CONYERS, Ga. — A boy upset over a broken romance shot and wounded six students Thursday in yet another school attack in a comfortable suburban community, then fell to his knees, stuck a gun in his mouth and surrendered in tears, police said.

"Oh, my God, I'm so scared," he said, according to witnesses.

Exactly a month after the bloodbath in Colorado, the 15-year-old sophomore, armed with two guns, opened fire with a rifle about 7:55 a.m., 20 minutes before classes were to begin at Heritage High School, authorities said. It was the final day of class for seniors.

Witnesses said the gunman was running, shooting at no one in particular and firing at students below the waist so as not to kill them.

"People were falling on the floor, a lot of screaming, people trying to help each other," said Joel Thomas, 14.

Students in the common area and cafeteria dived for cover under benches and behind planters. Others raced outside the long one-story red brick building into the parking lot and an area of tall pines.

Authorities did not identify the suspect or suggest a motive. He was charged as a juvenile with aggravated assault, and prosecutors also were considering charging him with weapons violations and cruelty to children, District Attorney Richard Read said.

The gunman must go before a juvenile court judge before he can be charged as an adult, and that probably won't take place until Monday, Read said.

None of the victims' wounds was considered life-threatening. The girlfriend who had broken up with the gunman was not among the wounded.

Heritage, 20 miles east of Atlanta, is a mostly white, suburban school, like Columbine High in Littleton. About 80 percent of graduates go on to college.

After the Columbine High rampage, which left 15 people dead, Heritage officials had sent letters to parents of the 1,300 students to assure them that a similar attack was unlikely at their school.

"Every day since then I've been thinking about whether it could happen here," said Chris Scroggs, 15. "Last night I was thinking that this might be the day."

Even before the massacre in Colorado, Heritage had video surveillance cameras in the hallways and an armed sheriff's deputy on duty during school hours. The deputy didn't exchange fire with the gunman Thursday, and it was unclear where he was during the shooting.

President Clinton was about to leave for Littleton when he received word of the Georgia shooting. The news "is deeply troubling to me, as it is to all Americans," he said. "We thank God that the injuries to the students do not seem to be life-threatening."

After wounding six students, the gunman dropped the rifle and walked outside. He pulled out a .22-caliber pistol and pointed it through a window at senior Joe Watts.

"He stood there with the gun, then he dropped to his knees and put it in his mouth like he was going to shoot himself and he started waving his hands around and pulling the back of his hair," Watts said.

Then assistant principal Cecil Brinkley came over. "He said, 'Let me have the gun,' and the boy flipped the gun over and handed it to him," Watts said.

"And when he got the gun from him, he just quickly put his arm around him and held him and the boy started crying and said: 'Oh my God. I'm so scared. I'm so scared.' "

Brinkley would not comment other than to say: "I was just doing my job. I did what needed to be done."

Four of the wounded students were expected to be hospitalized overnight. The most seriously hurt was a 15-year-old girl who underwent surgery after a bullet hit her in the buttocks and passed through to her intestines.

Nathaniel Deeter, a 15-year-old sophomore, said the gunman's girlfriend of one year had broken up with him this week. He talked to the boy about the breakup on Wednesday.

"He said, 'I have no reason to live anymore.' " Deeter said. "And I told him he was crazy. I thought he was just feeling sorry for himself because a lot of kids feel like that."

Chris Dunn, a sophomore, said he had seen "lots of guns" at the teenager's home but never heard him mention plans to shoot anyone at school.

But Katie Bir, a freshman and a friend of the gunman's ex-girlfriend, said: "People have been saying he's been wanting to do this all year long."

Deeter said he chatted with the gunman about 10 minutes before the shooting started. The gunman was wearing a baggy pullover and loose pants, and Deeter didn't see any weapons.

During the shooting, Deeter said, his eyes locked with the gunman's for a moment. "He had a chance to shoot me when I was in the commons area and he shot the kid next to me in the foot," Deeter said.

Because it was the last day for seniors, many students at first thought the loud popping sounds were part of a prank. A day earlier, a student had released 2,000 crickets in the school.

After the shooting, students gathered outside the school on a track, then boarded buses and headed home. Classes were canceled for Friday, but school officials said graduation would go on as scheduled May 28.

May 21, 1999 | Print this page