At least three of the dead victims were teenagers. Police said the unidentified gunman, a tall, bearded white man with long dark hair, fired two or three ammunition clips from a semi-automatic handgun and tossed a pipe bomb. The gunman then sat in a pew and shot himself in the head as police closed in. A survey of about 400 high school students, revealed that nearly half the males had carried a gun to school at least once. Use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs among teens is also a serious issue.
Drugs are a major concern of educators, particularly as it relates to violence.
They are involved in two ways. The first involves the actual use of alcohol and other drugs. Drug use impairs judgment, reaction time, and inhibitions. Faulty judgment can quickly lead to conflict or violence. Even if the students have the skills to resolve conflict, as they drink, or smoke, or sniff, it impairs their judgment.