Rangeview High School employee accidentally shoots student in parking lot

Since the horrific 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, pro-gun advocates have suggested that schools would be safer if employees were armed. Well, here's an anecdote that represents the other side of that argument. Yesterday afternoon, a worker at Aurora's Rangeview High School accidentally shot a student...

By Michael Roberts

May 14, 2013

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Since the horrific 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, pro-gun advocates have suggested that schools would be safer if employees were armed.

Well, here's an anecdote that represents the other side of that argument.

Yesterday afternoon, a worker at Aurora's Rangeview High School accidentally shot a student in the institution's parking lot. What happened?

The man at the center of the incident is said to work at Rangeview but isn't a teacher; he also has a second job as a security officer -- and not for Aurora Public Schools.

About an hour after school ended on Monday, according to the Aurora Police Department, the man offered a ride home to a student -- he may be eighteen, since he's called an "adult male" in the APD release. But they didn't get far.

Investigators say the driver was moving his gun to the glove compartment of his car when his firearm discharged, striking the student in the leg.

The man took the student to a nearby hospital, where he was rushed into surgery to deal with a significant wound, although he's expected to survive.

At this point, it's unclear if the man with the gun will face any charges. But the incident certainly blew up on Twitter. Here are some sample tweets:

I bet all the other schools / school districts think Rangeview is so ratchet now cause of that shooting today.
— LEECVH. ♡ (@Lsteeeezy) May 14, 2013

PROOF THAT ARMED GUARDS AT SCHOOLS PROTECT STUDENTS!!Aurora PDF investigate accidental shooting at Rangeview High - bit.ly/17YzEBn
— Beth McKinley (@ObamAmerican48) May 14, 2013

The shooting at Rangeview > better get it together .
— Anjel Cherish Harris (@___Youvedone) May 14, 2013

Shooting at Rangeview.. COME ON COLORADO. GET YOUR SHIT STRAIGHT. JESUS FUCK.
— ℳatthew.в⇜ (@Braymor_) May 14, 2013

That's four ways to put it.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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