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View Full Version : We didn't hear about this school shooting



jimnyc
10-22-2015, 09:16 AM
I wonder why not?

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http://www.snopes.com/politics/graphics/gudger.jpg

Origins: On 30 August 2010, a 62-year-old man named Thomas Richard Cowan entered Sullivan Central High School in Blountville, Tennessee, armed with two handguns and confronted the school's principal, pointing one of the weapons at her head. After a receptionist who observed the confrontation sounded an alert, a Sullivan Co. Sheriffs Deputy named Carolyn Gudger who was stationed at the school as a resource officer arrived at the scene and held Cowan at bay until more deputies arrived and shot him:

Central dispatch received a call reporting a gunman in the school at 9:15 a.m. Save a student or two who were arriving late, and school principal Melanie Riden, the front entranceway and hall were relatively empty.

According to Dr. Jubal Yennie, Sullivan County director of schools, entrances are locked at that time, and it's unclear how Cowan made entry. Sheriff Wayne Anderson said Cowan was "irate," and immediately pointed a .380-caliber, semi-automatic handgun at Riden's head.

A receptionist in an adjacent office saw the confrontation, according to sheriff's officials, and immediately alerted students and staff of a lockdown. At that point, Sheriff Anderson says, School Resource Officer Carolyn Gudger entered the lobby and drew her gun.

Gudger pushed Riden behind her and toward the nearby cafeteria, allowing her to escape to safety.

"There's no doubt that Carolyn Gudger probably saved (Riden's) life at that point," Anderson says.

An intense standoff followed with Cowan refusing to relinquish his weapon.

All the while, police say, Gudger continued speaking with Cowan, slowly inching him away from the front foyer, cafeteria and office. She then entered an unoccupied science pod area with Cowan following.

According to police, two nerve-wracking minutes had passed since the initial call to 911, and several more minutes lapsed before deputies could make entry to the location. Patrolman Sam Matney and Lt. Steve Williams entered the school from different areas — converging on the science pod to join Gudger and Cowan's standoff.

When ordered to drop his weapon, Cowan pointed his gun toward the new officers on the scene and then back at Gudger, Sheriff Anderson says, which prompted the three officers to open fire.

Cowan was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Along with the weapon Cowan was wielding, police discovered a loaded .25-caliber handgun in his back pocket.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/gudger.asp