Reports say in the two weeks before the incident, more than 15 students knew of Ramsey's intention to commit a school shooting, and two assisted him.

He approached the student commons area, brandishing the shotgun, and shot 15-year-old Josh Palacios in the abdomen.

Reyne Athanas, an art teacher, entered the commons area after hearing the gunshots.

[5][6][7] According to his friends, Ramsey complained of being harassed and teased by other students, who he claimed only addressed him as "Screech", a character from the NBC TV series Saved by the Bell.

When he was seven, the Anchorage Department of Youth and Family Services removed Ramsey and his two brothers from his mother's custody and placed them in foster care.

[citation needed] At age 10, Ramsey and his brothers settled in Bethel, Alaska, with their foster mother, who later became their legal guardian.

In October 1986, his father, Don Ramsey, went to the Anchorage Times newspaper office armed with an Armalite AR-18 rifle, a revolver, and more than 210 rounds of ammunition.

While inside the building, Don Ramsey began taking hostages and was involved in a brief standoff with police until he surrendered.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was paroled several weeks before his son perpetrated the school shooting.