A teenager in Ohio opened fire at a high school Monday morning, shooting five people, three of whom are now confirmed dead.
Suspected gunman T.J. Lane, 17, was arrested when he arrived at his car, located a half-mile away, shortly after allegedly being chased from the school. Reports state no motive for the shooting has been determined yet. Students at Chardon High School said Lane was a quiet boy who came from a troubled home.
Lane was not a student at Chardon High. He attended Lake Academy, an alternative school for “at-risk” youths. He took a bus to the school from Chardon High daily. It is alleged that Lane was picked on occasionally, though students said he never lashed out or acted violently.
Many of Lane”s friends were interviewed by members of the media since the shooting. Most have described him as “sweet” and “quiet.” One friend claimed he kept his emotions hidden. Some have pointed to some things on Lane”s Facebook profile that showed he was hiding a “dark side.”
In December, Lane reportedly posted a short poem on his Facebook wall that told a story of a man with no belongings or family advancing on a castle, destroying it and killing all occupants. The message allegedly ended with “Die, all of you.”
Many reports emerged that Lane”s father, Thomas Lane Jr., has a violent history, including domestic violence against Lane”s mother. In August 2002, Thomas Lane Jr. was reportedly charged with attempted murder and barred from seeing his family. The murder charge was dropped, but he reportedly did serve nine months in prison as he pleaded guilty to unlawful restraint.
Lane”s parents divorced in 2002. He was living with his grandparents at the time of the shooting. It is alleged the gun used in the shooting belonged to Lane”s grandfather.
It all seems like so much to deal with at 17. Whether or not Lane committed this atrocity, it is evident he did not have an easy life growing up. If a jury eventually finds that he did, in fact, shoot those five students, questions of Lane”s motives will be ever present.
At this point, it is too early to tell if a motive will emerge. Did bullies push him too far? Did his father”s history of violence factor into it? Unless Lane divulges anything, we may never know.
What I can say is this: Teenagers will always have unfortunate circumstances to overcome in their lives, be it challenges with schoolwork, being accepted socially or drug addiction. From my own experience, teens need more outlets to prevent these types of events from occurring.
It can be hard to get teens to open up. Sometimes, an experience or event may motivate them to do so. Currently, a documentary that may be able to open up a dialogue is running into difficulty in acquiring a “PG-13” rating that would allow it to be shown in schools.
“Bully,” is a documentary that followed teens dealing with bullying for one school year. It is being given an “R” rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) because of language. A Michigan high school student is petitioning to have the rating changed so that it can be shown in schools.
Would this documentary have prevented the tragedy in Ohio from occurring? Perhaps not. But it could certainly serve a valuable purpose and open a dialogue between school officials and students with bullying and other issues that teens may keep hidden.
I hope the MPAA reconsiders its rating choice for the documentary and I hope it prevents other potential acts of violence at schools from occurring. My heart goes out to the victims.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
