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1. Ohio Shooting Suspect
Confesses, Prosecutor Says
CHARDON, Ohio — The fatal shooting rampage in a high school in this quiet suburb of
Cleveland remained a puzzle on Tuesday, with prosecutors saying that a student had confessed to
the killings and had told them that he did not know his victims and chose them at random.
Prosecutors said the student, T. J. Lane, 17, admitted taking a .22-
caliber Ruger semiautomatic pistol to Chardon High School on Monday
and firing 10 rounds at four students at a cafeteria table. He has
not been formally charged, but prosecutors said it was likely that he
would be tried in an adult court.
Three of the victims — Russell King Jr., Demetrius Hewlin and Daniel
Parmertor — have died. Two others were wounded. One has been
released from the hospital.
“This is not about bullying, this is not about drugs,” said David
P. Joyce, the Geauga County prosecutor. “This was an effect of one
lone gunman. He chose his victims at random.”
Mr. Lane appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday, wincing as
the prosecutors read the accusations against him. Dressed in a crisp
khaki-colored shirt and dark low-slung pants with a thick belt, he
sat in a wooden chair with his back straight, speaking in barely
audible tones to the judge, Timothy J. Grendell, in Geauga County
Juvenile Court. His face crumpled briefly into tears as he was led
away, and he appeared to whisper the words “I am so sorry” to two
aunts and his grandfather, Jack Nolan, who is also his legal
guardian.
The police have until Thursday to charge Mr. Lane.
The day brought more questions than answers to this blue-collar town
of 5,000 east of Cleveland. Mr. Lane is a sophomore at Lake Academy,
an alternative high school for at-risk youths, some of whom take a
bus from Chardon High School. Students interviewed at both schools
described him as quiet but friendly, and interested in Nascar and
hunting.

2. CNN reported on Tuesday that Mr. Lane had taken the gun from a family
member, who had bought it legally, but Mr. Joyce said he could not
confirm that.
“By all accounts, T. J. is a fairly quiet and a good kid,” said
Robert N. Farinacci, the Lanes’ lawyer, who added that he had not
been in trouble before.
David Rafail, 17, of Willoughby, Ohio, a student at a vocational
school next to Lake Academy, said he used to take smoking breaks with
Mr. Lane. He called him a quiet student who “was always alone.”
Jarod Mausolf, 17, a student at Lake Academy, said he had taken
American history with Mr. Lane and called him a good student, though
far more quiet than most.
“He never talked at all,” Mr. Mausolf said. “The expression on his
face, it was sad. A sad face. Kind of blank.”
Another student, Damien Stewart, 16, a sophomore at Lake Academy,
said he had an English class with Mr. Lane.
“He was pretty cool,” Mr. Stewart said. “Very quiet. Nobody really
talked to him. Not because we didn’t like him, he just wasn’t a
talker. He was very sweet, very nice, very friendly.”
Mr. Lane’s lawyer said the teenager had no prior trouble with the
law. Mr. Lane’s father, Thomas Lane, was arrested in 2002 on charges
of attempted murder, and a restraining order was imposed forbidding
him to contact his former wife, according to court records. Mr. Lane
struck a plea bargain for a lesser charge and was sentenced to four
years in jail. He served nine months of his sentence and was released
in June 2003.
The families of Mr. King and Mr. Hewlin issued statements on Tuesday
that included a note of pride that their sons would be able to help
others through organ donations. “We ask that Russell be remembered
for who he was, a strong boy with a big heart,” the family of Mr.
King said.
Mr. Hewlin’s family described him as a “happy young man who loved
life and his family and friends.”

3. Joseph Bergant II, the superintendent of schools, said Chardon High
School would reopen on Friday. Parents and students were invited to
the school on Thursday to meet with counselors.
“We’re not just any old place, Chardon,” Mr. Bergant said “This
is every place. As you’ve seen in the past, this can happen
anywhere.”