One teacher asked him why he taunted the boys in the halls, and Larry replied, "It's fun to watch them squirm." But Brandon McInerney was different. Larry really liked Brandon. One student remembered that Larry would often walk up close to Brandon and stare at him. Larry had studied Brandon so well, he once knew when he had a scratch on his arm—Larry even claimed that he had given it to Brandon by mistake, when the two were together. Larry told one of his close friends that he and Brandon had dated but had broken up. He also said that he'd threatened to tell the entire school about them, if Brandon wasn't nicer to him. Quest, Brandon's defense attorney, says there was no relationship between Larry and Brandon, and one of Larry's teachers says that Larry was probably lying to get attention.
Shooting someone was over the top by all means, however, this kid went out of his way to provoke others, knowing that he was doing is and liking it. Why should anyone be surprised that someone else finally snapped and dealt with it?
You and are in complete agreement.
40 years ago the two of them would have gone behind the school and at least one of them would have ended up with a bloody nose, and the problem would be over.