(Untitled)

[_stddance]

December 1, 1997 - Michael Carneal, 14, liked to wear black and was thought by classmates in Paducah, Kentucky, to be a Satanist. That morning, he brought a gun to school and opened fire on a small prayer group. Three girls died and five other students were wounded. Another student tackled him, and it was soon revealed that Carneal had a pistol

Comments

[emr3drum]

I don't see how you can be tackled when you have a gun in your hand and you're shooting people. How can you be so careless to let your guard down? Is the thrill too much of a distraction? It's a pity, really. I'd like to see interviews with each of the surviving suspects and have them explain the whole process personally. Some Dan Rather quality-type stuff!

[a_reverie]

He wasn't tackled. That isn't how it happened. I lived in that town, I was good friends with Michael when that happened, and I still am.
The media misconstrued a LOT of the story. Sucks, really.

[alisiya_]

So.. Tell us.. What really happened?

[_stddance]

How did it happen?

[a_reverie]

I don't want to say too much, there were a lot of lawsuits floating around a while ago, and I don't want to trap myself in that or anything. But I will say that he never intended to kill anyone. He only wanted to scare people. One of the girls who died was a very very good friend of his. He never would have done that intentionally. He put the gun down on his own, Ben came up to him cos they were friends and he wanted to calm him down and ask him why he just did that. No one else was in on it. Michael was just sick, literally. Not in an insulting way, but a very serious way. Michael also had a lot of friends, a lot of people cared about him. He wasn't much of an outcast. That's all I really think I can say about it for now.

[_stddance]

So why did he do what he did? Why was he trying to scare them? Did he ever give any reasonings? Is there a confession you can read anywhere, or anything similar? What's his current situation? Is he in prison? Will he be getting out? Do you keep in contact with him?

heh... sorry so many questions!

[a_reverie]

Hehe, no, its okay. I am used to answering questions about him. I will answer what I can without making myself liable to legalities.

I do keep in contact with him as best as I can. He is in prison until he is 40, at least. Then he may not even get out, that is just when he is eligible for parole. He's not so much in a prison as he is in a psychiatric facility for felons. Which is a good thing.

He did give reasons, but they are all kindof generic and based on delusions he was having at the time. I don't think he even knows for sure why he did it, he was just very sick and needed treatment.

There was a videotaped confession, I think. They played audio of it on NPR when the lawsuits started in 1998, so it must be out there somewhere... I remember it cos I woke up and heard it from my mom's room and was like "Wtf is Michael doing on the radio?". Scared the bejesus out of me.

[_stddance]

so have you spoken with him since then?

[a_reverie]

Yes, quite often.

[a_reverie]

I just went back and read the paragraph on this post and I had forgotten about the religious stuff in it. He wasn't a Satanist. Never acted like one. I don't think anyone even thought he was. The prayer group at that school was just unavoidable. Nothing against them, it was just huge. Separation of church and state does not exist in that town.

[bdshanfan_14]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say seperation of church and state doesn't exist in Paducah, but I can see where you're coming from. I agree with you, though about Mike not being a Satanist. A friend of mine from class (I attended school in Marshall County) went to church with him and his family and they were devout Lutherans. I honestly don't know where they came up with the whole Satanist thing other than it was a lawyer ploy to try for the mental incompetancy thing. Which, they did, and it worked.