On November 26, 1985, Spanaway Junior High School in Spanaway, Washington, became the scene of a tragic school shooting with an unexpected turn. Just after school, 14-year-old Heather Smith arrived at the schoolyard armed with a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle. Distraught over a romantic breakup and reportedly under intense emotional distress, she shot her ex-boyfriend, 15-year-old Gordon Pickett, as he walked out of the gym. His friend, 14-year-old Christopher Ricco, stepped in to protect him and was also fatally shot.
Ricco died defending Pickett. Pickett collapsed in the snow. Heather fled the scene but returned several hours later with the rifle still in hand. When confronted by police, she refused to drop the weapon and, as officers approached, shot herself in the head, dying the next morning at the hospital.
Those who knew her said Heather had been slipping into deep depression—she had slashed her wrists days earlier and told peers she intended to make Gordon “remember her.” Despite warning signs, including poor grades and emotional instability, she carried out the attack with little notice to others.
The Spanaway shooting ended with three deaths: Heather’s, and those of two classmates. It was driven by teenage heartbreak, untreated emotional crisis, and access to a family rifle. The incident remains a chilling example of how adolescent turmoil can lead to unpredictable violence within a school community.
Articles:
A 15-year-old girl apparently upset by a romantic breakup…
Untitled article from the Associated Press
Additional Links:
Heather Smith – Find a Grave
Leave a Comment