Asa Coon video released

Asa Coon, the troubled teen shooter was a "goth" dressed in entirely in black.

Now video has been released of Coon during the shootings. Yet the stories do not mention the "goth" angle any more. Could it be because the video show Coon in a WHITE hoodie entering the building? Is that it? Pretty shallow if so.. but then Coon's actions had nothing to do with his clothing as previous posts have shown.

Caught On Tape: Gunman Stalks School Hallways
NBC 10.com, PA - 26 Oct 2007
Asa Coon, 14, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, walked upstairs to the third floor of successtech Academy on Oct. 10, police said. ...

Security footage shows Asa Coon stalking, firing at successtech ...
The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com, OH - 26 Oct 2007
He looks like any other high school student - except for the guns 14-year-old Asa Coon holds in each hand. Coon's rampage was captured in eerie, ...

The previous coverage often focused on Coon's goth clothes a small selection here:

Student opens fire at high school
Concord Monitor, NH - 10 Oct 2007
the student, said Coon was a "gothic" who usually wore a trench coat, black boots and a dog collar

Suspended 14-year-old shoots 4, then kills himself at school
New York Daily News, NY - 11 Oct 2007
Coon, a "Goth" who decked himself out in black nail polish, a trench coat and Marilyn Manson T-shirts, and who claimed to worship the Devil,

Questions Arise After High School Shooting In Cleveland
WCAV, VA - 11 Oct 2007
"He dressed in black, a trench coat, a chain" said one student. The school district is scrambling for answers, among them, whether the principal turned a ...

Teenage gunman wounds four in school shooting
The Mercury, Australia - 10 Oct 2007
Students said the 14-year-old gunman always wore a trench coat to school, was a loner and had talked about worshipping the devil.

Coon abandons the white when he starts shooting wearing black with a Manson t-shirt but there is no sign of the trenchcoat often mentioned in the earlier reports. Why the emphasis on the trench coat? Well that links Coon with Columbine of course.

It is certainly refreshing to see the metal/"goth" angle of the killings seems to have mostly played itself out in the initial burst of coverage.

Shelbyville Times-Gazette: One sub-genre is a very real threat.

There has not been as much media panic on the Asa Coon case compared to earlier cases like Columbine. I suppose with the sheer number of school shootings recently (see list) it has been difficult to hold onto the "goth" killer sterotype but some manage it:

Posted today: Shelbyville Times-Gazette: Story : Column by David Melson:

I ran across a 1958 newspaper story last week in which teenagers surveyed thought rock music would last until at least 1963. I'd imagine some of those teens are still rockin' today.

A small minority thought rock music would be a menace to society and were concerned, even then, with lyrics. One girl said she listened to lyrics before buying because she didn't want obscenity in her home. Ah, the innocence of the 1950s.

She's in her mid-60s today if still alive. Wonder what she thought about the teen in Cleveland who went on a shooting rampage in his high school a few weeks ago? The boy, who was into Goth and dressed in all-black, had told friends he was a Marilyn Manson follower and didn't believe in God.

Maybe that "small minority" mentioned were more insightful than anyone realized.

I don't think rock overall hurts at all, but one sub-genre is a very real threat. Gothic/death/doom metal has been cited as an interest of too many of those involved in school shootings. These groups have lead "singers" who yell, not sing, in guttural bellows and, if they can even be understood, are muttering anti-Christian thoughts. Check out some of their lyrics online and be ready for a shock.

Rock's always been about rebellion. But this goes too far. I'm normally not into censorship, and I realize freedom of anyone to post anything on the Internet would prevent any real stoppage of death metal. But record companies, at least, should reconsider what they're releasing.

Oddly another column in a Candanian paper disagrees: The Republic of East Vancouver - Your completely biased news source since 2000:

"To see teenagers in goth, punk or grunge get-ups trudging up the street is to see another response that is, in fact, exactly the same response: all we have left, apparently, is reprise of the past, the only difference being one response reaches a bit further back than the other. Predictably, the goth, punk and grunge types, appearing to be so angry at the world, are usually among the most polite, thoughtful and caring young people you can meet. They’re all Sid neo-Vicious the same way the politically active Christian fundamentalists are all neo-conservative. "

Marilyn Manson not to blame for violence

Interesting article covering Asa Coon and Manson.

Marilyn Manson not to blame for violence
The Orion, CA -16 Oct 2007

After Columbine, Sen. Joe Lieberman said the problem was music.

Lieberman said violent lyrics from artists such as Marilyn Manson are "helping to create a culture of violence that is increasingly enveloping our children, desensitizing them to consequences and ultimately cheapening the value of human life."

According to one study, music doesn't just affect children. It affects college students, too.

In a series of five experiments involving more than 500 college students, researchers from Iowa State University and the Texas Department of Human Services examined the effects of seven violent songs by seven artists and eight nonviolent songs by seven artists.

The result: students who listened to violent songs were left feeling more aggressive and hostile without provocation or threat. The study's lead researcher said these aggressive thoughts and feelings have implications for real violence.

But, again, it's all up for interpretation.

Paul Friedlander, director of the music industry program at Chico State, said there is no substantial evidence that suggests music has anything to do with violent acts.

If anything, more research says otherwise, he said.

"Research has clearly indicated that there is no correlation to listening to a song and being impelled to do something," Friedlander said. "Otherwise, every time you'd listen to NWA you'd shoot a person; or (with) Doris Day, you'd go out on a field and dance in a field of daisies."

Friedlander has a point, but many suggest that a few people will act violently after listening to violent music. And some will argue that one case is enough.

The Cleveland student was described as a "goth." He had black painted nails and wore all black clothes, including a Manson T-shirt. Manson was the boy's idol, according to several reports. So naturally, just like after Columbine, Manson was targeted. Maybe not directly, but his name was mentioned.

People still blame Manson and other artists for many pointless acts of violence.

Is that fair?

Friedlander, who is also a musician, said the answer is no.

Because if that were the case, "Why not blame Elvis for the sexual revolution of the '60s?" he said. People use music simply to help create their identities, Friedlander said. And that may include how one looks.

"If I'm a certain way, I'm going to listen to a certain kind of music," he said. "If I were to listen to Britney Spears, I'd probably be a teenage girl."

The Manson fan was just a teenage boy. A teenage boy who listened to Manson because he made him feel OK for being an outcast, for being different, for being exactly who he was.

In no way did Manson's lyrics tell the boy to go on a shooting rampage. Other factors influenced the boy. What were they? Sadly, that question will never be answered. [This is not true see other articles on this case the boy had mental problems and was frequently bullied.]

Here are some possibilities, though, something that nobody - except for Manson himself in an interview with Michael Moore - seems to talk about.

The problem isn't music. It's the influence of our country and government, Manson said.

According to the National Education Association's Health Information Network at www.neahin.org, American children are 16 times more likely to be murdered with a gun, 11 times more likely to commit suicide with a gun and nine times more likely to die from a firearm accident than children in 25 other industrialized countries combined.

That's appalling.

This stat's no better: In 2005, firearms killed zero children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada and 5,285 in the United States, according to the site.

Another radio host shoots his mouth off

Amazing level of nonsense on the Asa Coon killings here it must be Fox News.

Another radio host shoots his mouth off

Thu, Oct. 18, 2007 On Oct. 10, when news accounts reported a shooting at a Cleveland alternative school, Gibson, a Fox News radio and TV host, quickly worked out a program condemning hip-hop music.

Because the school, SuccessTech Academy, which stresses technology and entrepreneurship for high-achieving students, is 85 percent black, Gibson, who is white, surmised that the shooting was the result of the actions of a black student who had listened to too many violent hip-hop lyrics.

After noting with great fanfare that hip-hop's violence was leaving the streets and coming into our schools, he soon had to correct himself.

He admitted that he thought the school shooter was an African-American student who had been influenced by violent lyrics. "Turns out it's a white guy," Gibson said.

A pre-recorded voice that is used in the show asked whether Gibson was wrong. "Gibson's not wrong," he said, speaking about himself in the third person. "Gibson is not wrong."
What? Excuse me. Gibson was wrong.

His whole premise was that the shooting in Cleveland was precipitated by hip-hop music and its effect on black children. Then he learned that the shooter was white. But instead of changing that premise, he trudged on. He continued to blame hip-hop for the shooting in Cleveland, but said that music also is claiming white kids.

"Well, you know, you can't deny it," Gibson continued. "I mean, there's a gazillion of those things out there and the kids are listening on their iPods, and the kids listening on their iPods are not all black kids. Some white kids listen, too."
His sidekick then pointed out that the shooter, 14-year-old Asa H. Coon, was a fan of Marilyn Manson's music.

If it isn't metal, then it must be hip hop music to blame. How about the bullying, difficult home life and the fact he had two handguns rather than music? See this article:

Bullies, mental instability to blame in school shooting - Opinion:

Florida University Beacon 18 Oct 2007: Another factor leading to Coon's predetermining 'snap' would be the fact that he was allowed back to SuccessTech after being removed from his mother's custody in 2006 to live in a Family Services shelter where he tried to commit suicide.

His actions in school grew more troubling after, possibly because he needed to be institutionalized.

Coon received psychological treatment in 2006 but was uncooperative. Committing him to an asylum would have been a more effective course of action.

Knowing all of this information about Coon, the school should have had the foresight to tell that Coon would reciprocate when he was suspended, not only because of his past violent behavior, but because several students Coon confided in told the principal what Coon had said.

But this wouldn't be the first instance of Coon being ignored by the apathetic school: He was constantly bullied and sought after to appear as though he was the cause of a problem, just to 'mess with' Coon.
"I ain't justifying nothing," a friend told CNN affiliate WOIO. "I ain't saying he did the right thing but I am saying he got pushed for a long time and asked them people to help, help, help, help, but nobody helped.' A testimony like that, had Coon not taken his own life, would most definitely been used in Coon's trial, because however horrific, Coon acted in his own defense. The parents of Coon's attackers need to realize their part in this-it's not just the 'loner' who needs to be locked up, sometimes it takes an equally unstable person to bully someone the way Coon was bullied. If Coon hadn't gone through beatings and taunting on a daily basis, would he have been driven to his breaking point? From a logical standpoint, probably not. While Coon is by no stretch of the imagination a sane or stable person, he was a victim of circumstance: his psyche shattered by years of obvious trauma, his classmates shunned and pummeled him, and the one beacon of hope and protection, the SuccessTech Academy, wanted nothing to do with him. How is it that in schools of thousands, one eccentric student can be observed, but in a school of 240, the one with a staggering and visible mental illness goes unnoticed. "

Marilyn Manson at Challenge Stadium | PerthNow

Marilyn Manson at Challenge Stadium | PerthNow

October 14, 2007 12:00pm

MARILYN Manson was one star who was certainly not in town for Telethon.

While a plethora of stars joined forces to raise money for sick children, over at Challenge Stadium Manson and his army of black t-shirt sporting supporters were more concerned with celebrating the seedier side of life. ..

The only mildly controversial statement Manson made was when he declared: "as you know I am responsible for every school shooting that ever happens". His statement was a response to his name being linked to almost every school shooting from the Columbine High School massacre to the recent shooting at SuccessTech Academy in Cleveland.

Loyal Perth fans have been waiting more than 8 years for their goth idol to return after Manson stormed off stage at the Big Day Out back in 1999. Manson was at the start of his performance when he left the stage after being pelted with bottles and cans. This time around Perth punters were far more appreciative of Manson. They were even willing to overlook the poor vocal performance and bad sound mix and the fact that Manson's new band cannot match previous line-ups. But can anyone really hold a candle to the guitar genius of John 5?

Actually he was talking about Asa Coon.

School Killing involves "goth"

A new tragic killing in the United States on October 1oth and once again media coverage sadly highlights items that put subcultures in a bad light. Asa Coon came from a troubled background, faced a life of being bullied, managed to get hold of guns and had been previously been in trouble for violence. Also in a predominately black school he adopted "goth" clothes and liked Marilyn Manson, being nicknamed Jack Black by other pupils said: “He was chubby and short, and he was the only kid in school who dressed like a Goth.”

Guess which element of his background was focused on by some media reports.

On October 12th the highest selling newspaper in the UK The Sun ran this for example:

Gun boy: My god is Marilyn | The Sun |HomePage|News: "A BOY of 14 wounded two schoolmates and two teachers in a gun rampage after boasting he did not believe in God – but instead worshipped rocker Marilyn Manson. Loner Asa Coon – who opened fire with two revolvers at his school before killing himself on Wednesday – had a history of mental problems, US police said yesterday. Days earlier he was suspended for fighting fellow youngsters who objected to his God comments. Doneisha LeVert, 14, said: “He threatened to blow up our school.” Coon, who wore a goth trenchcoat and dog collar, sneaked his weapons past metal detectors at the SuccessTech Academy in Cleveland, Ohio."

Covering it the day before The Sun noted:

"Witnesses described him as a goth with white make-up and black nails – and told how he had chillingly warned his classmates “I’ve got something for you”."

Reinforced from this is the idea that goths are loner killers and the coverage typically focused on this rather than answering questions like how did Coon get hold of guns, why was he obsessed with weapons, how did he get into the school or why did the school not listen to warnings from other people about him? For example better reports noted:"A court magistrate ordered psychological testing and family therapy for Coon after he slapped his mother in 2006, but Coon was not cooperative; he eventually was placed in an interim shelter, where he attempted suicide." This is the real story that some papers have focused on.

Student was 'tormented,' volunteer says
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY -12 Oct 2007

CLEVELAND — Fourteen-year-old Asa H. Coon took abuse, gave abuse, exchanged curses with his mother and said he chose to worship shock rocker Marilyn Manson instead of God. He was the subject of a neglect case when he was 4, and he often went to school looking a mess.

None of that explains why he walked a hallway of his school Wednesday with two guns and started shooting, wounding two students and two teachers before killing himself.

"This kid finally broke," Christina Burns, who volunteered at a school Coon previously attended, said yesterday. "He finally lost his mind."

Coon had been on suspension for a Monday fight when he somehow got into the SuccessTech Academy alternative school. His fellow students said his threats to hurt students last week went unheeded by school officials.

Burns said Coon was intelligent but struggled with school work, unable to focus. He had mood swings, she said. "There was days he was sociable, days where he was shut down, closed in, hated the world," Burns said.

Burns witnessed Coon's troubles with fellow students. She also remembered verbal abuse over his shabby, at times unclean, appearance.

"They picked on him," Burns said. "He didn't have decent clothing. He didn't have decent shoes. He had problems. The other children played on that and tormented him at school."

"Everybody's making him out to be a devil, a demon,' she said, "but nobody knows what was going on with this kid."

Despite 26 security cameras, officials couldn't say yesterday how Coon was able to get into the SuccessTech Academy alternative school. Coon was a new student at the school, but the district has a dossier on past problems. He had mental-health problems, spent time in two juvenile facilities and was suspended from school last year for attempting to harm a student, according to juvenile court records.

The school of about 240 students has metal detectors but none were operating Wednesday. Students said the devices were used only intermittently."

An expert on school shootings highlighted in an interview the real problems to watch for:

"DR. STEVEN PITT, FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIST: To be sure, Anderson, there are red flags to look like things like depression and anger and familiarity with weapons and fascination with the military. Those are all red flags. But there's an art to this, as much as there is a science. I mean, we can go to schools all around the country and lots of people have those very same characteristics... since Columbine, there has been a real emphasis and a real looking at schools where bullying is taking place. Make no mistake about it. Bullying was underreported at Columbine. I think schools have taken a much more aggressive look at the effect that bullying has on youths and as it relates to their acting out behavior."

In the 16 other school related killings in the USA this year no "goths" were involved, though the other killings did often involve people who had been bullied or alienated, had histories of violence and all got access to firearms. Did reports on these other murders discuss the musical preferences of those involved?

Take for example Tyler Peterson, on Octber 7th at an off-campus party, the 20-year-old full-time deputy in the Sheriff's Department, who was also a part-time officer at the Crandon Police Department, murdered six people students and recent graduates of Crandon High School (ages 14 to 20) after a dispute then committed suicide by multiple gunshots. Peterson, unlike Asa Coon, actually killed people but we don't know what type of clothes he wore besides a police uniform or the music he listened to.