School Massacre: 15 Horrifying School Shootings That Shook the Nation
Aside from homes, schools are thought to be the second safest haven for children. But what if the institution that is designed to nurture and educate our children suddenly becomes the location for some of most horrific events we can imagine?
School shootings have grown more rampant over the years, a condition that has become a serious crisis. Violence has become a part of our everyday lives and sadly, we all have slowly become accustom to seeing the reports on the news.
Apart from setting safety measures in place to prevent these crimes from happening, it is important to gain a better understanding of what caused these teenagers to plot these plans and commit unthinkable evils.
Let’s take a look at some of the most horrific school shootings in history.
School shootings have grown more rampant over the years, a condition that has become a serious crisis. Violence has become a part of our everyday lives and sadly, we all have slowly become accustom to seeing the reports on the news.
Apart from setting safety measures in place to prevent these crimes from happening, it is important to gain a better understanding of what caused these teenagers to plot these plans and commit unthinkable evils.
Let’s take a look at some of the most horrific school shootings in history.
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Excerpt
Erfurt Massacre
It was on April 26, 2002 that the Germans were issued a horrific wakeup call by a 19 year old boy named Robert Steinhäuser.
It was supposed to be an ordinary Friday for the students of the Johannes Gutenberg School in the bustling city of Erfurt. By some cruel twist of fate, the students witnessed firsthand how the security of the school was breached and how the once quiet corridors reverberated with gunshots.
It was on this day that the former student Steinhäuser stormed into the classrooms and killed a total of 13 teachers and 2 students, along with a secretary and a policeman who responded and arrived early on the scene.
While he was reloading his gun, Steinhäuser suffered a temporary psychic collapse. Seeing it as an opportunity to put a stop to the killing spree, a history and art teacher managed to summon up the courage to shove Steinhäuser into a nearby room and lock him up. With nowhere to go, Steinhäuser shot himself.
Police on the scene identified the weapon used by Steinhäuser as a Glock 17 9mm pistol, which is capable of firing 17 shots from a single magazine. Steinhäuser also carried with him a 20-gauge shotgun but he was not able to use it. According to reports, he fired a total of 40 shots from the pistol but he carried over 500 more rounds of reserve ammunition, which was found in a black bag that he left near the spot where he shot himself.
Apparently, the massacre was not a spur of a moment thing as evidence showed he was well prepared. The bloodbath at the school was considered to be one of the worst shootings that has rocked Germany since World War II.
An American Condition
High school rampages were believed to be an “American condition” and were not considered a problem that plagued Germany. In the investigation following the event, the massacre may have been retribution of sorts, as it was found out that Steinhäuser was previously expelled by the school for forgery of a medical excuse.
Different sectors of society raised alarm at the disturbing turn of events, claiming the “American problem”, where violence seems to be a part of daily living, has reached their country.
According to Steinhäuser’s mother, hours before the rampage, her son claimed he was going to school in order to take a Math exam. She even shared that as he was leaving the house, she wished him good luck. She was not aware that the teenager was expelled two months prior to the incident but did not tell his parents about it. In fact, both the mother and father were led to believe their child went to school every day and was working hard to get his high school diploma.
A little before 11AM, Steinhäuser managed to enter the school building and headed straight to the restroom where he quickly changed into an all-black ninja outfit and a ski mask. He went straight to the classroom where his former classmates were taking the Math exam.
An account from witnesses revealed that as Steinhäuser charged into the classroom, he announced he was not going to write anything before he started firing. As the students ran out of the room, Steinhäuser came after them. One teacher was seen tapping her index finger on her forehead, a silent language that signaled he was insane. In retaliation, Steinhäuser pointed a gun at her head and pulled the trigger.
According to the students who managed to escape his wrath, it seemed as if Steinhäuser was intent on searching out the teachers and killing them on sight with point blank shots, aiming right at their heads. In a matter of minutes, dead bodies started piling up along the school corridors.
It was clear that Steinhäuser managed to kill everyone he aimed at, mostly headshots which showed he was a trained marksman. Aside from the teachers, Steinhäuser also shot down a 15-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, who were hit through a closed door. Authorities surmise Steinhäuser had no intention of killing students and the two were merely killed by accident. This is in consideration of the fact that all of the other victims were hunted down with precision.
One victim, a teacher, was seen running towards her car but in her haste, she tripped. Steinhäuser shot her in the leg, and then as he got near her, he shot her three times in the head. It was the school janitor who called for help. When the police finally arrived, Steinhäuser confronted the arriving officer and exchanged fire with him. He managed to kill one policewomen before he fled to the rear part of the building.
The Accidental Hero
It was Reiner Heise, a 60-year-old history and art teacher, who put an end to the bloodbath. According to him, he encountered Steinhäuser when he opened a door looking for students. Instead of finding the students, he saw the end of the rampager’s gun, which was pointed at his chest.
For some unknown reason, at that same moment Steinhäuser decided to take off his ski mask in front of the teacher. When Heise recognized the student, he started to talk to Steinhäuser, challenging him to pull the trigger but to look at the teacher in the eyes if he should shoot him.
However, instead of taking up the dare, Steinhäuser replied that it was enough killings for the day. The teacher, upon recognizing the possible change of heart, motioned his former student to an empty classroom, inviting him to talk. At this time, Steinhäuser had slowly let down his guard, which the teacher took advantage of by shoving Steinhäuser into the room and locking him inside, then Heise ran to the principal’s office.
In hindsight, Heise shared he did not have time to be afraid, and perhaps unlike the other teachers who were brutally murdered, Steinhäuser may have liked him and did not consider him an enemy.
The police then swarmed the building in an effort to close in on Steinhäuser. Instead of engaging the authorities in another gunfight, Steinhäuser chose to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head.
The Aftermath Hours after the rampage, police found out that Steinhäuser owned a personal website, which was recently updated. Initially, the police thought Steinhäuser may have had an accomplice but later dismissed the idea and concluded that hackers had done the changes on the site as a prank.
The night after the rampage, all church bells across Erfurt rang in mourning and the cathedrals were filled with mourners who wept inconsolably. The school also called in a psychiatrist to help the students in coping with the horror of the massacre. Everyone seemed to have the same question in their minds: “Why?”
For the next three days following the incident, the school was sealed off as the police conducted a more thorough search for clues in their efforts to piece together the horrific chain of events. Classes were also cancelled for a week to give the students adequate time to mourn for the death of their schoolmates and teachers.
All evidence suggests that the massacre was an act of revenge by Steinhäuser, against the system and the teachers who he felt failed him. It was found that the trouble started when Steinhäuser failed an exam called the Abitur, which is the equivalent of the SAT in the United States or Britain’s A-Levels. Upon failing the rigorous examination, Steinhäuser was forced to repeat his final year in high school.
The exam is said to be critical, as all students are required to pass it before they can enter college. Without it, the student will also be blocked from ever getting a decent job or an opportunity to further his or her education. When Steinhäuser was expelled from school for forging his medical excuse, he apparently lost the opportunity of taking the Abitur exam ever again.
It was on April 26, 2002 that the Germans were issued a horrific wakeup call by a 19 year old boy named Robert Steinhäuser.
It was supposed to be an ordinary Friday for the students of the Johannes Gutenberg School in the bustling city of Erfurt. By some cruel twist of fate, the students witnessed firsthand how the security of the school was breached and how the once quiet corridors reverberated with gunshots.
It was on this day that the former student Steinhäuser stormed into the classrooms and killed a total of 13 teachers and 2 students, along with a secretary and a policeman who responded and arrived early on the scene.
While he was reloading his gun, Steinhäuser suffered a temporary psychic collapse. Seeing it as an opportunity to put a stop to the killing spree, a history and art teacher managed to summon up the courage to shove Steinhäuser into a nearby room and lock him up. With nowhere to go, Steinhäuser shot himself.
Police on the scene identified the weapon used by Steinhäuser as a Glock 17 9mm pistol, which is capable of firing 17 shots from a single magazine. Steinhäuser also carried with him a 20-gauge shotgun but he was not able to use it. According to reports, he fired a total of 40 shots from the pistol but he carried over 500 more rounds of reserve ammunition, which was found in a black bag that he left near the spot where he shot himself.
Apparently, the massacre was not a spur of a moment thing as evidence showed he was well prepared. The bloodbath at the school was considered to be one of the worst shootings that has rocked Germany since World War II.
An American Condition
High school rampages were believed to be an “American condition” and were not considered a problem that plagued Germany. In the investigation following the event, the massacre may have been retribution of sorts, as it was found out that Steinhäuser was previously expelled by the school for forgery of a medical excuse.
Different sectors of society raised alarm at the disturbing turn of events, claiming the “American problem”, where violence seems to be a part of daily living, has reached their country.
According to Steinhäuser’s mother, hours before the rampage, her son claimed he was going to school in order to take a Math exam. She even shared that as he was leaving the house, she wished him good luck. She was not aware that the teenager was expelled two months prior to the incident but did not tell his parents about it. In fact, both the mother and father were led to believe their child went to school every day and was working hard to get his high school diploma.
A little before 11AM, Steinhäuser managed to enter the school building and headed straight to the restroom where he quickly changed into an all-black ninja outfit and a ski mask. He went straight to the classroom where his former classmates were taking the Math exam.
An account from witnesses revealed that as Steinhäuser charged into the classroom, he announced he was not going to write anything before he started firing. As the students ran out of the room, Steinhäuser came after them. One teacher was seen tapping her index finger on her forehead, a silent language that signaled he was insane. In retaliation, Steinhäuser pointed a gun at her head and pulled the trigger.
According to the students who managed to escape his wrath, it seemed as if Steinhäuser was intent on searching out the teachers and killing them on sight with point blank shots, aiming right at their heads. In a matter of minutes, dead bodies started piling up along the school corridors.
It was clear that Steinhäuser managed to kill everyone he aimed at, mostly headshots which showed he was a trained marksman. Aside from the teachers, Steinhäuser also shot down a 15-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, who were hit through a closed door. Authorities surmise Steinhäuser had no intention of killing students and the two were merely killed by accident. This is in consideration of the fact that all of the other victims were hunted down with precision.
One victim, a teacher, was seen running towards her car but in her haste, she tripped. Steinhäuser shot her in the leg, and then as he got near her, he shot her three times in the head. It was the school janitor who called for help. When the police finally arrived, Steinhäuser confronted the arriving officer and exchanged fire with him. He managed to kill one policewomen before he fled to the rear part of the building.
The Accidental Hero
It was Reiner Heise, a 60-year-old history and art teacher, who put an end to the bloodbath. According to him, he encountered Steinhäuser when he opened a door looking for students. Instead of finding the students, he saw the end of the rampager’s gun, which was pointed at his chest.
For some unknown reason, at that same moment Steinhäuser decided to take off his ski mask in front of the teacher. When Heise recognized the student, he started to talk to Steinhäuser, challenging him to pull the trigger but to look at the teacher in the eyes if he should shoot him.
However, instead of taking up the dare, Steinhäuser replied that it was enough killings for the day. The teacher, upon recognizing the possible change of heart, motioned his former student to an empty classroom, inviting him to talk. At this time, Steinhäuser had slowly let down his guard, which the teacher took advantage of by shoving Steinhäuser into the room and locking him inside, then Heise ran to the principal’s office.
In hindsight, Heise shared he did not have time to be afraid, and perhaps unlike the other teachers who were brutally murdered, Steinhäuser may have liked him and did not consider him an enemy.
The police then swarmed the building in an effort to close in on Steinhäuser. Instead of engaging the authorities in another gunfight, Steinhäuser chose to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head.
The Aftermath Hours after the rampage, police found out that Steinhäuser owned a personal website, which was recently updated. Initially, the police thought Steinhäuser may have had an accomplice but later dismissed the idea and concluded that hackers had done the changes on the site as a prank.
The night after the rampage, all church bells across Erfurt rang in mourning and the cathedrals were filled with mourners who wept inconsolably. The school also called in a psychiatrist to help the students in coping with the horror of the massacre. Everyone seemed to have the same question in their minds: “Why?”
For the next three days following the incident, the school was sealed off as the police conducted a more thorough search for clues in their efforts to piece together the horrific chain of events. Classes were also cancelled for a week to give the students adequate time to mourn for the death of their schoolmates and teachers.
All evidence suggests that the massacre was an act of revenge by Steinhäuser, against the system and the teachers who he felt failed him. It was found that the trouble started when Steinhäuser failed an exam called the Abitur, which is the equivalent of the SAT in the United States or Britain’s A-Levels. Upon failing the rigorous examination, Steinhäuser was forced to repeat his final year in high school.
The exam is said to be critical, as all students are required to pass it before they can enter college. Without it, the student will also be blocked from ever getting a decent job or an opportunity to further his or her education. When Steinhäuser was expelled from school for forging his medical excuse, he apparently lost the opportunity of taking the Abitur exam ever again.
