1996 Frontier Middle School shooting

Shooting in Moses Lake, Washington December 2025 April 2017 1996 Frontier Middle School shooting Washington#USA center Moses Lake 47.1267 -119.2838 Moses Lake, Washington, U.S. 47.1267 -119.2838 type:event_region:US-WA it February 2, 1996 UTC-8 School shooting, mass shooting, triple-murder, hostage taking, mass murder 3 1 Barry Dale Loukaitis Jon Lane * .30-30 Winchester 1894 rifle .22-caliber Dan Wesson Model 22 revolver .25-caliber Bauer semi-automatic pistolMay 2026 The Frontier Middle School shooting occurred on February 2, 1996, at Frontier Middle School in Moses Lake, Washington, United States. The gunman, 14-year-old Barry Dale Loukaitis (l uː ˈ k aɪ t ɪ s; born February 26, 1981), killed his algebra teacher and two students, and held his classmates hostage before a gym coach subdued him. Shooting section April 2017 On the day of the shooting, Loukaitis was dressed as a Wild West-style gunslinger and was wearing a black duster. He was armed with a .30–30 caliber hunting rifle and two handguns (a .22 caliber revolver and .25 semiautomatic pistol) that belonged to his father.Geranios Nicholas K Barry Loukaitis, Moses Lake school shooter, breaks silence with apology https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/barry-loukaitis-moses-lake-school-shooter-apologizes-in-1st-remarks/ 5 October 2022 The Associated Press The Seattle Times 14 April 2017 Loukaitis walked from his house to his school, where he entered his algebra classroom during fifth period. He opened fire at students, killing two, Arnold Fritz and Manuel Vela Jr., both fourteen. Another student, 13-year-old Natalie Hintz, sustained critical gunshot wounds to the right arm and abdomen, and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Loukaitis then fatally shot his algebra teacher Leona Caires in the chest.https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/14/us/where-rampages-begin-special-report-adolescent-angst-shooting-up-schools.html WHERE RAMPAGES BEGIN: A special report.; From Adolescent Angst To Shooting Up Schools Egan Timothy The New York Times June 14, 1998 2018-06-13 en Teacher and coach Jon Lane entered the classroom upon hearing the gunshots to find Loukaitis holding his classmates hostage. He planned to use one hostage so he could safely exit the school. Lane volunteered as the hostage, and Loukaitis kept him at gunpoint with his rifle. Lane then grabbed the weapon from Loukaitis and wrestled him to the ground, later assisting in the evacuation of students. Lane kept Loukaitis subdued until police arrived at the scene.https://www.historylink.org/File/20965 Frontier Junior High School in Moses Lake (February 2, 1996) HistoryLink.org staff HistoryLink.org November 7, 2019 2025-02-09 "Dozens" of rifle casings were found on the ground in the classroom.Detective Says He Saw No Remorse In Loukaitis Hearing To Determine Whether Teen Will Be Tried As Adult In School Killings The Spokesman-Review https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/apr/16/detective-says-he-saw-no-remorse-in-loukaitis/ 2024-12-02 www.spokesman.com Perpetrator In the year prior to the shooting, the Loukaitis family was in a dysfunctional state.Fitten Ronald K. September 9, 1997 Loukaitis jurors hear parents, see Pearl Jam video https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970909/2559355/loukaitis-jurors-hear-parents-see-pearl-jam-video----mother-father-testify-in-trial-of-teen-son The Seattle Times June 17, 2011 Loukaitis' parents separated in 1995, after his mother discovered her husband was having an affair. She filed for divorce against her husband in January 1996. His mother, Jo Ann Phillips, was a domineering woman who became increasingly distant and began speaking of suicide. She would frequently imply that her son Barry would also have to kill himself, and that the date of the double-suicide would be on Valentine's Day of 1996.Andersen Peggy September 8, 1997 Loukaitis' mother says she told son of plan to kill herself https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970908/2559214/loukaitis-mother-says-she-told-son-of-plan-to-kill-herself The Seattle Times June 17, 2011 Barry tried to talk his mother out of doing so, by having her write down her feelings. However, as she continued to insist in subsequent days that she was going to go ahead with her plan, he told her to do whatever she wanted. Mental illness Psychologists hired by the defense believed Loukaitis had either depression or bipolar disorder, while prosecution witness Dr.Alan Unis, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington, diagnosed him with dysthymic disorder. Unis claimed Loukaitis could not have bipolar disorder because his personality was not fully developed at the time of the shooting.Miller William 'Cold Fury' In Loukaitis Scared Dad Father Says He Was Horrified By Change After Shootings https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/sep/27/cold-fury-in-loukaitis-scared-dad-father-says-he/ spokesman.com 8 October 2022http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/sep/17/loukaitis-knew-shooting-wrong-psychiatrist-says/ Loukaitis Knew Shooting Wrong, Psychiatrist Says September 17, 1997 June 29, 2017 The Spokesman Reviewhttps://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/sep/26/prosecutor-loukaitis-is-faking-attacks-defense/ Prosecutor: Loukaitis Is Faking Attacks Defense Witnesses That Depression Behind Shootings Miller William September 26, 1996 June 29, 2017 The Spokesman Review Loukaitis had hyperactivity, and was taking Ritalin at the time of the shooting. He also had clinical depression, a mental illness present in the last three generations of the Loukaitis family, and last four generations of the Phillips family. Loukaitis claimed that he was only intent on killing Manuel Vela,September 4, 1997 Murder trial jurors hear Loukaitis' confession http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3946562.html https://web.archive.org/web/20121025174035/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3946562.html usurped October 25, 2012 The Seattle Times HighBeam Research subscription Vancouver, WA June 17, 2011April 18, 1996 Moses Lake boy tells of killing three at school https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19960418/2324774/moses-lake-boy-tells-of-killing-three-at-school The Seattle Times June 17, 2011 and that the other deaths were accidental. Trial In June 1996, the Court of Appeals at Spokane were to decide whether 15-year-old Barry Loukaitis should be tried as an adult or as a juvenile.August 27, 1996 Hearing delayed for suspect in Moses Lake shooting deaths https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19960827/2346162/hearing-delayed-for-suspect-in-moses-lake-shooting-deaths The Seattle Times June 17, 2011 On July2, the Court of Appeals reversed the trial court's decision to bar the public and press from hearing court-appointed psychiatrist Joan Petrich's testimony regarding Loukaitis' mental health.July 3, 1996 Moses Lake trial to be open https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19960703/2337537/moses-lake-trial-to-be-open The Seattle Times June 17, 2011 The trial was later moved to Seattle, Washington due to media publicity. Loukaitis had pleaded insanity on all charges against him,September 2, 1997 Loukaitis trial resumes today https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970902/2558026/loukaitis-trial-resumes-today The Seattle Times June 17, 2011 and claimed that "mood swings" were the cause of his violent actions. During his trial, Joan Petrich testified that Loukaitis had been experiencing delusional and messianic thoughts before the shooting. He had stated, "He felt like he was God and would laugh to himself. He felt he was superior to other people, and then those feelings were later replaced by hate, disdain, and not measuring up." Prosecutors Donna Wise and John Knodell argued that Loukaitis had carefully planned the shooting,Fitten Ronald K. Santana Arthur September 25, 1997 Teen's trial a no-win case https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970925/2562274/teens-trial-a-no-win-case----loukaitis-attorney-calls-for-new-kind-of-verdict-guilty-but-mentally-ill The Seattle Times June 17, 2011 getting ideas from the Pearl Jam song "Jeremy". The music video from "Jeremy" shows a troubled youth committing suicide in front of his teacher and classmates, although it was largely believed that "Jeremy" had opened fire on the class. This has been widely misunderstood because MTV had strong anti-violence imagery rules (which MTV currently serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global). The original video showed the child putting the gun into his mouth, however the only images allowed to air were those of the children covered in his blood. Prosecution also said that he had gotten ideas from the Stephen King novel Rage and the films Natural Born Killers and The Basketball Diaries.Coleman Loren Loren Coleman The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines The Copycat Effect Paraview Pocket Books 2004 978-0-7434-8223-3 en 4 Loukaitis has also stated that he tried to model his life after the novel Rages protagonist Charlie Decker, who kills two teachers and takes his algebra class hostage.https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/apr/10/school-killings-all-too-familiar-moses-lake/ School Killings All Too Familiar Moses Lake Horror Parallels Plot Of Novel Found In Suspect's Room Harris Bonnie April 10, 1996 June 29, 2017 The Spokesman Review On September 24, 1997, Loukaitis was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, and 16 counts of aggravated kidnapping.November 1, 1996 Kidnapping charges added in Moses Lake murder case https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19961101/2357382/kidnapping-charges-added-in-moses-lake-murder-case The Seattle Times June 17, 2011December 25, 1996 Teen faces King Co. trial in Moses Lake slayings https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19961225/2366756/teen-faces-king-co-trial-in-moses-lake-slayings The Seattle Times June 17, 2011 He was sentenced to serve two life sentences and an additional 205 years without the possibility of parole. He is currently imprisoned at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center in Washington State. The Court of Appeals denied Loukaitis' request for a new trial in 1999. Re-sentencing The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that people convicted of murder, which they committed when they were under 18 years of age, could not receive automatic life terms without parole and in 2016, the court ruled that the policy would also be applied retroactively. Loukaitis was heard for a re-sentencing in 2017, during which he apologized for the first time, in a letter to the Grant County Superior Court.Geranios Nicholas K. April 14, 2017 Barry Loukaitis, Moses Lake school shooter, breaks silence with apology http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/barry-loukaitis-moses-lake-school-shooter-apologizes-in-1st-remarks/ The Seattle Times Associated Press April 15, 2017 He was resentenced to 189 years in prison. See also List of school shootings in the United States by death toll List of school shootings in the United States (before 2000) List of school-related attacks List of attacks related to secondary schools Mass shootings in the United States References External links On the Other Foot: groundhogs, bullies, lawyers and children Teenage Rage Moses Lake Asks: "What Has This Town Become?" The Seattle Times, Sunday, February 23, 1997 Loukaitis gets two life terms plus 205 years In Moses Lake, Guns avoid blame, The Seattle Times, Sunday, January 16, 2000 Teenager Recounts Shooting Rampage -- Four Jurors Replaced For Variety Of Reasons, The Seattle Times, Tuesday, August 26, 1997 Article on the shooting Category:1996 murders in the United States Category:1996 mass shootings in the United States Category:Attacks on schools in 1996 Category:Child murder in Washington (state) Category:Hostage taking in the United States Category:School shootings committed by pupils Category:School killings in the United States Category:Moses Lake, Washington Category:Murder in Washington (state) Category:Middle school shootings in the United States Category:Deaths by firearm in Washington (state) Category:1996 in Washington (state) Category:February 1996 crimes in the United States Category:Mass shootings in Washington (state) Category:School shootings in Washington (state) Category:Mass shootings involving semi-automatic pistols in the United States Category:1990s mass murders in the United States Category:1996 mass murders Category:Mass shootings in schools Category:School hostage crises