of their teachers†as the administration arranged to have parents pick them up.
Ellen Rich at St. Joseph’s Medical Center said eight victims were being treated there, and said the total wounded, including those being treated at other hospitals, was 35.
“We have at least 30 people that we’ve sent out to area hospitals,†said Police Chief Jack Calkins. “Naturally, they are in varying conditions.â€
The attack came shortly before noon. Details were sketchy, but Tribble said the gunman had been armed with a Russian-made AK-47 rifle.
Suspect Has Head Wound
“We have at least one suspect in custody who has a gunshot wound to the head,†Tribble said. He declined to elaborate, but other officials said the gunman was dead.
Two helicopters and a fleet of ambulances were pressed into service to transport the victims to five area hospitals.
Police Sgt. James Monk said witnesses reported a “man went berserk with an automatic weapon and we have several (people) down.â€
“Several dozen shots were heard from an automatic rifle,†he added.
The school is located in north Stockton near the University of the Pacific.
Last Sept. 26, a man walked into Oakland Elementary School in Greenwood, S.C., and opened fire with a gun in a crowded cafeteria and in a third-grade classroom.
Two 8-year-old girls died, one at the scene and the other a few days later, and nine other people were wounded, including two teachers.
Last Sept. 26, a man walked into Oakland Elementary School in Greenwood, S.C., and opened fire with a gun in a crowded cafeteria and in a third-grade classroom.
Two 8-year-old girls died, one at the scene and the other a few days later, and nine other people were wounded, including two teachers.
The gunman, identified by police as Jamie Wilson, 19, of Greenwood, was charged with murder and is in jail awaiting trial after he was briefly held in a state hospital for testing.
On Jan. 5, a 16-year-old ninth-grader was shot in the schoolyard of Henderson Junior High School in Little Rock, Ark.
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