Wisconsin student shoots himself after seven-hour classroom hostage ordeal

     At Wisconsin High School, a 15 year old student held his classmates and teachers captive after school one day. The 15 year old student held a gun that struck fear into many other students and even the teachers themselves. The principal did not learn of this until he realized that none of the teachers and students in that class had been seen since the end of school. Authorities said that the gunman did not have any intentions of neither harming others nor gaining something; the gunman's motive is still a mystery. However, the gun has been shot a total of 5 times; 3 just as the police arrived, 1 in the wall, and 1 in a desk. Later, extra ammunition has been found. Fortunately, all the hostages were released safely. During the standoff, the gunman ordered everyone to abandone their cellphones; and when his own cellphone rang, he snapped it in half. Students later describe that the gunman had no intentions of harming anyone, they were just conversing, however, the gunman would not talk to the teachers. The students and teachers tried to keep the gunman happy by talking to him about his subjects of interest. After the 7 and a half standoff, the gunman shot himself in a vital spot; he was immediately transported to the nearby hospital. The conditions of the gunman are unknown, just that he was vitally wounded. The teacher, later described another, was very calm in the situation and was able to reassure everyone.

     This article illustrates the problem of isolation in high schools. Although there are many methods to isolate one from the community, the results are all the same; the victim becomes uncomfortable, depressed and insecure. The 15 year old student in this article was clearly lonely and it is clearly shown that he only wanted to converse with others and meant no harm. Despite his intentions, his method of approaching his desires forced others to think otherwise. I am sure, however, that the student realized his mistake and decided at the end of the standoff to shoot himself. It is very normal for other students to panic during the standoff because you can never know what is going through the gunner's mind. I thought the teacher played a very vital role in keeping everyone safe because she was able to calm her students. In situations like these, with the absence of calmness, the situation may have turned out very differently. Although this article does not relate hugely to society, it still serves as a reminder to us that we may encounter very difficult situations in our lives and that patience and calmness is the key to persevere through them.