Student Gunman Warned of Attack
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CLEVELAND — A 14-year-old student who opened fire at his high school, wounding four people before killing himself, had a history of mental problems and was known for cussing at teachers and bickering with students.
Asa H. Coon, who had been suspended for fighting, warned classmates of an attack — but none took him seriously.
“When he got suspended, he was like ‘I got something for you all,'” a student who said she often got into arguments with Coon, Frances Henderson, said. “I guess this is what he had.”
Police believe Coon targeted the two teachers he shot yesterday. He also shot two students while others hid in closets and bathrooms or ran out of SuccessTech Academy alternative school. Students gathered outside, many in tears, hugging one another and talking on cell phones.
Parents were angry that firearms got into a school equipped with metal detectors that students said were intermittently used.
Coon’s troubles seemed to come to a tipping point this week when he was suspended for fighting outside with a classmate. Students said Monday’s fight was over God — Coon told his classmates he didn’t believe in God and instead worshipped rocker Marilyn Manson.
Armed with two revolvers yesterday, Coon fired eight shots, Police Chief Michael McGrath said. Police found a duffel bag stocked with ammunition and three knives in a bathroom, but no suicide note, he said.
A math teacher, David Kachadourian, who was treated at a hospital for a minor wound to the back of one shoulder, knew of no reason why Coon might target him. Coon was a student in his beginning algebra class.
“I never felt personally threatened or personally at risk,” Mr. Kachadourian said. “I had concerns about him, yes. He seemed like an angry young man. I did not fear for my own safety.”