Principal Shot at Wisconsin H.S. Dies
Pastor Dale Morgan
Sep 30, 1:14 AM EDT
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Principal Shot at Wisconsin H.S. Dies*
By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press Writer
CAZENOVIA, Wis. (AP) -- A teenager who pried open his family's gun
cabinet brought two weapons to his rural school Friday and shot the
principal to death after a struggle with adults and other students,
authorities said.
The 15-year-old was taken into custody and charged as an adult with
murder, the district attorney said. No one else was hurt.
Authorities said the teen had complained about being teased by other
students and decided to confront teachers and the principal using a
shotgun and handgun taken from his parents' bedroom. The shooting also
came one day after the principal gave him a disciplinary warning for
having tobacco, according to a criminal complaint.
Witnesses said the student walked in with the shotgun before classes
began. A custodian, teachers and students wrestled with him, but he
broke through, took out the handgun and shot Weston Schools Principal
John Klang three times, Sheriff Randy Stammen said.
The custodian said the teen was a special-education student who told him
he was there to kill someone, but did not say who.
"He was calm, but he was on a mission," said Dave Thompson, 43, who also
has two children at the school.
Sophomore Shelly Rupp, 16, described the boy as a freshman with few
friends and said he was "just weird in the head."
"He always used to kid around about bringing things to school and
hurting kids," she said at a gas station nearby where students and
townspeople gathered.
Thompson said the student first pointed a shotgun in a teacher's face.
Thompson grabbed away the gun, but the student then appeared to be
reaching for another gun, so Thompson and the teacher took cover.
Thompson ran into a kitchen to call 911.
Klang then confronted the gunman. After the shots were fired, the
principal, who was wounded, somehow wrestled him to the ground and swept
the gun away, the complaint said.
Klang, 49, was shot in the head, chest and leg, authorities said. He
died hours later at a hospital in Madison.
Sheriff Randy Stammen praised Klang's swift action. "The heroics of the
people involved in this can't be understated," he said.
The teen, identified as Eric Hainstock, said a group of kids had teased
him by calling him names and rubbing up against him, the complaint said,
and the teen felt teachers and the principal would not do anything about it.
The complaint also said Hainstock had told a friend a few days earlier
that Klang would not "make it through homecoming," referring to
festivities planned for the school's homecoming weekend.
On Thursday, the principal had given Hainstock a disciplinary warning
for having tobacco on school grounds, which was likely to mean an
in-school suspension.
Hainstock could get life in prison if convicted of murder, District
Attorney Patricia Barrett said. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Hainstock's house late Friday,
the sheriff said. The teen was scheduled to make an initial court
appearance Monday. It was unclear whether he had an attorney.
When an Associated Press reporter went to the Hainstock home outside of
town Friday night seeking comment, a woman said, "Go away and leave us
alone."
Children from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade attend the small school
near Cazenovia, a community of about 300 people about 70 miles northwest
of Madison.
Klang and his three children graduated from Weston Schools. He was once
a teacher, then farmed for about 18 years before returning to teaching
and taking over as principal in 2004, his father, Don Klang, said. The
younger Klang was being groomed to take over as superintendent next year.
Laurie Rhea, 42, said the principal spent last weekend at the gas
station washing cars for a homecoming fundraiser.
"All the kids just loved him," she said.
High school students were offered counseling after the shooting,
authorities said. Younger students were bused home. The homecoming
parade, football game and dance were canceled or postponed.
About 500 students, parents, teachers and community members gathered
Friday night under the lights of the football field to mourn the loss of
Klang. They cried, sang "Amazing Grace," listened to mournful violin
passages and spoke fondly of Klang and also of a student who died early
today in an unrelated car wreck.
The shooting took place two days after a gunman took six students
hostage in a Colorado high school and killed one of them before
committing suicide.
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Associated Press Writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report.
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