1996 Frontier Middle School shooting
1996 Frontier Middle School shooting | |
---|---|
hostage taking | |
Weapons |
|
Deaths | 3 |
Injured | 1 |
Perpetrator | Barry Dale Loukaitis |
The Frontier Middle School shooting was a school shooting that occurred on February 2, 1996, at Frontier Middle School in Moses Lake, Washington, United States. The gunman, 14-year-old Barry Dale Loukaitis (/luːˈkaɪtɪs/; born February 26, 1981), killed his algebra teacher and two students, and held his classmates hostage before a gym coach subdued him.
Shooting
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2017) |
On the day of the shooting, Loukaitis was dressed as a
Loukaitis walked from his house to his school, where he had entered his algebra classroom during fifth period. He opened fire at students, killing two, Arnold Fritz and Manuel Vela Jr., both fourteen. Another student, 13-year-old Natalie Hintz, sustained critical gunshot wounds to the right arm and abdomen, and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Loukaitis then fatally shot his algebra teacher Leona Caires in the chest.[4] Teacher and coach Jon Lane entered the classroom upon hearing the gunshots to find Loukaitis holding his classmates hostage. He planned to use one hostage so he could safely exit the school. Lane volunteered as the hostage, and Loukaitis kept him at gunpoint with his rifle. Lane then grabbed the weapon from Loukaitis and wrestled him to the ground, later assisting in the evacuation of students. Lane kept Loukaitis subdued until police arrived at the scene.[citation needed]
Perpetrator
In the year prior to the shooting, the Loukaitis family was in a dysfunctional state dealing with multiple issues.[5] Loukaitis' parents separated in 1995, after his mother discovered her husband was having an affair. She filed for divorce against her husband in January 1996. His mother, Jo Ann Phillips, was a domineering woman who became increasingly distant and began speaking of suicide. She would frequently imply that her son Barry would also have to kill himself, and that the date of the double-suicide would be on Valentine's Day of 1996.[6] Barry talked his mother out of doing so, by having her write down her feelings.[5]
Mental illness
Psychologists hired by the defense believed Loukaitis had either
Loukaitis claimed that he was only intent on killing Manuel Vela,[9][10] and that the other deaths were accidental.
Trial
In June 1996, the Spokane Court of Appeals were to decide whether 15-year-old Barry Loukaitis should be
Prosecutors Donna Wise and John Knodell argued that Loukaitis had carefully planned the shooting,
On September 24, 1997, Loukaitis was convicted of two counts of
Re-sentencing
The
See also
- List of school shootings in the United States (before 2000)
- List of school-related attacks
- List of attacks related to secondary schools
- Mass shootings in the United States
References
- ^ a b Harris, Bonnie (April 10, 1996). "School Killings All Too Familiar Moses Lake Horror Parallels Plot Of Novel Found In Suspect's Room". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ a b "Loukaitis Knew Shooting Wrong, Psychiatrist Says". The Spokesman Review. September 17, 1997. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ Geranios, Nicholas K (April 14, 2017). "Barry Loukaitis, Moses Lake school shooter, breaks silence with apology". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ Egan, Timothy (June 14, 1998). "WHERE RAMPAGES BEGIN: A special report.; From Adolescent Angst To Shooting Up Schools". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Fitten, Ronald K. (September 9, 1997). "Loukaitis jurors hear parents, see Pearl Jam video". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ Andersen, Peggy (September 8, 1997). "Loukaitis' mother says she told son of plan to kill herself". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ Miller, William. "'Cold Fury' In Loukaitis Scared Dad Father Says He Was Horrified By Change After Shootings". spokesman.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ Miller, William (September 26, 1996). "Prosecutor: Loukaitis Is Faking Attacks Defense Witnesses That Depression Behind Shootings". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "Murder trial jurors hear Loukaitis' confession". The Seattle Times. September 4, 1997. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2011 – via HighBeam.
- ^ "Moses Lake boy tells of killing three at school". The Seattle Times. April 18, 1996. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ "Hearing delayed for suspect in Moses Lake shooting deaths". The Seattle Times. August 27, 1996. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ "Moses Lake trial to be open". The Seattle Times. July 3, 1996. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ "Loukaitis trial resumes today". The Seattle Times. September 2, 1997. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ Fitten, Ronald K.; Santana, Arthur (September 25, 1997). "Teen's trial a no-win case". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ISBN 1-4165-0554-7.
- ^ "Kidnapping charges added in Moses Lake murder case". The Seattle Times. November 1, 1996. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ "Teen faces King Co. trial in Moses Lake slayings". The Seattle Times. December 25, 1996. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ Geranios, Nicholas K. (April 14, 2017). "Barry Loukaitis, Moses Lake school shooter, breaks silence with apology". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
External links
- On the Other Foot: groundhogs, bullies, lawyers and children
- Teenage Rage
- Movies Made Me Murder, Crime Library article on the shooting
- Moses Lake Asks: "What Has This Town Become?" The Seattle Times, Sunday, February 23, 1997
- Loukaitis gets two life terms plus 205 years
- In Moses Lake, Guns avoid blame, The Seattle Times, Sunday, January 16, 2000
- Teenager Recounts Shooting Rampage -- Four Jurors Replaced For Variety Of Reasons, The Seattle Times, Tuesday, August 26, 1997
- Article on the shooting