Warning signs everywhere with Cleveland school shooter  
Friday, October 12th, 2007

Asa Coon, the 14-year-old student who took his life at a Cleveland school.
Photos from the Cleveland Plain Dealer

I didn't want to write anything about the recent Cleveland school shootings, where a 14 year-old student snuck into SuccessTech Academy somehow past the armed security guard, and shot two students, two teachers, and then himself on Wednesday.  For one thing, it's close to home - I live in Cleveland.  But mostly because I dislike news about singular, specific incidents that are over with and it seems like there's nothing we can do about them.  Isn't it then just satisfying people's morbid curiousity?

My eldest sister, undoubtedly my biggest supporter with this website, asked me post something about it, and I shied away.  "Don't despair," she said.  "How about some tips on warning signs, where parents can seek help, etc.?"  My realization:  I was being jaded.  Sorting through the news so often can be depressing, and I lost sight for a moment that no matter what the story, if you look hard enough, there is always something you can do to make a difference.

Asa Coon , armed with two handguns, entered the alternative school in Cleveland on Wednesday, wearing black clothes, black nail polish.  That day, he'd been suspended from school for being involved in a fistfight.  He returned at about 12:45 pm with three knives, two pistols, and two boxes of ammunition in baggy cargo pants.  He opened fire, shooting randomly, "helter-skelter," witnesses say.

"He was chubby and short, and he was the only kid in school who dressed like a Goth," said a sophomore.  "When he'd get teased, he'd say, 'I'm gonna come get you.'  We thought he was playing."

Lori Looney, Coon's mother, was found guilty of neglect by the county juvenile court.  His father had not been involved in their lives since they were children.  At age 5, Asa is shot in the arm with a pellet gun.  His mother told police the children's absent father gave them three pellet guns.  Asa's twin sister, Nicole, and his older brother Stephen, told police that Asa shot himself with it.  At 11, Stephen takes a cap gun to school and gets it taken away, and breaks into a neighbor's house to steal a bottle of champagne.

At 12, he wrote "I will kill you all" in black marker on the wall at home, then screamed obscenities at his mother and punched her in the left eye.  He was ordered to undergo psychological testing by a magistrate after the incident of punching his mother - Asa refused, threw the paperwork on the ground, and head-butted his mother on the way out of the office.  He was ordered to attend an anger management class, court documents show, but he never received them.  James Tribble, chief probation officer for the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, said Asa was too young to attend the class.  He was sent to the Jones Home, a care facility, where he tried to kill himself.

Violence in the Looney-Coon household was not limited to Asa:  police showed up at the house when Asa was young, because Looney said her oldest son, Stephen, threw things at her and whipped her with an extension cord.  And again a month later when Stephen allegedly pushed her, punched her in the face, and hit her with a 3 foot metal pole.  Stephen's past is also littered with police involvement, violence, gun charges, and breaking the law.

In 2000, Children and Family Services were called to the home because Asa had burns on his arms and scratches on his forehead.  Asa's family's income was low; he was often teased for his unkempt appearance, and the garbage and dog feces that cluttered the front lawn of their small West 43rd Street home.

Asa showed up to school in black trench coats, Marilyn Manson shirts, a dog collar.  Students say he talked about suicide and homicide.  And something even stranger was going on:  Coon and his brother were targets of a drive-by shooting attempt in the last few weeks, police say.

A few days before the shootings, Asa got in a disagreement with a student in reading class about the existence of God.  Asa said he didn't believe in, nor respect God.  He worshipped rock star Marilyn Manson, he said, and flicked the other kid off.  They got into a scuffle after school, and Asa got beat up.

"He's crazy.  He threatened to blow up our school.  He threatened to stab everybody," a fellow student said.  "We didn't think nothing of it."

It isn't hard to look for warning signs in this tragedy, because they seem to be everywhere.  But it's all laid out here, and the people who already knew the breadth of it - Asa's mother and siblings - weren't able to help him.  His mother looked to law enforcement, counselors, medication for her son.  All of the signs were there, yet they were largely ignored:  and several students claim they went to the principal before and said that Asa had guns, and was dangerous, but were put off.

So whose fault is it?  The boy?  The mother?  The absentee father?  The school principal?  The Juvenile Court?  The probation officer?  The school's security measures?  Once there are that many hands in the pot, it's difficult to say.  Instead of playing the blame game, perhaps we should focus on the things we all can do:

1.  If you're a student and hear another child talk about guns, death, bombs, or anything violence-related in a threatening way, do not take it lightly.  As many as 10 million children per year witness violence in their homes across the U.S., and childhood exposure to violence (CEV) is linked to depression, anxiety, anger, and more violence.  If you hear anything from another student that makes you feel uneasy, tell your parents, and the school principal, and don't stop there.  Most states have Safe Schools initiatives with hotlines to report these threats - find yours.  If your state doesn't have one, you can file an anonymous police report.

2.  Encourage others not to resort to name-calling, teasing, or bullying, and lead by example.  Give others the respect and consideration you'd want them to give to you.

3.  Understand anger management.  AngriesOut.com is a site for kids, parents or teachers, with helpful resources and advice on "getting your angries out."

4.  Be a good listener.  Make a commitment to yourself to never be the one to have to say, "I should have listened."

5.  Know what is going on in your child's classroom, by asking.  When you meet with your kids' teachers, ask about your child's progress, and ask for any concerns or areas of improvement.

For even more info, you can visit SafeYouth.org.

   

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