Report: Student Gunman Rejected God, Worshipped MARILYN MANSON

October 11, 2007

According to The Associated Press, the 14-year-old who opened fire at his Cleveland high school on Wednesday (October 10),wounding four before killing himself as police arrived, was suspended two days earlier for fighting over God — he told his classmates he didn't believe in God and instead worshipped rocker Marilyn Manson, students said. [Watch a video report from Fox 8.]

Asa H. Coon, who is white, stood out in the predominantly black school for being a "gothic," wearing a black trench coat, black boots, a dog collar, chains and a glove.

Police believe Coon, a freshman, targeted the two teachers he shot. He also shot two students while others hid in closets, bathrooms and ran panicked out of SuccessTech Academy alternative school Wednesday.

Coon had mental health problems, spent time in two juvenile facilities and threatened to commit suicide while in a mental health facility, according to juvenile court records obtained by The Plain Dealer.

The Department of Children and Family Services was called to the Coon home in 2000 because Coon had burns on his arms and scratches on his forehead, the newspaper said.

When he was 12, Coon was charged in juvenile court with domestic violence. His mother, Lori, had called police and told them that her son slapped her and called her a vulgar name. She had been trying to intervene in a fight between Coon and his twin sister Nicole, The Plain Dealer reported.

He was also suspended from school last year for attempting to physically harm a student, the newspaper said.

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