Chardon, Ohio (CNN) -- The cafeteria table where the deadly Ohio high school shooting began became a somber memorial for grief-stricken students returning for Friday first full day of classes since the incident.
A boy at Chardon High opened fire on Monday and killed three classmates. Two other students were hospitalized and another was grazed by gunfire.
The shooting rocked the school and the community of 5,100 people located 30 miles east of Cleveland. Teens heading back to their daily routines noticed some changes designed to reassure and calm them.
Senior Garrett Szalay told CNN the lunchroom table where the shooting began hasn't been moved. Flowers and stuffed animals are sitting on top of it, he said.
The cafeteria was repainted and tables were rearranged to give the room a different look. The table, with its fake woodgrain top, chrome legs and bench seats, sits perpendicular in the cafeteria, a counterpoint to the way the other tables are arranged.
Grief counselors and police were on hand, and the principal led a moment of silence, Szalay said
"Everyone is here for each other," Szalay said. "But a lot of us are moving on."
The person who authorities say is responsible, 17-year-old T.J. Lane, was charged Thursday afternoon with three counts of aggravated murder, two of attempted aggravated murder and one of felonious assault, the latter related to the student who was "nicked in the ear" by a bullet, according to Geauga County Prosecuting Attorney David Joyce.
Friday marked the first full school day since the incident, a return that administrators and staff touted as key to helping people through the healing process.
School superintendent Joseph Bergant said that staff spent two days working on the transition, expressing confidence that they'll be ready to provide comfort and support to those still trying to make sense of this week's carnage.
Some students were with their parents in the school on Thursday and counseling has been made available at various locales since the shooting.
"I watched families walk through the school holding hands, I watched people helping each other come back into the school," said Geauga County Sheriff Dan McClelland of the scene inside the school Thursday. "It was an incredible spirit of Chardon. I'll never forget that. This is why we live here."
Frank Hall, an assistant football coach and study hall teacher who chased the gunman from the school, said Thursday it was important that students and staff return -- if for no other reason than to "show that terror and evil do not win out."
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/02/justice/ohio-school-shooting/index.html?hpt=us_c2
Showing posts with label Chardon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chardon. Show all posts
Friday, March 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Third student dies after Ohio school shooting
CHARDON - The death toll from a shooting at an Ohio school rose to three Tuesday as family reported that another wounded student had died.
The 17-year old gunman, identified as TJ Lane, shot five fellow students Monday at Chardon High shortly after the start of the school day.
He is expected in court later Tuesday.
The third student was identified as Demetrius Hewlin, who died of his injuries Tuesday morning, MetroHealth hospital said.
"We are very saddened by the loss of our son and others in our Chardon community," his family said in a statement.
"Demetrius was a happy young man who loved life and his family and friends. We will miss him very much but we are proud that he will be able to help others through organ donation."
Police chief Tim McKenna announced the death of the second victim, Russell King, at a news conference earlier Tuesday.
"It's sad to say -- at this point I'm going to announce the second student Russell King has passed," McKenna told reporters.
"At 4:49 this morning, the medical examiner's office contacted me to advise me of that. And I feel sorry not only for that family, but all the families that are affected by this," he said.
The other victim, 16-year-old Daniel Parmertor, died in hospital shortly after the shooting.
The shooting has shocked residents and students of the small Ohio town, who have described Lane as an "outcast" who had been bullied and said he had posted warnings on Twitter and left disturbing messages on Facebook. — Agence France Presse
source: gmanetwork.com
The 17-year old gunman, identified as TJ Lane, shot five fellow students Monday at Chardon High shortly after the start of the school day.
He is expected in court later Tuesday.
The third student was identified as Demetrius Hewlin, who died of his injuries Tuesday morning, MetroHealth hospital said.
"We are very saddened by the loss of our son and others in our Chardon community," his family said in a statement.
"Demetrius was a happy young man who loved life and his family and friends. We will miss him very much but we are proud that he will be able to help others through organ donation."
Police chief Tim McKenna announced the death of the second victim, Russell King, at a news conference earlier Tuesday.
"It's sad to say -- at this point I'm going to announce the second student Russell King has passed," McKenna told reporters.
"At 4:49 this morning, the medical examiner's office contacted me to advise me of that. And I feel sorry not only for that family, but all the families that are affected by this," he said.
The other victim, 16-year-old Daniel Parmertor, died in hospital shortly after the shooting.
The shooting has shocked residents and students of the small Ohio town, who have described Lane as an "outcast" who had been bullied and said he had posted warnings on Twitter and left disturbing messages on Facebook. — Agence France Presse
source: gmanetwork.com
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