On School Shootings

I was walking through the Student Center my first day of work at UTPA when I saw CNN's early coverage of the shootings at Virginia Tech. Not knowing any details, I thought "massacre" was a strong term. Later, I was chagrined to have assumed a case of overblown media when the descriptor was all too accurate.

Every time there's a campus shooting, it takes me back to spring 1988 when a bright, talented and troubled kid brought a semi-automatic weapon on campus and took his Humanities class hostage.

I knew that gunman, Jeff Cox. He was cute, personable, a transfer student to our campus. We'd been in several drama productions together. I have pictures of us with our arms slung around each other at one of my birthday parties. (I even made out with him once in my mom's Peugeot in the In-N-Out Burger parking lot after a party. Good kisser).

Nineteen years ago, school shootings/hostage situations were uncommon. Jeff fired a few shots into the classroom walls before being wrestled to the floor and disarmed. No one was injured or killed, thankfully. The campus was pretty shaken up. Who knew this would grow into a trend?

Over the years (read: after each new campus shooting), I've wondered what happened to Jeff. A note posted on the school's alumni web page last year purportedly from Jeff apologized for his actions of April 1988 and said he's become a much better person now. He asked if anyone had contact information for one of the guidance counselors who'd helped him that day and included an email address.

I've been debating about sending him a note (assuming the address/message is legit) saying that I've thought about him over the years and was glad to hear things are better for him now than they were in April 19 years ago. Because, as we've seen this week, it could have been so much worse for everyone.