Armed Student Seizes Drama Class, Gives Up After Wounding Boy, 15

An armed student held a drama class hostage and shot one boy in the face Thursday at Loara High School in Anaheim, authorities said.

Police said the 15-year-old student surrendered peacefully about 40 minutes after walking into the class with a 12-gauge shotgun and a semi-automatic pistol.

The wounded student, Anthony Lopez, 15, was in satisfactory condition at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange. His left jaw is shattered, and the bullet is lodged in his neck, officials said.

“Who would have thought he was serious?” the wounded student said during an interview at his hospital bed Thursday evening. “I mean, the guy was calm. He didn’t look crazy. I asked him whether the gun was for real and then I said if it was real, why didn’t he just start shooting.”

Police refused to identify the suspect because he is a juvenile. However, classmates said he is Cory Robb, a ninth-grader. The suspect was being held for investigation of attempted homicide at Orange County Juvenile Hall.

The youth entered the choir room where 36 drama students were meeting about 9:30 a.m. and ordered the teacher to leave, said Police Lt. Marc Hedgpeth. About 10 minutes later, after firing one shot, he allowed the wounded boy and most of the girls in the class to walk out. Police negotiators talked the armed student into surrendering about 10:10 a.m.

Friendly but Troubled

Students and parents described Robb, who was not a member of the drama class, as a troubled but friendly youth who had talked of family problems. They said he also was upset about an impending move to Northern California.

Robb, several students interviewed said, had hinted for the last few weeks that he was planning some act that involved weapons and possible violence. The students, however, said they had not taken him seriously.

Robb’s mother, Kathy McAfee, declined to speak to a reporter at the family’s house, which had recently been sold. Neighbors said the family was moving to Northern California because Robb’s stepfather had another job.

“He (Cory Robb) had told my girls that he didn’t want to move,” said Renay Hill, who lives across the street from Robb’s house. On Wednesday night, Robb showed a gun to one of her daughters--who was in the drama class Thursday morning--but did not say anything about using it, Hill said.

Students said that Robb ordered teacher Kenneth Tuttle to leave the room and lock the door behind him. One student said Tuttle responded: “Come on class, we’re going.” But, students said, Robb made the teacher leave alone.

“Everybody thought it was a joke,” said Season Rodriguez, one of the drama students. “He came in and kicked back, said ‘I’m not gonna hurt you, don’t worry.’ I don’t think Cory meant to go in there and shoot anyone.”

But Rodriguez said that Lopez mocked Robb at one point, saying “ ‘Oh, we’ve got a suicidal killer on our hands.’ ”

Robb fired one shot from the pistol, hitting Lopez in the face, students said.

“He grabbed his face and fell down by my feet,” said Matt Grimsley, 15. “There was blood everywhere. I went to help him, but he (Robb) said ‘don’t move.’ ”

Grimsley said another student persuaded Robb to let the girls in the class--some of whom were crying after the shooting--leave with Lopez, who was able to walk out on his own power.

With only about 10 boys remaining, Robb used a phone in the classroom to call his parents, students said. Anaheim police officers contacted Robb on the phone and talked him into surrendering, Hedgpeth said.

School officials, using the campus public address system, had advised teachers to ignore the school bells and keep students in their classrooms and lock the doors.

Officials did not close the school, and most of the 2,100 students remained there for the rest of the day. Psychologists were sent to the school to talk to students from the drama class.

Times staff writers Lily Eng, Maria Newman, Jean Davidson and Tom McQueeney contributed to this story.