Sam Hengel: Why?

Investigators continue to search for something, anything that would help explain why Sam Hengel brought weapons to Marinette High School, held his classmates and teacher hostage, and then shot himself.

From the Associated Press:

Sam Hengel was by all accounts the least likely of 15-year-olds to bring two pistols, knives and more than 200 rounds of ammunition into his social studies class, taking several of his closest friends and other terrified classmates hostage before shooting himself to death.

He was a good student with extracurriculars such as Boy Scouts and Taekwondo. A hunting and fishing enthusiast, he had a lot of friends and police don't believe he was bullied. He loved his gadgets and the Green Bay Packers.

As law enforcement try to figure out what may have led Hengel to take over his Marinette High School classroom for more than six hours Monday and ultimately take his own life, family and friends say they're at a loss.

"I was devastated. He was just an exemplary kid," said Henry Johnston, one of Hengel's scout leaders. "That question 'why' is just a question there's no answer for at this time."

Police Chief Jeffrey Skorik isn't sure there ever will be.

"We are going to continue to search but that answer may have gone with Sam and we may never know," he said.

Students said Hengel didn't explain himself during the standoff, but didn't threaten or appear to want to shoot anyone despite the sheer number of bullets he had in his possession. None of the hostages was harmed.

Skorik declined Wednesday to draw any conclusions about Hengel's intent, saying investigators don't know whether the guns may have always been kept in the bag with the ammunition or whether Hengel put it all together specifically for the standoff.

The chief said investigators in the city of 12,000 people bordering Michigan's Upper Peninsula had not found any notes or explanations from Hengel as of Wednesday, but still were looking into whether the teen left any clues on social networking websites such as Facebook.

Dave Riley, professor of human development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said whatever was bothering Hengel likely was related to his peers or family members or possibly biological mental health problems.

"From what I've heard so far his problems don't sound different than what kinds of experiences students had in the past," Riley said.

Austin Biehl, 15, was in Hengel's Monday afternoon class and said Hengel didn't make any demands. Biehl said he didn't think Hengel was going to hurt anyone, but it was obvious those in the room couldn't leave.

"We just didn't want to get up," said Biehl, who said he wasn't close with Hengel but knew him at school.

A few of his close friends started to make conversation with him and then the rest of the class joined in. Biehl said Hengel mentioned he couldn't afford tickets to a Packers game or a trail camera for hunting and that he had a sinus infection over Thanksgiving.

But Biehl said Hengel laughed with students while discussing movies and other topics.

"He seemed fine except he had a gun in his hand, that's the only thing that was worrying," Biehl said.

...An "R.I.P. Sam Hengel" Facebook page was up and running Wednesday, featuring many sympathetic comments and several people saying they wished Hengel had reached out to them. More than 2,300 people had "liked" it by Wednesday night.

Why?

What a horrible question for Hengel's family and friends to have unanswered!

A death, especially a sudden one, is so hard to accept when one fully understands the cause. Not being sure of all that led to a death adds another layer of pain and perhaps feelings of guilt.

Reading through the comments on Facebook, "R.I.P. Sam Hengel," it seems that Hengel is being viewed by many as a victim rather than a monster.

The tragic aspects of the story are overshadowing the hostage situation and Hengel's role as the gunman.

I suppose that's because he didn't physically harm anyone, other than himself, and people close to Hengel know the type of person he was - a good kid, not a murderer.

Sadly, his family and teachers and friends weren't aware of the intense nature of his anguish and the severity of his problems until it was too late. Now, they're powerless to help. They can't undo what's happened.

That's a seemingly unbearable burden they will carry the rest of their lives. The survivors probably can't imagine the possibility of healing as they struggle with their grief.

There are so many victims when one person chooses to commit suicide.

My prayers are with them.

The Hengel family issued another statement on Wednesday.

The family of 15-year-old sophomore Sam Hengel, who held hostage a classroom full of students and one teacher on Monday before shooting himself, issued their second statement in two days on Wednesday evening. Hengel died at a Green Bay hospital on Tuesday.

The family said:

“As the shock of the recent events continues to set it, we are so extremely grateful for the support, understanding & compassion our wonderful community has extended to us. This is an extremely difficult time for our family, with countless unanswered questions and endless confusion. We are touched by the outpouring of support from friends, family, acquaintances and even complete strangers.”

“Today continues to be an emotional day for our family. We find comfort knowing that the gift of Sam’s organs could benefit many individuals. We don’t know how many will benefit, but we are consoled knowing that the prayers of many will been answered.”

“We hope no other family ever has to go through a situation like this. If you suspect someone is having a hard time, please encourage them to seek help. Visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ for crisis call (800) 273-8255 or www.save.org/ for education on suicide.”

“Thank you all for your continued support in these difficult times.”

In the midst of their tragedy, the family is quietly raising awareness for organ donation and suicide prevention.

They should he commended for that. They're exhibiting such grace.

The outpouring of support for the Hengel family and the acts of compassion by the Hengel family are truly uplifting.

It's so important to remember that the events this week in Marinette aren't fiction. They shouldn't be viewed as entertainment or exploited as a ratings jackpot for the media. The lives of real people have been dramatically impacted in profound ways, for better and worse.

There are such extremes here.

A violent death and sorrow.

The gift of life and joy.

Agonizing pain of unanswered questions.

Gratitude for answered prayers.
____________________

UDPATE, December 5, 2010: Mourners gather for funeral of teen who held class hostage

Photographs of a happy teen who camped, canoed and fished greeted mourners as they gathered Sunday for the funeral of a 15-year-old Wisconsin boy who held his social studies class hostage before shooting himself. None of the hostages was injured.

The stage in a school auditorium in Menominee, Mich., where the funeral was to be held Sunday afternoon, was decorated with a tent and canoe. Menominee is just across the river from Marinette, Wis., where Sam Hengel held 26 classmates and his teacher hostage for six hours Monday.

Hengel's Boy Scout and tae kwon do uniforms also decorated the stage, along with martial arts trophies and a Green Bay Packers jersey bearing AJ Hawk's No. 50. A slide show showing Hengel hiking in the woods with his family played before the funeral started.

Those gathered left messages on a board in the lobby, where photographs of Hengel as a baby, holding a fish and on a canoe trip were on display. Hengel's brother Ben wrote, "I will always miss you, brother."