Police allege that Karl Halverson Pierson entered Arapahoe High School with a shotgun, a machete, three Molotov cocktails and ammunition strapped to his body, likely intending to track down Librarian who served as a debate coach, Tracy Murphy, who had disciplined him, authorities said.
In what police have deemed a "wise tactical decision" Mr. Murphy left the building.
Pierson shot a Claire Davis, 17, was shot in the head at point-blank range. Davis just happened to be sitting nearby with a friend as Pierson headed toward the library. Davis remains hospitalized in critical condition.
The school resource officer--an Arapahoe County deputy sheriff--immediately went looking for the source of the gunfire. By the time he located it, Pierson had shot and killed himself.
Just who is Karl Pierson? At first glance he appears to have been the kid you'd have wanted your kid to befriend. He was said to be very intelligent, ran on the cross country team, was on the debate team, worked on an Eagle Scout project and aspired to go to the Air Force Academy.
Pierson was said to be socially awkward and was subjected to ridicule and physical confrontations at his old school, Highland Ranch High School. His mother then transferred her son to Arapahoe High School to escape the bullying.
What is perhaps not surprising is that many on the Left immediately sought to paint Karl Pierson as a rabid conservative with an itchy trigger finger. In fact we learn from Pierson's Facebook page he routinely mocked Republicans and described himself as a "Socialist".
Ironically Pierson was also an outspoken proponent of tighter gun laws.
Personally, I would be interested in learning whether Karl Pierson was on psychiatric medication of any kind. It seems a common element in at least 14 of the last school shootings. The fact that one of the most common side effects of psychiatric drugs is violent outbursts and thoughts of suicide.
We can keep yelling and arguing about gun control but we fail to recognize how untreated mental illness or psychotropic drugs often play a part in these tragedies. If we truly wish to stop the violence in America we need to examine what we as a country are doing to help the mentally ill.
Just who is Karl Pierson? At first glance he appears to have been the kid you'd have wanted your kid to befriend. He was said to be very intelligent, ran on the cross country team, was on the debate team, worked on an Eagle Scout project and aspired to go to the Air Force Academy.
Pierson was said to be socially awkward and was subjected to ridicule and physical confrontations at his old school, Highland Ranch High School. His mother then transferred her son to Arapahoe High School to escape the bullying.
What is perhaps not surprising is that many on the Left immediately sought to paint Karl Pierson as a rabid conservative with an itchy trigger finger. In fact we learn from Pierson's Facebook page he routinely mocked Republicans and described himself as a "Socialist".
Ironically Pierson was also an outspoken proponent of tighter gun laws.
Personally, I would be interested in learning whether Karl Pierson was on psychiatric medication of any kind. It seems a common element in at least 14 of the last school shootings. The fact that one of the most common side effects of psychiatric drugs is violent outbursts and thoughts of suicide.
We can keep yelling and arguing about gun control but we fail to recognize how untreated mental illness or psychotropic drugs often play a part in these tragedies. If we truly wish to stop the violence in America we need to examine what we as a country are doing to help the mentally ill.
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