Pine Middle School shooting
| Pine Middle School shooting | |
| Location | Reno, Nevada, United States |
|---|---|
| Date | March 14, 2006 Approximately 8:57 a.m.[1] (UTC-8) |
| Attack type | School shooting |
| Weapon(s) | .38 caliber revolver |
| Injured | 2 |
| Perpetrator | James Scott Newman |
The Pine Middle School shooting was a school shooting that occurred in Reno, Nevada, United States on March 14, 2006.[2] The shooting was perpetrated by then fourteen-year-old student James Scott Newman who shot and injured two 14-year-old eighth grade classmates with a pistol that had belonged to his parents.[2][3] Newman was arrested and booked as an adult on charges of attempted murder, use of a deadly weapon and use of a firearm by a minor but later received sentencing as a juvenile in which he plead guilty to different charges of two counts of battery with a deadly weapon. James Newman was sentenced to house arrest until he completed 200 hours of community service.[4]
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On the day of the shooting, the school had a delayed start because of snow and not all students had arrived when the shooting began.[3] Just before 9:00 a.m. (UTC-8), fourteen-year-old student James Scott Newman brought his mother's .38 caliber revolver[1] to school in his backpack.[5] He removed the pistol in which he had concealed in his coat pocket[6] and loaded it with three .38 caliber rounds while in the bathroom. He chose his target, student Alexander Rueda, 14, at random while in a hallway outside of the cafeteria. Before he started firing Newman's friend yelled at him to put the gun away, but Newman told him to run.[5] He pulled the trigger twice but the gun did not fire because those chambers were empty. He then fired three times at Rueda. One bullet hit Rueda in the arm and torso, and another ricocheted and hit student Kenzie McKeonin, 14,[1] in the leg from shrapnel. The two injured students had no prior relationship or arguments with Newman.[2] Several students and teachers heard the shots and the athletics teacher, Jencie Fagan, approached Newman and challenged him verbally. The teacher used empathy to convince Newman to drop the gun and then held him until more staff arrived to help.[2][3]
Alexander Rueda was treated at Washoe Medical Center for his wounds and released the same day, while Kenzie McKeonin only needed to be treated at the scene for superficial wounds.[7] The school was placed on lockdown for an hour and then classes were canceled for the remainder of the day.[2] The shooting had been the second firearm-related incident that had occurred on Pine Middle School grounds in two weeks, with the previous incident being reported as a man brandishing a gun towards the campus, which resulted in a precaution by school administrators of having students sent home.[1]
After the shooting, Newman was interviewed by the police and remained adamant that he did not want his parents to be present during questioning.[5] During questioning it was revealed that Newman wanted to use the attack as a way to end the abuse from his father, brother, and others. He said he was tired of being called "stupid" by them.[5] He researched the Columbine High School massacre on the Internet and planned the attack about a week in advance.[5] He ultimately decided against using a knife because "he did not want to be up close when blood came out of any of the victims."[5] The night before the attack, Newman's father had given him a collection of ammunition which included three live .38 caliber rounds. When his parents left the house to eat, he took his mother's handgun from a small safe in his father's closet and hid it in his backpack.[5]
Following the shooting, police arrested James Newman and booked him as an adult on charges of suspicion of attempted murder, use of a deadly weapon and use of a firearm by a minor in Washoe County Jail with a bail of $150,000.[7] However, his trial was put on hold as prosecutors discussed whether he should be tried as an adult or juvenile.[5] Eventually, Newman was tried as a juvenile by the Jan Evans Juvenile Justice Center for the charges of two counts of battery with a deadly weapon[6] instead of the initial charges and was put under house arrest until he completed 200 hours of community service.[4]
- ^ a b c d "Shooting shock", NewsReview (2006-03-16). Retrieved on 23 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d e “Two Hurt in Reno Middle School Shooting”, Associated Press, Fox News Channel (2006-03-14). Retrieved on 21 November 2008. "An eighth-grader opened fire with a pistol Tuesday outside his middle school cafeteria, injuring two classmates, authorities said."
- ^ a b c Gianulias, Koula; Kara Tsuboi, Ed Pearce. “Reno School Shooting Team Report”, KOLO-TV. Retrieved on 21 November 2008.
- ^ a b Sonner, Scott (2006-05-26). “Teen Gets House Arrest in Nev. Shooting”, The Washington Post (Washington, D.C., USA), Katharine Weymouth. Retrieved on 21 November 2008. "A 14-year-old boy who shot and injured two fellow middle school students was sentenced Friday to house arrest until he completes 200 hours of community service."
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chereb, Sandra (2006-03-18). “School shooting arraignment delayed in school”, The Associated Press, Las Vegas Review-Journal (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA), Sherman Frederick. Retrieved on 21 November 2008. "Eighth-grader held in gun attack that resulted in two students suffering minor wounds"
- ^ a b "14-year-old suspect's case headed to juvenile court" (2006-03-18). Retrieved on 21 December 2008.
- ^ a b “Teacher Steps In to End School Shooting”, Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, United States), Eddy Hartenstein (2006-03-15), p. A-21. Retrieved on 21 November 2008.
