Shooter Took Parents’ Locked Guns, Police Say

The 15-year-old student accused of opening fire at his suburban high school here Thursday morning broke into his parents’ locked gun cabinet to get the .22-caliber rifle and .357-caliber Magnum revolver he used to wound six of his schoolmates, authorities said Friday.

The youth, whom students identified as Thomas J. “T.J.” Solomon Jr., then sneaked the rifle onto his school bus and into Heritage High School by concealing it in the leg of his baggy blue jeans, said Rockdale County Sheriff Jeff Wigington. The revolver was smuggled in a book bag, authorities said.

The origin of the weapons used in the Heritage shooting was considered important as investigators piece together what happened here--and as Americans debate the troubling issues of gun control and how youths involved in recent gun violence were able to obtain the firearms they used. The Georgia shootings occurred exactly one month after the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., which left 15 people dead, including the two teenage assailants.

All six of the Heritage victims are expected to recover from their injuries, county school Supt. Don Peccia said, and only two remained hospitalized Friday.

Although initial reports identified the handgun Solomon allegedly used as a .22-caliber revolver, Wigington said Friday it was a .357 Magnum, which gun dealers described as a powerful gun. It was fired three times, the sheriff said.

The .22-caliber rifle often is described as the nation’s favorite family gun, used for target practice or for hunting small game, such as raccoons and squirrels. It also is capable of inflicting serious injuries or death in humans. The one Solomon allegedly used had a shortened stock and was fired 11 times.

A senior federal law enforcement official confirmed that both guns came from Solomon’s home, an impressive brick house with a neatly trimmed lawn and a basketball hoop located in one of the priciest subdivisions in this middle-class suburb 25 miles east of Atlanta. Both firearms have been traced, the official said, and there is nothing unusual or legally questionable about their lineage.

Unlike the two Columbine killers, who appeared to target specific victims for death, the suspect here may not have meant to kill anyone--except perhaps himself, in the end. “Apparently he was shooting at the hip, basically,” Wigington said. “He was not aiming the rifle at one particular person.”

So far, the youth has been charged with six counts of aggravated assault--Georgia does not have an attempted-murder charge--but other charges are expected Monday. Dist. Atty. Richard Read has said he intends to try Solomon as an adult, which would mean stiffer penalties if convicted.