Police Say School Official’s Wound Was Self-Inflicted

A month after a high-level Los Angeles school administrator was shot in the district headquarters’ downtown parking garage, police have determined that the man shot himself.

Although no criminal charges are expected to be filed against Maintenance Supervisor Jim Samples, the Los Angeles Unified School District is still investigating the Oct. 7 incident to determine what personnel action will be taken, said Brad Sales, a district spokesman.

Samples was struck in the midsection by a bullet as he headed to his district truck that Monday morning, sending shock waves through the Grand Avenue complex. At the time, Samples told police that he had been accosted by a masked gunman who shouted his name.

Samples could not be reached for comment. District officials said he is sticking to the story that he was confronted by a gunman, but now says he accidentally shot himself while pulling out his own gun to defend himself.

The police findings were hardly news in the district’s maintenance division, where rumors had been swirling for at least two weeks that the gunshot was self-inflicted. One maintenance worker, who requested anonymity, said Samples began carrying a weapon after receiving at least one, and perhaps two, death threats, the first as early as 1991.

Sales said school district attorneys are trying to determine whether the headquarters legally constitutes a campus and therefore falls under the zero-tolerance policy for weapons in schools. Samples is on paid leave and has been receiving school police protection.

“Employees have been terminated previously for having a weapon in their possession,” Sales said. “We’ll take a very close look at this.”