School Climate & Safety A National Roundup

FBI Says Red Lake Gunman Acted Alone in 9-Minute Attack

By Rhea R. Borja — April 26, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The student who killed seven people at Red Lake High School in Minnesota on March 21 acted alone, a federal law-enforcement official said last week.

In his first press briefing in weeks, Special Agent Michael Tabman of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on April 18 gave other information about the armed attack on the school on the Red Lake Indian Reservation by Jeff Weise, 16.

“While some of [his] actions seemed random, the actions at school were planned,” Mr. Tabman said. He did not disclose whether anyone knew about the attack beforehand, but he did say that Mr. Weise “was in electronic communication with others.”

FBI officials earlier arrested Louis Jourdain, 16, the son of the tribal leader, on conspiracy charges in connection with the shootings, and have subpoenaed a number of other students, according to press accounts.

The student fired some 45 rounds of ammunition in the attack, which took just nine minutes. At 2:49 p.m., Mr. Weise met security guard Derrick Brun at the entrance to the 270-student school, shot him, and within three minutes he had fatally shot teacher Neva Rogers and five students. For five more minutes, he wandered the school halls, firing at and wounding other students, Mr. Tabman said.

At 2:57 p.m., Mr. Weise exchanged gunfire with police, who hit him three times—in the lower back, the leg, and right arm. None of the officers was hit. At 2:58 p.m., Mr. Weise fatally shot himself in the head.

Students in the approximately 1,400-student district returned to school April 12.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Opinion Schools Can’t Just ‘Return to Normal’ After a Climate Disaster
This is what’s missing when education leaders urge schools to return to normalcy too soon after crises or disasters.
Jaleel R. Howard & Sam Blanchard
5 min read
A jungle gym melted and destroyed by the Eaton Fire is seen at a school, Jan. 15, 2025, in Altadena, Calif.
The Easton Fire melted a jungle gym outside a school in Altadena, Calif.
John Locher/AP
School Climate & Safety Tracker School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
Education Week is tracking K-12 school shootings in 2025 with injuries or deaths. See the number of incidents and where they occurred.
3 min read
Sign indicating school zone.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety As Wildfires Devastate Los Angeles, Educators Offer Help and Refuge
As wildfires rip through the region, educators band together for support as they work to help students and families.
9 min read
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025.
Ethan Swope/AP
School Climate & Safety School Shootings in 2024: More Than Last Year, But Fewer Deaths
Education Week recorded the second-highest number of school shootings in 2024 since it started tracking the incidents in 2018.
4 min read
Photo of no gun sign on door.
iStock