Evan Ramsey

Evan Ramsey (born February 1981) is a convicted American murderer who committed a school shooting at Bethel Regional High School in Bethel, Alaska on February 19, 1997, which had left two people dead, and two others injured. He is currently serving two 99-year sentences and will be eligible for parole in 2066.

Childhood

Ramsey's father was sent to prison when he was seven, and then his mother slipped into alcoholism. Ramsey and his siblings were then sent to foster homes, and in at least one he was sexually abused. Often, his own foster brothers would pay other students to beat him up as a sick game. He suffered from depression from as young as 10 and was contemplating suicide five years before the shootings.

Motives

Ramsey was reportedly picked on frequently at school. According to friends, Ramsey was very smart and was often called names such as "retard", "spaz", "Screech" from Saved by the Bell TV series, or "braindead".

He was not the first in his family to bring a gun into a public place. In 1986, Evan's father Don was nicknamed "Rambo of Alaska" after an incident in which a newspaper refused to publish his letter, he went to the newspaper's office armed with an .223 semi-automatic rifle and a .44 magnum revolver and over 200 rounds of ammunition. After a short stand-off, Don Ramsey surrendered, and was imprisoned.

Two weeks after his father was paroled, Ramsey perpetrated the school shooting. Reports say over 20 people knew of Ramsey's plan to shoot up the school, and two actually helped him. One, named James Randall, taught him how to use a shotgun, and the other told Ramsey of the infamy that would come. Reports say one student even brought a camera to school on the day.

The shooting

On February 19, 1997, Ramsey stole a 12 gauge pump-action shotgun from his foster home, which he used for the shooting. Ramsey entered the school lobby, brandishing the shotgun, and shot 15-year-old student Josh Palacios in the abdomen, killing him. He had also shot and injured two other students. Afterwards, Ramsey entered Principal Ron Edward's office where he shot and killed him. As police arrived at the scene, Ramsey placed the shotgun barrel under his chin, reportedly said, "I don't want to die," and laid the shotgun on the ground and surrendered.

Ramsey is reported to claim he did not understand his actions would really kill people.

entencing

Ramsey was charged as an adult, sentenced to 200 years in a maximum-security prison, and is eligible for parole in 2066 [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/reports/younglives/20010514-9999_mz1c15alaska.html] , when he will be 85 years old.

Victims

*Josh Palacios
*Ron Edward

Evan Ramsey did an interview with Anderson Cooper titled "In The Mind of a Killer" in which he blamed "Doom" for his school shooting. His crime was also profiled on the Court TV series "Anatomy of a Crime".

ee also

*School shooters
*Spree killing

References

* [http://www.sino.trellisinteractive.com/nfa/chronology.html Violence goes to School]
* [http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,127231,00.html Young Voices from the Cell]
* [http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=5040342&page=1 School Shooter: 'I Didn't Realize' They Would Die]

External links

* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/reports/younglives/20010514-9999_mz1c15alaska.html Article on the killing]