Columbine, Sandy Hook, and now Arapahoe. These are all school shootings but just because they’re the most known doesn’t mean that they are the only shootings that have ever happened. Shootings happen more frequently than we all like to think. Some just don’t make big news headlines.

December 11, 2012- Jacob Tyler Roberts a 22 year old man from Portland Oregon opened fire in the Clackamas Town Center mall, located 11 miles from downtown Portland, Oregon. Using an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle, Roberts killed two people and wounded one other. He then took his own life. This tragedy never made headlines because two days after a tragedy happened in Newtown Connecticut. 20 year old Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six others at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He killed his mother, Nancy, at her home before the massacre at the school. Lanza committed suicide after the rampage. The shooting was the second deadliest in U.S. history, behind the 2007 shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute that claimed 32 people.

April 20, 1999- Littleton, Colorado 14 students (including killers) and one teacher were killed, 23 others were wounded at Columbine High School in the nation’s deadliest school shooting. Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, plotted for a year to kill at least 500 and blow up their school. At the end of their hour-long rampage, they turned their guns on themselves.

If they plotted for almost over a year why were they never caught? Were they just really good secret keepers or did no one else believe the rumors or want to turn them in? These are all questions that come to mind when something tragic happens. Something as horrible as Columbine can be prevented for days to come if students take action and keep the safety of their school in mind.

Students Crime Stoppers is an organization at Randall that consists of two members; juniors Oscar Garcia and Brett Taff. It is a group devoted to keeping the schools and neighborhoods or Amarillo safe. Student who hear of anything illegal or bad happening or suspect something is about to happen are encouraged to contact Student Crime Stoppers immediately.

All information is kept confidential and in some cases, Crime Stoppers will offer a reward for information leading to an arrest.