"It's a small town. That type of thing just doesn't happen here."

The Original Bamfer

Big, Bald and Beautiful
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I was reminded today why that mentality has changed. I live in a small town. Four red lights. A nice little tourist attraction because of its autumn leaves and historical background. Recently, a friend's dad committed suicide at a bar. I and a coworker began talking about it and other related events at work today.


At the end of my 8th grade year in Jr. High, over four years ago, each grade was scheduled to go spend the day at the local park. Being the oldest kids in the school, of course, we had already gone. This was the 5th grade's day to go; only two or three days before the school year ended.

That morning, a fifth grader got on the bus with a duffel bag. He asked the bus driver for help lifting it - it was pretty heavy. He did so, asking the kid what he had in the bag. He replied, "Science Project."

He and a few of his friends knew our park well. On the edge of it were trees and bushes, behind, a steep hill into a ditch. They planned to use that area and his "science project" to literally murder all the kids and teachers that pissed them off throughout the year.

Thankfully, one of the accomplices decided he couldn't go through with it and told a teacher. Ironically, the teacher that was on his hit list. While the police were notified, the rest of us were in a school-wide lock down. Most teachers had their homerooms under desks in the darkness. Some of us got a few glimpses out the windows to see parents trying to get to their children, obviously failing. We had no clue what was happening. Our teacher did, though. It was incredibly disturbing to see her, with each phone call, grow more and more upset - more sad than frightened - without us knowing why.

About an hour and half into the homeroom lock down, we were allowed to leave. Police and teachers created a barricade in the hallway so that we were forced to leave through the main entrance.

His bag was filled with all sorts of guns. And while we were locked in our homerooms, he pulled one out in the stall of the men's bathroom and shot himself in the head.



This was no Columbine, obviously. But could it have been? Had he succeeded in his original plan, who knows. I do know that I'm thankful it turned out the way it did rather than the way it could have been.

This happened years ago, but it still managed to affect me by merely discussing it. And it had been a long time since anyone had.


And as school begins, I ask you this: Why would a fifth grade student, probably around eleven years old, be compelled to murder? What would make him think that he had no other way but suicide?

We hear about teen suicide/murder all the time. But eleven?
 
Yeah, your school handled that horribly. Why would they lock you in the school if they knew before hand who the kid was? That doesn't make any sense?

In my opinion the school caused un-needed panic.
 
Megan Kanka was raped and murdered in my hometown of Hamilton, thus creating Megan's Law, when I was around the same age as her. She went to a 'rival' elementary school. It was pretty crazy when it happened, nothing ever really happened there.
 
If I was a parent of one of those kids I'd be pissed at how the school handled that. They locked everyone in with the maniac kid in the school. Genius.
 
why were you reminded today?

Because around a week ago a friend's dad committed suicide. You understand how conversations branch off.

And the local school starts tomorrow for the lucky kiddies.
 
When I was in public school one of my fellow students committed suicide. He couldn't have been more than 10. He used his father's gun. The reason: His dad told him "If you ever do that again I'll kill you" and rather than have his dad beat him up he took the quick way out.

If you look at the history of the kids who kill themselves someone has hurt them badly in the past. They want revenge and they don't want to be hurt again.

I am for strict gun control because of this. Frankly you shouldn't be allowed to buy bullets without a license for the gun for which you are purchasing them. If you're a collector of guns you should be forced to take the firing pin out of the guns. No person should be permitted to own more than one weapon.
 
What a sad story.
I believe that not only domestic/child abuse can cause children to make choices like this, but I also believe the breakdown of the families make it hard for children.
I also believe our children are more and more being allowed by their parents to watch violent movies at young ages. I know of a lady who was letting her 3 year old watch R rated movies like Rambo. Now, I understand they are only movies and not real life... but come on, tell that to a 3 year old.
Having violence like that going into the brain of a 3 year old? It would be no shock if that child ended up making a decision to murder his fellow students at the age of 11.

It's really sad the stories of murder/suicide.
 
the only person I'd ever known that committed suicide, I really didn't like that much

I never felt bad, neither did I feel good about it, still it was kinda weird, he was one of the popular kids at school, never got to figure out why he did it, lots of people cried about it

indifference can be a very strange feeling
 

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