East Carter High School shooting
Encyclopedia
The East Carter High School shooting occurred on January 18, 1993 in Grayson, Kentucky
, United States. The incident was when 17-year-old Gary Scott Pennington walked into an English classroom and fatally shot his teacher Deanna McDavid and head custodian Marvin Hicks, and held classmates hostage for fifteen minutes before surrendering to police.
-type backpack. Predominant U.S. school districts were closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, although the Carter County Public Schools
were still opened.
At approximately 2:45 p.m. he entered his seventh-period English class and shot at his teacher Deanna McDavid. His first shot missed, with McDavid saying, "Scott, what are you doing!", to which Pennington said, "shut up, bitch". The second shot hit her in the forehead, a shot that was fatal. Students inside her class believed this was an act that McDavid arranged for her drama club. The school custodian, Marvin Hicks, and social studies teacher Jack Calhoun entered the classroom to investigate the sounds. Pennington fatally shot Hicks in the abdomen, and aimed his pistol at Calhoun without shooting him. Witnesses reported that Hicks pushed a female student away from himself before he was shot. Mandy Morse, a student inside the classroom, had written a farewell letter to her family due to fearing she would be killed. Some students recalled Pennington threatening to kill other students, while others recall him telling the class he will commit suicide.
He then held his classmates hostage before he allowed two students to leave the classroom shortly after. He then allowed students to leave the room in groups of two every minute, and allowed the last five hostages to leave the classroom at 3:01 p.m. He himself walked outside of the classroom, where he surrendered to two police officers waiting in the hallway adjacent to the classroom.
his entire childhood, before moving to Carter County in August 1992. It was reported that Pennington had expressed frustration with moving to Carter County. His family was living in poverty
in the years and months prior to the shooting, as the family could not afford plumbing and lacked sufficient electricity. His father, Gary Pennington, was an unemployed former laborer and coal miner who received monthly disability pensions, due to a coal mining accident. His mother Esta was an unemployed homemaker.
Pennington had excelled academically since elementary school, participating in the academic team since the fifth grade and winning the Eastern Kentucky regional science competition in the seventh grade. He attended Elliott County High School for grades nine to eleven, and taught himself calculus during his freshman year. After moving to Carter County, he joined the academic team at East Carter High School, however withdrew due to bullying by fellow students. He also developed a grudge against his English teacher Mrs. McDavid after she gave him a 'C' as his midterm grade. The midterm grade was for an essay Pennington had written about the Stephen King
novel Rage; the content of the essay concerned McDavid, given that some of his other writing likewise focused on "violence, death, and dying" (McDavid even apparently brought her concerns before her colleagues).Actually, the information regarding Scott's reading of the novel "Rage" is in error. Scott never read the book until after his incarceration. He said that the false information piqued his curiosity, and he read the novel while in prison.
Afterward, he said he did not dislike Mrs. McDavid, but that his intention was to kill any two people in order to become eligible for the death penalty
.
and then to Johnson County
.
Opening arguments in his trial began on February 9, 1995. Pennington entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill, and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years on February 28, 1995. He is currently imprisoned at the Kentucky State Penitentiary
in Eddyville, Kentucky
.
Grayson, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,877 people, 1,415 households, and 938 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.1 people per square mile . There were 1,538 housing units at an average density of 614.5 per square mile...
, United States. The incident was when 17-year-old Gary Scott Pennington walked into an English classroom and fatally shot his teacher Deanna McDavid and head custodian Marvin Hicks, and held classmates hostage for fifteen minutes before surrendering to police.
The shooting
On Monday, January 18, 1993, Scott Pennington took a .38 caliber revolver that was owned by his father, and brought the weapon to school by concealing it in a duffel bagDuffel bag
A duffel bag is a large cylindrical bag made of cloth with a drawstring closure at the top....
-type backpack. Predominant U.S. school districts were closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, although the Carter County Public Schools
Carter County Schools (Kentucky)
Carter County Schools is a school district based in Carter County, Kentucky. The district includes the cites of Grayson and Olive Hill.-High schools:...
were still opened.
At approximately 2:45 p.m. he entered his seventh-period English class and shot at his teacher Deanna McDavid. His first shot missed, with McDavid saying, "Scott, what are you doing!", to which Pennington said, "shut up, bitch". The second shot hit her in the forehead, a shot that was fatal. Students inside her class believed this was an act that McDavid arranged for her drama club. The school custodian, Marvin Hicks, and social studies teacher Jack Calhoun entered the classroom to investigate the sounds. Pennington fatally shot Hicks in the abdomen, and aimed his pistol at Calhoun without shooting him. Witnesses reported that Hicks pushed a female student away from himself before he was shot. Mandy Morse, a student inside the classroom, had written a farewell letter to her family due to fearing she would be killed. Some students recalled Pennington threatening to kill other students, while others recall him telling the class he will commit suicide.
He then held his classmates hostage before he allowed two students to leave the classroom shortly after. He then allowed students to leave the room in groups of two every minute, and allowed the last five hostages to leave the classroom at 3:01 p.m. He himself walked outside of the classroom, where he surrendered to two police officers waiting in the hallway adjacent to the classroom.
Victims
- Deanna McDavid née Mullins was born on January 19, 1944, in Olive Hill, KentuckyOlive Hill, KentuckyThere were 791 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone...
, and graduated at Olive Hill High School in 1962. She enrolled Morehead State UniversityMorehead State UniversityMorehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S...
as an English majorEnglish majorThe English Major is a term in the United States and a few other countries for an undergraduate university degree focused around the consumption, analysis, and production of texts in the English language...
, and earned a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1966. She worked as a high school teacher in Akron, OhioAkron, OhioAkron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
for 14 years, before returning to Carter County in 1981. McDavid became a senior English teacher at East Carter High School, and was also director of the school drama club. She lived in Grayson, Kentucky with her husband Daniel, and their three children – son Brent, daughters Lisa and Angela.
- Marvin Hicks was born in 1941 in Olive Hill, Kentucky, and was an honor student at Olive Hill High School before dropping out. Hicks worked as a coal minerCoal miningThe goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
with his father for at least twenty years, and decided to become custodian at East Carter High School due to disliking coal mining. He was employed as head custodian at East Carter High School since 1983, nine years before the shooting, and resided in Olive Hill with his wife Margaret Callihan.
Perpetrator and motives
The identity of the shooter was originally protected at the time of his arrest, and was soon revealed to be 17-year-old Gary Scott Pennington. He had lived with his family in Elliott County, KentuckyElliott County, Kentucky
Elliott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1869. As of 2000, the population is 6,748. Its county seat is Sandy Hook, Kentucky. The county is named for John Milton Elliott, U.S. Congressman; Confederate Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals...
his entire childhood, before moving to Carter County in August 1992. It was reported that Pennington had expressed frustration with moving to Carter County. His family was living in poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
in the years and months prior to the shooting, as the family could not afford plumbing and lacked sufficient electricity. His father, Gary Pennington, was an unemployed former laborer and coal miner who received monthly disability pensions, due to a coal mining accident. His mother Esta was an unemployed homemaker.
Pennington had excelled academically since elementary school, participating in the academic team since the fifth grade and winning the Eastern Kentucky regional science competition in the seventh grade. He attended Elliott County High School for grades nine to eleven, and taught himself calculus during his freshman year. After moving to Carter County, he joined the academic team at East Carter High School, however withdrew due to bullying by fellow students. He also developed a grudge against his English teacher Mrs. McDavid after she gave him a 'C' as his midterm grade. The midterm grade was for an essay Pennington had written about the Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
novel Rage; the content of the essay concerned McDavid, given that some of his other writing likewise focused on "violence, death, and dying" (McDavid even apparently brought her concerns before her colleagues).Actually, the information regarding Scott's reading of the novel "Rage" is in error. Scott never read the book until after his incarceration. He said that the false information piqued his curiosity, and he read the novel while in prison.
Afterward, he said he did not dislike Mrs. McDavid, but that his intention was to kill any two people in order to become eligible for the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
.
Imprisonment
A grand jury indicted Pennington on two counts of second-degree murder and 22 counts of kidnapping on June 15, 1993. Due to the difficulty of seating an impartial jury, the trial venue was moved twice, first to Morgan CountyMorgan County, Kentucky
Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 13,948. Its county seat is West Liberty. The county is among the dry counties, which means that the sale of alcohol is restricted or prohibited.- Geography :...
and then to Johnson County
Johnson County, Kentucky
Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1843. As of 2000, the population was 23,445. Its county seat is Paintsville...
.
Opening arguments in his trial began on February 9, 1995. Pennington entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill, and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years on February 28, 1995. He is currently imprisoned at the Kentucky State Penitentiary
Kentucky State Penitentiary
The Kentucky State Penitentiary, also known as the "Castle on the Cumberland," is a prison of the Kentucky Department of Corrections located in Eddyville, Kentucky. The state's only maximum security male facility, the prison is located on Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River, about from downtown...
in Eddyville, Kentucky
Eddyville, Kentucky
Eddyville is a city in Lyon County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lyon County . The Kentucky State Penitentiary is located in Eddyville.-History:...
.