Remembering Pearl High School shooting: Pearl, Mississippi 1997
Last Updated: March 23, 2018 Date: October 1 Year: 1997 School: Pearl High School Location: Pearl State: Mississippi Wounded: 7 Fatalities: 3 (including mother: stabbed prior to shooting) Shots Fired: Time lapsed: 11 minutes Police response time: Incident was over before police arrived and suspect detained. How ended: Attempted to flee the scene, stopped by student and staff, held until police arrived. Civilians involved: Yes, assistant principal Joel Myrick (a U.S. Army Reserve Commander) retrieved his personal Colt 1911 .45 auto from vehicle. Student helped pin car down. Stopped from fleeing, held at gunpoint until police arrived. Perpetrator: Luke Woodham Age: 16 Family history: Red flags: History of animal torture, he wrote in his journal about torturing his dog Sparkle to death. "I will never forget the howl she made. It sounded almost human. We laughed and hit her hard." About a dozen students were said to know about