Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Olean School shooting in which three people lost their lives and 11 were injured.
On Dec 30, 1974, 17-year-old Anthony Barbaro, a senior honors student at Olean High School and a member of the rifle team, went to the third-floor student council room and began shooting randomly at people.
Among the fatalities were Earl Metcalf, the school janitor, who confronted him inside the school building, Carmen Wright Drayton, who was six months pregnant and was driving by the school and a gas company employee named Neal Pilon, who, upon seeing the fire trucks heading to the school building, followed them to shut down the gas in the school and was shot immediately after exiting his vehicle.
After a long standoff, the National Guard arrived, and two state police officers managed to apprehend Barbaro, who would eventually hang himself using a bedsheet in his cell at Cattaraugus County Jail.
Why, in God’s name, would anyone bring this up? I understand that when this type of terrible thing happens there are many who say that it is “in memory of”. However, I’m pretty sure that many of the people who lost loved ones and friends would just as soon not be reminded after all these years.