The Bethel Regional High School shooting was a school shooting that occurred on February 19, 1997, when student Evan Ramsey shot and killed two people and wounded two others at Bethel Regional High School in Bethel, Alaska. Ramsey is serving two 99-year prison sentences and will be eligible for parole in 2066 when he is 85.
Prior events
Reports say in the two weeks prior to the incident, more than 15 students knew of Ramsey's intention to commit a school shooting, and two actually assisted him. One student named James Randall taught him how to load and fire a shotgun, and another named Matthew Charles told him of the infamy that would come. Reports say that several students brought cameras to school on the day of the shooting, and that many students were watching the shooting from a library balcony overlooking the student commons area.
Shooting
On February 19, 1997, Ramsey armed himself with a Mossberg 50012-gauge shotgun, and arrived at Bethel Regional High School by school bus. He approached the student commons area, brandishing the shotgun, and shot 15-year-old Josh Palacios in the abdomen, who later died after emergency surgery. He then shot and injured two other students. Reyne Athanas, an art teacher, entered the commons area after hearing the gunshots. Athanas said she tried and failed to convince Ramsey to surrender. He then entered the main lobby, where he shot principal Ron Edwards twice, killing him. Ramsey then retreated to the commons area, shooting once at police. Ramsey later placed the shotgun barrel under his chin, but then reportedly said, "I don't want to die," laid the shotgun on the ground, and surrendered without further incident.
Motives
Ramsey was believed to be frequently bullied at school. According to his friends, Ramsey complained of being harassed and teased by other students, even to the extent of only addressing him as "Screech", a character from the NBCTV seriesSaved by the Bell. In addition to being picked on by peers, however, Ramsey had a long history of abuse. His mother lived with a series of violent men who abused Ramsey and his brothers. He also was physically and sexually abused by an older boy in one of the foster homes he was placed.
Perpetrator
Evan Ramsey was identified as the gunman. When he was five years old, his father was imprisoned after a police standoff and his mother became an alcoholic. Ramsey and his family soon after were forced to relocate to the Anchorage area after their house was set on fire. When he was seven, the Anchorage Department of Youth and Family Services removed Ramsey and his two brothers from his mother's custody and placed them in foster care. He was soon separated from his older brother, John, and lived in eleven different foster homes between 1988 and 1991. Ramsey and his younger brother were allegedly abused by several foster parents. His younger brother, William, claimed that their foster brothers would pay other children to beat Evan for their amusement. Ramsey was adopted with his brother at age 10, and settled in Bethel, Alaska, with their foster mother. Ramsey has suffered from depression since early childhood, and attempted suicide when he was 10 years old.
Family
Ramsey was not the first in his family to take a firearm into a public place. In October 1986, his father, Don Ramsey, went to the Anchorage Times newspaper office armed with an Armalite AR-18 rifle, a revolver, and more than 210 rounds of ammunition. While inside the building, Don Ramsey began taking hostages and was involved in a brief standoff with police until he surrendered. His motive for doing this was because he was angered that the Times refused to publish a political letter he had written. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and was paroled just several weeks before his son Evan perpetrated the school shooting. Also, a week before Evan's attack, his older brother was arrested for armed robbery.
Aftermath
Following his arrest, Ramsey claimed he did not understand his actions would kill anyone. His trial was delayed as prosecutors discussed whether Ramsey should be tried as a juvenile or as an adult. Prosecutors decided to try Ramsey as an adult in Anchorage. On Dec. 2, 1998, Ramsey was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree attempted murder, and fifteen counts of third-degree assault. Judge Mark Isaac Wood sentenced him to 210 years in prison; on appeal, however, his sentence was reduced to two 99-year prison sentences. He is imprisoned at the Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, and will be eligible for parole in 2066, when he will be 85 years old. On February 15, 2006, Ramsey participated in an interview with Anderson Cooper titled In the Mind of a Killer, in which his father Don Ramsey blamed the video gameDoom for the shooting. His crime was also profiled on the Court TV series Anatomy of a Crime. Ramsey's actions were also covered in the programKids Who Kill which also featured interviews with Ramsey.
