WILL BE COMING ALONG IN A
LITTLE LESS THAN AN HOUR
FROM NOW.
THIS HAS BEEN A STUNNING AND
AWFUL COUPLE OF HOURS FOR
ALL OF THE PARENTS AT OXFORD
HIGH.
>> YES, IT DEFINITELY HAS.
PARENTS WERE DIRECTED TO A
MEIJER NEAR THE SCHOOL WHERE
STUDENTS WERE SENT HOPING TO
REUNITE WITH THEIR FAMILIES
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
OUR JASON COLTHORP IS IN
THAT AREA AND JOINS US.
HE HAS BEEN TALKING WITH
STUDENTS AND PARENTS AS
WELL.
JASON?
>> Reporter: KAREN, I’M
ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE
MEIJER THAT’S WHERE SOME
PARENTS AND STUDENTS HAVE
NOW SPILLED OVER THEY ARE
JUST TRYING TO FIND A PLACE
WHERE THEY CAN GET KIDS AND
THEIR PARENTS TOGETHER IN
THE RIGHT SPOT WHERE THEY
CAN MEET.
THE MEIJER IS JUST ALMOST A ZOO MOW WITH A HEAVY POLICE
ZOO MOW WITH A HEAVY POLICE
PRESENCE AS YOU CAN IMAGINE.
MANY WHO COULDN’T PUT INTO
WORDS WHAT HAD JUST GONE ON.
THEY WESTERN EVEN IN THE
MIDDLE OF IT BUT THEY WERE
REUNITED.
PARENTS NOT LETTING THEIR
KIDS OUT OF THEIR SIGHT OR
REACH.
AS I SPOKE TO MORE PARENTS
SOME DIDN’T HAVE KIDS AT
SCHOOL THAT DAY BUT AS PAULA
SAID A VERY SMALL COMMUNITY
HERE AND EVERYBODY TOUCHES
EVERYONE HERE SO EVERYONE
KNOWS EVERYONE AND SO PEOPLE
ARE ON THE SCENE TRYING TO
SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
YOU HAVE OTHER PARENTS THAT
I CAME ACROSS JUST IN A
STATE OF DISBELIEF, ALSO
OTHERS WAITING TO HEAR ABOUT
LOVED ONES.
NOT THEIR CHILDREN BUT OTHER
KIDS THEY KNOW VERY WELL.
JUST WAITING TO HEAR.
THEN, WE ALSO HAVE IN THIS
SITUATION PARENTS WHO ARE
TALKING ABOUT TALKING ABOUT
THE MOTIVATION HERE.
I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO MIKE
McKAY THE UNDERSHERIFF MANY
TIMES THROUGHOUT THIS
PROCESS AND WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT THAT THREAT THAT WE TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE WHILE
TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE WHILE
AGO.
IT WAS ENOUGH FOR HIM TO NOT
GO TO SCHOOL.
HE STAYED HOME SOME OF HIS
FRIENDS STAYED HOME.
THAT COUPLED WITH SOME
THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN
RECENT DAYS AND WEEKS EVEN
GOING BACK A MONTH, THAT
POLICE HAVE NOT CONFIRMED
BUT THEY SAY THEY’RE LOOKING
INTO EVERYTHING PERCEIVED
THREATS WHERE IT WAS ENOUGH
WHERE STUDENTS JUST DIDN’T
FEEL COMFORTABLE TODAY.
WE SPOKE WITH THAT MOTHER
AND HER SON WHO IS A SENIOR
AND DID NOT GO TO SCHOOL
TODAY.
HERE’S WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY.
>> BUT MY SON HAS A FOOTAGE
OF THEM ON SOCIAL MEDIA
SAYING WHAT THIS PERSON
WHOMEVER IT WAS WHAT HE SAID
THAT HE WOULD DO TO THESE
KIDS IF THEY CAME TO SCHOOL,
IF HE HEARD THEIR VOICE WHAT
HE WOULD DO TO THEM.
THAT IF YOU COME TO SCHOOL
TODAY I’M GOING TO KILL YOU.
>> FIRST THING WHEN I GOT UP
I GOT UP I PUT MY SHOES ON
AND PUT MY COAT ON AND TOLD
MY MOM I HAVE A FRIEND HE’S
MORE LIKE MY COUSIN, AND I
SAID HE’S IN THERE.
HE’S THE ONLY ONE THAT WENT
TO SCHOOL.
I NEED TO GET UP THERE AND
GET HIM OUT OF THAT SCHOOL
BECAUSE I DON’T WANT
ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO HIM.
>> AND HE IS OKAY.
>> HE’S FINE.
HE’S AT HOME.
HE’S A LITTLE BIT SCARED BUT
HE’LL BE OKAY.
>> Reporter: THEY SAID WHEN
THEY GOT HERE TO THE SCHOOL
DEPUTIES WERE EVERYWHERE BUT
SOME STUDENTS WHO HAD BEEN
SHOT WERE COMING OUT.
HE KNEW THOSE STUDENTS.
IT WAS JUST DEVASTATING TO
SEE THEM DEALING WITH THESE
INJURIES.
HIS FRIEND THAT HE KNEW HIS
MOTHER TOLD ME I BELIEVE SHE
SAID HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE
FOOTBALL TEAM BUT WAS ABLE
HE RAN ALL THE WAY HOME
BEFORE ANY OF THIS AND IS
SAFE.
BUT, AGAIN, THE
INVESTIGATION NOW INTO
EXACTLY WHAT WERE THESE
THREATS, ARE THEY CONNECTED
TO THIS 15-YEAR-OLD
SOPHOMORE WHO ALLEGEDLY
PULLED THE TRIGGER TODAY.
THE YOUNG MAN THAT POLICE DO
HAVE IN CUSTODY.
THEY DON’T KNOW IF THAT’S
THE CASE YET.
SO WE’RE WORKING TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT THAT AS PRETTY
MUCH MOST PARENTS WERE
LOOKING FOR SOMEONE ARE
BEING REUNITED WITH THEM AS
WE SPEAK.
KAREN.
>> I KNOW HAVE YOU BEEN
TALKING TO A LOT OF PARENTS,
JASON IT IS HARD TO REPORT
ON THIS IN TERMS OF THREATS
AND RUMORS WE DON’T WANT TO
ADD TO ANYTHING IF WE DON’T
HAVE IT "PROVEN OR
VERIFIED."
BUT IT DOES FEEL LIKE THIS
IS A CONSTANT THING WE HAVE
BEEN HEARING ABOUT THIS
AFTERNOON AN UNEASINESS,
UNCOMFORTABLE.
SOMETHING MAY HAVE HAPPENED
A FEW WEEKS AGO, SOMETHING
MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED LAST
WEEK.
THE STUDENT YOU SPOKE WITH
DIDN’T FEEL LIKE THEY WERE
COMFORTABLE GOING TO SCHOOL.
IT JUST FEELS LIKE THERE
WERE A LOT OF AT LEAST RED
FLAGS SOMETHING OUT THERE
THAT HAD PEOPLE WORRIED?
>> Reporter: AND I THINK YOU
CAN PICK UP ON THAT A LITTLE
BIT WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT
WAS TALKING TO PAULA.
I ASKED HER POINT BLANK DO
YOU THINK YOUR SON CAN GO
BACK TO THIS SCHOOL SHE SAID
NO, HE’S NOT COMING BACK.
SHE DOESN’T WANT HIM TO COME
BACK IN PERSON AT LEAST
GIVEN WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
IN A 11THIER INTERVIEW WE
HAD WITH HER SHE TALKED
ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT
THINGS THAT HAD BEEN
HAPPENING.
WRITING ON THE WALLS,
THREATS TO CERTAIN STUDENTS,
VIOLENT THREATS AND IN HER
MIND, AND SOME STUDENTS
MINDS THEY HAD NOT BEEN
DEALT WITH APPROPRIATELY BUT
AGAIN, EVERY SCHOOL HAS
ISSUES LIKE THIS AND WE
DON’T KNOW THE INNER
WORKINGS WE DON’T KNOW IF
STAFF WAS DEALING WITH THIS
BUT MANY STUDENTS DON’T KNOW
WHAT THE ACTION PLAN IS YET.
SO, IT’S UNFAIR TO MAYBE
CONNECT THOSE DOTS BUT IT’S
CERTAINLY FAIR TO SAY THAT
SOME STUDENTS WERE UNEASY
ABOUT THINGS AND AT LEAST
ONE PARENT DOES NOT WANT TO
SEND HER STUDENT BACK HERE.
KAREN.
>> MOST DEFINITELY THERE’S A