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American Morning

Woman Injured in Shooting at School Board Meeting in West Virginia

Aired July 18, 2003 - 07:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A woman was injured in a shooting at a school board meeting in West Virginia last night. Police say it could have been much worse, though, if people there at a meeting had not jumped in and quickly subdued this man, Richard Dean Bright. According to police, he had thrown gasoline on a supervisor. When it failed to ignite, he started firing his rifle, causing a minor injury.
Charleston Police Chief Jerry Pauley joins us now live in West Virginia.

Chief, good morning to you.

What a rough and tumble night that must have been.

At the outset, how is this 56-year-old woman with the injury? How is she doing?

CHIEF JERRY PAULEY, CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA POLICE: She's doing fine. There's nothing life threatening. She did get hit by one bolt or one fragment and she's in the hospital being treated.

HEMMER: Well, that sounds like good news there. The suspect, the maintenance worker there at the school, what happened? What set him off?

PAULEY: Well, we don't know really. He had had a couple of disciplinary problems, but they were minor. He also complained about some of the workers smoking around him while he was at work and so we're still sorting through it to see exactly what might have done it.

HEMMER: Chief, does he have a history of behavior problems?

PAULEY: Not that I'm aware of. We haven't got anything from him so far, or from anyone else that's had any problem with him.

HEMMER: He is described as carrying and then dumping gasoline. How did that happen, sir?

PAULEY: He just walked into the meeting and carried a couple of buckets of gasoline with him and poured it on his boss and either it splashed on another member there or he poured it on them. We're not sure at this time.

HEMMER: And at what point did the rifle enter that?

PAULEY: Well, shortly after he dumped the gasoline and threatened to light it, he got the rifle up from the table and started firing. And that's when the people from the board tackled him and took him to the ground.

HEMMER: How many people did that take, Chief?

PAULEY: I think it was three people. One initially grabbed hold of him and two others came over and helped him.

HEMMER: There's a report that says he was on sick leave. He complained about his benefits running out. Do you know much about that?

PAULEY: No, I don't. That was with the school board. I don't have any knowledge of that now.

HEMMER: And bond was set about $250,000. The word I get is that he met bond. What happens next?

PAULEY: He'll have a preliminary hearing and possibly there will be some additional charges filed against him.

HEMMER: Yes, how well was he known at the school and around town?

PAULEY: I wasn't familiar with him at all, but I understand most of the school personnel knew him because he repaired doors in all the local schools. So they were pretty familiar with him.

HEMMER: All right, Chief, good luck.

Jerry Pauley in Charleston, West Virginia. It could have been a lot worse, as you have pointed out there with us.

Thank you, sir.

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Aired July 18, 2003 - 07:20   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A woman was injured in a shooting at a school board meeting in West Virginia last night. Police say it could have been much worse, though, if people there at a meeting had not jumped in and quickly subdued this man, Richard Dean Bright. According to police, he had thrown gasoline on a supervisor. When it failed to ignite, he started firing his rifle, causing a minor injury.
Charleston Police Chief Jerry Pauley joins us now live in West Virginia.

Chief, good morning to you.

What a rough and tumble night that must have been.

At the outset, how is this 56-year-old woman with the injury? How is she doing?

CHIEF JERRY PAULEY, CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA POLICE: She's doing fine. There's nothing life threatening. She did get hit by one bolt or one fragment and she's in the hospital being treated.

HEMMER: Well, that sounds like good news there. The suspect, the maintenance worker there at the school, what happened? What set him off?

PAULEY: Well, we don't know really. He had had a couple of disciplinary problems, but they were minor. He also complained about some of the workers smoking around him while he was at work and so we're still sorting through it to see exactly what might have done it.

HEMMER: Chief, does he have a history of behavior problems?

PAULEY: Not that I'm aware of. We haven't got anything from him so far, or from anyone else that's had any problem with him.

HEMMER: He is described as carrying and then dumping gasoline. How did that happen, sir?

PAULEY: He just walked into the meeting and carried a couple of buckets of gasoline with him and poured it on his boss and either it splashed on another member there or he poured it on them. We're not sure at this time.

HEMMER: And at what point did the rifle enter that?

PAULEY: Well, shortly after he dumped the gasoline and threatened to light it, he got the rifle up from the table and started firing. And that's when the people from the board tackled him and took him to the ground.

HEMMER: How many people did that take, Chief?

PAULEY: I think it was three people. One initially grabbed hold of him and two others came over and helped him.

HEMMER: There's a report that says he was on sick leave. He complained about his benefits running out. Do you know much about that?

PAULEY: No, I don't. That was with the school board. I don't have any knowledge of that now.

HEMMER: And bond was set about $250,000. The word I get is that he met bond. What happens next?

PAULEY: He'll have a preliminary hearing and possibly there will be some additional charges filed against him.

HEMMER: Yes, how well was he known at the school and around town?

PAULEY: I wasn't familiar with him at all, but I understand most of the school personnel knew him because he repaired doors in all the local schools. So they were pretty familiar with him.

HEMMER: All right, Chief, good luck.

Jerry Pauley in Charleston, West Virginia. It could have been a lot worse, as you have pointed out there with us.

Thank you, sir.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





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