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Workplace Violence in Cleveland

October 11th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

With yet another tragic workplace shooting in the news, many employers are asking how they can prevent such an incident.

On Wednesday October 10, 2007, Asa Coon, a Cleveland high school student, shot two teachers and two students. Coon then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide.

According to the Chief of Trauma Surgery at Metro Health Medical Center, “You do not expect a teacher to get shot in the line of work.” Dr. Jeffrey Claridge added, “It’s unacceptable.” Michael Grassie was recovering after surgery for a gunshot to the chest, according to Dr. Claridge. The bullet narrowly missed Grassie’s spine and heart.

While nothing will completely eliminate the risk of workplace violence, there are some steps that employers can take, according to OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Fellow students say that Coon repeatedly made threats against students and the school. Several classmates reported the threats to the principal, according to student Rasheem Smith in an appearance on the CBS “Early Show.” According to Smith, Principal Johneita Durant apparently didn’t take the threats seriously. Principal Durant was “too busy” to meet with the students and other parties, in the days leading up to the shooting.

Asa Coon was a “Goth” who often wore black clothes and a trench coat to school. Other students say that he often accessorized the outfit with an empty gun belt strapped to his leg.

Coon was an atheist who was beaten by another student on Monday, after an argument in which Coon said, “F*** God.” Coon was suspended from school following the fight, and returned on Wednesday.

Coon had a history of violent behavior and threats – both warning signs of workplace violence. In 2006, the court ordered Coon to attend counseling after he slapped his mother. When he did not cooperate, Coon was removed from the home and placed in an interim shelter. While there, he attempted suicide, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper. Eventually, Coon was placed in a detention center and transferred to a mental hospital, where staff suggested that he might be bipolar.

When Coon was released to home detention, he enrolled at SuccessTech, a magnet school for gifted students and those with problems. At SuccessTech, Coon frequently clashed with students and teachers.

Although the school district has portable metal detectors, none of them were in use at SuccessTech on Wednesday. The armed security guard on duty did not deter Coon from brining two pistols and a duffle bag full of knives to class with him.

The school is housed in a 4 storey building along with the administrative offices for the school district. Classes are conducted on floors one and three, while the administrative offices occupy floors two and four.

The head of Cleveland Metro Schools plans to meet with Mayor Frank Jackson to present a new plan for school security on Friday. Classes are cancelled until Monday.

The Virginia Tech massacre remains the greatest workplace tragedy of the year. On April 16, 2007, an assailant armed with semi-automatic weapon and “enough ammo to start a war” chained the doors of a campus building shut. Seung-Hui Cho killed a total of 32 students and staff on the sprawling campus, and wounded 17 others before turning his gun on himself as police closed in. Cho had murdered two people in a nearby dorm earlier in the day. Some have criticized university officials for not closing the campus and the police for dismissing the original paid of homicides as “a domestic dispute.” It’s particularly puzzling that initial reports from police labeled the incident a “murder-suicide” when both victims were shot, but no gun was found in the room.

Seung-Hui Cho exhibited a number of signs that OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has identified as warning signals of workplace violence. He had a history of irrational crushes on women he hardly knew, bordering on obsession. His stalker-like behavior and irrational jealously towards these casual acquaintances was out of proportion to actual events. Cho was a loner who isolated himself from all social contact. He had fits of rage and showed an unhealthy interest in weapons. He had a history of mental health problems, but was not receiving treatment for them.