Was Columbine The Trigger?
The following are school attacks and alleged plots that may have been influenced by the April 20, 1999, attack on Columbine High School, which left 15 dead:
March 22, 2001: Jason Hoffman, 18, was accused of opening fire at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, Calif., wounding five. Another student said Hoffman simulated guns with his hands and made a reference to Columbine in class earlier this year. He has not entered a plea.
Feb. 2, 2001: Richard Bradley, Jr., 18; Jason Moss, 17; and James Lopez, 16, were accused of planning to attack Royal Valley High School in Hoyt, Kan. Police said they had discussed Columbine and planned a similar attack. Lopez pleaded guilty to two charges. Bradley and Moss' cases are pending.
May 2000: A 17-year-old boy was accused of pointing a pistol at friends' heads and threatening to "do a Columbine" at a Millbrae, Calif., high school. The teen, who was not identified, pleaded guilty to brandishing a loaded gun.
April 20, 2000: A 15-year-old boy was accused of stabbing and wounding five people at Cairine Wilson high school in suburban Ottawa, Canada. Police said the attack was timed for the first anniversary of the Columbine attack.
Dec. 6, 1999: A 13-year-old opened fire on his classmates at Fort Gibson Middle School, wounding five. A defense psychiatrist testified he was deeply influenced by the Columbine shootings. He was found guilty of shooting with intent to kill and having a weapon on school property.
May 14, 1999: A 15-year-old Bethel, Alaska, boy was arrested and accused of assembling bomb-making materials and plotting an unspecified violent act. Police said the boy, who was not named, was influenced by the Columbine killings.
April 28, 1999: A 14-year-old boy opened fire in a Taber, Alberta, high school, killing one person and wounding another. Authorities said the boy, who was not identified, was obsessed with the Columbine shootings eight days earlier. He was sentenced to three years in jail.
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