School Shooting Victim Shouts Obscenities After Gunman Granted Partial Freedom
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - There was a strong reaction from a victim of the 2010 shooting at Deer Creek Middle School after a judge granted the gunman partial freedom on Friday.
With the ruling one of Colorado's school shooters will be allowed limited access to places such as Walmart and fast food restaurants. It's a judgement that left the victims and even the district attorney upset.
Bruco Eastwood has been living in a state mental health facility after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2010 Deer Creek Middle School shooting. Two students were injured in the shooting, Reagan Webber and Matt Thieu. Staff members at the school tackled Eastwood until police arrived and he was taken into custody.
On Friday Thieu stormed out of the courtroom, hitting walls and shouting obscenities after the judge's ruling. He and Webber were eighth-graders when Eastwood opened fire at his former school and shot both of them.
Now their shooter will be allowed limited, supervised outings to public places as the next step in his therapy at the state mental hospital.
"I'm concerned about the safety of our community. I'm concerned about the actions that Mr. Eastwood took five years ago," Jefferson County District Attorney Peter Weir said. "I'm concerned about the victims that suffered because of his actions."
When Eastwood was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2010 shooting, he spoke briefly after the verdict.
"Words can't express how remorseful I am about my reactions to my mental illness," Eastwood said in court.
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The defense argued Friday that Eastwood's mental illness is being treated, that he has met milestones, and poses no danger to public safety. Prosecutors said given the nature of his offense, it's not worth the risk.
"To return a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity the experts convinced 12 members of our community how extraordinarily sick Mr. Eastwood was," Weir said. "Now they appeared in front of the judge and say, 'Judge, we've got it all under control.' I just hope those experts are right."
Doctors say Eastwood's outings would be about twice a week to stress-free places. He's currently in a minimum security section of the hospital with his own room and is allowed to administer his own medications.
