- Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis
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Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis Location Cokeville, Wyoming, United States Date May 16, 1986 Attack type hostage situation, suicide attack Death(s) 2 (both perpetrators) Injured 79 Perpetrator(s) David Young and Doris Young The Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis occurred on May 16, 1986, at Cokeville, Wyoming, United States, when former town marshal David Young, and his wife Doris Young, took 167 children and adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School. Mr. Young entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. The couple coralled a large group of students and teachers in a single classroom. Mr. Young attached the bomb to his wrist and threatened the group that he might, at any time, move his arm and ignite the bomb. After a two-and-a-half hour standoff, the children were becoming restless, but the teachers lead them in prayer. The praying appeared to make Mr. Young agitated and decided to leave the room, but, first attached the wrist strap to his wife. Once again the children became a bit loud and Mrs. Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. At one point she lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris Young while David Young was out of the room. Returning to the scene, David Young shot his wife, then himself. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries.
Contents
Background
David Young was the only police officer in Cokeville for 6 months in 1979. After being fired for misconduct, he moved to Tucson, Arizona. He returned on May 16, 1986 with his wife Doris. At 1:00 pm, they pulled up to the Cokeville Elementary School and unloaded a gasoline bomb, along with four rifles and nine handguns. David Young went to the school office, handing out a manifesto entitled "ZERO-INFINITY" and announcing "This is a revolution". Meanwhile, Doris went from classroom to classroom, luring 167 children and teachers to a first-grade classroom.
Standoff
In the classroom, David Young held the gasoline bomb, with the triggering mechanism attached to a shoelace tied around his wrist. He demanded a ransom of two million dollars per hostage and an audience with President Reagan. Doris brought in books, art supplies and a television to help keep the children occupied. Meanwhile, police and parents surrounded the school.
Resolution
About 2 and 1/2 hours into the standoff, David Young handed the bomb to Doris, and went to the bathroom. While he was gone, she jerked her hand on the triggering mechanism and the bomb exploded, filling the room with black smoke and severely injuring Doris. Immediately following the detonation, the teachers started to shove children through a blown out window on to the grass outside the school, causing chaos as panicked parents tried to break through police lines. Following the explosion, the police report states that Young rushed back to the room, shot his wife, and then returned to the bathroom to kill himself.
Aftermath and Injuries
76 of the hostages suffered injuries, mostly flash burns and other injuries from the exploding bomb. Several children reported seeing angels in the classroom that day, including many children which claimed to have seen a "beautiful lady" who told them to go near the window. Other children reported seeing an angel over each child's head.[1] Investigations show that the bomb malfunctioned when it fired, which limited the damage. Had it exploded at full force, the bomb would have taken off the side of the school building, and likely killed everybody in the classroom.
Media
The incident was detailed in the book When Angels Intervene to Save the Children by Hartt and Judine Wixom, which formed the basis for a CBS made for TV movie titled To Save the Children. In 2006, the Cokeville Miracle Foundation compiled a book of recollections about the day from parents, emergency workers and former hostages. The story was also featured on Unsolved Mysteries and Unexplained Mysteries.
References
- ^ "Cokeville recollects miracle of 1986." Deseret News. Sunday, February 22, 2009.
External links
Categories:- 1986 crimes in the United States
- History of Wyoming
- Hostage taking
- Improvised explosive device bombings
- Explosions in the United States
- Lincoln County, Wyoming
- 20th-century explosions
- 1986 in Wyoming
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