Wis. gunman dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound
MARINETTE, WI
Sophomore Samuel Hengel shot himself after police stormed a
classroom at Marinette High School on Monday night, said police
chief Jeff Skorik. Hengel, of Porterfield, had been holding most of
the students and their social studies teacher hostage for several
hours. No one else was wounded.
The teenager allowed one of his hostages free a short time after
he took over the classroom after the girl's mother tried to call
her daughter and couldn't reach her, said Principal Corry Lambie.
Five more of his hostages were let out after about six and a half
hours, and finally the other students and their teacher Valerie
Burd emerged unharmed.
The terrified high schoolers trapped in the classroom worked
desperately to keep their captor calm by chatting and laughing with
him about hunting and fishing. Student hostage Zach Campbell said
the gunman seemed depressed, but he didn't think he meant his
classmates any harm.
"I didn't know really what to think. I was just hoping to get
out alive," Campbell said Tuesday on CBS' "Early Show." "He
didn't want to shoot any of us."
Campbell told The Associated Press that six of the gunman's
close friends were in that class.
Authorities also said they did not know what might have
motivated the boy who made no demands or requests during the
standoff.
"As far as what caused this, it seems to be a mystery," Skorik
said. "We have not been able to identify anything that
precipitated this incident."
Skorik said the suspect fired three shots immediately before
police entered the room, but he had also fired at least two or
three shots before that. He shot into a wall, a desk and equipment
in the room, but he was not aiming at any students, Skorik said.
The shooter was carrying a 9 mm semi-automatic and a .22 caliber
semi-automatic, and he had additional ammunition in his pocket and
a duffel bag with more bullets was found at the scene, the chief
said. A knife was also found in the room, he said.
A bomb-sniffing dog was brought in to check the building for
explosives and none were found, the chief said. He said it was not
clear where the boy got the weapons or how he sneaked them into
school.
The shooter entered the classroom, where he was a student, at
around 1:30 p.m., Skorik said.
Marinette Schools Superintendent Tim Baneck said the student
started class without any weapons. He then asked to use the
restroom, and when he returned he was carrying the duffel bag
containing the two guns and ammunition, Baneck said.
It wasn't until more than two hours later that the principal
learned that neither the teacher nor any of the students from the
class had been seen, Skorik said. He went to investigate and was
threatened by the shooter to "get out of here," Skorik said.
Lambie said the classroom was dark and locked so he used a key to
enter and that's when the teen pointed a gun at him and told him to
leave. The principal said he left and was able to take one of the
students with him.
Campbell said the class was watching a movie when the gunman
shot the projector, then fired a second round. He had two handguns
and refused to let anyone leave, Campbell said. He demanded
everyone dump their cell phones in the center of the room. When the
gunman's own cell phone rang, the boy snapped it in half, Campbell
said.
He wasn't interested in talking with the teacher and told her to
be quiet, Campbell said. But the gunman chatted with his fellow
students, who tried to keep him talking about how he hunted and
about fishing. Students even got the gunman to laugh, Campbell
said.
The gunman refused to communicate with officials during the
standoff, Skorik said, but allowed the teacher, Burd, to speak with
them by phone.
"The teacher was nothing short of heroic," Skorik said. "I
think she kept a very cool head. She was able to keep the suspect
as calm as possible. I heard that she took the responsibility of
trying to assure the other students they were going to be OK. We
really give that teacher a lot of credit for being able to keep a
cool head under a stressful situation."
Firefighters kept people away from the school. Anxious parents
met throughout the evening with officials at the county courthouse.
After several hours, the boy let Campbell and four other students
out to use the bathroom. Police outside the classroom whisked them
to safety.
About 20 minutes later, Skorik said, officers heard three shots
and broke down the door. The gunman, who was standing at the front
of the classroom, shot himself as officers approached, the chief
said.
Students were taken by bus to the courthouse, where they were
reunited with their parents.
Keith Schroeder, a former Marinette middle school teacher, said
he had the gunman as a student and also knows the boy's teacher
well. He said the teen's family is extremely involved in all their
boys' lives.
"He's a fine young man, and I'm totally taken aback,"
Schroeder told The Associated Press. "Surprised, flabbergasted to
say the least because this is a great family. It doesn't fit any of
the things or the molds that you read about people. I couldn't say
enough good things about the family."
Marinette, a city of about 12,000 people, lies about 50 miles
north of Green Bay on the border with Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
About 800 students attend the high school, according to its
website.
City Councilman Bradley Behrendt said the district spent "a
whole bundle of money" on classroom doors to make them more
secure, but the school doesn't have metal detectors.
School was closed on Tuesday. District officials said they
planned to offer counseling for students.
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Associated Press writers Colin Fly and Carrie Antlfinger
contributed from Milwaukee; writer Scott Bauer and photographer
Mike Roemer contributed from Marinette; writers Kristen De Groot
and Jacob Jordan contributed from Atlanta.