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Communication key to averting another tragedy
The shooting of Alexandria Salinas of Corona de Tucson is tragic on so many levels. Not the least of which is an indication that after Columbine, after Virginia Tech, after umpteen school shootings, students seem to have learned little.
Shelden Andrew Pruitt pleaded not guilty in the shooting of his step-sister, Salinas.
The 15-year-old was arraigned in Pima County Superior Court on second-degree murder charges, but no trial date was set. Pruitt was released on $50,000 bond and is currently living with his grandmother.
According to court documents, Pruitt told police he did not know the gun was loaded and was only trying to scare his sister during a dispute over use of the telephone.
The shooting has left one family in a wreck. They lost a daughter and they basically lost a son at the same time. It was bad enough for that family, but it could have been so much worse.
Pruitt had previously taken the gun and a knife to Empire High School to show off. He showed the weapons to his friends, but none of the students alerted school authorities. And then, days later, the shooting occurred.
The Vail School District is taking the incident seriously, hosting a community meeting to discuss the issues. Calvin Baker, superintendent of schools, corresponded with parents and students about the importance of students' knowing they can come forward to avoid tragedies such as this in the future.
Baker also noted that many of the students who had seen the weapons were probably laboring under an intense feeling of guilt. And well they should. After all that has happened in the last decade, even kids should be aware of the seriousness of a weapon in school.
Had just one of those kids alerted school authorities, Alexandria would probably still be alive. And think of the danger to the kids who were shown the weapon. Pruitt says he didn't know it was loaded. Taking his statement at face value, think about all the kids who were around or handled a weapon that was supposedly unloaded. They are lucky none of them was accidently shot.
We were all young and subject to peer pressure. But it's one thing to wear the prescribed brand of sneakers. It's quite another to remain silent in the face of something that could threaten your life or the lives of others.
Empire High students are smart enough to know better. Let's hope they learned a lesson here.
Shelden Andrew Pruitt pleaded not guilty in the shooting of his step-sister, Salinas.
The 15-year-old was arraigned in Pima County Superior Court on second-degree murder charges, but no trial date was set. Pruitt was released on $50,000 bond and is currently living with his grandmother.
According to court documents, Pruitt told police he did not know the gun was loaded and was only trying to scare his sister during a dispute over use of the telephone.
The shooting has left one family in a wreck. They lost a daughter and they basically lost a son at the same time. It was bad enough for that family, but it could have been so much worse.
Pruitt had previously taken the gun and a knife to Empire High School to show off. He showed the weapons to his friends, but none of the students alerted school authorities. And then, days later, the shooting occurred.
The Vail School District is taking the incident seriously, hosting a community meeting to discuss the issues. Calvin Baker, superintendent of schools, corresponded with parents and students about the importance of students' knowing they can come forward to avoid tragedies such as this in the future.
Baker also noted that many of the students who had seen the weapons were probably laboring under an intense feeling of guilt. And well they should. After all that has happened in the last decade, even kids should be aware of the seriousness of a weapon in school.
Had just one of those kids alerted school authorities, Alexandria would probably still be alive. And think of the danger to the kids who were shown the weapon. Pruitt says he didn't know it was loaded. Taking his statement at face value, think about all the kids who were around or handled a weapon that was supposedly unloaded. They are lucky none of them was accidently shot.
We were all young and subject to peer pressure. But it's one thing to wear the prescribed brand of sneakers. It's quite another to remain silent in the face of something that could threaten your life or the lives of others.
Empire High students are smart enough to know better. Let's hope they learned a lesson here.
oyia wrote on Aug 20, 2008 7:41 PM: