Parker Middle School dance shooting

The Parker Middle School dance shooting was an incident that occurred on April 24, 1998 at a restaurant in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, United States. 14-year-old Andrew Jerome Wurst fatally shot 48-year-old John Gillette, and wounded another teacher and two students.^[1] at Nick's Place (a nearby restaurant) during an 8th grade graduation dance.^[2]

Prior to the shooting, Andrew Wurst was described as an average student, and somewhat of a loner. One student noticed that he had become curt and unfriendly prior to the shooting, and had told others that he wanted to "kill people and commit suicide".^[3] He had no history of mental illness prior to the shooting.

The Shooting

Wurst showed up late to the dance, with his father's .25 caliber pistol in a holster belt under his jacket. He had previously left a suicide note under his pillow, and stated to investigators that he planned to go to the dance and kill only himself.^[4] The shooting began on an outdoor patio, about 20 minutes before the dance was scheduled to end, around 9:40. He shot John Gillette after he asked Wurst to come inside. Before running out of ammunition, Wurst proceeded to enter Nick's Place, where the dance had been held, and subsequently fired and wounded Edrye Boraten, a teacher and two students, Jacob Tury and Justin Fletcher. ^[5] The shooting ended when the owner of Nick's Place, James Strand, intervened and confronted Wurst with his shotgun, ordering him to drop his weapon and later holding him at bay for eleven minutes. Strand later got Wurst on the ground and searched him for weapons, finding a dinner fork in his sock. ^[6]

The Trial

Wurst's attorneys had considered an insanity defense, but recommended that he plead guilty because it would be hard to convince the jury to an insanity defense.

Wurst was charged with attempted murder, third degree murder, and first-degree murder, and plead guilty in a plea bargain to a lesser charge of third-degree murder along with attempted murder to avoid going to trial, and in an attempt to avoid life imprisonment. He is serving a 30 to 60-year sentence in a prison for young offenders.^[3] He will be eligible for parole in 2029.

References

1. ^ Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10370&page=80
2. ^ Violence Goes to School http://www.sino.trellisinteractive.com/nfa/chronology.html
3. ^ ^{a b} Edinboro Teen Killer Sentenced http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19990910teacher1.asp
4. ^ Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10370&page=76
5. ^ Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10370&page=80
6. ^ School Shooting Timeline: April 25 1998 http://www.knowgangs.com/school_resources/timeline/1990_1999/39.php,

Coordinates: 41°54′03″N 80°07′41″W / 41.9007°N 80.1280°W / 41.9007; -80.1280

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Name	Wurst, Andrew
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