Parkway South Junior High School shooting
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| Parkway South Junior High School shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | St. Louis County, Missouri, USA |
| Date | January 20, 1983 approximately 11:55 a.m. (CST) |
| Attack type | School shooting, murder-suicide |
| Weapon(s) | Two unspecified pistols |
| Deaths | 2 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 1 |
| Perpetrator(s) | David F. Lawler |
The Parkway South Junior High School shooting refers to a school shooting that occurred at Parkway South Junior High School in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, on Thursday, January 20, 1983. David F. Lawler (14), an eighth-grade student at the school, shot two of his classmates, killing one and injuring the second, before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide. [1]
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[edit] Details
Lawler brought two family-owned pistols to the school in a blue duffel bag. He had received the ammunition for the shooting as a Christmas present.[2]
Lawler had entered a study hall classroom at approximately 11:55 a.m. and opened fire with the two pistols. Randall Koger (15) was shot in the chest and died at 12:28 p.m. and Greg Saffo-Palmer (15) was seriously injured in the shooting and sent to a local hospital. Lawler then turned one of the pistols on himself and committed suicide.
[edit] Suspected motive
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
"Police believe the shootings may have been spurred by a remark Palmer had made to another youth concerning Lawler's older brother, Ken. [...] Tim Palmer, 16, Greg's brother, said Greg had told him that he had called Ken a derogatory name for a sissy. But Tim Palmer said that although his brother disliked Ken, he had barely known David Lawler."[2]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ "8th Grader Kills Youth, Then Himself at School," The New York Times. [1]
- ^ a b Karen L. Koman & Phyllis Brasch, "A Funeral, Agony for Families Follow Parkway School Shooting," St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 23, 1983 Sunday Fast Mail Edition, via LexisNexis (subscription required)
