Ohio School Shooting

Asa Coon (14) was suspended from Success Tech, an alternative high school in downtown Cleveland, after a fight with another student on Monday, October 8. Coon's violent nature can be referenced to a previous episode in seventh grade when he was charged with domestic violence and had attempted to take his life. Coon has been described by his classmates as "odd" and had confided to friends that he might resort to violence if he were to "snap" one day. His threat was not an empty one.

Around 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Coon entered the school with a revolver in each hand: a .38 caliber and a .22 caliber. He wounded five people-- two teachers and three students-- some of whom police suspect may have been specific targets of Coon because of past conflict. While all five victims were in stable condition as of Wednesday night, the only casualty of the shooting was Coon, who shot himself in one of the classrooms. In addition to the two revolvers, police found extra ammunition and three knives on Coon's body. Even though Coon was reported to have made violent threats to teachers and students at Success Tech High School, no metal detector was used that day and Coon passed by the school's security guard without detection.

What is particularly disturbing about this tragic event is that it was predictable and preventable. Coon's abnormally violent behavior was repeatedly noted and ignored. Physical abuse had been recorded in his past, and he had spent time in a mental institution where he had threatened to commit suicide. He was constantly in physical conflict with others and spoke about acts of violence in front of his friends, teachers, and classmates. Even though he was recognizably violent and unstable, the school made little effort to ensure his safety or the safety of the faculty and other students. At the very least, Coon should have been in counselling at the school's request. Also, if Coon's suspension from school had been enforced, he would never have been able to enter the school, let alone enter it with two guns and three knives.

In order to prevent tragedies such as the Success Tech shooting, students and teachers need to be sensitive to verbal physical threats and violent language used by students. Any student who talks about shooting classmates or blowing up schools needs to be placed under a counselor's supervision and extra security measures need to be taken concerning that student. Every time a shooting like this happens, the victims always claim that they never thought it could happen at their school. Violent threats and any abnormally agressive behavior need to be taken seriously. It's a matter of life and death.