quote:

By KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer
10 minutes ago



LONGWOOD, Fla. - A suicidal eighth grader who pulled a handgun in class and forced another child into a closet was shot by a sheriff's SWAT team member Friday when he later threatened deputies, Seminole County officials said.


Sheriff Don Eslinger said the 15-year-old boy brought the gun to Milwee Middle School in his backpack. Eslinger said two students saw it and one persuaded the other to report it, causing a scuffle.

The alleged gunman told one of the students to go into a closet, ran from the classroom and "traveled with this firearm throughout the campus," Eslinger said. Deputies eventually isolated him in a restroom, and the school was evacuated.

"At one time he held the gun to his neck. As the deputies attempted to establish dialogue, he raised the firearm and lethal force was used by the sheriff's office," Eslinger said.

The boy was taken to the hospital. His condition was unknown.

"He was suicidal," Eslinger said. "During this standoff, and during the chase, the student said he was going to kill himself or die."

No one else was injured. Officials with the sheriff's office said they had not confirmed whether the gun the boy had was real or a toy.

Classes were canceled for the rest of the day, and frantic parents arrived to pick up their children.

"When I saw the news, I just couldn't believe this was my daughter's school. I came right away," said Anil Santos, whose daughter, Aleister, is in eighth grade.

Sarah Tivy, 12, said some students were frightened, but she appeared calm.

"I just figured that if someone is going to bring a gun to school, then they need to be taken out of school," she said.

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Originally posted by Jedi Priestess
well hell

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Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
Isn't 15 tenth or eleventh grade?

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Originally posted by botankus
If it took me 4 years to get out of 8th grade, I'd be suicidal, too.

KidRock, the article didn't say that the kid died. Come to think of it, they never specified his injuries at all.

quote:

Sarah Tivy, 12, said some students were frightened, but she appeared calm.

"I just figured that if someone is going to bring a gun to school, then they need to be taken out of school," she said.

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Originally posted by Jedi Priestess
well hell

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Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
A lesson to be learned...

-AC

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Originally posted by PVS
the kid 'deserved' nothing you ridiculous troll.
granted the cops reacted appropriately to protect themselves and
the kids, but with that said you really are a lowlife.

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Originally posted by KharmaDog
Good job for the cops, but I would also like to know where the kid got the gun and what was going on in his life and in his head to make him think that this was at all a good idea.

It's easy for people to react as kid rock did and say that he deserved it, but why did this happen? Maybe he was a psycho little shit? Then again maybe he was molested by someone he trusted for so long that he just wanted to end it and make sure that everyone knew that he was suffering.

It's horrible that it happened. The cops did a great job making sure no one other than the perpetrator of the got hurt, but I'll reserve comment on the kid till we know more about what happened and why it happened.

Of course, now the press and the community will just play the blame game, so I doubt we'll every really know what was going on.

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Originally posted by KidRock
Dumbass kids these days.

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Originally posted by KharmaDog
So speaketh the expert, obviosly speaking from personal knowledge and experience.

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Originally posted by PVS
could have been left back a year...or two.

i turned 15 in 9th grade...so i guess its quite possible

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Originally posted by Lana
Actually, most people in the US are 14 when they start 9th grade (first year of high school). I turned 15 towards the end of 9th grade myself, and I was never held back.

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Originally posted by Lana
Actually, most people in the US are 14 when they start 9th grade (first year of high school). I turned 15 towards the end of 9th grade myself, and I was never held back.