Ohio school shooting: Second person dies; gunman posted dark messages

story A second person, 17-year-old Russell King Jr., died late last night of injuries sustained during Monday’s shooting; he was pronounced brain dead. Another person is reportedly in critical condition from the shooting, and two others are hospitalized.
backgroundT.J. Lane, the gunman in the shooting, has been identified by the family’s lawyer. Lane posted a Facebook note back in December which ended: “Wriggle and writhe. Feel smaller beneath my might. Seizure in the Pestilence that is my scythe. Die, all of you.” source

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» The shooting took place in the school’s cafeteria: The shooting in Chardon, a small community 30 miles outside of Cleveland, took place before classes started for the day. The 17-year-old gunman was apprehended within an hour of the shooting. Ohio Gov. John Kasich praised the district’s quick handling of the situation, which involved campus lockdowns and returning students home before they got to school: “Please join me in praying for the students who’ve been injured in this horrible crime,” Kasich said. “Praise goes to the Chardon Police and Geauga County Sheriff’s office for quickly getting this situation under control. I’ve pledged Ohio’s full support to them, the school and the local community in this difficult time.” (EDIT: Updated death toll)

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bad A school shooting at Virginia Tech killed 32 and injured many others back in 2007 – the worst school shooting in U.S. history and one noted for the university’s lax response – they didn’t inform students about the gunman until two hours after the first shootings.
worse The Department of Education just found that the school broke the Clery Act by being very lax about notifying students about what was going on. They didn’t follow their own internal policies. The school could be fined and may lose federal aid. source

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An unspeakable murder A Chinese graduate student was decapitated by a fellow classmate in a cafe on campus. Yesterday, 22-year-old female student Xin Yang was killed with a butcher knife by 25-year-old male student Haiyang Zhu. Yang had only recently started at the Blacksburg, Va. school a few weeks ago. Haiyang knew the student, but no motive has yet been determined for his actions.
Echoes of a major tragedy The tragedy shook the campus of a university that, just a year and a half ago, suffered one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, when a gunman shot 32, then himself. University president President Charles Steger was cognizant of the emotions on campus. “An act of violence like this brings back memories of April 16,” he said. “I have no doubt that many of us feel especially distraught.” source

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28 Feb 2012 10:17