The Heath High School shooting occurred at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, on December 1, 1997, when 14-year-old Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of students, killing three and injuring six.
On December 1, 1997, Carneal wrapped a shotgun and a rifle in a blanket and took them to school, passing them off as an art project he was working on. He carried a loaded Ruger MK II .22-caliber pistol in his backpack. Carneal rode to school with his sister and arrived at approximately 7:45 a.m. When he arrived, he inserted earplugs into his ears and took the pistol out of his bag. He fired ten rounds in fast succession at a student prayer group. Three girls later died and six other students were wounded.
Brittney Thomas, a survivor, said that when she turned around during the shooting, she was "kind of facing down the barrel of the gun."
A member of the group, Benjamin Strong, testified that Carneal dropped the gun of his own accord after the shooting. Carneal placed his pistol on the ground and surrendered to the school principal, Bill Bond. After dropping the gun, Carneal said to Strong: "Kill me, please. I can't believe I did that."
Nicole Hadley was a fourteen-year-old freshman who played in the school band and on the freshman basketball team. She was kept alive until 10:00 pm the evening of the shooting. Her family had moved to Paducah from Nebraska the year before. Her parents were praised for donating her organs. President Bill Clinton cited this "courageous decision" in his Proclamation 7083 on National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week in 1998.
Jessica James was a seventeen-year-old senior and member of the marching band. She died in surgery at Western Baptist Hospital the afternoon of the shooting.
Kayce Steger was a fifteen-year-old sophomore, a clarinetist in the school band and a member of the Agape Club and softball team. She died at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah about 45 minutes after the shooting. She was an honor student and member of Law Enforcement Explorers Post 111 who hoped to be a police officer.
Shelley Schaberg, 17, was described by the principal as the school's best female athlete. Voted Miss Heath High School by the senior class, Shelley was homecoming queen. Although her injuries from the shooting prevented her from playing basketball, her college honored her basketball scholarship and she went on to play college soccer.
Melissa "Missy" Jenkins, 15, was president of the Future Homemakers of America. She was paralyzed from the chest down after being shot. She has appeared on numerous national and local television shows, talked to newspaper reporters and appeared in two TV commercials for Channel One News, an educational channel that reaches schools throughout the country. A video interview of her was featured on the homepage of YouTube.com on April 22, 2007.
Mandy Jenkins, 15, was the twin sister of Melissa Jenkins. A bullet grazed her neck.
Kelly Hard Alsip, 16, was a member of the softball team and the Future Homemakers of America. She transferred to the local Catholic school the year after the shooting.
Hollan Holm, 14, was a member of the Academic Team, the Spanish Club, and the Science Olympiad. He had been shot in the side of the head, which left a gash and required 13 staples to shut, but he had no permanent physical complications or brain damage. In his valedictory speech at the class of 2001 graduation, he reminded his class that they had lost not one but two class members on December 1, 1997: Nicole Hadley and Michael Carneal. Holm has been involved with an organization that urges students to speak up if they know of threats against schools or students.
Craig Keene, 15, was a member of the Agape Club, the band, and the basketball team.
Michael Adam Carneal was a 14-year-old freshman at the time of the shooting. Carneal told reporters that he could not give a single explanation for his crimes, and that contributing factors included a mistaken belief of his that his parents did not love him, bullying from classmates, and false claims he was gay. He stated that he did not know who he was aiming at until he read the names in the paper.
Weeks before the incident, Carneal had stolen a .38 caliber handgun from his parents' room and attempted to sell it. A student took the gun, threatening to tell police if Carneal did not give it to him. Carneal had told students that "something big is going to happen on Monday" but no one took him seriously.
In the weeks before the shooting, Carneal stole several firearms from both his own home and a neighbor's home.
On the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day, Carneal went to his neighbor's home and broke into the garage, taking four .22 rifles, a 30-30 rifle, .22 and 12 gauge ammunition and earplugs.
Later, he stole a Ruger .22 pistol and several .22 magazines.