Sad Story....

[Nawd]

Here is the latest on this story: His Father explains:

http://www.abc17news.com/news/ashland-father-speaks-out-after-sons-death/-/18421100/21984306/-/55eklbz/-/index.html



"Monday night was my son’s last night on earth. That night, a life ended that this family, this community, this world would have been much better off keeping. I have not closely followed the media’s accounts of the incident except to note that none of them got it right. Those of you on the outside must be curious at the massive outpouring of love and grief of an entire community for a kid who supposedly threatened his school. There’s a simple answer for that: He didn’t. Those who knew him, know that, and said as much to those investigating the tragedy. I know Jacob would not want to be remembered as a terrorist and, with this statement, I want to set the record straight. There may be opinions herein that you don’t agree with, but where there are opinions rather than simply a recitation of facts, I state them as my own and no one else’s, and I won’t debate them.

Before I set about that, there is something about Jacob that you should know. I doubt that many of his closest friends were aware of it, because Jacob handled his disability so well. Jacob struggled with ADHD and some of its attendant symptoms. His mind never shut down. Only by force of will could he focus on one particular line of thought among the cacophony of ideas his super-intelligent mind generated constantly. Additionally, Jacob lacked some of the instincts that most people don’t even know they have: the instinct for social interaction and appropriateness. What he knew of this, he had to be taught by the rest of us – it didn’t come naturally. And, finally, he was vulnerable to impulses, as is characteristic of those who struggle with this condition. All of these together made getting up and going to school each day an act of bravery that I wonder how many of us are capable of. But Jacob did it.

Now, to what happened Monday night. I won’t use names for the two friends who are part of this story – that’s not important. What is important for us here is the so-called “threat letter”. I’m sorry if my account of it is confusing, but it is important to Jacob and to all of his friends that it be understood."



For the rest of the letter, please click the link.

 

[angelburst29]

Thanks for the update, Dawn. This situation is a tragedy in more ways than one, not only for Jacob's family but for his classmates and friend's, as well.

I give his Father a lot of credit, for the courage he has undertaken to compose a letter in a timely fashion, to reveil the circumstances that led to his Son's death. I have to admit, I wasn't even half way down the letter when tears began to flow and my stomach did a flip. Through his Father's words, you can get a general feeling of the family dynamics, their inter-actions and how they worked through their problems. It also denotes how Jacob strived to over come obstacles of being "bullied" and peer pressure. ADHD as another factor, which begs the question, was he under Doctor's care and medication?

It's a horrible tragedy!

There will always be unanswered questions in a situation, as off the wall, as this and "what if's" as his Father has stated. But what made matters even worse, if I'm reading the letter correctly, in the first visit by the Police - the text message was verified by the person Jacob sent it too and it was agreed upon, it was a joke/prank and the Police left the "discipline" to his Father.

Quote: " Apparently while the officers were talking to Jacob, someone forwarded the note to the school’s superintendent. By doing this, they made the practical joke an official “threat” to the system and had to be treated as such. Jacob had to be arrested." "The officers returned about 1:00 a.m. to do that. They assured Jacob that they knew his text was just a joke, but that they had to arrest him and “go by the book” with it."

So, the practical joke became an Offical threat "to the system and had to be treated as such."

In the first link, at the beginning of this Post, there was this .... which was going on behind the scenes.
http://www.abc17news.com/news/classes-for-southern-boone-schools-canceled-tuesday-september-10/-/18421100/21862902/-/gv8a3fz/-/index.html

"The superintendent told ABC 17 News he received a "very ominous" threat via text message Monday night that indicated something bad was going to happen. The threat was directed toward the high school, but the district canceled all Tuesday classes as a precaution. Superintendent Christopher Felmlee says he received the text around 10:45 p.m. Monday. Ashland police and the Boone County Sheriff's Department deemed the threat credible."


So, the Police come back to the home to arrest him because it's now rated as an Offical threat, even though the Police acknowledge and verify that it was a joke/prank. Jacob shoots himself and dies in the hospital.

Yet, they proceed with this:

"Police searched the school using bomb-sniffing dogs but didn't find anything dangerous. They searched the district's middle and elementary schools as well to make sure there was no danger.

Authorities say no devices were found in any of the district's buildings and all schools have been cleared.

Along with Ashland officers and Boone County deputies, the University of Missouri Police Department, Capital Police, Mid-Missouri Bomb Squad and the ATF responded."


Could this be considered an over reaction to a "non-problem" and where does communication come in between the school administration and the Police forces? If anything, I think it compounds the situation and exaggerates the true circumstances, confusing the student body, parent's and the whole Community. Outwardly, Jacob is deemed a "terrorist" when in fact, the authorities are aware it was a joke/prank. In a sense, it forced his Father to go public with the facts.

 

[mabar]

Thanks Dawn, I had observed/heard that loosing a son/daughter is the worst thing for a parent to endure … it is still hurtful, even though knowing better what had happend. The media just sells.

With gratitude I receive your sharing. … it comes to my mind that it is a reflection of how wrong the system is explained in the letter by the father. I hope your comunity, friends, family, son, will be able to overcome this soon. I think that the stigmation from terrorist, threats, etc, do more harm, because we have been conditioned by it due the propaganda.