1997 Heath High School shooting

Mass shooting in West Paducah, Kentucky December 2025 September 2022 1997 Heath High School shooting 1997 12 01 7:45 a.m. School shooting, mass shooting, triple-murder 3 6 Michael Adam Carneal CST West Paducah, Kentucky, U.S. 37.0790 -88.7944 region:US-KY USA # USA Kentucky center 250 Heath High School 37.0790 -88.7944 Ruger MK II .22-caliber pistolAdams Lauren 2014-11-20 Survivors remember deadly Ky. school shooting 17 years later https://www.wlky.com/article/survivors-remember-deadly-ky-school-shooting-17-years-later/3753900 2021-01-28 WLKY en Inconclusive Lawsuit against two Internet pornography sites, several computer game companies and makers and distributors of the 1994 film Natural Born Killers and the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries by the victims' families. The Heath High School shooting occurred at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, on December 1, 1997, when 14-year-old Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of students, killing three and injuring six. Shooting On December 1, 1997, Carneal wrapped a shotgun and a rifle in a blanket and took them to school, passing them off as an art project he was working on. He carried a loaded Ruger MK II .22-caliber pistol in his backpack. Carneal rode to school with his sister and arrived at approximately 7:45 a.m. When he arrived, he inserted earplugs into his ears and took the pistol out of his bag. He fired ten rounds in fast succession at a student prayer group. Three girls later died and six other students were wounded.2019-06-13 Missy Jenkins Smith https://momsdemandaction.org/missy-jenkins-smith/ 2024-09-26 Moms Demand Action en-us Brittney Thomas, a survivor, said that when she turned around during the shooting, she was "kind of facing down the barrel of the gun."http://www.wkyt.com/content/news/Remembering-a-deadly-Kentucky-high-school-shooting-20-years-later-461092173.html Remembering a deadly Kentucky high school shooting 20 years later Philpott Amber November 30, 2017 June 4, 2018 en A member of the group, Benjamin Strong, testified that Carneal dropped the gun of his own accord after the shooting.https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/25/us/when-grief-wanted-a-hero-truth-didn-t-get-in-the-way.html When Grief Wanted a Hero, Truth Didn't Get in the Way Glaberson William July 25, 2000 The New York Times January 15, 2018 en-US 0362-4331 Carneal placed his pistol on the ground and surrendered to the school principal, Bill Bond. After dropping the gun, Carneal said to Strong: "Kill me, please. I can't believe I did that."Julie Grace http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,137027,00.html https://archive.today/20130204192910/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,137027,00.html dead February 4, 2013 Time When The Silence Fell June 24, 2001 May 4, 2010 Victims Killed Nicole Hadley was a fourteen-year-old freshman who played in the school band and on the freshman basketball team. She was kept alive until 10:00 pm the evening of the shooting. Her family had moved to Paducah from Nebraska the year before. Her parents were praised for donating her organs. President Bill Clinton cited this "courageous decision" in his Proclamation 7083 on National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week in 1998.http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=55804 Proclamation 7083 on National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week. Jessica James was a seventeen-year-old senior and member of the marching band. She died in surgery at Western Baptist Hospital the afternoon of the shooting. Kayce Steger was a fifteen-year-old sophomore, a clarinetist in the school band and a member of the Agape Club and softball team. She died at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah about 45 minutes after the shooting. She was an honor student and member of Law Enforcement Explorers Post 111 who hoped to be a police officer.http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309084121/html/139.html Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence National Research Council 2003 10.17226/10370 978-0-309-08412-3. Wounded Shelley Schaberg, 17, was described by the principal as the school's best female athlete. Voted Miss Heath High School by the senior class, Shelley was homecoming queen. Although her injuries from the shooting prevented her from playing basketball, her college honored her basketball scholarship and she went on to play college soccer. Melissa "Missy" Jenkins, 15, was president of the Future Homemakers of America. She was paralyzed from the chest down after being shot. She has appeared on numerous national and local television shows, talked to newspaper reporters and appeared in two TV commercials for Channel One News, an educational channel that reaches schools throughout the country. A video interview of her was featured on the homepage of YouTube.com on April 22, 2007.http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=31462 Victims of the attack find different ways to move on with lives Joseph Gerth. Mandy Jenkins, 15, was the twin sister of Melissa Jenkins. A bullet grazed her neck. Kelly Hard Alsip,http://www.wave3.com/story/8994275/michael-carneals-victims-and-families-talk-about-his-request-for-a-new-trial?redirected=true Time Michael Carneal's victims and families talk about his request for a new trial 2008-09-11 2011-06-21 16, was a member of the softball team and the Future Homemakers of America. She transferred to the local Catholic school the year after the shooting. Hollan Holm, 14, was a member of the Academic Team, the Spanish Club, and the Science Olympiad. He had been shot in the side of the head, which left a gash and required 13 staples to shut, but he had no permanent physical complications or brain damage.Aftermath of gun violence: 'It stays with you' https://subscribe.cincinnati.com/restricted https://archive.today/20250708184527/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/story-series/aftermath/2018/07/03/stays-you/721587002/ July 8, 2025 2025-07-08 subscribe.cincinnati.com In his valedictory speech at the class of 2001 graduation, he reminded his class that they had lost not one but two class members on December 1, 1997: Nicole Hadley and Michael Carneal.http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309084121/html/139.html Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence National Research Council 2003 10.17226/10370 978-0-309-08412-3 Holm has been involved with an organization that urges students to speak up if they know of threats against schools or students. Craig Keene, 15, was a member of the Agape Club, the band, and the basketball team. Perpetrator Michael Carneal 1983 6 1 3 life sentences with possibility of parole after 25 years (parole denied in 2022; sentence to be served out) Incarcerated Murder (3 counts)Attempted murderFirst degree burglary John Adam Carneal (Father) Ann Adam Carneal (Mother) Michael Adam Carneal Michael Adam Carneal was a 14-year-old freshman at the time of the shooting.https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/us/school-shooting-kentucky-west-paducah/index.html 20 years ago, another Kentucky school was attacked. Locals have never forgotten it Madison Park CNN 2018-06-04 Carneal told reporters that he could not give a single explanation for his crimes, and that contributing factors included a mistaken belief of his that his parents did not love him, bullying from classmates, and false claims he was gay. He stated that he did not know who he was aiming at until he read the names in the paper.https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/01/24/sister-paducah-shooting-victim-couldnt-believe-could-happen-again/1060899001/ Sister of Paducah, Ky., shooting victim: 'I couldn't believe this could happen again' USA TODAY 2018-06-04 en Weeks before the incident, Carneal had stolen a .38 caliber handgun from his parents' room and attempted to sell it. A student took the gun, threatening to tell police if Carneal did not give it to him. Carneal had told students that "something big is going to happen on Monday" but no one took him seriously. In the weeks before the shooting, Carneal stole several firearms from both his own home and a neighbor's home. On the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day, Carneal went to his neighbor's home and broke into the garage, taking four .22 rifles, a 30-30 rifle, .22 and 12 gauge ammunition and earplugs.Bragg Rick Rick Bragg 3 December 1997 Forgiveness, after 3 die in shootings in Kentucky https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/03/us/forgiveness-after-3-die-in-shootings-in-kentucky.html 6 April 2018 The New York Times New York, NY Later, he stole a Ruger .22 pistol and several .22 magazines.12 December 1997 UPI Focus: Boy indicted in Ky. school shooting https://www.upi.com/Archives/1997/12/12/UPI-Focus-Boy-indicted-in-Ky-school-shooting/1067881902800/ 5 April 2018 United Press International News World Communications Boca Raton, Florida Presumably sometime after Thanksgiving, Carneal stole two shotguns from his father's closet and hid them under his bed. Mental illness According to reports, Carneal had been bullied by other students and had anxiety, depression, and severe paranoia. His paranoia was manifested in habits such as covering up vents and windows while in bathrooms, because he believed he was being watched.https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/04/us/finding-futility-in-trying-to-lay-blame-in-killings.html Finding futility in trying to lay blame in killings New York Times 2000-08-04. Following the shooting, Carneal was diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder and dysthymia. Kathleen O'Connor, who treated Carneal while he was incarcerated at the Northern Kentucky Youth Development Center, initially agreed with this diagnosis but later determined that Carneal had paranoid schizophrenia.https://casetext.com/case/carneal-v-crews-3 https://web.archive.org/web/20171213201232/https://casetext.com/case/carneal-v-crews-3 dead December 13, 2017 Carneal v. Crews CaseText en 2018-01-15https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ky-supreme-court/1150930.html Commonwealth v. Carneal Supreme Court of Kentucky case and opinions Findlaw 2018-01-15 Dewey Cornell and Diane Schetky, who evaluated Carneal after the shooting, later changed their diagnosis to schizophrenia. He has been hospitalized several times since the start of his incarceration due to psychosis, and takes the anti-depressant Zoloft and Geodon, an anti-psychotic used to treat schizophrenia.http://www.wdrb.com/story/13279449/school-shooter-michael-carneal-discusses-delusions School shooter Michael Carneal recalls delusions WDRB Louisville, Kentucky 6 October 2010 6 July 2017 July 6, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170706021755/http://www.wdrb.com/story/13279449/school-shooter-michael-carneal-discusses-delusions dead Carrie Harned http://www.wave3.com/story/932794/carneal-recalls-1997-high-school-shooting-rampage?clienttype=printable Carneal recalls 1997 high school shooting rampage WAVE3 News 12 September 2002 6 July 2017 Stephen King Carneal had in his locker at the time a copy of Stephen King's novel Rage, first published in 1977 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.Smythe James July 3, 2012 Rereading Stephen King: week four – Rage https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jul/03/rereading-stephen-king-rage April 15, 2024 Guardian After this shooting, King requested his publisher to allow it to go out of print, fearing that it might inspire similar tragedies. Rage for a time continued to be available in the United Kingdom in The Bachman Books collection, although the collection now no longer contains Rage. Trial In October 1998, a guilty plea from Carneal was accepted due to his mental illness. Under a plea arrangement, the judge agreed to accept the pleas on condition that Carneal would receive a life sentence with the possibility of parole in 25 years (2022). According to prosecutor Tim Kaltenbach, the plea allows Carneal to receive mental health treatment during imprisonment as long as this is necessary for him or until he is released.http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2017/11/28/20-years-later-michael-carneal/ Heath 20 Years Later: Michael Carneal 2017-11-28 WPSD Local 6 - Your News, Weather, & Sports Authority 2018-06-04 en-US Carneal was transported to the Kentucky State Reformatory in La Grange when he turned 18 where he remains. Prior to that he was held in at Northern Kentucky Youth Development Center, a Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice facility in Crittenden.http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/05/paducah.shooting/ Kentucky school shooter - guilty but mentally ill 1998-10-05 2007-11-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20070913115713/http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/05/paducah.shooting/ 2007-09-13 CNN Carneal's Kentucky Department of Corrections (KDOC) ID is 151127. Carneal began serving time with KDOC on June 1, 2001."Carneal, Michael A." Kentucky Department of Corrections. Retrieved on December 2, 2015. In 2007, Carneal filed an appeal claiming that he was too mentally ill to plead guilty to the shooting at Heath High School. He asked the Kentucky Supreme Court for a re-trial. Prosecutors appealed and the Kentucky Supreme Court rejected his request. In 2012, he attempted to withdraw his plea claiming he was mentally ill at the time he made it. Later in the year the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the request, stating he should have acted sooner. He was originally scheduled to be eligible for parole on November 16, 2022.Offender Information http://kool.corrections.ky.gov/KOOL/Details/246005 Kentucky Online Offender Lookup Kentucky Department of Corrections 25 May 2022 However, his hearing was rescheduled and began on September 19, 2022. Parole denial On September 26, 2022, the parole board unanimously denied Carneal's bid for parole and ordered him to serve out the remainder of his life sentence.Salahieh Nouran Watson Michelle Kentucky Parole Board votes to have Paducah school shooter serve out life sentence https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/26/us/paducah-kentucky-michael-carneal-parole-full-board-hearing/index.html CNN 26 September 2022 26 September 2022Kentucky school shooter imprisoned 25 years seeks parole https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/kentucky-school-shooter-imprisoned-25-years-seeks-parole-90131674 ABC News 19 September 2022Planas Antonio 26 September 2022 Kentucky school shooter who killed 3 students in 1997 is denied parole and will serve out his life sentence https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kentucky-man-killed-3-school-shooting-1997-denied-parole-rcna48529 26 September 2022 NBC The "serve out" ruling, under Kentucky law, means the inmate in question cannot be considered for any future parole hearings (though commutation or a pardon from the governor is still possible).Kentucky State of Application for Pardons and Commutations https://governor.ky.gov/services/application-for-pardons-and-commutations Application for Pardons and Commutations State of Kentucky 8 May 2023 This means Carneal's life with parole sentence is now effectively a life without parole (or "whole life") sentence. Settlement for families The families of the deceased have agreed to a $42million settlement from Carneal. At the time of settlement Carneal had no assets, and his family's insurance company, Kentucky Farm Bureau, has insisted repeatedly through court motions that it is not liable for his actions.https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96287&page=1 Paducah Families Accept Shooting Settlement January 7, 2006 ABC News en June 4, 2018 Lawsuit Natural Born Killers copycat crimes#Heath High School shooting In early 1999, the parents of three victims represented by Jack Thompson filed a $33 million lawsuit against two Internet pornography sites, several computer game companies and makers and distributors of the 1994 film Natural Born Killers and the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries. They claimed that media violence inspired Carneal and therefore should be held responsible for the deaths that occurred.https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/13/us/media-companies-are-sued-in-kentucky-shooting.html Media companies are sued in Kentucky shooting The New York Times 13 April 1999 5 April 2018 Both ThompsonRichard Danielson http://www.sptimes.com/News/032200/Floridian/Programmed_to_kill.shtml Programmed to kill St. Petersburg Times Times Publishing Company St. Petersburg, Florida 22 March 2000 14 March 2009 and United States Attorney General John Ashcroft claimed Carneal's proficient marksmanship was due to practice in violent video games.https://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2001/04/42856 Ashcroft attacks video violence Wired.com Condé Nast New York, NY 5 April 2001 14 March 2009 The case was dismissed in 2002, with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that it was "simply too far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."James v. Meow Media, Inc. 300 F.3d 683 2002 U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Memorials Family of victims organized a 20th anniversary service to commemorate the victims, and open a memorial for the victims placed across the street from the school. The memorial was built in a circle to symbolize the prayer circle that was targeted, with five benches representing the five surviving victims. See also Kentucky 1990s List of school shootings in the United States by death toll 2018 Marshall County High School shooting, which occurred about 28 mi km 5 away List of class-action lawsuits References External links CNN news report 37 04 43 N 88 47 36 W scale:5000 title Category:1997 in Kentucky Category:1997 mass shootings in the United States Category:1997 murders in the United States Category:Child murder in Kentucky Category:Class action lawsuits Category:Crimes in Kentucky Category:December 1997 crimes in the United States Heath Category:High school shootings in the United States Category:Mass shootings in Kentucky Category:Attacks on schools in 1997 Category:McCracken County, Kentucky Category:Murder in Kentucky Heath Category:School shootings in Kentucky Category:Mass shootings in schools