Teen who spoke up did what was right
A tragedy may have been averted, said police, because a teenager had the strength of character to tell authorities about threats overheard on the school bus.
A 14-year-old classmate at Uniontown Area High School was discussing his plan to bring guns to the school with the intention of shooting four students on Jan. 26.
While not a part of the conversation, the teen who overheard him talking had the wherewithal to record what the boy was saying, and took it to parents and police.
Authorities swiftly investigated, and what they found in the Henry Clay Township student’s bedroom was shocking: a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, two lever-action rifles, a revolver, two machetes, throwing knives and a crossbow with arrows. Authorities said he had bulk ammunition for the weapons.
Equally shocking was the reason the boy told authorities he intended to shoot four of his classmates.
He simply didn’t like them.
Fayette County District Attorney Rich Bower said the 14-year-old offered no reason beyond that.
On the bus, said Bower, the teen talked about smuggling a gun into school in his backpack, using a sniper rifle to shoot classmates from a distance, and spoke of using a shotgun to inflict damage close up.
It’s chilling, and underscores the sad reality that sending a child off to school has become a frightening prospect.
On Jan. 23, the shooting in Kentucky became the nation’s 11th school shooting this year, according to media reports.
It’s become far too common to hear the word “school” followed by the words “shooting” or “violence.”
Those who were raising children in 1999 probably felt safe telling them that the Columbine High School shooting was a tragic anomaly about which they should not worry.
Nearly 20 years later, that advice feels far less sound.
The closest that mass school violence has come to this area was at Franklin Regional in Westmoreland County, where a student stabbed others using knives he brought from home.
While there were no deaths in the 2014 incident, student Alex Hribal left classmates with physical and emotional scars that will last a lifetime. Hribal was 16 at the time.
The increasing number of youths who commit violent acts is troubling, but not shocking.
Our society and what’s acceptable has changed.
Now, when someone says they’re so angry they could shoot another person, most people hesitate, wondering how literally they mean it.
So too, must we wonder, how a 14-year-old was able to get his hands on three rifles, a shotgun and a revolver, as well as ammunition. In the coming weeks, hopefully, authorities are able to find that answer, and that information can be used to help protect others.
Yet, as we ponder what led this teenager down a potentially bad path, we must also offer praise to the teenager who chose the right one.
It must’ve taken incredible strength for the student on the bus — not identified by authorities for protective reasons — to record what was being said and take it to parents and police.
Teenage years are difficult ones, rife with pressure to fit in and be accepted. That sometimes means turning a blind eye to something bad, but this child did what was right, and in doing so, allowed police to take quick action.
Ultimately, there is no way to know what might have happened on Jan. 26, and because of the teenager on the bus, we thankfully never will.