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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Fast Facts

(CNN) — Here is a look at the life of the Duchess of Sussex, the former actress Meghan Markle.

Personal

Birth date: August 4, 1981

Birth place: Los Angeles, California

Birth name: Rachel Meghan Markle

Father: Thomas Markle, Hollywood lighting director

Mother: Doria Ragland, social worker and yoga instructor

Marriages: Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex (May 19, 2018-present); Trevor Engelson (2011-2013, divorced)

Children: with Prince Harry: Archie Harrison and Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana

Education: Northwestern University, B.A., 2003

Other Facts

First American to marry a British royal since Wallis Simpson, who Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry in 1936.

Her engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry and includes a larger diamond from Botswana and two smaller diamonds from his mother Princess Diana’s collection.

She has been a Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada.

Worked with One Young World, helping the UK charity with their mission to encourage young leaders around the world to make lasting connections and initiate positive change.

She is the first person to hold the title Duchess of Sussex.

Timeline

2002 – Works at the US embassy in Argentina.

2011-2018 – Stars as “Rachel Zane” in USA Network’s legal drama “Suits.”

March 23, 2015 – Speaks on gender equality at the UN Women’s 20th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference in Beijing and explains how she became an activist at age 11 by writing letters to help create change.

July 2015 – Writes an essay, “I’m More Than An ‘Other,’” for Elle UK on her bi-racial ethnicity.

February 2016 – Travels to Rwanda as the Global Ambassador for World Vision.

Summer 2016 – Begins dating Prince Harry after the two meet for a drink on a blind date, set up by a mutual friend.

November 8, 2016 – Prince Harry releases a statement regarding his relationship with Markle, asking for the negativity and harassment to cease.

March 8, 2017 – Markle writes a piece for Time magazine about menstruation in poverty-stricken nations, that in order “to break the cycle of poverty, and to achieve economic growth and sustainability in developing countries, young women need access to education.”

September 25, 2017 – Markle and Prince Harry make their first public appearance as a couple at the Invictus Games in Toronto.

November 27, 2017 – Prince Charles announces the couple’s engagement.

December 1, 2017 – Markle and Prince Harry attend their first official royal event together at a fair organized by the HIV/AIDS Terrence Higgins Trust charity, marking World AIDS Day.

December 15, 2017 – Kensington Palace announces that Prince Harry and Markle will be married on May 19, 2018.

February 28, 2018 – Attends the “Make a Difference Together” forum for the Royal Foundation in her first appearance alongside Prince William, Duchess Catherine and Prince Harry.

March 12, 2018 – Makes first appearance with Queen Elizabeth II for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.

March 14, 2018 – Queen Elizabeth II issues the declaration of consent to the marriage of Prince Harry and Markle.

May 18, 2018 – It is announced the Meghan Markle will walk unescorted down the aisle. She will be the first royal bride in the UK to do so.

May 19, 2018 – Marries Prince Harry at St. George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle and becomes Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.

May 25, 2018 – The Coat of Arms created for the Duchess is released.

January 10, 2019 – Announces the four charities that she will support as a patron: the National Theatre, which aims to make theatre available to everyone; the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the world’s first and oldest international university network; Smart Works, which helps long-term unemployed and vulnerable women find work; and Mayhew, which works to improve animal welfare. The patronages for the National Theatre and the Association of Commonwealth Universities have been passed on to the Duchess by Queen Elizabeth II.

March 8, 2019 – It is announced that the Duchess will become vice president of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. A statement from Kensington Palace reads “in this new role, The Duchess will highlight the Trust’s partnerships with young people across the Commonwealth, and in particular its work supporting women and girls.”

May 6, 2019 – Gives birth to the couple’s first child, a son weighing 7 lbs., 3 oz. The baby is named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

October 1, 2019 – It is announced that the Duchess is suing the Mail on Sunday newspaper, alleging that it illegally published a private letter to her father, as Harry denounces the ‘bullying’ British media through an online statement, accusing the Mail on Sunday of selectively editing the letter to disguise “lies” the paper had told about the Duchess – a claim that the tabloid specifically denies. In February 2021, the judge in the case issues a summary judgment in favor of Meghan.

January 8, 2020 – Harry and Meghan announce that they are stepping back from their roles as senior members of the British royal family and plan to work toward becoming “financially independent” and to split their time between the United Kingdom and North America.

January 18, 2020 – The Queen issues a statement announcing that Harry and Meghan will no longer be working members of the royal family. Along with stepping away from official royal duties and ceasing the use of public funds, the couple will no longer use the titles of His and Her Royal Highness.

March 9, 2020 – Harry and Meghan attend the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. This is their final engagement as senior members of the royal family.

March 26, 2020 – Disneynature announces that Meghan will be the narrator for the documentary “Elephants.” This will be Meghan’s first role since stepping back from the royal family.

July 23, 2020 – It is announced that Harry and Meghan are suing over paparazzi photographs of their son, Archie. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are filing this lawsuit to protect their young son’s right to privacy in their home without intrusion by photographers,” lawyer Michael Kump said in a statement. In October, they receive an apology and X17, the agency responsible, agrees to pay a portion of their legal fees.

September 2, 2020 – Harry and Meghan sign a multiyear production deal with Netflix.

February 17, 2021 – Buckingham Palace announces that Harry and Meghan have agreed with Queen Elizabeth II that they will not be returning as working members of the British royal family.

March 7, 2021 – Meghan and Harry’s highly-anticipated sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey airs. Over the course of the two-hour special, the couple is intensely critical of the way Britain’s Royal institution treated them, and say the couple had no option but to leave royal life.

June 4, 2021 – Gives birth to a daughter, the second child for the couple. The baby is named Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor and was born at 11:40 a.m., weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

June 8, 2021 – Meghan’s children’s book “The Bench,” inspired by her husband and son Archie, is published.

August 4, 2021 – Launches 40×40, a mentorship program to support women getting back into the workforce after the pandemic.

December 2, 2021 – Meghan is awarded £1 by a British appeals court, which upholds the lower court’s 2021 ruling for Meghan in her privacy lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday newspaper which published a letter from the duchess to her father. She is also awarded an unspecified amount for copyright infringement.

August 23, 2022 – Meghan’s podcast, “Archetypes,” debuts on Spotify. Her first guest on the podcast is Serena Williams.

June 16, 2023 – A joint statement is released announcing the end of a multi-year partnership between Spotify and Harry and Meghan’s company, Archewell Audio.

February 13, 2024 – Lemonada Media issues a press release revealing Meghan will launch a new, yet-to-be-announced podcast. Lemonada will also stream “Archetypes,” Meghan’s podcast that debuted in 2022 on Spotify.

March 14, 2024 – After deactivating her personal Instagram account in 2018, Meghan returns to the social media platform to launch a new business venture called the American Riviera Orchard. In April she unveils the first product from the lifestyle brand, sending jars of strawberry jam to influencers and friends.

February 17, 2025 – Relaunches her lifestyle brand, naming it As Ever.

March 4, 2025 – The series “With Love, Meghan” premiers on Netflix.

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™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

US School Violence Fast Facts

(CNN) — Here is a list of incidents of elementary, middle and high school violence with at least one fatality, from 1927 to the present. Suicides, gang-related incidents and deaths resulting from domestic conflicts are not included. If a perpetrator was killed or died by suicide during the incident, their death is not included in the fatality totals. Because there is no central database tracking school violence incidents, this list is based primarily on media reports and is not complete or representative of all incidents.READ MORE: Ten years of school shootingsUS Timeline (selected only)August 27, 2025 - Annunciation Catholic School – Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two children are killed, and 21 individuals are wounded in a shooting. The shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, dies of a self-inflicted gunshot.January 22, 2025 - Antioch High School - Nashville, Tennessee. A 17-year-old fires 10 shots within 17 seconds inside a cafeteria, killing 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante. The shooter kills himself after the attack.December 16, 2024 - Abundant Life Christian School - Madison, Wisconsin. A 15-year-old female student opens fire, killing two people and wounding six others. The shooter dies of a self-inflicted gunshot.September 4, 2024 - Apalachee High School - Winder, Georgia. Two students and two teachers are killed and nine others injured in a shooting. The shooter, 14-year-old Colt Gray, is arrested. On July 24, 2026, Gray pleads guilty to all 55 charges against him, including four counts of murder, and days later, is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.January 4, 2024 - Perry High School - Perry, Iowa. Dylan Butler, 17, fatally shoots a sixth grade student and wounds five other people. The wounded include four students and the school’s principal. Butler dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.March 27, 2023 - Covenant School - Nashville, Tennessee. Three children and three adults are killed in a shooting. The shooter is fatally shot by responding officers.November 8, 2022 - Ingraham High School - Seattle, Washington. A 17-year-old student is fatally shot. Two teens are arrested in connection with the shooting and later plead guilty.October 24, 2022 - Central Visual and Performing Arts High School - St. Louis, Missouri. A teen and an adult are killed in a shooting. The gunman dies after an exchange of gunfire with police.May 24, 2022 - Robb Elementary School - Uvalde, Texas. Salvador Ramos, 18, fatally shoots 19 students and two teachers. Responding officers fatally shoot Ramos.March 31, 2022 - Tanglewood Middle School - Greenville, South Carolina. 12-year-old student Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson is fatally shot. The suspected shooter, also 12, is arrested and later pleads guilty.January 29, 2022 - Beloit Memorial High School - Beloit, Wisconsin. Jion Broomfield, 19, is fatally shot after a basketball game. Amaree Goodall, 19, is arrested in connection with the shooting. Goodall later pleads guilty to a lesser charge and is sentenced to five years in prison.January 19, 2022 - Oliver Citywide Academy - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 15-year-old freshman Marquis Campbell is shot on school grounds. Campbell is taken to the hospital in critical condition and dies from gun injuries. In January 2024, Eugene Watson, 19, is sentenced to 20-40 years in prison.November 30, 2021 - Oxford High School - Oxford, Michigan. Ethan Crumbley, 15, opens fire, killing four students and injuring seven others. Crumbley later pleads guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder and 19 other charges. In 2023, Crumbley is sentenced to life in prison without parole.September 1, 2021 - Mount Tabor High School - Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A student is fatally shot, and a suspect is taken into custody. The shooter later pleads guilty and is sentenced to over 20 years in prison.March 1, 2021 - Watson Chapel Junior High - Pine Bluff, Arkansas. A student is fatally shot, and a 15-year-old male suspect is arrested. In 2023, Thomas Quarles pleads guilty to murder and is sentenced to 40 years in prison.January 14, 2020 - Bellaire High School - Bellaire, Texas. A 16-year-old male fatally shoots classmate Cesar Cortes. The teen is arrested and charged with manslaughter. The county district attorney said it appeared the shooting was unintentional. In 2021, the teen is sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to authorities.November 14, 2019 - Saugus High School - Santa Clarita, California. Nathaniel Berhow, 16, opens fire, killing two and injuring three, then shoots himself.May 6, 2019 - STEM School Highlands Ranch - Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Suspects Devon Erickson, 18, and Alec McKinney, 16, are apprehended after a shooting leaves one dead and eight others injured. Erickson is later sentenced to life in prison without parole while McKinney is sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.May 18, 2018 - Santa Fe High School - Santa Fe, Texas. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, allegedly opens fire killing 10 and injuring 13. Pagourtzis is arrested and charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a public servant. In November 2019, he is declared mentally incompetent to stand trial.February 14, 2018 - Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School - Parkland, Florida. Former student, Nikolas Cruz, 19, opens fire with an AR-15 rifle, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others. According to law enforcement, the suspect activated a fire alarm to draw people outside to increase casualties. Cruz pleads guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. Cruz is later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.January 23, 2018 - Marshall County High School - Benton, Kentucky. Gabriel R. Parker, 15, opens fire killing two and injuring 18 others. The suspect is arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of murder and 14 counts of first degree assault. Parker is later sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty.December 7, 2017 - Aztec High School - Aztec, New Mexico. William Atchison shoots and kills students Casey Jordan Marquez and Francisco Fernandez. Atchison, a former student at the high school, dies of what police believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.September 13, 2017 - Freeman High School - Spokane, Washington. Caleb Sharpe, a sophomore at the school, opens fire killing one student and injuring three others. Sharpe later pleads guilty and is sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.April 10, 2017 - North Park Elementary School - San Bernardino, California. Jonathan Martinez, 8, and his teacher, Karen Smith, are killed when Cedric Anderson, Smith’s estranged husband, walks into her special needs classroom and opens fire, armed with a large-caliber revolver. Two other students are wounded. Anderson then kills himself.September 28, 2016 - Townville Elementary School - Greenville, South Carolina. A 14-year-old male opens fire on the playground, wounding two children and a teacher. Jacob Hall, one of the wounded children, dies three days later. Before going to the school, the teen, later identified as Jesse Osborne, shot and killed his father. In December 2018, Osborne pleads guilty to two murder charges and three attempted murder charges. In November 2019, Osborne is sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, plus 30 years. October 24, 2014 - Marysville-Pilchuck High School - Marysville, Washington. Freshman Jaylen Fryberg shoots five people in the school cafeteria, killing one. Fryberg dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. A second victim dies of her injuries two days later; a third dies on October 31. A fourth victim dies on November 7.June 10, 2014 - Reynolds High School - Troutdale, Oregon. Jared Padgett, 15, shoots and kills 14-year-old Emilio Hoffman in the school gym. He later takes his own life. December 13, 2013 - Arapahoe High School - Centennial, Colorado. Karl Pierson, 18, opens fire inside, critically injuring one student and then killing himself. 17-year-old Claire Davis dies on December 21, eight days after being shot.October 21, 2013 - Sparks Middle School - Sparks, Nevada. 12-year-old student Jose Reyes takes his parent’s handgun to school and shoots three, injuring two 12-year-old male students and killing Mike Landsberry, a teacher and Marine veteran. He then kills himself.December 14, 2012 - Sandy Hook Elementary School - Newtown, Connecticut. Adam Lanza, 20, guns down 20 children, ages 6 and 7, and six adults, school staff and faculty, before turning the gun on himself. Investigating police later find Nancy Lanza, Adam’s mother, dead from a gunshot wound. The final count is 27 dead.February 27, 2012 - Chardon High School - Chardon, Ohio. Student Daniel Parmertor, 16, is killed and four others wounded when student T.J. Lane, 17, opens fire in the school. On February 28, Demetrius Hewlin, 16, dies from his wounds and Russell King Jr., 17, is declared brain dead. In March 2013, Lane is sentenced to life in prison. On September 11, 2014, Lane escapes from prison. He is captured early the next morning. January 5, 2011 - Millard South High School - Omaha, Nebraska. 17-year-old Robert Butler Jr. opens fire on Principal Curtis Case and Vice Principal Vicki Kasper. Butler then kills himself about a mile from the school. Vice Principal Kasper later dies at the hospital.February 5, 2010 - Discovery Middle School - Madison, Alabama. 14-year-old Todd Brown dies after being shot in the head in a school hallway. Fellow ninth-grader Hammad Memon later pleads guilty and is sentenced to 30 years in prison.October 16, 2009 - Carolina Forest High School - Conway, South Carolina. 16-year-old student Trevor Varinecz is shot and killed by a police officer after allegedly pulling a knife and stabbing the officer.September 23, 2009 - John Tyler High School - Tyler, Texas. A 16-year-old, Byron Truvia, is taken into custody for stabbing and killing high school teacher Todd R. Henry. Truvia is later found unfit to stand trial.September 15, 2009 - Coral Gables Senior High School - Coral Gables, Florida. 17-year-old Andy Jesus Rodriguez fatally stabs 17-year-old sophomore Juan Carlos Rivera during a fight. Rodriguez is later sentenced to 40 years in prison.August 21, 2008 - Central High School - Knoxville, Tennessee. 15-year-old Jamar Siler shoots and kills 15-year-old Ryan McDonald. In 2011, Siler receives 30 years in prison in a plea agreement.January 3, 2007 - Henry Foss High School - Tacoma, Washington. Student Douglas Chanthabouly, 18, fatally shoots another student, Samnang Kok, 17. Chanthabouly is sentenced in 2009 to more than 23 years in prison for second-degree murder.October 2, 2006 - West Nickel Mines Amish School - Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. 32-year-old Charles Roberts IV goes to a small Amish school and takes at least 11 girls hostage. Five girls were killed and six others wounded. Roberts then kills himself.September 29, 2006 - Weston High School - Cazenovia, Wisconsin. 15-year-old Eric Hainstock goes to school armed with a shotgun and a handgun. After a struggle with the school janitor, Hainstock shoots and kills the school principal. He is convicted of murder in August 2007 and sentenced to life in prison.September 27, 2006 - Platte Canyon High School - Bailey, Colorado. 54-year-old Duane Morrison takes six female students hostage. When SWAT teams enter the school, Morrison shoots 16-year-old Emily Keyes. Morrison then kills himself. Keyes later dies at the hospital. November 8, 2005 - Campbell County Comprehensive High School - Jacksboro, Tennessee. 15-year-old Kenneth Bartley Jr. opens fire on a principal and two assistant principals, killing one of them and critically wounding another, authorities said. In 2007, Bartley accepts a plea bargain, but his guilty plea is later vacated. In a retrial in February 2014, Bartley is found guilty of reckless homicide and not guilty of attempted first degree murder. He is sentenced to time served and released. March 21, 2005 - Red Lake High School - Red Lake, Minnesota. 16-year-old Jeff Weise kills his grandfather and another adult, five students, a teacher and a security officer. He then kills himself.February 3, 2004 - Southwood Middle School - Palmetto Bay, Florida. 14-year-old Michael Hernandez stabs to death 14-year-old Jaime Rodrigo Gough. In 2013, an appeals court tosses Hernandez’s life sentence and remands the case for re-sentencing. In 2016, Hernandez is again sentenced to life in prison.September 24, 2003 - Rocori High School - Cold Spring, Minnesota. 15-year-old Jason McLaughlin shoots and kills 17-year-old Aaron Rollins and critically injures another student. The second student dies in October. In 2005, McLaughlin is sentenced to consecutive terms of life in prison for first-degree murder and 12 years for second-degree murder.April 24, 2003 - Red Lion Area Junior High School - Red Lion, Pennsylvania. 14-year-old James Sheets brings a revolver to school and kills his principal, Eugene Segro, and then himself.December 5, 2001 - Springfield High School - Springfield, Massachusetts. At a high school for troubled teens, 17-year-old Corey Ramos stabs to death Reverend Theodore Brown, a counselor at the school. In 2003, Ramos is sentenced to life in prison.March 5, 2001 - Santana High School - Santee, California. 15-year-old Charles “Andy” Williams kills two classmates, a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old, and injures 13. Williams is sentenced in 2002 to at least 50 years in prison.May 26, 2000 - Lake Worth Community Middle School - Lake Worth, Florida. 13-year-old Nathaniel Brazill, after being sent home for misbehaving, returns to school and shoots and kills his teacher Barry Grunow. Brazill is sentenced to 28 years in prison.February 29, 2000 - Buell Elementary School - Mount Morris Township, Michigan. An unnamed 6-year-old boy shoots and kills a 6-year-old playmate, Kayla Rolland, at school. He is removed from his mother’s custody and put up for adoption.November 19, 1999 - Deming Middle School - Deming, New Mexico. 12-year-old Victor Cordova shoots and kills a 13-year-old classmate. He is sentenced to two years in juvenile detention.April 20, 1999 - Columbine High School - Littleton, Colorado. 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold kill 12 fellow students and one teacher before dying by suicide in the school library.May 21, 1998 - Thurston High School - Springfield, Oregon. After killing his parents the previous day, 15-year-old Kip Kinkel returns to Thurston High armed with a rifle. He kills two students in the school cafeteria, a 16 and a 17-year-old. He is sentenced to 112 years in prison.April 24, 1998 - James Parker Middle School - Edinboro, Pennsylvania. 14-year-old Andrew Wurst shoots and kills science teacher John Gillette at a school dance. He is sentenced to serve between 30 and 60 years.March 24, 1998 - Westside Middle School - Jonesboro, Arkansas. 11-year-old Andrew Golden and 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson ambush fellow students and their teachers, killing five. Johnson is incarcerated in a youth facility and released on his 21st birthday, August 11, 2005. Golden is released on his 21st birthday, May 25, 2007.December 1, 1997 - Heath High School - West Paducah, Kentucky. 14-year-old Michael Carneal opens fire on a school prayer group, killing three girls, who were 14, 15 and 17. He is serving life in prison.October 1, 1997 - Pearl High School - Pearl, Mississippi. After killing his mother at home, 16-year-old Luke Woodham arrives at school and shoots two classmates. Woodham is serving three life sentences plus 140 years.February 19, 1997 - Bethel High School - Bethel, Alaska. 16-year-old Evan Ramsey uses a shotgun stolen from his foster home to kill a 15-year-old student and the school principal. He is currently serving a term of 210 years.September 25, 1996 - Dekalb Alternative School - Decatur, Georgia. 16-year-old David Dubose Jr. shoots and kills English teacher Horace Morgan on the steps of the school. Dubose is found not guilty by reason of insanity and is committed indefinitely to a state mental hospital.February 2, 1996 - Frontier Junior High School - Moses Lake, Washington. 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis takes a rifle to school and kills two classmates and a teacher. He is sentenced to life in prison.January 19, 1996 - Winston Education Center - Washington. Two masked gunmen kill 14-year-old Damion Blocker in a stairwell. 16-year-old shooter Darrick Evans is given a sentence of 41 years to life in prison.November 15, 1995 - Richland High School - Lynnville, Tennessee. 17-year-old Jamie Rouse kills a business teacher and a 16-year-old student. Rouse is serving a life sentence.October 12, 1995 - Blackville-Hilda High School - Blackville, South Carolina. 15-year-old Toby Sincino kills a teacher and then himself.November 7, 1994 - Wickliffe Middle School - Wickliffe, Ohio. 37-year-old drifter Keith Ledeger shoots and kills school custodian Peter Christopher and injures three others. Ledeger is sentenced to life in prison.April 12, 1994 - Margaret Leary Elementary School - Butte, Montana. 10-year-old James Osmanson, teased because his parents have AIDS, shoots and kills an 11-year-old on the school playground. Osmanson is sent to a private residential treatment center.February 1, 1994 - Valley View Junior High School - Simi Valley, California. 13-year-old Philip Hernandez stabs to death a 14-year-old student in a school hallway. Hernandez is sentenced to four years in a California Youth Authority prison.December 1, 1993 - Wauwatosa West High School - Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. 21-year-old former student Leonard McDowell returns to his high school and kills Associate Principal Dale Breitlow. He is sentenced to life in prison.May 24, 1993 - Upper Perkiomen High School - Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. 15-year-old student Jason Smith kills another student who had bullied him. He is sentenced to between 12 and 25 years in prison.April 15, 1993 - Ford Middle School - Acushnet, Massachusetts. 44-year-old David Taber invades a middle school and takes three hostages. He later shoots and kills school nurse Carol Day. He is found not guilty of the murder by reason of insanity.April 12, 1993 - Dartmouth High School - Dartmouth, Massachusetts. 16-year-old Jason Robinson is stabbed to death in his social studies class by three teenage attackers who invade the classroom.January 18, 1993 - East Carter High School - Grayson, Kentucky. 17-year-old student Scott Pennington shoots and kills a teacher and custodian. He is sentenced to life in prison.May 1, 1992 - Lindhurst High School - Olivehurst, California. 20-year-old dropout Eric Houston returns to his high school and kills a former teacher and three students. Houston is sentenced to death.February 26, 1992 - Thomas Jefferson High School - Brooklyn, New York. A 15-year-old shoots and kills two other students. The shooter, Kahlil Sumpter, is sentenced in 1993 to between 6 2/3 and 20 years in prison and is released in 1998.November 25, 1991 - Thomas Jefferson High School - Brooklyn, New York. A stray bullet kills a 16-year-old student during an argument between two other teens. Shooter Jason Bentley, 14, is sentenced in 1992 to three to nine years in prison.January 17, 1989 - Cleveland Elementary School - Stockton, California. 24-year-old drifter Patrick Purdy uses an AK-47 to kill five children on an elementary school playground. He then takes his own life.December 16, 1988 - Atlantic Shores Christian School - Virginia Beach, Virginia. 16-year-old Nicholas Elliot shoots and kills teacher Karen Farley. Elliott is sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.September 26, 1988 - Oakland Elementary School - Greenwood, South Carolina. 19-year-old James Wilson, copying the Winnetka, Illinois murders, kills 8-year-olds Tequila Thomas and Shequila Bradley in their school cafeteria. Wilson’s death sentence is overturned in January 2003.May 20, 1988 - Hubbard Woods Elementary School - Winnetka, Illinois. 30-year-old Laurie Dann invades an elementary school and kills an 8-year-old boy. She injures six other people before taking her own life.February 11, 1988 - Pinellas Park High School - Largo, Florida. Two 15-year-olds with stolen weapons, Jason McCoy and Jason Harless, shoot and kill Assistant Principal Richard Allen. McCoy serves two years in prison, and Harless serves eight.March 2, 1987 - Dekalb High School - Dekalb, Missouri. 12-year-old Nathan Faris, who was teased about being overweight, shoots 13-year-old Timothy Perrin and then takes his own life.December 4, 1986 - Fergus High School - Lewistown, Montana. 14-year-old Kristofer Hans shoots and kills substitute teacher Henrietta Smith. He is sentenced to 206 years in prison in 1988.May 16, 1986 - Cokeville Elementary School - Cokeville, Wyoming. A couple in their 40s, David and Doris Young, take over an elementary school with a bomb and hold 150 children and adults hostage, demanding $300 million in ransom. The bomb accidentally detonates, setting the school on fire. Investigators later determine that during the fire David Young shot his wife and then killed himself. 74 people were injured in the fire.January 21, 1985 - Goddard Junior High School - Goddard, Kansas. 14-year-old James Kearbey shoots and kills Principal Jim McGee. Kearbey spends seven years in juvenile detention and is released at the age of 21. On October 31, 2001, Kearbey is involved in a six-hour standoff with Wichita, Kansas, police. No injuries resulted and Kearbey is later acquitted of aggravated assault on a police officer.February 24, 1984 - 49th Street School - Los Angeles. Sniper Tyrone Mitchell shoots at children on an elementary school playground, killing one and injuring 11. He later takes his own life.January 20, 1983 - Parkway South Junior High - St. Louis. An unnamed 14-year-old shoots and kills another student before turning the gun on himself.March 19, 1982 - Valley High School - Las Vegas. 17-year-old Pat Lizotte shoots and kills psychology teacher Clarence Piggott during class. Lizotte is sentenced to life in prison.January 29, 1979 - Grover Cleveland Elementary - San Diego. 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opens fire on a school across from her home, killing the principal and janitor. May 18, 1978 - Murchison Junior High School - Austin, Texas. 13-year-old John Christian shoots and kills his English teacher Wilbur Grayson, during class. The shooter is the son of George Christian, press secretary to President Lyndon Johnson from 1967 to 1969. After time in a psychiatric hospital, Christian attends high school in the Dallas area.February 22, 1978 - Everett High School - Lansing, Michigan. 15-year-old Roger Needham kills another student who had bullied him. After four years in juvenile detention, Needham is released. He later earns a Ph.D in math and works as a professor in Missouri and New York.March 18, 1975 - Sumner High School - St. Louis. 16-year-old Stephen Goods, a bystander, is shot and killed during a fight between other teens.December 30, 1974 - Olean High School - Olean, New York. Honors student Anthony Barbaro kills a school janitor and two passers-by. Barbaro later kills himself while awaiting trial.October 5, 1966 - Grand Rapids High School - Grand Rapids, Minnesota. 15-year-old David Black injures another student before killing teacher Forrest Willey.September 15, 1959 - Edgar Allen Poe Elementary - Houston. Convict Paul Orgeron explodes a suitcase of dynamite on a school playground, killing himself, two adults and three children.May 18, 1927 - Bath Consolidated Schoolhouse - Bath, Michigan. Farmer Andrew Kehoe sets off two explosions at the school, killing himself, six adults and 38 children.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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