Philip “Kip” Kinkel, born on August 30, 1982 in Springfield Oregon (TruTv), developed an early interest in firearms (PBS). Despite initial doubts, his father eventually supported this passion by enrolling him in a gun safety course and purchasing a .22 caliber Ruger long rifle. Later, at the age of 15, Kinkel received a 9 mm Glock handgun (PBS). In an interview with Newsweek, Kinkel disclosed that his psychologist advised his father to allow him to have the guns as they could provide a healthy outlet for him (PBS). Unfortunately, Kinkel ended up misusing the firearms as his anger and thirst for revenge consumed him.
On May 20, 1998, Kip brought a loaded, stolen Beretta handgun to school. The specific firearm was a .32 caliber pistol with 9 rounds.
Korey Ewert, a friend of Kip’s, had stolen the gun from the father of someone they knew and sold it to him for $110.
The owner of the gun, Scott Keeney, noticed that it was missing and immediately reported it to the police. During his conversation with the authorities, Mr. Keeney provided the names of several high school students whom he suspected were involved in the theft.
Despite not being included in the list, Kip was approached by the school regarding his knowledge. He freely confessed to having a gun in his locker. As a result, he was suspended and later arrested along with Korey Ewert. Upon returning home, it became evident that Kip had reached a breaking point as he utilized the rifle gifted to him by his father to fatally shoot him from behind while they were in the kitchen at 3:30 PM. Subsequently, displaying an unsettling calmness, he patiently awaited his mother’s arrival.
Kip expressed his love for her while they were on the stairs, as reported by the New York Times (Nov11). However, he abruptly shot her multiple times, including two shots to the back of her head, three shots to her face, and one shot to her heart. Another article from the New York Times (May23) revealed that Kip confessed to killing his parents in order to spare them from the shame that would have resulted from his expulsion from school. He then hid their bodies and proceeded to clean up the house, demonstrating both awareness of his wrongdoing and complete command over the situation. Surprisingly, he calmly laid down afterwards, played music, and went to sleep as if nothing had happened – according to TruTv.
It is evident that he is a true psychopath based on his lack of emotion towards the murder of his parents. The following day, Kip sought vengeance and concealed various weapons under his trench coat, including a 9mm handgun, a .22 caliber automatic rifle, a .22 caliber handgun, a knife, and 1,127 rounds of ammunition (PBS). Parking his mother’s car about two blocks away from Thurston High School, he calmly entered the school through the rear entrance (TruTV). Showing no hesitation, Kip fired two shots which resulted in the death of Ben Walker and injured Ryan Atteberry (PBS).
Kip entered the cafeteria and used his rifle to fire 48 rounds, resulting in 24 students being wounded and Mikael Nicholauson being killed (PBS). He then fired an additional 50 rounds, hitting 37 more students and killing two others (TruTv). Eventually, Kip ran out of ammunition, at which point Jacob Ryker, who was already injured, tackled him (TruTv). Other students joined in the struggle, during which Kip pulled out a 9mm hand gun and fired one shot before being disarmed. This shot injured Ryker again and another student (TruTv). Luckily, the students were able to restrain Kip until the police arrived.
Despite being 15 years old, Kip was considered eligible to be tried as an adult, according to TruTv. The New York Times (Nov11) reported that he initially pursued an insanity defense but later withdrew it and pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and twenty-four counts of attempted murder. Consequently, The New York Times (Nov11) noted that he was sentenced to 112 years in prison with no chance for parole. During the sentencing, Kip expressed remorse to the court for killing his parents and carrying out a shooting rampage at his high school, as documented by TruTv. Additionally, The New York Times (Nov11) mentioned that while serving part of his life sentence at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon, Kip managed to obtain his GED.
