Oregon principal sees school violence again

GRESHAM, Ore. – The principal at Springwater Trail High School, where 10 students suffered minor injuries Tuesday when rifle shots shattered windows near the end of the school day, is the same man who led Springfield’s Thurston High School when Kip Kinkel walked into that school almost a decade ago and opened fire – killing two and injuring 25.

Larry Bentz said the Thurston tragedy wasn’t on his mind as he handed his cell phone to students trying to reach their parents after Tuesday’s ordeal.

“I’ll reflect on it later,” he told The Oregonian newspaper. “But I have to stay focused on keeping these kids safe.”

The students were injured by shards of glass. Two students were taken to Mount Hood Medical Center and the other eight were treated at the school.

The parents of a boy who attends the school called police and said their son admitted he was the shooter. They said he left the weapon in a field next to the school, said Sgt. Teddi Anderson of the Gresham Police Department. Police later recovered a .270-caliber rifle.

She said she was not aware of a motive and that if one were known it could not be released because it is part of the investigation.

Police identified the boy as Chad Antonio Escovedo. They said he was charged with attempted aggravated murder and was to be arraigned as an adult.

The high school and a nearby elementary school were locked down briefly as a precaution after the incident. As shaken students eventually left the school, Bentz praised them for staying calm and said he was thankful no one was seriously hurt.

“I guess I didn’t have to go looking in a manual for dealing with crisis management,” he said. “But I too needed to remind myself to stay calm, to breathe, to stay self aware.”

Bentz started his teaching career in Gresham in 1975 as a math teacher before moving to Springfield. He returned to Gresham in 2000 as principal at Sam Barlow High School and took over Springwater Trail in 2004.

He will retire in June.