School massacres are now so common that many are largely ignored by the national media. As terrible as it is that the world has become almost accustomed to people murdering children in their schools, the silver lining is that the fame shooters fantasize about is likewise diminished. It has been stripped away by the increasing frequency of the tragedies themselves.
Perpetrating a massacre has become an option, a way out, a means of expression for those filled with rage and sadness. But fortunately, there are also massacres that never happened. Sometimes it was sheer luck, a keen eye, or even second thoughts by a would-be shooter coming to his senses at the very last second.
10. The Jammed Gun
In October 1992, Arthur McElroy walked into his science class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a rifle. The only thing that prevented him from murdering everyone inside was that his gun jammed before he could get off his first shot. Undeterred, McElroy spent the next several minutes trying to get the gun to work, while his classmates sprinted out of the lecture hall around him.
When McElroy finally gave up on what would have been one of the first school mass shootings in modern times, he tried to leave through a secondary exit. He was soon arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder, though he was found not guilty after being deemed insane. McElroy was diagnosed with persecutory delusional disorder (and possibly other conditions) and sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he remained until 2015, when he was released.
Although McElroy was judged to be just as mentally ill as he was at the time of the shooting, multiple chronic diseases have left him so physically weak that he was deemed unable to be a threat to anyone. He was moved to a nursing home and requires constant care.
9. Undone By A Vanity Photo
In 2001, Al Deguzman had an elaborate plan. For two years, he'd been plotting a mass murder at DeAnza College. He built sophisticated bombs to be secreted away inside the school and then detonated during lunchtime to inflict maximum casualties. His own room was filled with explosives, rifles, and a shotgun, as well as a recorded message both detailing his plans and apologizing for the intended murders.
But after all this careful planning, what stopped him and prevented what could have been one of the worst mass murders in US history was a sharp-eyed drugstore clerk. Deguzman took photos of himself with his arsenal and had them developed at a local drugstore. The clerk responsible for developing the photos grew immediately concerned about the weapons and called the police. When Deguzman returned to collect his photos, the clerk kept him busy until police arrived to arrest him.
Investigators later found that Deguzman had displayed few outward signs of wanting to carry out a mass murder. He had been the editor of his high school newspaper and was considered a mild-mannered young man. The only hints that something might have been wrong were his anti-government beliefs and subscription to anarchist mailing lists.
8. Note-Passing Saves A School
When people in Elmira, New York, talked about Jeremy Getman, they said they had the feeling something was off. Parents didn't want their children being friends with the young man who liked firecrackers just a little too much. Getman usually kept to his own group of friends, but when he passed a note to a girl in class on Valentine's Day 2001, its contents made her suspicious enough to give it to a teacher. The teacher saw a possible threat to the school and made the administration aware. Police were called and met Jeremy in the cafeteria, where they found him with two loaded guns and a duffel bag.
Jeremy had stolen his father's guns and had made several homemade explosives. Fortunately, he surrendered when approached by the officers. He was arrested and went to trial, where he showed remorse for what he had planned to do. Gertman said that he didn't go through with the murders because he realized that he didn't want to kill innocent people. He had been suffering from severe depression after being bullied but knew that what he'd done was wrong. He even said that he deserved to be punished. He was sentenced to eight years, and while in prison, he continued his education and received a GED. Authorities said he was a model inmate, and he was released a year early.
