Spanaway Junior High School shooting

On November 26, 1985, a school shooting occurred at the schoolyard of Spanaway Junior High School in Spanaway, Washington, United States. Students Gordon Pickett and Christopher Ricco were shot and killed. The shooter, 14-year-old Heather Smith, was Pickett's ex-girlfriend. A manhunt to find and arrest Smith ensued. Smith returned to the crime scene, where law enforcement officers was present. She committed suicide that evening during a one-minute standoff with police.

## Shooting

On November 26, 1985, Pickett and Ricco were working out in the school gym after school. When Heather Smith came home from school, she loaded her father's .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle and asked a friend to give her a ride back to the school. Smith's friend was unaware of Smith's plans. Matt Hone, a 13-year-old eighth grader, saw Smith holding the rifle outside of the gym around 4:30 p.m.

When Smith saw her ex-boyfriend, Pickett, with his friend, Ricco, exit the gym, Smith aimed her rifle at Pickett. Ricco stepped in front of Pickett in an attempt to save him. Smith fatally wounded Ricco. Smith then fatally shot Pickett in the head. Smith ran away and was missing for around two hours.

Students and staff at the gym identified Smith as the shooter. Officers and police dogs checked several addresses, but no one found her. A television news helicopter also searched for Smith over the neighborhoods surrounding the school. At 6:30pm, Smith returned to the school grounds, where law enforcement officers were present investigating the murders. Upon seeing Smith, the officers ordered everyone else to get inside the gymnasium for safety. As the officers approached to disarm her within 25 yards, she shot herself in the head. The standoff lasted less than a minute.

## Possible motives

Smith and Pickett had been dating since they were in eighth grade. Pickett broke up with Smith more than six weeks before the shooting. Smith also became depressed over recent imperfection in her grades. She attempted suicide a week before the shooting, but survived. Smith's friends prevented her from taking pills to overdose. Smith was sent to the guidance counselor's office at Madigan Army Medical Center.

Some students knew that Smith was planning to bring a gun to the school and scare Gordon. Smith reportedly told half a dozen to a dozen classmates that she planned to "shoot Gordon" or "get even with Gordon" and "people would remember her". However, Smith would also tell them that she was only kidding. None of her classmates took her threats of violence seriously.

## Infobox (civilian attack)

- **location**: Spanaway, Washington, US
- **date**: November 26, 1985
- **map**: File:Pierce County Washington Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Spanaway Highlighted.svg
- **time**: 4:30-6:30 p.m. Pacific Time Zone, PST
- **timezone**: UTC-8
- **perpetrator**: Heather Smith
- **target**: Gordon Pickett
- **dfen**: Christopher Ricco
- **type**: School shooting, murder-suicide
- **weapons**: .22 Long Rifle, .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle
- **fatalities**: 3 (including the perpetrator)
- **motive**: Breakup, poor grades, Depression (mood), depression, suicidal ideation
- **map caption**: Location of Spanaway, Washington