4-10-2007

Sit and wait. That's all Kristen Thorsen could do for almost three hours this evening. Heather Stevens was in the same boat. Both are parents of young children at Cedar Hogan's Elementary and were stuck waiting and feeling border-line helpless as their kids' school stayed in lock down until almost 5 PM.

Midway through the afternoon (around 2 or 2:30), a 15-year-old male shot out one of the windows in Springwater Trail High School next door ... then took off, leaving his weapon behind.

Shannon Roland, a freshman in class next door to the room that was shot at, described it as a loud boom . . . she thought it was one of the science experiments down the hall. (Later a friend showed her the softball sized hole in the window from the gun shot).

No one was SERIOUSLY hurt in the shooting, but a few students had cuts from the broken glass.

After ditching his weapon, the shooter then, reportedly, went to his parents before coming forward. He was taken into custody for questioning.

Now, NORMALLY getting a suspect means the end of lock down. But because this guy dropped his weapon in a sizable field near the two schools, police in HEAVY uniform had to search every inch of the field to find the weapon and make sure no accomplices were in the area.

While the search persisted into the 4 PM range, the crowds of parents hoping to pick up their kids grew. Some broke down in tears, terrified that something like this could happen in their town or that their child might be in danger.

Others became agitated as mixed messages and rumors began to swirl (one woman loudly proclaimed her student had called on her cell phone saying there had been a bomb threat ... Sgt Teddi Anderson with Gresham Police was able to quickly reassure everyone that no such threat had ever been received).

Finally, just before 5 PM, small groups of students were escorted out by the police. Mothers and fathers greeted kids with giant hugs as they walked across the street, grateful that everyone was OK. Kids nervously laughed with their parents, many of them visibly shaking after the events of the day.

At this point there's no word on what consequences the shooter faces.