Two Killed in Minnesota High School Shooting

December 2003

Two students were slain by a fellow student during a shooting at their high school in Cold Spring, MN, according to police.

Prosecutors have charged a 15-year-old freshman with second-degree murder and attempted murder, but have convened a grand jury, which is necessary under state law to file a first-degree charge. Prosecutors have filed a motion to have the student tried as an adult. A 17-year-old senior died at a hospital after being shot in the face and neck, and a 15-year-old freshman died nearly two weeks after the incident from gunshot wounds to the chest and head. Authorities believe that both students were picked randomly as targets.

A spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Education said the shooting was the state's first fatal shooting carried out by a student inside a school.

Minnesota Public Radio has posted a detailed special report on the shooting on its Web site, which can be found at http://news.mpr.org/collection/special/2003/schoolshooting/