School Climate & Safety News in Brief

Administrators Shot by Student After Suspension

By The Associated Press — January 11, 2011 1 min read
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A 17-year-old gunman who opened fire at his Nebraska high school, killing an assistant principal, had been suspended from class and removed from the building hours earlier for driving on an athletic field, police said last week.

Robert Butler Jr. was escorted out of Millard South High School in Omaha on the morning of Jan. 5. A few hours later, he returned and shot both the assistant principal and the principal before fleeing and killing himself, police said.

Mr. Butler had transferred in the fall from a school in Lincoln, about 50 miles away. He had been cited on New Year’s Day for criminal trespassing after driving his car on the school’s football field and track, police said.

Assistant Principal Vicki Kaspar, 58, died at Creighton University Medical Center on Jan. 5, hours after the shooting. Principal Curtis Case, 45, was in serious but stable condition at press time.

Mr. Butler posted a rambling message on Facebook shortly before the shooting about his unhappiness with his new school, but he didn’t supply many details.

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A version of this article appeared in the January 12, 2011 edition of Education Week as Administrators Shot by Student After Suspension

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