Colorado school shooter identified; no motive yet known

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I say anybody coming in should be checked
I am a Senior in a Christian high school w/ about 150 students--so the likeliness of an inside shooting is really low.  But a shooting like this can happen anywhere.  After the shooting a couple weeks ago, our principal issued a new drill: lock downs.  I pray that this doesn't start another 1990's like trend.  I'm mad that this freak got out of his punishment--but he'll rot in hell for eternity, so I guess that makes up for it.  This article doesn't talk about the question in the poll, but a USATOday blog discussion (after the article does).

Colorado school shooter identified; no motive yet known
By David Barreda, Rocky Mountain News via AP
Platte River sophomores Taylor Fraser, 15, left, and Sophie Sasser, 15, hug after being reunited at the Deer Creek Elementary School near Bailey, Colo., Wednesday.

By Barry Gutierrez, The Rocky Mountain News
Echoes of Columbine: Platte Canyon High counselor Jim Orcutt helps a student find her family after the attack Wednesday.
Dwayne Morrison  Jefferson County Sheriff's Office via AP

BAILEY, Colo. — Law enforcement officials have no motive for Wednesday's school shooting in this small Colorado town, saying today that the attacker had no ties to the community and lived out of his car.
The attacker was identified this morning as Dwayne Morrison, 53, who had a Denver address but lived out of his car in the Bailey, Colo. area, Park County (Colo.) Sheriff Fred Wegener said at a news conference this morning.

Wegener said Morrison entered Platte Canyon High School Wednesday morning and that the sheriff's office was called about 11:40 a.m. MT. Law enforcement officials attempted to negotiate with him for more than four hours, during which time Morrison released four of the six female students he had taken hostage.

Wegener said he made the decision to send a SWAT team into the school after negotiations broke down. He based that decision in part because Morrison threatened that "something would happen at 4," he told reporters.

As the team broke into the classroom, Morrison "literally shot at the SWAT team as they entered, turned and shot the female hostage and shot himself," Wegener said.

"This is something has changed my school, changed my community. My small county's gone," Wegener told reporters this morning at a news conference.

Wegener said Morrison "did traumatize and assault our children." When asked for additional details, Wegener said the assault was "sexual in nature."

Reached at their home in Tulsa, Morrison's stepmother said she and her husband, Bob Morrison, "have no record of him being, having any trouble before."

"We just know the way he was raised," she said, but declined to elaborate. She declined to give her first name.

The high school in this tiny mountain town was closed Thursday, a day after the mysterious gunman held the girls for hours before fatally wounding one and then killing himself as authorities stormed in.

"We are a community in mourning," schools superintendent Jim Walpole said. "Our thoughts, our prayers are with our students, staff and their families. Especially the family of the student we lost."

The victim was identified by acquaintances and a co-worker as 16-year-old Emily Keyes, shown in a yearbook photo as a smiling blonde who played volleyball and was on the debate team at Platte Canyon High School. She was pronounced dead at a Denver hospital after Wednesday's standoff, which reminded many people of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High, less than an hour's drive away.

There was no known link between Keyes and the gunman. Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener, who had a son in the school as the drama unfolded, was at a loss to explain a motive.

"I don't know why he wanted to do this," Wegener said, his voice breaking.

Student Chelsea Wilson said she was in the college prep English class when the gunman came in and told the students to line up facing the chalkboard.

"All the hairs on my body stood up," Chelsea said. "I guess I was somewhat praying it was a drill."

One by one, the gunman started letting students go, and Chelsea, a tall brunette, said she was the first girl to leave. Her mother, Julia Wilson, said she thinks the gunman made all the blond, smaller girls stay. Keyes' yearbook photo shows a smiling blond girl with blue eyes.

Chelsea said she heard what might have been a gunshot after she left the classroom.

"He's a pervert," Chelsea said. "I'm not sure of motivation. I just knew it wasn't good."

The gunman claimed he had explosives in a backpack and was wielding a handgun, authorities said. He released four hostages one by one, then abruptly cut off communication with authorities and set a deadline that forced authorities to act.

Wegener wouldn't say what the man threatened to do.

He said authorities used explosives as they entered the classroom, only to have the suspect fire at officers, shoot one of the girls and then himself.

Authorities were investigating whether any of the girls were sexually assaulted, said Lance Clem, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.

School was canceled for the rest of the week at the high school and the adjoining middle school.

The sheriff, a 36-year resident of Bailey, said he knew the slain girl's family and was "scared to death" as he handled the hostage situation. He said the gunman threatened the girls almost throughout the four-hour ordeal and at one point fired a shot inside the classroom.

"I have to go and eventually I have to face a family about the fact that their daughter is dead," Wegener quietly told reporters. "So, what would you do?"

The lines of students fleeing the high school and middle school, the bomb squads and the frantic parents scrambling to find their loved ones evoked memories of the Columbine attack, where two students killed 13 people before taking their own lives.

Michael Owens, who has one son at the middle school and another in the high school, said the anxiety was worse because the memory of Columbine was still fresh.

"Things that are out of your control, you just do what you can do," he said. "It's like an earthquake."

The situation unfolded in a narrow, winding canyon carved by the South Platte River about 35 miles southwest of Denver. Ambulances were parked in the end zone of the football field and a tank-like SWAT team vehicle was parked nearby on a closed-down highway swamped with gun-toting sheriff's officers and police.

Bill Twyford said he received a text message from his 15-year-old son Billy, a student at the high school, at about 11:30 a.m. It said: "Hey there, there's a gun hijacking in school right now. I'm fine, bad situation though."

Jessica Montgomery, 15, said she saw the suspect in a second-floor hallway shortly before noon. She described him as "creepy," with acne and stubble on his face. He motioned her to come over.

"I was like, 'the bell just rang,'" she said. "I was like, 'Why isn't he going to class?' And then I was like, 'He's kind of old.'"

Sophomore Zack Barnes, 16, said his class moved to a room that turned out to be next to the one where the hostages were being held. They turned out the lights and sat in silence in the dark for about 20 minutes before police guided them out.

"I was just praying it wasn't a mass killing," Barnes said.

The two schools have an enrollment of about 770 students, with 460 in the high school. Students from both were taken by bus to another school for a head count, and there were cheers from parents as their loved ones arrived.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

______________________
Colo. sheriff: Killer 'did traumatize & assault our children'
 In Bailey, Colo., Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener just held an emotional news conference about Wednesday's assault by a gunman at Platte Canyon High School (all three cable news networks aired it).

"My small county is gone," a somber Wegener said.

He confirmed the identity of the gunman, who apparently took his own life after fatally shooting a 16-year-old girl. The killer: Dwayne Morrison, 53, of Denver.

Wegener also confirmed that he ordered a SWAT team to storm the room where Morrison was holding two girls because the attacker "did traumatize and assault our children." Those attacks were sexual in nature, Wegener said.

"That's why I made the decision I did to try to go and save them," he said.

Our Gannett colleagues at KUSA-TV in Denver continue to follow the story closely, as do The Flume (Bailey's local newspaper), The Denver Post and The Rocky Mountain News.

(Photo of Wegener, taken Wednesday evening, by David Zalubowski of the AP.)

Posted by Mark Memmott at 11:00 AM/ET, September 28, 2006 in Local news | Permalink

Comments

Regardless of the fact that this man had little or no access to pornography while living in his car we are surrounded by it everywhere we go. Anything could have fed his drive. I feel that one of the things that could help save atleast our children from becoming the purpetrator in these tragedies is turning off the television. Limit use on the computer and especially the internet. Half the fault is ours as parents. We have allowed tv's and computers to become the parents of our children because we are always looking for some time for ourselves. Why can't we spend more time teaching our kids the importance of life and family? Why can't we teach our children to love books again? Why can't we teach them to play in the backyard? Is it too late to save ourselves and those around us?

Posted by: saitchis | Sep 28, 2006 7:16:43 PM

 

This is absolutely terrible. It makes me sad that it happened, and angry that this sick-minded freak committed suicide, getting out of his punishment. His suffering lasted maybe 1/2 a second, but the family's will last a life-time.

My school has just introduced a new drill: "lock-down drills" in response to the shooting a few weeks ago. I am a senior--and I pray that this trend doesn't start up again like it did in the 1990s.

Posted by: Nathan Inks | Sep 28, 2006 5:53:36 PM

 

This man had some serious mental issues. Our morality in this country is out of control. We know no one is perfect, but this is why we need values in this country. Getting rid of God in our government was the worst thing we did for our nation. This is just the beginning. Get used to it.

P.S Horrible.... yes. Can you still forgive him? I know it would be harder if it was my child, but we have to at least try.




Posted by: Victor | Sep 28, 2006 5:34:09 PM

 

This is very sad commentary on several aspects of our society and world. There are no safe havens anymore, and we best understand the need for security, a return to some sort of moral sanity, i.e., our media, entertainment and educational settings for our children. We have been too tolerant and liberal, in the name of protecting and valuing rights. Now, we see the product of moral decay, as we continue to tip-toe around the sinking sands of our national demise.
Liberals, say what you like, but behold what reap what you sew really means. And, it will get no better until we return to values that were once rock solid, and now are attacked as if they were the plague.

Posted by: PirateVoice | Sep 28, 2006 4:44:10 PM

 

We need to start with Hollywood. They continue, night after night on prime time, to pour garbage into our living rooms and fill people's mind with two things: sex and violence. They are obssessed and think that all the viewers in the country are starved for this junk. And the celebrities are so noble when they are on talk shows about how they oppose violence, etc., yet as soon as a new movie comes out with their name as the 'star', they are either shooting guns, or having sex, or both as part of the script. And people rave about how cool they are. Many will claim "oh, we have to be in the reeal world!" Well, TV and movies are great teaching tools - for good or evil. If this isn't true, than why does business and education use movies and TV to teach others??? Because it works!
Unfortunately, it works for both the good and the bad.
Why do we choose to believe that the fictional stuff can't teach the wrong stuff?? Television and movies are the dress rehearsal for real life and it seems that these type of crimes are getting more prevalent in the news. Crime shows on prime time play lots of scenarios out. They are only creating the problem rather than helping. Those who are looking for some type of notoriety in the sea of humanity are doing so with incredible behavior and it is making our country a fearful place. If it isn't the terrorists we have to worry about, its our own criminals! Our country needs to bring back decency on TV and the movies. We not only have been overdosed with sex and violence in America, but our media exports it to other countries as well. ALexis deTocqueville said this about America "America is great because America is good. When America ceases to be good, it will cease to be great." Movies that portray good moral character can have a good influence on people too. Won't somebody do something out there??

Posted by: Road Scholar | Sep 28, 2006 4:29:51 PM

 

as shakespeare said, good wombs have born bad sons.
kindness will not overcome the inherently evil. And pornography is not an adequate excuse of provocation.


Posted by: pants | Sep 28, 2006 3:50:35 PM

 

BMad, your post is beyond absurd. You're like something out of the Dark Ages.

Posted by: S.T. | Sep 28, 2006 3:40:32 PM

 

The guy was living out of his car. I doubt if he had access to the internet to look at porn. The guy had NOTHING and had NO REASON TO LIVE. He was a desperate man, who committed a desperate act. Pray that you never find yourself in his circumstances.
God bless the good folks in CO, they didn't deserve this.

Posted by: Tom | Sep 28, 2006 3:36:01 PM

[Nym90]

My answer to the poll is that it depends on the school. The school board should make the decision as to whether or not to have metal detectors, though if they are used, everyone should be subject to them.

[opebo]

I say anybody coming in should be checked
I am a Senior in a Christian high school w/ about 150 students--so the likeliness of an inside shooting is really low.  

Actually I think the religious nut aspect makes a shooting more likely at your school, Inks.

Obviously the solution to school shootings is a wholesale reform of society upon liberal principles - high wages, a comfortable dole, large scale spending upon mental health services and public health provisions.  Banning most firearms and strictly regulating the remainder is of course a step that should be taken, but providing every person in society with a comfortable, tenable lifestyle and sense of progress is essential.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I say anybody coming in should be checked
I am a Senior in a Christian high school w/ about 150 students--so the likeliness of an inside shooting is really low.  

Actually I think the religious nut aspect makes a shooting more likely at your school, Inks.

why?

[MODU]

For a while back in the late 80s, early 90s, some Prince William County High Schools had metal detectors at their main entrances following a series of gang/sports-related shootings.  There were some complaints about the system, but most kids weren't bothered by it.  I do recall it stopping one student who came into one of the school with a pistol, but I can't remember how effective it was or when the screening ended.

[Bdub]

I dont think everybody should have to go through screening.  The most I would support is random bag searches or using a metal detector wand on select individuals.