School Shooting:Multiple Deaths in Lancaster, PA Amish School, Shooter Kills Self

Fox News Alert ^ | 02 OCT 06

[DCBryan1]

Developing....

School Shooting injures one person,

Hostage situation may be developing.

Update: Multiple Shooting Victims and Possible Hostages in Lancaster County

Not many details available yet, but an incident has been reported from Mine Rd. in Bart Township in Lancaster County involving multiple gunshot victims. Dennis Buterbaugh reports live from our newsroom. abc27 has a news crew on the way. We will update with details as they become available.

Update 2: Pennsylvania Police: Amish School is 'Horrendous Crime Scene' After Shooting

NICKEL MINES, Pa. — At least two female students and one slightly older female — who may have been a teacher's aide — were shot and killed execution style in what police say may be a revenge killing for something that happened 20 years ago.

State Police Commissioner Jeffrey Miller said Monday that truck driver Charles Carl Roberts IV entered the one-room Amish schoolhouse in earlier in the day. The gunman brought in pieces of wood to board up the doors to the building when he entered the school. He also stacked desks against the building's doors.

"It appears that the suspect entered school with the intention of taking hostages," Miller said.

Roberts had wire ties and plastic flex cuff, which he used to begin tying the hostages feet together after they were lined up along a blackboard. He let go 15 male students, as well as one adult female who was pregnant. Three other non-student females with infants were also allowed to leave. One shotgun and one handgun was found next to the suspect when police entered the building.

"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.

After a half hour inside, Roberts began shooting. When the gunfire stopped, three females were found shot dead at the scene, along with the suspect, who shot himself, Miller said. At least seven more victims — some critically wounded — were transported to nearby hospitals, he said. One victim, a young girl, died in the arms of a trooper, Miller said. He could not confirm how many people died en route or at the hospital. The county coroner earlier reported six children killed but then backed off of that statement.

Excerpt

[CindyDawg]

I don't mind answering. No, I haven't had a gun in my face. That doesn't mean I shouldn't think about my options if it ever happens though.

[Kimmers]

Thank you for your response and I do understand your what you are saying. Here is where I am coming from.

It depends on what people will define as violence. My boys played with toy guns and eventually went hunting with their father. I can't tell you how many wrestling matches were held in my family room along with the hitting and the punching. Of course it was tempered with a balance in quieter calmer moments. My boys are grown and have turned into great young men. I would think some psychologist somewhere would have called them violent....I would called them being normal boys.

[ohioWfan]

The fact that the mods had to request that posters stop blaming the Amish community is a sad testament to what this site is becoming.

Man, I couldn't agree with you more.

Some of the comments here have completely bewildered me..........

[Sisku Hanne]

I've lived here in Lancaster county for 45 years. My family has been blessed to be friends and neighbors of Amish for generations. In fact my great-grandmother was Old Order Mennonite. I apologize that I came off harsh to you, but in the horror of digesting this event, I'm more concerned with defending the innocent than zotted posters. Now in order to honor the Moderator's requests, I'll return to the topic at hand.

You are right, no child should witness such evil. May God bless and give strength these victimized children, their families, and their community. And may God also be gracious to this monster's own innocent children and family, who will carry the burden of his horrible and cowardly act for the rest of their days.

[Guenevere]

Please read my posts again.....all of my posts on this subject!

You have twisted my words.

[ohioWfan]

That photograph just made me cry.....

The depth of evil in this is incomprehensible.

[prairiebreeze]

Anyone who blames the Amish for this has nothing of any value to add to this forum.

Hear, hear! I'm jumping in at post 1300 or so and I'm appalled to read that some here were doing or saying such garbage. Dang that just ticks me off and I'm glad I didn't read such drivel. God bless and comfort these poor families.

I'm off this thread after saying just one more thing.

Hell is far too good for some people. The male who committed this crime lands squarely in that category.

[AmishDude]

You would be surprised how many people can't guess that I'm not Amish.

But there are people who think I might be ex-Amish, and again, I am not that either.

[dirtboy]

If the teacher had been armed she might have been able to stop this slaughter - that's the only thing that would have been effective!

Please. I'm hardcore pro-2nd Amendment. But that doesn't wash here.

This guy walked into a one-room school building armed with two handguns and a shotgun. Facing pregnant women or women carrying infants. If the teacher would have had a gun and gone for it, it would have been futile and could have increased the death toll if the perp simply started firing at that point.

Sometimes there is stark evil in the world that simply will exert its will over our existence. No what-ifs that you or I could ever conjure up could ever counter it.

This is one of those situations. All we can do is pray such evil crawls back into the hole from which it came.

[ohioWfan]

I confess to believing that you were an 'ex,' Dude.

But you grew up in this area?

[BykrBayb]

The time to think about it is before it happens. In a panic situation, you're lucky if you can think about things you've already analyzed at length, much less try to come up with ideas out of thin air. We all need to think about how we should react in these situations.

[dirtboy]

Please, no conjecture at this point of time. I lived in Lancaster County for a couple of years. I drove through the township on my commute and it was my favorite part of that drive. My prayers go out to the entire community and the utter bewilderment they must feel about what happened to them today. The time for conjecture about other influences is tomorrow, not today.

[New Girl]

Thanks for your response. I totally understand your disgust. I don't think anyone on this board intended to assign blame to anyone involved in this horrible event except the gunman. I think that some of us have wondered what we might do (or hope to do) in a similar situation. Or more importantly, how can we protect other children in the future. When events like these happen, I think it is natural to think of those things. That doesn't mean that you grieve any less for the children or the families. For example, I know plenty of folks who have said that after the events of 9/11, they are not going to wait for instructions, they are going to evacuate their buildings if they feel that they are in danger.

[metmom]

The thing that's hard about something like this, is that it's so bizarre. You can plan for all kinds of situations, but it's the one you don't expect that will happen and throw you for a loop. OTOH, it could teach you to think quickly and give you some kind of advantage and be more creative when on the spot.

My kid's school has armed intruder drills, where they practice what they'd do if there were an armed intruder. While they were sitting in the class room talking, waiting for the drill to be over, one of my son's classmates said that he'd crawl out the window, go out to his car, get his gun from his trunk, and go after the guy. Now he could just be talking off the cuff, but in this community, where they give the kids the day before Thanksgiving off becasue it's opening day of deer season; I'm inclined to believe the kid.

[CindyDawg]

Exactly

[BykrBayb]

I saw a tv commercial, one time, before it was quickly pulled. It showed an Amish family, secretly using the Internet, when a neighbor shows up at the door. Naturally, I thought of you.

[AmishDude]

I have a cell phone ring that sounds like knocking on wood. It's a great cover. ;)

Be plain,

[KosmicKitty]

I guessed 'ex' as well

Well, I'm not really a cat - we all have our faults

[mom4kittys]

How would the victims if they were students, be old enough to be part of a 20 year incident?

[pandoraou812]

I guess its time for all schools to address this kind of issue. I know my child's school doesn't. The thought of these small children lining up to be shot has me sick. I hope theres a special hell for this man. My prayers go out to these families and these children. I feel very sorry for the wife and family of this man so I will pray for them too. He must have been a very sick or evil person.