The 15-year-old gunman eventually shot himself as police stormed the room at Marinette High School hours later Monday evening, and he was hospitalized with a potentially life-threatening wound.
The teenager allowed five of his hostages out after about six and a half hours, and finally all 23 and their teacher emerged unharmed. 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 television.
“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,” Marinette Police Chief Jeff Skorik said early Tuesday. “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. He said it was not clear where the boy got the weapons or how he sneaked them into school.
The gunman was taken to a nearby hospital. Authorities have declined to release his name and his condition was unknown early Tuesday.
The shooter entered the classroom, where he was a student, at around 1:30 p.m., Skorik said. It wasn’t until the end of the school day, 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.
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 to speak with them by phone.
Skorik said the district attorney was reviewing the case and would decide whether to file any charges.
Marinette, a city of about 12,000 people, lies about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Green Bay. About 800 students attend the high school, according to its website.
Authorities said the school would be closed Tuesday.
District officials said they planned to offer counseling for students.
