On October 2, 2006, a horrific incident happen at a West Nickel Mines Amish one-room schoolhouse. Charles Carl Roberts IV barged in the one-room schoolhouse and created a massacre. He was a 31 year old truck driver from the nearby town of Bart. Taking with him guns and ammunition. The Amish schoolhouse shooter released everyone except for 10 young females. These girls were taken as hostages and shot. They ranged in age 6 through 13. Three girls were killed immediately. After that, the gunman committed suicide. Two more girls died later at local hospitals. This raised the death toll to five plus the gunman. Five additional girls were hospitalized with non-life threatening wounds.
A school teacher ran to a neighboring farm to get help once she was released. An adult Amish male, with two large dogs, approached the Amish schoolhouse. He positioned himself next to a side window. He had to quickly abandon his position to flag down a police officer. More officers arrived. A group of officers cautiously approached the schoolhouse. Next, Roberts yelled at them to immediately leave or he would begin shooting. A child’s loud screaming was heard from inside. Then the shooting began. The finally tally? All ten girls shot. Three killed instantly.
Charles Roberts
Charles Roberts had left several note to his wife and three children that State Police Commissioner Jeffrey Miller said were “along the lines of suicide notes”. During the Amish schoolhouse shooting, Roberts called his wife by cell phone. He told her he was getting even for a long-ago offence according to Miller. Roberts did not appear to be targeting the Amish. The school was chosen randomly.
Carl Roberts plotted his Amish schoolhouse shooting for at least a week. He brought items with him to suggest he may have been planning to sexually assault the Amish girls. State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller suggest that Roberts was haunted by the death of his prematurely born daughter in 1997. The baby, Elise, died 20 min. after being delivered said Miller. He stated in his suicide note “I am filled with so much hate, hate towards myself and hate towards God. I haven’t been the same since it affected me in a way I never felt possible”. In addition, he was also troubled over sexual molesting that happened twenty years ago. “He certainly was very troubled psychologically deep down and was dealing with things that nobody else knew he was dealing with,” Miller said.
The victims were members of the Old Order Amish, who forbid automobiles, electricity, computers and most other modern conveniences.
