On February 2, 1996, Frontier Middle School in Moses Lake, Washington, became the site of a brutal classroom execution carried out by a boy not yet old enough to drive. Fourteen-year-old Barry Loukaitis walked into his afternoon algebra class dressed in a long black duster, armed with a hunting rifle and two handguns. He said nothing before he opened fire.
In a matter of seconds, two students—Arnold Fritz and Manuel Vela—were dead. Their teacher, Leona Caires, was shot through the chest as she tried to protect her students. Another girl, Natalie Hintz, was hit and badly wounded. Loukaitis then paced the room, holding more than a dozen terrified classmates hostage while the bodies of their friends and teacher lay still on the floor.
The standoff lasted until Jon Lane, a neighboring teacher whose son was in the classroom, entered the room, spoke calmly, and disarmed the shooter. Loukaitis surrendered without a struggle.
Barry Loukaitis was a gifted student but socially isolated. He had grown withdrawn in the months before the attack, feeding his mind on violent books and films and brooding over perceived injustices. He had become fascinated by mass murder and fantasy violence, once claiming that a school shooting would be “better than going to class.” His home life was fractured. His father was largely absent. His mother was emotionally unstable and reportedly suicidal, even expressing to Barry that they should die together. Instead, he brought the chaos into a classroom of children.
He was charged as an adult and eventually convicted of murder, attempted murder, and assault. Though initially sentenced to life without parole, his sentence was later amended in accordance with new juvenile sentencing laws. He remains imprisoned.
The Frontier Middle School shooting came before Columbine, before lockdown drills and security checkpoints. At the time, it seemed like an isolated nightmare. But it would prove to be a harbinger of a pattern America still hasn’t escaped.
Articles:
Loukaitis’ Mother Says She Told Son Of Plan To Kill Herself
Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” Blamed For Deaths
Loukaitis Guilty Teen Faces Life Without Parole For Moses Lake Classroom Rampage
Additional Links:
Leave a Comment