I’m not sure why it’s today, but after hearing on the news lately about the recent school shooting in NY, my mind goes back to a day in December, 1988, at a small christian school in Virginia Beach, VA - Atlantic Shores Christian. On that day in December a young man killed one teacher execution-style, shot another teacher, tried to shoot a third, and broke into a mobile trailer classroom where 20-25 students were huddled at one end after seeing him coming and locking the door.
I never went to the trial, never heard any of the testimony. Today in Google’s cache I found this [link dead = 01-22-03]:
“According to the trial testimony, Elliott entered the store with his cousin and indicated an interest in several handguns. Elliott then picked out the MAC-11 and had a lengthy discussion with the sales clerk about its features. Within a few feet of the clerk, Elliott handed $281 to his cousin, walked over to the display case, pointed to the MAC-11 and told the clerk, “that’s the one I want.” His cousin then paid for the gun and filled out the federal form as the buyer of the gun. Nicholas Elliott left the store with the pistol in hand. “
Here’s another account: “On December 16, 1988, Nicholas Elliot, barely sixteen, walked into the Atlantic Shores Christian School, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with a semi-automatic handgun hidden in his backpack. By midmorning a forty-one year-old teacher had been shot dead, and another teacher, struck by two nine-millimeter bullets, was extraordinarily lucky to be alive. Two other teachers narrowly escaped Nicholas Elliot’s bullets. One found herself running a zigzag pattern through the school yard as Nicholas fired round after round at her back. The other, a man who tackled Nicholas and in the process saved the lives of a roomful of crying and praying teenagers, felt a bullet breeze past his head.”
The shooting plays a part in someone’s homework… [link dead - 01-22-03]
Everytime someone mentions Columbine, or New York, or any of the other school shootings, I think back to that day in December, 1988, huddled on the floor of a mobile trailer.
