March 2, 1987
DeKalb, Missouri
12-year-old Nathan Feris fatally shoots another schoolmate then himself after constant bullying
Feris had been ridiculed about his weight and his intelligence, referring to him as “Chubby” or “a walking dictionary.” They also called him “Skinny” ironically or “Sunny” because he often wore sunglasses. One student mentioned after the shooting that no one “had anything against him,” adding “he was just someone to pick on.”
Feris brought a gun to school and shot a 13-year-old classmate before turning the gun on himself. Both boys died from their injuries. In the days leading up to the shooting, Feris had told classmates “they wouldn’t pick on him any more,” but no one had believed he would resort to murder.
From The News-Messenger (Fremont, Ohio) March 3, 1987
From The Daily Times (Salisbury, Maryland) March 3, 1987