Associated Press Writer
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
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'No one deserves this' – Amish community mourns 3 girls killed in school shooting
Eds: State police news conference set for noon EDT; AP Video.
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
%photo(AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103%)
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – Charles Carl Roberts IV finished his milk deliveries a couple of hours before dawn, took a nap, and then dropped his three children off at a bus stop.
Then, reportedly prompted by a grudge two decades old, he wrote what authorities described as suicide notes, grabbed guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room Amish schoolhouse, killing at least three girls and critically injuring seven more before taking his own life, authorities said.
The attack, the nation's third deadly school slaying in less than a week, occurred in a bucolic stretch of Lancaster County where horse-drawn buggies carry plainly dressed Amish along twisting backcountry roads – and where violent crime is virtually nonexistent.
Roberts, a 32-year-old from nearby Bart Township who was not Amish, did not appear to be targeting the Amish and apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago," said state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller.
The names and ages of the dead were not immediately released.
Two young students at the West Nickel Mines Amish School were killed, along with a female teacher's aide who was believed to be about 15 or 16, state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said. Seven others were taken to hospitals, most shot at point-blank range, authorities said.
"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," Miller said.
Miller told Fox News late Monday that a fourth girl had died at Hershey Medical Center, but hospital spokeswoman Buehler Stranges said there had been no change in the condition of the three girls at the hospital, which is affiliated with Penn State Children's.
State police spokeswoman Trooper Linette Quinn said the information had come from crime scene investigators, and she could not explain the discrepancy.
The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colo., but Miller said he believed the Pennsylvania attack was not a copycat crime. "I really believe this was about this individual and what was going on inside his head," he said.
According to investigators, Roberts dropped his children off at their bus stop, then at about 10 a.m. pulled up at the school, which had about 25 to 30 students ranging in age from six to 13.
Roberts brought with him supplies necessary for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition, police said. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware and rolls of clear tape.
He released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together.
The teacher and another adult fled to a nearby farmhouse, and authorities were called at about 10:30 a.m. Miller said Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone at around 11 a.m., saying he was taking revenge for an old grudge. Miller declined to say what the grudge could have been.
"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.
Moments later, Roberts told a dispatcher he would open fire on the children if police didn't back away from the building. Within seconds, troopers heard gunfire, and found his body when they were able to get inside.
From the suicide notes and telephone calls, it was clear Roberts was "angry at life, he was angry at God," and co-workers said his mood had darkened in recent days, Miller said.
In a statement released to reporters, the gunman's wife, Marie Roberts, called her husband "loving, supportive and thoughtful."
"He was an exceptional father," she said. "He took the kids to soccer practice and games, played ball in the backyard and took our 7-year-old daughter shopping. He never said no when I asked him to change a diaper."
"Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today," she said. "Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."
Two girls – ages 8 and 6 – were in critical condition Monday night at the Penn State Children's Hospital, while a 13-year-old girl was upgraded to serious condition.
Three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were in critical condition Monday night. The seventh injured victim was in Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where officials declined to release information.
In the attack last week at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colo., a man singled out several girls as hostages in a school classroom and then killed one of them and himself. Authorities said the man in Colorado sexually molested the girls.
On Friday, a school principal was shot to death in Cazenovia, Wis. A 15-year-old student, described as upset over a reprimand, was charged with murder.
Neighbors who knew the Roberts' family said they saw no indications of trouble brewing.
"They're a fine Christian family. It's ironic and it's heartbreaking," said Lois Fiester, a relative of Roberts who was standing outside the family's modest tan ranch house.
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NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – A fourth child died Tuesday of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County.
The 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m. at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said.
"Her parents were with her," Buehler Stranges said. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."
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URGENT
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NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – A fourth child died Tuesday of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County.
The 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m. at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said.
"Her parents were with her," Buehler Stranges said. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."
The girl was wounded Monday in the attack, the nation's third school shooting in less than a week, in a bucolic area of Lancaster County.
Charles Carl Roberts IV, apparently spurred by a grudge two decades old, wrote his wife what authorities described as suicide notes, took guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room schoolhouse, where he killed three girls, critically injured seven more, and took his own life, authorities said.
A 6-year-old girl remained in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl was in serious condition at Penn State Childrens, Buehler Stranges said. She said the names of the children were not being released.
Three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were out of surgery but remained in critical condition, spokeswoman Peggy Flynn said.
One other victim was taken by helicopter to Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where officials declined to release information.
Associated Press Writer
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
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URGENT
'No one deserves this' – Amish community mourns 4 girls killed in school shooting
Eds: ADDS background.
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
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NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – A fourth child died Tuesday of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County.
The 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m. at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said.
"Her parents were with her," Buehler Stranges said. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."
The girl was wounded Monday in the attack, the nation's third school shooting in less than a week, in a bucolic area of Lancaster County.
Charles Carl Roberts IV, apparently spurred by a grudge two decades old, wrote his wife what authorities described as suicide notes, took guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room schoolhouse, where he killed three girls, critically injured seven more, and took his own life, authorities said.
A 6-year-old girl remained in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl was in serious condition at Penn State Childrens, Buehler Stranges said. She said the names of the children were not being released.
Three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were out of surgery but remained in critical condition, spokeswoman Peggy Flynn said.
One other victim was taken by helicopter to Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where officials declined to release information.
Roberts, a 32-year-old from nearby Bart Township who was not Amish, did not appear to be targeting the Amish and apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago," said state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller.
"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," Miller said.
The names of the dead were not immediately released.
The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colo., but Miller said he believed the Pennsylvania attack was not a copycat crime. "I really believe this was about this individual and what was going on inside his head," he said.
According to investigators, Roberts dropped his children off at their bus stop, then at about 10 a.m. pulled up at the school, which had about 25 to 30 students ranging in age from six to 13.
Roberts brought with him supplies necessary for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition, police said. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware and rolls of clear tape.
He released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together.
The teacher and another adult fled to a nearby farmhouse, and authorities were called at about 10:30 a.m. Miller said Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone at around 11 a.m., saying he was taking revenge for an old grudge. Miller declined to say what the grudge could have been.
"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.
Moments later, Roberts told a dispatcher he would open fire on the children if police didn't back away from the building. Within seconds, troopers heard gunfire, and found his body when they were able to get inside.
From the suicide notes and telephone calls, it was clear Roberts was "angry at life, he was angry at God," and co-workers said his mood had darkened in recent days, Miller said.
In a statement released to reporters, the gunman's wife, Marie Roberts, called her husband "loving, supportive and thoughtful."
"He was an exceptional father," she said. "He took the kids to soccer practice and games, played ball in the backyard and took our 7-year-old daughter shopping. He never said no when I asked him to change a diaper."
"Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today," she said. "Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."
In the attack last week at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colo., a man singled out several girls as hostages in a school classroom and then killed one of them and himself. Authorities said the man in Colorado sexually molested the girls.
On Friday, a school principal was shot to death in Cazenovia, Wis. A 15-year-old student, described as upset over a reprimand, was charged with murder.
Neighbors who knew the Roberts' family said they saw no indications of trouble brewing.
"They're a fine Christian family. It's ironic and it's heartbreaking," said Lois Fiester, a relative of Roberts who was standing outside the family's modest tan ranch house.
Associated Press Writer
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
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BC-Amish School-Shooting, 4th Ld-Writethru,0917
URGENT
'No one deserves this' – Amish community mourns 4 girls killed in school shooting
Eds: SUBS 4th graf to CORRECT number of dead and injured.
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
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NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – A fourth child died Tuesday of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County.
The 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m. at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said.
"Her parents were with her," Buehler Stranges said. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."
The girl was wounded Monday in the attack, the nation's third school shooting in less than a week, in a bucolic area of Lancaster County.
Charles Carl Roberts IV, apparently spurred by a grudge two decades old, wrote his wife what authorities described as suicide notes, took guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room schoolhouse, where he killed the girls, critically injured six more, and took his own life, authorities said.
A 6-year-old girl remained in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl was in serious condition at Penn State Childrens, Buehler Stranges said. She said the names of the children were not being released.
Three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were out of surgery but remained in critical condition, spokeswoman Peggy Flynn said.
One other victim was taken by helicopter to Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where officials declined to release information.
Roberts, a 32-year-old from nearby Bart Township who was not Amish, did not appear to be targeting the Amish and apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago," said state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller.
"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," Miller said.
The names of the dead were not immediately released.
The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colo., but Miller said he believed the Pennsylvania attack was not a copycat crime. "I really believe this was about this individual and what was going on inside his head," he said.
According to investigators, Roberts dropped his children off at their bus stop, then at about 10 a.m. pulled up at the school, which had about 25 to 30 students ranging in age from six to 13.
Roberts brought with him supplies necessary for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition, police said. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware and rolls of clear tape.
He released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together.
The teacher and another adult fled to a nearby farmhouse, and authorities were called at about 10:30 a.m. Miller said Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone at around 11 a.m., saying he was taking revenge for an old grudge. Miller declined to say what the grudge could have been.
"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.
Moments later, Roberts told a dispatcher he would open fire on the children if police didn't back away from the building. Within seconds, troopers heard gunfire, and found his body when they were able to get inside.
From the suicide notes and telephone calls, it was clear Roberts was "angry at life, he was angry at God," and co-workers said his mood had darkened in recent days, Miller said.
In a statement released to reporters, the gunman's wife, Marie Roberts, called her husband "loving, supportive and thoughtful."
"He was an exceptional father," she said. "He took the kids to soccer practice and games, played ball in the backyard and took our 7-year-old daughter shopping. He never said no when I asked him to change a diaper."
"Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today," she said. "Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."
In the attack last week at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colo., a man singled out several girls as hostages in a school classroom and then killed one of them and himself. Authorities said the man in Colorado sexually molested the girls.
On Friday, a school principal was shot to death in Cazenovia, Wis. A 15-year-old student, described as upset over a reprimand, was charged with murder.
Neighbors who knew the Roberts' family said they saw no indications of trouble brewing.
"They're a fine Christian family. It's ironic and it's heartbreaking," said Lois Fiester, a relative of Roberts who was standing outside the family's modest tan ranch house.
Associated Press Writer
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
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BC-Amish School-Shooting, 5th Ld,0220
URGENT
'No one deserves this' – Amish community mourns 5 girls killed in school shooting
Eds: UPDATES with 5th child killed.
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
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NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – A fifth child died in a Delaware hospital early Tuesday of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, police said.
The death toll from the nation's third school shooting in less than a week rose twice within a matter of hours Tuesday with the deaths of the fifth child at Christiana Hospital in Delaware and the earlier death of a 7-year-old girl at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey.
Five additional children were hospitalized.
Authorities said the gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, apparently spurred by a two-decades-old grudge, wrote what authorities described as suicide notes, took guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room schoolhouse, where he opened fire on several girls and took his own life, authorities said.
Associated Press Writer
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
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BC-Amish School-Shooting, 6th Ld,0755
URGENT
'No one deserves this' – Amish community mourns 5 girls killed in school shooting
Eds: ADDS quotes, status of other injured, background; State police news conference set for noon EDT.
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
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NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – Two more girls died Tuesday morning of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse by a gunman who killed five girls in all and himself, apparently because of a two-decade-old grudge.
The toll from the nation's third deadly school shooting in less than a week rose twice within a matter of hours Tuesday with the deaths of one girl at Christiana Hospital in Delaware and a 7-year-old girl at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey.
Five additional girls were hospitalized.
The Bush administration on Monday called for a school violence summit to be held next week with education and law enforcement officials to discuss possible federal action to help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath.
State police spokeswoman Linette Quinn said the two girls who died early Tuesday had suffered "very severe injuries, but the other ones are coming along very well."
One girl died about 1 a.m., and the 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m.
"Her parents were with her," hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said of the 7-year-old. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."
Authorities said the gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, wrote what authorities described as suicide notes, took guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room schoolhouse, where he opened fire on several girls and took his own life, authorities said.
Roberts, who was from nearby Bart Township who was not Amish, did not appear to be targeting the Amish and apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago," said state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller.
"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," Miller said.
The names of the dead were not immediately released.
Of the injured, a 6-year-old girl remained in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl was in serious condition at Penn State Children's Hospital, spokeswoman Buehler Stranges said. She said the names of the children were not being released.
Three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were out of surgery but remained in critical condition, spokeswoman Peggy Flynn said.
Roberts brought with him supplies necessary for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition, police said. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware and rolls of clear tape.
He released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together.
The teacher and another adult fled to a nearby farmhouse, and authorities were called at about 10:30 a.m. Miller said Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone at around 11 a.m., saying he was taking revenge for an old grudge. Miller declined to say what the grudge could have been.
"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.
Miller told NBC's "Today" that Roberts lost a daughter "approximately three years ago" and that that may have been a factor in the shooting.
He said a teacher had to run to a farm house to call police because there wasn't one at the school, in keeping with Amish custom.
Parents refused to fly in planes – again in keeping with Amish tradition – and had to be driven to see their children at hospitals, Miller told "Today." Some were taken to the wrong hospitals in the confusion, Miller said.
The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colo., but Miller said he believed the Pennsylvania attack was not a copycat crime. "I really believe this was about this individual and what was going on inside his head," he said.
Associated Press Writer
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
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BC-Amish School-Shooting, 7th Ld-Writethru,0755
URGENT
'No one deserves this' – Amish community mourns 5 girls killed in school shooting
Eds: RECASTS lead; SUBS last graf pvs with 6 grafs to ADD background, family statement; State police news conference set for noon EDT.
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
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NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – Two more children died Tuesday morning of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse, raising the death toll to five girls plus the gunman who apparently was spurred by a two-decades-old grudge.
The toll from the nation's third deadly school shooting in less than a week rose twice within a matter of hours Tuesday with the deaths of one girl at Christiana Hospital in Delaware and a 7-year-old girl at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey.
Five additional girls were hospitalized.
The Bush administration on Monday called for a school violence summit to be held next week with education and law enforcement officials to discuss possible federal action to help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath.
State police spokeswoman Linette Quinn said the two girls who died early Tuesday had suffered "very severe injuries, but the other ones are coming along very well."
One girl died about 1 a.m., and the 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m.
"Her parents were with her," hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said of the 7-year-old. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."
Authorities said the gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, wrote what authorities described as suicide notes, took guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room schoolhouse, where he opened fire on several girls and took his own life, authorities said.
Roberts, who was from nearby Bart Township and was not Amish, did not appear to be targeting the Amish and apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago," said state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller.
"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," Miller said.
The names of the dead were not immediately released.
Of the injured, a 6-year-old girl remained in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl was in serious condition at Penn State Children's Hospital, spokeswoman Buehler Stranges said. She said the names of the children were not being released.
Three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were out of surgery but remained in critical condition, spokeswoman Peggy Flynn said.
Roberts brought with him supplies necessary for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition, police said. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware and rolls of clear tape.
He released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together.
The teacher and another adult fled to a nearby farmhouse, and authorities were called at about 10:30 a.m. Miller said Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone at around 11 a.m., saying he was taking revenge for an old grudge. Miller declined to say what the grudge could have been.
"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.
Miller told NBC's "Today" that Roberts lost a daughter "approximately three years ago" and that that may have been a factor in the shooting.
He said a teacher had to run to a farm house to call police because there wasn't one at the school, in keeping with Amish custom.
Parents refused to fly in planes – again in keeping with Amish tradition – and had to be driven to see their children at hospitals, Miller told "Today." Some were taken to the wrong hospitals in the confusion, Miller said.
From the suicide notes and telephone calls, it was clear Roberts was "angry at life, he was angry at God," and co-workers said his mood had darkened in recent days, Miller said.
In a statement released to reporters, the gunman's wife, Marie Roberts, called her husband "loving, supportive and thoughtful."
"He was an exceptional father," she said. "He took the kids to soccer practice and games, played ball in the backyard and took our 7-year-old daughter shopping. He never said no when I asked him to change a diaper."
"Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today," she said. "Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."
The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colo., but Miller said he believed the Pennsylvania attack was not a copycat crime. "I really believe this was about this individual and what was going on inside his head," he said.
On Friday, a school principal was shot to death in Cazenovia, Wis. A 15-year-old student, described as upset over a reprimand, was charged with murder.
Associated Press Writer
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
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Two more children die following Amish community school shooting, pushing death toll to 5 girls
Eds: LEADS with 6 grafs to UPDATE with age of dead girl; Picks up 7th graf bgng 'Her parents were...'; SUBS 9th graf bgng 'Roberts, a father...' to ADD that suspect had three children; State police news conference set for noon EDT.
With BC-Amish School-Grieving Town
%photo(AP Photos PALAN116-117, PALAN124, MDBAE103%)
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – Two more children died Tuesday morning of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse, raising the death toll to five girls plus the gunman who apparently was spurred by a two-decades-old grudge.
The toll from the nation's third deadly school shooting in less than a week rose twice within a matter of hours Tuesday with the deaths of a 9-year-old girl at Christiana Hospital in Delaware and a 7-year-old girl at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey.
Five additional girls were hospitalized.
The Bush administration on Monday called for a school violence summit to be held next week with education and law enforcement officials to discuss possible federal action to help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath.
State police spokeswoman Linette Quinn said the two girls who died early Tuesday had suffered "very severe injuries, but the other ones are coming along very well."
The 9-year-old girl died about 1 a.m., and the 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m.
"Her parents were with her," hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said of the 7-year-old. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."
Authorities said the gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, wrote what authorities described as suicide notes, took guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room schoolhouse, where he opened fire on several girls and took his own life, authorities said.
Roberts, a father of three from nearby Bart Township and was not Amish, did not appear to be targeting the Amish and apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago," said state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller.
"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," Miller said.
The names of the dead were not immediately released.
Of the injured, a 6-year-old girl remained in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl was in serious condition at Penn State Children's Hospital, spokeswoman Buehler Stranges said. She said the names of the children were not being released.
Three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were out of surgery but remained in critical condition, spokeswoman Peggy Flynn said.
Roberts brought with him supplies necessary for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition, police said. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware and rolls of clear tape.
He released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together.
The teacher and another adult fled to a nearby farmhouse, and authorities were called at about 10:30 a.m. Miller said Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone at around 11 a.m., saying he was taking revenge for an old grudge. Miller declined to say what the grudge could have been.
"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.
Miller told NBC's "Today" that Roberts lost a daughter "approximately three years ago" and that that may have been a factor in the shooting.
He said a teacher had to run to a farm house to call police because there wasn't one at the school, in keeping with Amish custom.
Parents refused to fly in planes – again in keeping with Amish tradition – and had to be driven to see their children at hospitals, Miller told "Today." Some were taken to the wrong hospitals in the confusion, Miller said.
From the suicide notes and telephone calls, it was clear Roberts was "angry at life, he was angry at God," and co-workers said his mood had darkened in recent days, Miller said.
In a statement released to reporters, the gunman's wife, Marie Roberts, called her husband "loving, supportive and thoughtful."
"He was an exceptional father," she said. "He took the kids to soccer practice and games, played ball in the backyard and took our 7-year-old daughter shopping. He never said no when I asked him to change a diaper."
"Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today," she said. "Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."
The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colo., but Miller said he believed the Pennsylvania attack was not a copycat crime. "I really believe this was about this individual and what was going on inside his head," he said.
On Friday, a school principal was shot to death in Cazenovia, Wis. A 15-year-old student, described as upset over a reprimand, was charged with murder.
Associated Press Writer
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By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) – Two more of the girls shot in a massacre at their Amish schoolhouse died early Tuesday, raising the death toll to six – five children and the 32-year-old gunman, who apparently was spurred by a decades-old grudge.
Five other girls remained hospitalized, four in critical condition, though state police spokeswoman Linette Quin said the survivors were "coming along very well."
The two girls who died, ages 7 and 9, had "very severe injuries," she said.
The attack on the tiny, one-room schoolhouse amid the farm fields of Lancaster County was the nation's third deadly school shooting in less than a week, and it led the Bush administration to call for a school violence summit within days to discuss possible federal action to help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath.
Authorities said Charles Carl Roberts IV, a milk truck driver and father of three who lived in the area, wrote what appeared to be suicide notes before taking guns and an estimated 600 rounds of ammunition to the tiny school.
Roberts did not appear to be targeting the Amish, though, state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said Tuesday. He said Roberts apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago."
From the notes Roberts left behind and the telephone calls he made, it was clear he was "angry at life, he was angry at God," Miller said. Co-workers said his mood had darkened in recent weeks, but suddenly brightened over the weekend, Miller said.
"A few days before the shooting a weight was lifted," Miller said Tuesday.
When Roberts drove to the school, he had clearly prepared, Miller said. Police said Roberts had supplies for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition, police said. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware, and rolls of clear tape, and he backed a truck up to the schoolhouse.
"We know in speaking to the teacher that he walked in, he had a gun in his hand and he began to speak to the students: 'Have you ever seen this?'" Miller told ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning.
"Obviously the teacher was very concerned right away," Miller said. "He wasn't agitated, but he was very serious about what he was doing, and methodical in how he separated students, allowed certain people to leave, and then began to bind the female students he had at the blackboard.
"They weren't able to get away. They were basically standing, bound to each other, their legs were bound together. They couldn't run away from that location."
Roberts released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, then barred the doors with desks and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties, police said.
The teacher and another adult fled to a nearby farmhouse, and authorities were called at about 10:30 a.m. Miller said Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone at around 11 a.m., saying he was taking revenge for an old grudge.
Shortly after police arrived, they heard gunshots. The girls had been shot execution style, and the gunman was dead, Miller said.
"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.
He said Roberts had lost a daughter in recent years, and that that also may have been a factor.
"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community," Miller said. "They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this."
The names of the children were not immediately released.
Of the injured, a 6-year-old girl remained in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl was in serious condition at Penn State Children's Hospital, spokeswoman Buehler Stranges said. Three other girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were out of surgery but in critical condition, spokeswoman Peggy Flynn said.
The Amish traditions of simple living, including the lack of phones in the school, complicated the situation for police responding to the attack and for the families.
Many of the parents refused to fly in planes and had to be driven to see their children at hospitals, which made identifications difficult, Miller said. He said some families were taken to the wrong hospitals amid the confusion.
In a statement released to reporters, Roberts' wife, Marie, called her husband "loving, supportive and thoughtful."
"He was an exceptional father," she said. "He took the kids to soccer practice and games, played ball in the backyard and took our 7-year-old daughter shopping. He never said no when I asked him to change a diaper."
"Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today," she said. "Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."
The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colo., but Miller said he believed the Pennsylvania attack was not a copycat crime. "I really believe this was about this individual and what was going on inside his head," he said.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photos
AP Graphic AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING
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QUARRYVILLE, Pa. (AP) – A man who laid siege to a one-room Amish schoolhouse told his wife shortly before opening fire that he had molested young children decades ago and left a note saying he had "dreams of molesting again," state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said Tuesday.
Associated Press Writer
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QUARRYVILLE, Pa. (AP) – A man who laid siege to a one-room Amish schoolhouse, killing five girls, told his wife shortly before opening fire that he had molested young relatives decades ago and had "dreams of molesting again," authorities said Tuesday.
Despite his talk of molestation, though, and the discovery of sexual lubricant and flex-ties in his bag, police have no evidence that any of the victims were sexually abused, State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said.