Kip Kinkel
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| “ | Love goes away but hate lasts forever. | „ |
| ~ Kip Kinkel |
Kipland Philip "Kip" Kinkel (August 30th, 1982 - ) was an American school shooter from Springfield, Oregon. On May 21st, 1998; first shot his parents to death at his home with a 10/22 rifle, then went to Thurston High School. There he opened fire, killing two students and wounding 25 others. He is currently serving a life sentence in the Oregon Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole.[1] According to certain psychiatrists, Kip Kinkel was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the shooting.
Childhood edit
Kipland Philip "Kip" Kinkel was born on August 30, 1982 in Springfield, Oregon. The second child to William Kinkel and Faith Zuranski and the younger of two siblings [a sister, Kristen, who was six years Kip's senior], Kipland was raised in a relatively typical family environment. Those who knew William and Faith described the couple as loving and supportive, despite their families' concealed history of severe mental illness.
Both Faith and Bill made a living as teachers. The Kinkels even spent a year in Spain when Kipland was six years old, as Faith taught Spanish. While Kristen was a gifted student, Kipland reportedly had trouble with the kindergarten's curriculum possibly due to a mixture of a language barrier and a later diagnosis of dyslexia. Unfortunately, Kip's scholastic disposition did not improve upon the Kinkel's return to Oregon. In elementary school, Kip's lack of emotional and physical development was acknowledged by teachers, as well as his apparent immaturity. Kinkel was ultimately required by William and Faith to repeat the first grade and, by the start of second grade, was placed in special education classes.
From a young age, Kip had an interest in explosives and firearms, a fascination that would later be the root of significant troubles. Despite his interest being met with discouragement from both Faith and Bill, his father eventually made the decision to register Kipland for gun safety courses. Kip was also gifted two firearms, a .22 caliber long rifle and, at age 15, a 9mm Glock handgun.
In high school, Kipland's character underwent a significant change and was even suspected by peers as being "schizoid" or "psychotic". Kinkel engaged in a plethora of concerning behaviors, attracting the attention of both his parents and police officers alike. Examples of Kip's emerging destructive behavior included setting off stink bombs in the lockers of classmates and instructing his class on how to construct explosives as part of a school presentation. Kinkel would also discuss violent events and Kinkel himself committing acts of violence. Concerned, William and Faith sought the help of a psychologist and enrolled him [Kip] in anger management classes.
Expulsion from School edit
Kip's troubles intensified on May 20, 1998 when he was suspended from Thurston High School and was even pending an expulsion. Kipland had received the already-stolen a loaded handgun from a friend who had swiped it from his father. Kinkel paid the friend $110 in exchange for a Beretta Model 90 .32-caliber pistol, which contained a loaded nine-round magazine. When said friend's father discovered that his firearm had been stolen, he reported the incident to the police and presented the officers with a list comprised of the names of possible students who could have taken the weapon. Surprisingly, Kip's name was not included in the list. However, he was still interrogated after being deemed a potential participant by the school. While being searched for weapons, Kinkel lead authorities to the weapon, which was stored in a paper bag and hidden in Kinkel's locker. Both Kinkel and the student that had sold Kinkel the gun were arrested. The Kinkels would later be informed of their son's suspension and pending expulsion. After remaining in police custody for an unspecified amount of time, Kip was released and driven home by William Kinkel.
Familicide and School Shooting edit
On returning home, sometime between 3:15 and 4:00 p.m., Kinkel killed his father by shooting him in the head, right above the ear, with a Ruger .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle that he owned. Kinkel shot him from behind and then dragged him from the kitchen into the bathroom and put a white sheet over him. Kinkel then waited in the living room for his mother to arrive home.[2]
Faith Kinkel arrived home at around 6 p.m., and Kinkel went to the basement -- where the garage was -- to help her with her bags. He shot her on the basement steps with a .22-caliber Ruger MK II pistol.[2]
That night, Kinkel held a 9x19mm Glock 19 to his head but couldn't kill himself. The next day, Kinkel drove his mother's car to school. He was dressed in an trench coat. Kinkel opened fire on students in the patio area and the cafeteria, firing fifty rounds. He hit a total of 34 students and killed 2.[3]
Victims edit
- Mikael Nickolauson, 17
- Ben Walker, 16
- William Kinkel, 59
- Faith Kinkel, 57
References edit
- ↑ Teenager To Spend Life in Prison For Shootings, The New York Times
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Killer at Thurston High, Frontline
- ↑ 8 years later: Thurston and Kinkel revisited, Oregon Daily Emerald