Is that morbid thinking on my part? Story: Witness who ran toward marathon bomb 'saw bodies flying' "The death of any child shatters us all,'' Barnicle said. I know it is real. Mark Junge: What do you want to do with the rest of your life? One thing to mention is that the tension in real life seemed much more present at first, and then once prayers were said the mood really lifted. Rich Haskell: No. On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. The tuna fish cans, if you can imagine, here's two tuna fish cans sittin' here like this, and a gallon jug of gasoline sittin' above it. The subsequent police report states that David opened the door from the connecting bathroom, shot his injured wife in the head and killed her,[9] shot and wounded John Miller, a music teacher who was trying to flee, then closed the bathroom door and killed himself with a shot from a .45 pistol to the head. There are some survivors that couldn't believe how accurate much of it was. It would have killed them. Mark Junge: Why do you think that God chose Cokeville to save? Mark Junge: Which means you had to be doing over a hundred miles an hour! [7] Geography [ edit] . He was asking large amounts of money. He knew what the community was all about. I didn't touch the body at all. He instructed Doris and Princess, by now a young adult, to handcuff them inside his van. Mark Junge: They don't want it brought up again. The Youngs both died that day. Nobody come inside this circle." Rich Haskell: I took pictures of it. Mark Junge: That's a mighty powerful gun! Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. They lived in a mobile home with Princess, Davids youngest daughter from his first marriage. The Power of Faith: 25 Years After School Bombing, Town Remembers Story of Survival., Mitchell, Ruth Ann. David, who dared not risk their reporting him to the authorities, responded by holding them at gunpoint. Rich Haskell: Yes, I did. Then, several years later, Jennie Sorensen identified what she thought was a teacher who led her out of the building after the blast. One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. I cannot tell you what happened. But everything was black, like you had gone in there with a flamethrower and just torched everything inside there. But David refused to reveal his plans entirely until moments before they unfolded. Well, you know how fine that dust is. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School Published: November 8, 2014 Janel Dayton, Wyoming State Archives photo. Mark Junge: Do you still think about this? "If you can see the bomb, the bomb can see you," an officer shouted. I actually have a pretty clear memory of the events that day, being 12 years old. Mark Junge: Do you think David or Doris would have cut it? This all happened about 8 months after the bombing. I was still trying to make sense of it all! I think he went in the Marine Corps because of me and served 25 years and retired. She lured them by telling them there was either an emergency, a surprise, or an assembly there. Rich Haskell: I don't think that they were planningor David was planning on the ceiling tiles in the school. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. Rich Haskell: There was a reason I was there for some reason. But it still sent flames all over in the room and you can see where all the flames were in that room. When I arrived I could see out on the lawn, there was a black object laying out on the grass. [5] The wooden piece was tied to Doris' wrist by a string. Edit: Also, were you at that early screening? the children began describing things more specifically and that is when the mom was prompted to find the photograph of their grandmother. Two Powell residents, Lenita Moore (a science teacher at Powell High School) and John Miller (a longtime choir director at Powell High School who retired in 2020), remember being in Cokeville during the bombing. The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. He shot and killed her. Okay? What did you find out about them? In 1986 , 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. [5] The leaking gasoline's fumes prompted teachers to open the classroom windows, unknowingly creating vents for the impending explosion. From Tragedy To Triumph- Talking To A Cokeville Bombing Survivor. Weredo you think it had something to do with angels? Rich Haskell: And fourteen and a half great-grandchildren. What should people know going into the film? May 12, 2011, 2:30am PDT. The gasoline bottle was leaking. Now you are a bomb technician. We figured that he had dropped down on his knee, took his pistol and shot her to put her out of her misery, because when we went out and looked at her, there was a hole up through the bottom of her chin, and it came out the top of her head. ITT: people who want to pick a fight with someone who survived an incredible experience. I was later told that everybody had been taken to different hospitals, ambulance services from all over, from Utah, from Idaho, from Wyoming was transporting people all over the place and there was only two fatalities. How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? [13], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}420457N 1105719W / 42.08250N 110.95528W / 42.08250; -110.95528. I think it was still in his body. I'm currently the Sheriff of Sweetwater County. Rich Haskell: Well, I didn't know a lot about 'em and I still don't know a lot about 'em. Cokeville officially has only536 people in it and two LDS wards that meet in the same chapel. They're the ones that died from the whole thing. And I'm sure that that made him very nervous. Rich Haskell: I am. Mark Junge: to go through all this? [4], Prior to the hostage crisis, David had tested a similar bomb in a sealed school bus in Arizona, destroying it.[5]. [8] This unintentionally activated the triggering mechanism and the bomb exploded, severely injuring Doris, and filling the room with black smoke and pockets of fire. I was up there as part of his protection team. TC, I think, saw it the same way. I had the chance to watch the pre-screening of the film and it was very emotional. [5], "You could see that the roof tiles had been lifted out of their brackets. And we allthere was three of us there. The kids couldn't have cut it. Lota, Louinn. Rich Haskell: Well, I did learn later that the kids saw the angels. So I went to Huntsville, Ala., to Redstone Arsenal. By Deseret News. In most cases I have deleted redundant ands, ers, uhs, buts, false starts, etc. And that was their whole intent of coming to Cokeville. Even though the majority of the townspeople are LDS, there are lots of people of a variety of faiths in the room that day. Survivors began to tell their stories through a spiritual lens. Thank you for doing this! It's a little basket that has different layers on it. Mark Junge: One of the things that Sue and I found out is that people don't regret doing this because they think it's important for history. I mean, Columbine, it wasn't that way. Both men were handcuffed in a van outside the school.[1]. 154 of us were held hostage for almost 3 hours in a 30x32 room when the bomb actually detonated - all 154 hostages survived. Throughout both baskets were chain links, gunpowder, and boxes of ammunition acting as shrapnel. And screaming, I can't imagine the screams that she was making. For more information about our sponsors and the people behind WyoHistory.org, visit our About Us page: Hostage crisis at the elementary school in Cokeville, Wyo. When Deppe and Mendenhall finally got wind of his plans moments before the hostage crisis unfolded, they refused to participate. Mark Junge: Are you one of the most experienced people in the area? On one hand people didn't want money to be made off of suffering, but on the other hand it felt ungrateful to not share it in the way that TC would or could. Rich Haskell: Not really that often, but every time I think about it I get very emotional. Words emphasized by the speaker are italicized.~Transcribed by Russ Sherwin, Feb. 27, 2011. Vengeance for having been fired did not seem to have been the motive, but rather a philosophy recorded in journal entries referring to a Brave New World where he wanted to reign over intelligent children. And what happens if they trigger something accidently?" She is one of the survivors whose story has become a part of The Cokeville Miracle. The woman who died with her husband as they held an elementary school hostage with a gasoline bomb last week was not killed by the . She was totally burned. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. When they asked pointed questions like "what did the angels look like?" They had written the manuscript, ready for publication, when the Walkers contacted them as family friends and said you may want to come ask our daughters some questions. I saw an early screening of the film and absolutely loved it. Rich Haskell: Because of the response and because of the emails and everything that took place. We know he built two of 'em. Two of the three blasting caps on the bomb failed to detonate; the wires to each tuna can had been reportedly cut. Doris accidently triggered the bomb by motioning to her hostages with her arms. It was not a teacher, but her ancestor. TC is one of my heroes. You went back home? It's just something that you just have to stay on top of. Rich Haskell: Were above the level of the kids, yeah. David Young. So he did try that device. On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville www.wyohistory.org 25 years after school bombing, Wyoming town remembers the . The windows had been knocked outhad been blown out. Davids friends did not know that the Biggie was a plan to take over Cokeville Elementary School, hold each of the children hostage for $2 million dollars apiece and then detonate the bomb, transporting the money and children to his Brave New World, where he would be God. They messed with the kids and that brought a whole communityin fact, it brought the whole western half of the state all together. Mark Junge: Curious, Rich. The basket, the shelves. David Young entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. Then when I became a deputy, Sheriff Stark says, "You know, we're going to start finding a bunch of old explosives, dynamite and things. I've spent many, many hours and many days with the leaders of the Mormon church, with the Prophet of the Mormon church. Of course, I can imagine the noise that it made. So many of 'em thatI don't know. Both David and Doris had ties to white supremacist groups, including the Posse Comitatus and the Aryan Nations. When I looked at everyone looking at me (as if I should call on someone to say it) I realized I should call on Allyson Cornia - literally because she was the smartest kid in the class! The Cokeville hostage crisis began the afternoon of May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took 154 children and adults hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. That dead-man switch is a piece of string that goes around your wrist and it's hooked into a clothespin, the other end of it. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. He listened so well, so patiently. In the classroom, David held the gasoline bomb, with the triggering mechanism attached to a string tied around his wrist. Mark Junge: Well, what do you think would cause two people like this to do this? Mark Junge: Do you know the names and birthdates of all your grandchildren? With fear that David might become unhinged, the teachers decided to make an ~8-foot square of masking tape for his own personal space. Rich? Also, what do you want us to know about it that isn't covered in the film? Trent Toone, Mormon Times. Mark Junge: In fact, didn't you say you burned up your engine? I've been involved with law enforcement since 1977 in Sweetwater County. Because of the tiles and the window? Rich Haskell: I did not. After a two-and-a-half hour standoff, the children were becoming restless, so the teachers preoccupied the kids in the form of movies, games, prayer, and books. Rich Haskell: Well, after I arrived it took probably three to four hours to make sure everything was neutral and everything was not going to be a threat any longer. What had happenedI can't explain it. Meanwhile, Doris went from classroom to classroom, luring 136 children, six faculty, nine teachers, and three other adults, including a job applicant and a UPS driver, into a first-grade classroom for a total of 154 hostages. She is a beautiful example of turning tragedy into triumph. Used with thanks. I remember seeing the wide eyes on my band teacher as he collapsed with the EMTs afterward. . One of 'em was in Cokeville and one was in the bus that he did the experiment with. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. Mark Junge: And you know, in Sue and I's conversation with these dozen people we've talked to now, seems like they also feel the same way you do. As long as that piece of wood was in there to keep those separated, it would not detonate. I was, and I still am, a certified bomb technician at the time, and I was, as far as I know, the only bomb technician in the southern half of the state of Wyoming. I went from within two feet of the bomb to right near the door within ten minutes before the bomb went off. Kind of a synopsis of what they were going to do and what their plans were and the whole thing. This is actually the first time I have heard of this. Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis, "Radical Right Link Suggested in Hostage Case", "Cokeville Elementary School Bombing | WyoHistory.org", "Couple take over school but die after bomb blast", "Couple in School Blast Linked to Extremist Group", "Certified Bomb Technician Rich Haskell on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "Secretary Tina Cook on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "A projectile killed Dorris Young, not bomb blast, police in Cokeville say", "In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School", "Emergency Management Coordinator Kathy Davison on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Liberty Point International Middle School, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, "'No Way to Prevent This', Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens", List of school shootings in the United States by death toll, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cokeville_Elementary_School_hostage_crisis&oldid=1139490391, Improvised explosive device bombings in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 11:55. And then what? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Yeah. The incident was detailed in the book The Cokeville Miracle: When Angels Intervene[12] by Hartt Wixom and his wife Judene, published by Cedar Fort, Inc., which formed the basis for a CBS made-for-TV movie titled To Save the Children. Mark Junge: And when you went into the classroom you saw holes in the walls? The two brought in a bomb attached to themselves with a lanyard. They had a circle of tape around the device itself and they said, "Do not come inside of this circle. I didn't look at the speedometer, I was just kind of watchin' for animals and everything else. It was perfect! These are designed to just spread out the particles all over the air. I did open that briefcase remotely like I was taught in school to do. Whether or not you believe in God or miracles, show some respect. "The sadness that comes with the death of an 8-year-old, you can . You can't think, well, maybe something could happen, because yes it could. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. Everybody that was inside that room, they just started throwin' them out the windows, out the doors, just anyand she happened to be one they threw out the window. President Hinkley, President Monson, and President Faust. I remember watching that when I was a younger kid, and when they were interviewing the witnesses, I remember several of them referencing "Heavenly Father " instead of "God," and I knew immediately they were LDS. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. At that time all of the different agencies was pretty much on the same radio frequency and I was stayin' in touch with them, lettin' them know what my location was and they were in turn telling me what was taking place. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the convicted killer whose 1974 murders spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise, died last week while serving a 25 years-to-life prison term, officials said Monday . When did Cokeville miracle happen? While he was writing his philosophy, Zero Equals Infinity, Doris took part-time jobs including housekeeping and waitressing to support their meager lifestyle. Carbon County School District No. You can see what's happening in the world today. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. My name is Mark Junge and I'm here at the Hiltonis it the Hilton Hotel? Rich Haskell: Pretty sophisticated guy is what he was. So timelines and characters may be switched up, but the overall spirit of it and the facts are laid out true to witness testimonies. And I think that these people actually thought that they could start another world. Rich Haskell: Sure. And if I had been a little less of a jokester I may have seen something in that strange light. David was a diabetic. (Laughs) But as I was passing through Kemmerer I stayed in radio contact. It was within the first few weeks that the Hartley boy was explaining his witness. It's made me, I think, more open-minded to things and don't take so much for granted anymore. David returned to the restroom and killed himself, ending the hostage crisis. [10][2][3] The injured were triaged to several area hospitals in Wyoming and Idaho.[2][3][11]. David became increasingly agitated, and decided to leave the room. The Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis occurred on May 16, 1986, in Cokeville, Wyoming, United States, when former town marshal David Young 44, and his wife Doris Young 47, took 136 children and 18 adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School . You'd had experience? Many children showed signs of distress with sobs, complaining of headaches from the smell of gasoline from the bomb, or simply wanting to go home. COKEVILLE, Wyo. The Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis occurred on Friday, May 16, 1986 in Cokeville, Wyoming, United States, when former town marshal David Young, 43, and his wife Doris Young, 47,[1] took 136 children and 18 adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School. This wasn't a pipe bomb. You know their names but not their birthdays. She is a trained rural historian who specializes in oral history, childhood history and memory studies. My name is Kamron Wixom, I was a 12 year old 6th grader in 1986 when a mad man took over my school (Cokeville Elementary) with a bomb and his guns. Amy Bagaso Williams with her husband and four children. Of course, most children were elated by the prospects of an assembly. I said, "What on earth happened there?" The kids couldn't have done it. This significantly mitigated the explosive power of the bomb. But he knew the culture, he knew the type of people, and I'm not sayin' that Mormon people are better than anybody else, but their way of life is family is first. I can understand that. So if the state didn't pay him, he figured the Mormon church would pay him because the Mormon church has money also. During my years here in Wyoming I have refereed both basketball and football on the high school and the junior high school level, and I was watching the ball game at that time. Where you find brackets [ ] I have added words for explanation or to complete an awkward sentence. And my children. When Columbine took place, it was such a big deal, and I mentioned to a couple people, "You know, Columbine wasn't the first school to have anything happen." I'm portrayed as the little red haired kid with glasses that asks about the AK-47. Teachers were confused and baffled by Young's nonsensical, strange writing. Rich Haskell: Approximately three and a half days. Rich Haskell: Approximately an hour and ten, hour and fifteen minutes. Mark Junge: You also mention in your written article in Witness to Miracles [See Note] , the book, that you found a briefcase and you had to open it remotely? I think I made it there in record timeI'm not sure. Used with permission and thanks. and detonated a bomb inside. One of the unique things that I noticed when I went into that room and I don't know if any of the other people have told you about it or whatever else, but when I walked into that room you could see the outline on the whiteboard of an angel. On May the 16th , 1986, 1 was in Rock Springs at a basketball game. [T]rust is big here youngsters grow up knowing they can turn to many other members of the community with confidence, write Hartt and Judene Wixom in Trial by Terror: The Child-hostage Crisis in Cokeville, Wyoming. Ahntastic Adventures in Silicon Valley Rich Haskell: Well, run fordo another term as sheriff and then retire, and my wife and I are going to doshe loves genealogy. Mark Junge: Well, you've been blessed in a lot of ways. Is there a news article that I could read to get a better idea of what happened? Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. After a stand-off lasting two and a half hours, the gasoline bomb the couple had brought into the school went off prematurely, badly burning Doris Young while David Young was out of the room. For instance, The Cokeville Miracle Foundations 2005 book Witness to Miracles: Remembering the Cokeville Elementary School Bombing and the Wyoming State Archives oral history project called Survivor is My Name both focused on the reconstructing of this narrative as a miracle instead of a tragedy. They feel that it was a positive experience for them. Rich Haskell: You walk into the door, and I don't know if you got to go into the classroom, but you walk into that door and it opens up into the whole thing. Following the explosion, 79 children were taken to area hospitals, most of which were located more than an hours drive from Cokeville, for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation. Cokeville Elementary School is located at 205 N. Sage St. in Cokeville. It was just shootin' everywhere. AN EXPLOSION of vapors, resultLing from a combination of circumstances at the Kearney, N. J., plant of the Koppers Coke Company, on May 17, 1948, resulted in the death of ten men and started a . I got a chance to talk to Jennie Sorensen Johnson, who was seven when David Young rolled a bomb into her first grade classroom. You just do whatever you have to do and get up there." I just stayed right there and we processed the scene and did the scene. Go to school and learn how to do it." David went to the school office, handing out a manifesto titled "ZERO EQUALS INFINITY" and announcing "This is a revolution!" Associated Press. I have no doubt about my friends witness testimonies - even though I saw or heard nothing such as they did.