Bethel Regional High School shooting

Reports say in the two weeks prior to the incident, more than 15 students knew of Ramsey's intention to commit a school shooting, and two actually assisted him.[1] One student named James Randall taught him how to load and fire a shotgun, and another named Matthew Charles told him of the infamy that would come.[2] Reports say that several students brought cameras to school on the day of the shooting, and that many students were watching the shooting from a library balcony overlooking the student commons area.[3]

On February 19, 1997, Ramsey armed himself with a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun, and arrived at Bethel Regional High School by school bus. He approached the student commons area, brandishing the shotgun, and shot 15-year-old Josh Palacios in the abdomen, who later died after emergency surgery. He then shot and injured two other students. Reyne Athanas, an art teacher, entered the commons area after hearing the gunshots. Athanas said she tried and failed to convince Ramsey to surrender. He then entered the main lobby, where he shot principal Ron Edwards twice, killing him. Ramsey then retreated to the commons area, shooting once at police. Ramsey later placed the shotgun barrel under his chin, but then reportedly said, "I don't want to die," laid the shotgun on the ground, and surrendered without further incident.

Evan Ramsey (born February 8, 1981) was identified as the gunman. When he was five years old, his father was imprisoned after a police standoff and his mother became an alcoholic. Ramsey and his family soon after were forced to relocate to the Anchorage area after their house was set on fire. When he was seven, the Anchorage Department of Youth and Family Services removed Ramsey and his two brothers from his mother's custody and placed them in foster care. He was soon separated from his older brother, John, and lived in eleven different foster homes between 1988 and 1991.[2] Ramsey and his younger brother were allegedly abused by several foster parents. His younger brother, William, claimed that their foster brothers would pay other children to beat Evan for their amusement.

Ramsey was adopted with his brother at age 10, and settled in Bethel, Alaska, with their foster mother. Ramsey has suffered from depression since early childhood, and attempted suicide when he was 10 years old.[2]

Following his arrest, Ramsey claimed he did not understand his actions would kill anyone.[1] His trial was delayed as prosecutors discussed whether Ramsey should be tried as a juvenile or as an adult. Prosecutors decided to try Ramsey as an adult in Anchorage. On Dec. 2, 1998, Ramsey was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree attempted murder, and fifteen counts of third-degree assault. Judge Mark Isaac Wood sentenced him to 210 years in prison; on appeal, however, his sentence was reduced to two 99-year prison sentences.[9] He was initially imprisoned at the Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward before being moved to the Wildwood Correctional Complex around 2017, and will be eligible for parole in 2066, when he will be 82 years old.[10]

On February 15, 2006, Ramsey participated in an interview with Anderson Cooper titled In the Mind of a Killer, in which his father Don Ramsey blamed the video game Doom for the shooting.[11] His crime was also profiled on the Court TV series Anatomy of a Crime. Ramsey's actions were also covered in the program Kids Who Kill which also featured interviews with Ramsey.

• List of school shootings in the United States (before 2000)

• Violence goes to School
• Young lives at risk
• Court case of Evan E. Ramsey
• Portrait Of A High School Killer