Police say school shooting apparent retaliation for slaying

NEW ORLEANS -- A loaded handgun was found Tuesday on the body of a 15-year-old boy who was gunned down in a high school gym, according to police who say they believe the attack was retaliation for an earlier slaying.

Jonathan Williams and his attackers apparently bypassed metal detectors at the main entrance of John McDonogh High School in New Orleans simply by going in through the gymnasium, schools superintendent Tony Amato said.

"It's obviously a gaping hole" in security, said Amato, who added that all city schools' security systems will be checked in the next couple of weeks.

About 200 people were in the gym Monday when four young men burst in and shot Williams with an AK-47 rifle and at least one handgun. Three girls were wounded, and one was hurt when she was trampled in the panic that followed.

'More than enough'

On Tuesday, police displayed the rifle, handguns, bags of bullets and clips found at the scene, but wouldn't say how many rounds were found in Williams' body. "More than enough," Lt. Jim Keen said.

A .45-caliber handgun was found in Williams' pocket in the coroner's office, when his body was undressed for the autopsy, Capt. Marlon Defillo said. It will be tested to learn if it had been used in any crimes.

"Basically, this is a person who may have brought this on himself, being as he was armed with a .45 pistol in his right pocket," Police Superintendent Eddie Compass said. "When Mr. Jonathan Williams brought that firearm to that school, he opened it up to the type of violence we saw."

Police said the shooting probably was in retaliation for last week's shooting death of 18-year-old Hillard Smith. Police had not considered Williams as a suspect in that killing until they began investigating his death, and still have no proof he was involved, Compass said.

Eight suspects, ranging in age from 17 to 19, were in custody Tuesday. All faced charges of first-degree murder except one who was held as an accessory.

Although police said the shooting does not appear to be gang-related, District Attorney Eddie Jordan said he feels that rivalries between schools and housing developments are equivalent to gangs.

"I think we definitely need to do something to stop that. Those rivalries are killing off our young people," he said.

Besides the metal detectors, the school has security guards on patrol. On Tuesday, police and security guards searched handbags and backpacks and counselors were on hand for the roughly 50 students who showed up out of a student body of 1,100.

Antoinette Johnson brought her daughter, freshman Iashia Nicholls, back to school.

"We're bringing her back to make sure everything is OK," Johnson said. "She was far away from what happened yesterday. She was very much safe."

The Rev. Thompson Norwood Jr., who headed a public gun buyback in New Orleans last week, was at the school to counsel students.

"I'm amazed that that type of weapon is on the street," Norwood said of the AK-47. "I don't know where our young people get that type of weapon. You think of those over in Afghanistan or Iraq."