News & Politics - gunman claims to have a bomb at a Colorado school

Californian · 09-27-2006, 01:19 PM

(CNN) -- Two schools were evacuated Wednesday after a gunman claiming to have a bomb opened fire and took hostages at a high school near Bailey, Colorado, officials said.

One hostage, a young girl, was released, but the gunman was still holding four others Wednesday afternoon, said Lance Clem, spokesman for the Colorado Public Safety Department. The Colorado State Patrol is assisting, Clem said.

Several shots were fired at the school, and the gunman is inside, said Jefferson County Sheriff's spokeswoman Jackie Kelley.

She had no information on injuries, but said a bomb squad and SWAT team had been dispatched to the scene.

The Park County Sheriff's office would not provide further details, but said it is dealing with a hostage situation.

The 450 students at Platte Canyon High School and the 340 youngsters at the adjacent Fitzsimmons Middle School were evacuated, officials said.

The students were evacuated to a safe place about 12:10 p.m. (2:10 p.m. ET), the Park County School District superintendent's office said.

Bailey is about 35 miles southwest of Denver.

-Kelly- · 09-27-2006, 09:02 PM

I heard 1 girl died

How could he do that

Californian · 09-27-2006, 09:15 PM

I heard that too and the guy who did it, didn't even go to that school. He was an adult.

SoLongSelf · 09-27-2006, 10:42 PM

One of the hostages did die. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. As a future teacher, I hope that I never have to deal with a situation like this.

Quote:

Hostage Situation at Colorado High School Ends With Gunman, Female Student Dead
Wednesday, September 27, 2006

BAILEY, Colo. — A gunman took six girls hostage at the high school in this mountain town Wednesday, using them as human shields for hours before he shot and fatally wounded a girl and then killed himself as a SWAT team moved in, authorities said.

The confrontation unfolded just a short drive away from Columbine, the site of one of the nation's deadliest school shootings. The gunman, believed to be between 30 and 50 years old, was cornered with the girls in a second-floor classroom, and he released four of them, one by one.

Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said authorities decided to enter the school to save the two remaining hostages after the man cut off negotiations and set a deadline. 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.

The man was not immediately identified, and the sheriff was at a loss to explain a motive.

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

The wounded girl was taken to a Denver hospital in critical condition, but was declared dead, a hospital spokeswoman said. She did not release the girl's name.

The last hostage was unharmed and talking with authorities.

After the suspect entered the building, hundreds of students at Platte Canyon High School were evacuated in a scene that recalled the horror at Columbine in 1999, when 13 people were killed by two gunmen.

Students said the bearded suspect wore a dark blue hooded sweat shirt and a camouflage backpack. The sheriff said the man threatened to set off a bomb he claimed to have in the backpack. The man was also toting a handgun.

Tom Grigg said his 16-year-old son, Cassidy, was in a classroom when the man walked in, fired a gun and began telling some students to leave and others — all girls — to stay.

"He stood them up at the blackboard," Grigg said. "He hand-picked the ones he wanted to get out."

The gunman told Cassidy to leave, but he said he wanted to stay with the girls, Grigg said.

"The guy flipped him around and put the gun in his face and said, 'It would be in your best interest to leave,"' Grigg said.

Authorities had what they described as "sporadic" negotiations with the suspect and urged him to contact them for more discussion. Officers eventually crept close to the building, and there were reports of an explosion inside.

Lynn Bigham, who said she was a family friend of the girl who died, said her friend had just turned 16.

"She's real bubbly. Every time you see her, she gives you a hug," she said.

The sight of students fleeing the high school in long lines, and of frantic parents scrambling to find their children, evoked memories of the 1999 attack on Columbine High School, where two students killed 13 people before committing suicide.

Students described a chaotic scene inside after the intercom announced "code white" and everyone was told to stay in their classrooms.

The high school and a nearby middle school were soon evacuated. Jefferson County authorities — who also handled the attack at Columbine — sent a bomb squad and SWAT team to the high school.

"I'm just terrified. I'm terrified," said Sherry Husen, whose son plays on the high school football team and was told not to return to school from his part-time job. "I know so many kids in that school."

Students from the two evacuated schools were taken to another school for a head count. Ambulances were parked in the end zone of the high school's football field, and a tank-like SWAT team vehicle was parked nearby on a closed highway.

Parents pressed authorities for details but had little information on their children.

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."

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

"Things that are out of your control," he said. "It's like an earthquake."

Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was among the students slain at Columbine, said: "Any adult who holds kids hostage is reprehensible."

The schools are in a narrow, winding canyon carved by the South Platte River about 35 miles southwest of Denver. They have an enrollment of about 770 students, with 460 in the high school.

Husen's family moved to Bailey from suburban Denver about 14 years ago.

"We moved up here for the mountain solitude, and I just never thought this would happen in this school, but it happens everywhere," she said.

Foxnews.com

Carmelo Anthony · 09-28-2006, 08:37 AM

Quote:

DENVER - 9NEWS has learned from sources close to the investigation that the gunman in Wednesday's hostage-shooting is 53-year-old Duane R. Morrison.

These sources told 9NEWS Morrison is a transient who lived in Park County for some time during 1999. Morrison has an arrest record dating back 30 years and was most recently arrested in Lakewood in July 2006.

Police are urging anyone with additional information about this case to contact the tip line at 303-816-5947. They believe he was camping or frequenting the area in recent days and are hopeful that someone may have more information.

Further details about Morrison will be released as they become available.

Morrison is suspected of entering Platte Canyon High School Wednesday before noon and taking six female students hostage. Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said Wednesday morning during a press conference that at this point there appears to be no obvious connection between Morrison and both the high school and victims involved.

There were initially six female hostages, but four were released.

Assaults on hostages were reported late Tuesday evening. Wegener said the assaults were sexual in nature. He did not release any other details.

The Park County Sheriff's office says the hostages were released one at a time as they negotiated with the gunman. However, he broke off negotiations at 3:30 p.m. and set a deadline of 4 p.m.

"It was then decided that a tactical solution needed to be done in an effort to save the two hostages that were in the room," said Wegener.

"He gave us a four o'clock deadline, said something was going to happen at four o'clock," said Wegener.

The hostage situation ended when the SWAT unit raided the classroom. The Park County Sheriff's office says the gunman fired a handgun at SWAT officers before killing Keyes and shooting and killing himself.

Keyes was one of two female students being held hostage in the classroom.

The other student was not injured and she was pulled from the room during the SWAT raid.

Keyes was transported from the school to St. Anthony Central in Denver by Flight for Life and died around 4:30 p.m.

Keyes was a 16-year-old junior at Platte Canyon and had a twin brother.

About 770 students attend Platte Canyon High School and Fitzsimons Middle School combined.

The students were evacuated to Deer Creek Elementary School, where parents could go and pick them up.

Classes at both Platte Canyon High School and Fitzsimons Middle School are cancelled for Thursday and Friday.

Crisis counselors will be available at Deer Creek Elementary School. Counseling will also begin at 7 a.m. Thursday at the Platte Canyon Community Church in Bailey.

"Because of the senseless action of a lone gunman, we are grieving tonight," said Wegener.

Wegener says his own son was in the school when the hostage situation began and he was scared to death. "We never expect it will happen in our own back yard," said Wegener.

9NEWS.com | Home Page

clone · 09-28-2006, 11:10 AM

This breaks my heart. I generally don't get personal but I graduated from a colorado high school in 1999 right after the Columbine incident.... the school I went to was very simliar to CHS and Platte Canyon. Why is this **** happening in Colorado schools? Platte Canyon was the coolest high school I've ever seen. It sits in this little valley off 285 and has a sweet bridge to the athletic fields and beautiful flowers everywhere. The atmosphere at both Columbine and Platte canyon were great the times I went there [for FBLA].

I don't get it. Aren't kids supposed to feel safe in little rural schools without some dumbfounded dip****s killing innocent kids? WTF?

Oh he raped them too? ~~Have fun~~Burn in hell *******.

Californian · 09-28-2006, 03:37 PM

I want to know that too. I never heard of him raping them, but it's still so horrible. I go to a small school like that too and we all feel safe because it's so small and you wouldn't think something like that would happen, but after we heard about this we don't feel safe now. we have had two school shootings in other schools in our city's county and it's just so horrible what lengths some people will go to.


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