30 Years Later: Survivors Of Cleveland Elementary Shooting Come Together To Remember 5 Students Killed
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Thursday marked 30 years since the Cleveland Elementary School shooting in Stockton that killed five students and wounded 32 others.
It was one of America's first mass school shootings. On Thursday night five teddy bears sat outside the campus to honor the victims. CBS13's Linda Mumma talked with some of the survivors and found out how they're coming together for support.
Samnang Leam was just seven years old, a second grader at Cleveland Elementary when a gunman walked onto campus and opened fire.
"Every time there's a school shooting, I relive the moments," Leam said.
He said he was on the playground waiting to play tetherball with his friends when they heard the gunfire. He then saw children running toward the classrooms, pushing and shoving each other to get inside.
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"I remember a male teacher trying to pull as many kids in as he can before closing the door and I happened to be still outside...and the door was shut on me," Leam said.
Feeling abandoned and alone, he ran around the corner and suddenly toppled over.
"I think that's the moment I was shot because I was shot here and on my arm…. and I remember I couldn't walk so I had to crawl," he said.
Luckily he was able to pull himself down the hallway and into a classroom where a teacher scooped him up and helped him get to a helicopter that took him to the hospital.
Adrienne Egeland was in her first year with Stockton Unified teaching kindergarten at the time of the shooting.
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She said at the time it was the largest mass shooting, and now 30 years later, she is finally coming to terms with the events that took place that day.
Some of the people impacted by the attack came together to talk about gun violence.
"What we can all do is learn about the effectiveness of legislation that is possible," Egeland said.
The group also talks about what happened in an attempt to help them heal. Some survivors of the shooting planned to share their stories at an event Thursday evening at Stockton's Civic Auditorium.