I can recall the shooting at Lindhurst High School on May 1, 1992 as if it was yesterday. I was a 5th grader at Linda Elementary School and I remembered the school bell ringing indicating class was over for the day. My sisters and I waited for each other in front of the school where we would all walk to line up for the bus. We started to board the school bus to go home, when I saw our Principal, Ms. Sanchez (I believe that was her name) and staffs run all over the campus. A school staff came onto our bus and calmly told everyone to get up, get into a single file line and we were walked into a classroom. I remember this day to be the strangest ever. She closed the curtains, locked the door, and turned off the lights. She asked everyone to sit still and sit quietly. We were confused and I started to sense something bad, not knowing what it was. All of a sudden, the intercom went on, and it was the Principal. "Something happened and I need everyone to stay calm until their parents picked them up." Unsure of what was going on, I started to pray. I admit, I started to shake. All I knew was, my mom had come to get us.
I was relieved to see my dad in the car waiting and that's when everything came out. My dad said, "A shooting happened at Lindhurst High School." I knew some people who were going to school there, as I knew the younger siblings. I recall this day to be horrific. All I remembered that evening was our television was turned on to the news channel all night. Our pastor's daughter was at that school and we were all sitting calmly as my parents waited for a phone call that she was out and okay. Although I did not experience the fear of being held captive at gunpoint, I know that this experience has played a toll on me. I am now 28 and graduated from Lindhurst High School as the Class of 2000. I remembered that as a student at this high school, I can see how the teachers, who were there during the shooting, react to any loud noise. It is a traumatizing experience and it not only affects those who were there, but those who lived in the town as well. I remembered crying myself to sleep and shaking all night long on May 1, 1992. May all the souls rest in peace.
