Remembering Westside Middle School shooting: Jonesboro, Arkansas 1998

Two of the youngest mass shooters and the only two living school shooters who are not incarcerated...

Last updated: March 25, 2018

Date: March 24

Year: 1998

School: Westside Middle School

Location: Jonesboro

State: Arkansas

Wounded: 5

Fatalities: 10

Shots Fired: 27

Time lapsed: 4 minutes

Police response time: Unknown. Approx. 4 minutes. After police arrived shooters ran. 

How ended: Taken without issue.

Civilians involved: None known

Perpetrators: Mitchell Johnson (13) and Andrew Golden (11) cousins

Age: 13 & 11

Family history: The two students were cousins. It was reported that Golden came from a normal, happy American family. No home troubles were noted in family history.
Johnson came from a broken family, and lived with his mother and stepfather. His mother was a prison guard and married a man she met in prison for weapons charges. Police report Johnson often disappeared and his mother would call police to go look for him. He reported that an older family member had molested him when he was 6, and was accused of molesting a 2 year old family member the previous summer. He was facing charges at the time of the shooting. 

Red flags: Witnesses claim that Johnson was the ringleader. Johnson had told students several times that he wanted to kill his English teacher. He was known to threaten students saying that he would shoot them. Told others that he had 'A lot of killing to do'The day before he told one student "Tomorrow you will find out if you live or die," and another student said "He told me yesterday that all the people who broke up with him, you know, he's going to come to school tomorrow and shoot them," one student claimed Johnson had threatened him with a knife the week before but he hadn't reported it.
Golden was known by some as a bully, picking on other kids. He often wore a knife strapped to his leg and acted tough and one girl accused him of of shooting her cat. 

Mental illness history: None known. Johnson claimed that an older relative had molested him when he was 5 or 6. Johnson was accused of molesting a 2 year old relative and had just been charged at the time of the shooting. A friend claimed Johnson has been depressed the year before and they had to talk him out of suicide. 

Drug or medication use: Blood tests revealed no drugs or alcohol in their systems at the time of the shootings.

Andrew Golden and his father before the shooting...

Inspiration: Unknown

Possible motive: Both students were trying to project an image of toughness. Johnson had been telling ids at school that he was both a blood and a crip, and had smoked crack while with his father. All highly unlikely. He often made threats against those who angered him. He had previously mentioned wanting to kill the teacher because she was mean to him, and wanting to kill all of the girls who had rejected him. After the shooting both students placed blame on the other. 

Weapons:
Remington 742 .30-06 rifle
Universal .30 M1 carbine replica

Weapons obtained: Stolen from Golden's grandfather after an unsuccessful attempt to break into a gun safe at Golden's home which contained his personal guns.
(Not used but stolen at the same time - Ruger .44 Magnum rifle, Smith & Wesson .38 revolver, Double Deuce Buddie .22 two-shot derringer, FIE .380 pistol, Star .380 pistol, Ruger Security Six .357 revolver, Davis Industries .38 two-shot derringer, and a Charter Arms .38 revolver plus about 1000 rounds of ammunition)

Training: Both boys were raised with guns though their families. Johnson's mother was married to a man with a previous weapons conviction and once while her son was missing police had told her that she should secure her handgun when it was spotted on the table. Golden's father gave his son his first gun at age 6. Father was a member of the Practical Pistol Shooters club and was training his son in "practical shooting" techniques.

Aftermath: The shooters were charged as juveniles because Arkansas state law did not allow minors to be charged as adults at that time. They were held in juvenile detention until they turned 21 due to additional federal weapons charges.

Shortly after his release Johnson was arrested with a weapon and marijuana. He was charged and sent back to prison for a time but it is believe he has since been released.

Shortly after Golden was released he applied for a concealed carry permit under his new name, failing to list his previous addresses at the correctional facilities but authorities were able to match his fingerprints. He was again released and his whereabouts are uncertain.

Resulting actions: The shooting opened a dialogue about the inability to try the shooters as adults due to laws in place at the time. The minimum age to be tried as an adult was 14, but after the Jonesboro shooting this blanket restriction was lifted and replaced with a law that allows children 13 and under to be charges as adults as long as certain conditions are met. Prosecutors can ask for a transfer to adult court as long as certain psychological tests are met including proof that the child understood the criminality of their actions and can understand the outcome of their actions. At the time it was considered to be one of the fairest laws to children facing criminal charges in the nation.

Arkansas Tempers a Law on Violence by Children
http://crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/kidsasadults.htm

The Shooting: The night before the shooting the boys loaded up Johnson's mothers minivan with food, supplies, and enough equipment to survive in the woods for some time. They also loaded the car with a number of weapons they had taken from Golden's grandfather's home. The next morning they drove to school dressed in camouflage hunting clothes. Golden ran inside the building and tripped the fire alarm, then returned to the woods surrounding the school where Johnson was waiting. As the confused children filed outside following fire drill protocols the two boys opened fire. They claimed they were not targeting anybody specifically, but several of the people they shot had been mentioned as prior targets. They killed 4 female students, and wounded 10 others. They also killed the English teacher Johnson had previously threatened when she dove in front of a child, taking the bullet herself.

Those killed were Natalie Brooks, 11; Paige Ann Herring, age 12; Stephanie Johnson, 12; Brittheny Rachel Varner, 11, and teacher Shannon Wright, 32

The girl who had rejected Johnson's advances was wounded but survived. The boys fled the scene when police arrived, but were taken without incident. Though they bragged about being killers to some, they still often acted like young children when faced with their crimes. They asked if they could exchange their chicken dinner at the jail for pizza, and Golden wanted to sit in his grandmother's lap when she visited. 

Conspiracy Theories: None known


http://murderpedia.org/male.J/j/johnson-mitchell.htm

The Only Two Living US Mass School Shooters Who Are Not Incarcerated
http://abcnews.go.com/US/living-us-mass-school-shooters-incarcerated/story?id=36986507

Voicing the Community’s Horror Worked Well in Jonesboro, Arkansas
http://niemanreports.org/articles/voicing-the-communitys-horror-worked-well-in-jonesboro-arkansas/