The man and woman who took an elementary school here hostage Friday, injuring 70 children when their homemade gasoline bomb exploded, had ties to the Posse Comitatus and other white supremacist. Mark Junge: This bomb was designed to do what? Doris had a migraine headache that day, in talking with the other folks, and she was complaining about that, and asked David if she could open the windows because the gas fumesevidently the gas was leaking from the incendiary and he finally consented to let 'em open the window. David Young had initially planned to involve longtime friends Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall, who had invested money with him in a get-rich-quick scheme that he had called "The Biggie. While David and Doris Young were not involved in an organized religion, both were deeply spiritual. I believe there was a hundred-and-sixty-plus people involved that was being held. Mark Junge: Today is the 23rd of September, 2010. And it was a perfect trajectory up into the ceiling where that bullet was. Go to school and learn how to do it." She's an avid genealogist, so maybe get involved with that, and maybe go on a mission for the church. P. O. And then what? Reporters from all the regional news outlets were on the scene by the time of the explosion or shortly thereafter. With the explosionwhat occurred? We had people from ATFAlcohol, Tobacco and Firearmsand there was another bomb technician that came up from Evanstonhe was studying to be a bomb technicianand we all looked at that and said, "That wire's been cut." The bomb was an improvised explosive device constructed in a small two-wheeled shopping cart with two baskets, one on top of the other. The bomb did detonate and fire, thick black smoke and toxi fumes filled the room. I went from within two feet of the bomb to right near the door within ten minutes before the bomb went off. Following the explosion, 79 children were taken to area hospitals, most of which were located more than an hours drive from Cokeville, for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation. Well, he had went into the bathroom and she was out with the bomb, and they said she was complaining of a migraine headache. It's a little basket that has different layers on it. I later learned he'd been shot in the back. They lived in a mobile home with Princess, Davids youngest daughter from his first marriage. Who died in the Cokeville bombing? Chaos ensued. Kameron Wixom, son of Hartt and Judene Wixom, writes a childlike faith saved us. In his contribution to the Witness to Miracles book, Kameron writes: I didnt have to see angels, hear them, or even think that their presence might be required that day. Both David and Doris had ties to white supremacist groups, including the Posse Comitatus and the Aryan Nations. It was in their Tucson home that David came up with what he considered the Biggie, a plan to get rich quick and create a Brave New World. This plan involved Davids longtime friends, Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall, who believed by investing in Davids scheme they would get rich. In Cokeville, Nowhere, Wyo. To my right is Sue Castaneda who is the Wyoming Oral History Project Director, and across the table from me is Rich Haskell, who is a certified bomb technician. But we knew what our story was, and that it could help offer hope. It brings back lots of memories but it doesn't hurt because actually it was a positive experience. Mark Junge: Okay. The top basket contained a gallon milk jug of gasoline, wired with a blasting cap. So he did try that device. Rich Haskell: Well, I didn't know a lot about 'em and I still don't know a lot about 'em. On May 16, 1986, David Young, Cokeville's former town marshal, and his wife, Doris, carried five rifles, five handguns and a "dead man's bomb" into the elementary school. Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. When I looked up to see if David had heard me (which he had, and scowled down at me) I noticed that the florescent white light overhead was not white, but a yellow hazy light. 2 Recreation Board, Indigenous People in Wyoming and the West, Emergency Management Coordinator Kathy Davison on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, EMT Glenna Walker, Mother of Three Young Children, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Public Works Director and Fireman Kevin Walker, Father of Three Young Children, on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Secretary Tina Cook on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Second grade teacher Carol Petersen on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Third grade student Rachel Walker Hollibaugh on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Third grade student Jamie Buckley King on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Fourth grade teacher Kliss Sparks on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Fourth grade student LeaKae Roberts on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Green River Historic Preservation Commission, Natrona County Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Natrona County Recreation Joint Powers Board, Sublette County Historical Preservation Board, University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources, Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. I was frightened and felt that we needed to do something to try to calm down or to be careful, because he was so agitated. After a two-and-a-half hour standoff, the children were becoming restless, so the teachers preoccupied the kids in the form of movies, games, prayer, and books. They just didn't let it die out. Doris tried numerous times to calm the children by telling them to "think of it as an adventure movie," or that they "would have a great story to tell their grandchildren." Rich Haskell: You walk into the door, and I don't know if you got to go into the classroom, but you walk into that door and it opens up into the whole thing. the children began describing things more specifically and that is when the mom was prompted to find the photograph of their grandmother. It was within the first few weeks that the Hartley boy was explaining his witness. In their minds they could start another world. I remember seeing the wide eyes on my band teacher as he collapsed with the EMTs afterward. When were you satisfied that there were no more bombs? Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis, "Radical Right Link Suggested in Hostage Case", "Cokeville Elementary School Bombing | WyoHistory.org", "Couple take over school but die after bomb blast", "Couple in School Blast Linked to Extremist Group", "Certified Bomb Technician Rich Haskell on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "Secretary Tina Cook on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "A projectile killed Dorris Young, not bomb blast, police in Cokeville say", "In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School", "Emergency Management Coordinator Kathy Davison on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Liberty Point International Middle School, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, "'No Way to Prevent This', Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens", List of school shootings in the United States by death toll, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cokeville_Elementary_School_hostage_crisis&oldid=1139490391, Improvised explosive device bombings in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 11:55. According to survivor accounts, Doris enticed many into the first grade room by announcing that their presence was required for a school assembly. Mark Junge: And the explosion went straight up? We know for a fact that he had tried that device because he did it in Arizona and totally destroyed a school bus. I wondered what that was, but then immediately noticed my friends over by the door talking to Doris. She was on fire! David emerged from the bathroom to find his wife in excruciating pain. Mark Junge: And your great-grandkids? Mark Junge: Curious, Rich. Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? This narrative was perpetuated in many publications and productions. Several other survivors were there. The couple corralled a large group of students and teachers into a single classroom. Mark Junge: Yeah, my brother-in-law worked in the Navy as a chief petty officer and he worked with what they called EOD. I remember watching that when I was a younger kid, and when they were interviewing the witnesses, I remember several of them referencing "Heavenly Father " instead of "God," and I knew immediately they were LDS. it is VERY LDS, and yet there are at least 3 other churches in town: Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist (and sometimes a non-denominational church). When they asked pointed questions like "what did the angels look like?" Even though the majority of the townspeople are LDS, there are lots of people of a variety of faiths in the room that day. In the tiny classroom, they watched movies, played games, prayed. Mark Junge: Do you think you've taken more joy out of life because of it? Did you see anything? I've been involved with law enforcement since 1977 in Sweetwater County. Thank you for doing this! [6] With permission, the teachers brought in books, art supplies and a television to help keep the children occupied. And I think it's made me a stronger person. At that time, about 500 people lived in Cokeville, and there were slightly more than 100 students attending the elementary school. Rich Haskell: Yep. When you say what cut the wire? But shortly after entering the school, Princess decided to rebel. The kids could just go to the bathroom right from their classroom. No, this is something that people need to know about. Too many of 'em to try to remember their birthdays. By Deseret News. The Cokeville hostage crisis began the afternoon of May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took 154 children and adults hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. On one hand people didn't want money to be made off of suffering, but on the other hand it felt ungrateful to not share it in the way that TC would or could. On May 16, 1986, . Cook, the school's secretary and the first person taken hostage, could tell Young's threats were serious. Everyone else survived, and many who did recalled the tragedy with memories of the presence of angels. Can you describe this? The Power of Faith: 25 Years After School Bombing, Town Remembers Story of Survival., Mitchell, Ruth Ann. Family is the most important thing in a Mormon family. Mark Junge: They don't want it brought up again. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. Mark Junge: Well, and it burned some of the kids. The jug of gasoline had a pinhole-sized leak on its bottom. Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. The wire was cut. And he had to defuse bombs. Mark Junge: But all of these holes were above the level of the children. It would have killed them. The woman who died with her husband as they held an elementary school hostage with a gasoline bomb last week was not killed by the . Mark Junge: Which means you had to be doing over a hundred miles an hour! I said, "What on earth happened there?" Now, 28 years later, Conger and more than a dozen other survivors are reliving . Dr. Clark is the faculty advisor of the Sweet Memories: Research Group at Western. http://www.cokevillemiracle.com/movie.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cokeville_Elementary_School_hostage_crisis. My name is Kamron Wixom, I was a 12 year old 6th grader in 1986 when a mad man took over my school (Cokeville Elementary) with a bomb and his guns. Carbon County School District No. He used to work in Cokeville. In the movie, it shows the tension building towards the prayer and then shortly after the bomb went off. Rich Haskell: Well, after I arrived it took probably three to four hours to make sure everything was neutral and everything was not going to be a threat any longer. She is a beautiful example of turning tragedy into triumph. Both men were handcuffed in a van outside the school.[1]. The only two fatalities were David and Doris Young. Rich Haskell: Approximately three and a half days. I gathered up some of the equipment that I would need and a change of clothes and proceeded to Cokeville. Mark Junge: They weren't big enough, in a way. Rich Haskell: Sure. Mark Junge: Do you think he took up thatwanted to take that up because of you? They believed in reincarnation, which probably led, in part, to the creation of Davids Brave New World idea. I contacted my sheriff, and that was Jim Stark at the time, and he said, "Definitely! In the West? over there. I immediately went into rendering safehe had brought in several devices with him to place in different places in the room, and there was a lot of ammunition, a lot of guns out in the hallway, and I immediately started rendering all those safe, making sure that those were safe and they could move them out of the building. What should people know going into the film? She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. In the meantime, David and Doris Young gathered children, teachers, staff and visitors in the elementary school into one central location. The basket, the shelves. This wasn't a simple bomb. Rich Haskell: Approximately an hour and ten, hour and fifteen minutes. Then, several years later, Jennie Sorensen identified what she thought was a teacher who led her out of the building after the blast. I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. When Columbine took place, it was such a big deal, and I mentioned to a couple people, "You know, Columbine wasn't the first school to have anything happen." Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. There was no give in the school bus. May 12, 2011, 2:30am PDT. They're the ones that died from the whole thing. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. "Move!" At about 9:30 a.m., the bomb disposal squad used a robotic device to shoot out the end caps of the device, remove the . Rich Haskell: Yes, absolutely. Two Powell residents, Lenita Moore (a science teacher at Powell High School) and John Miller (a longtime choir director at Powell High School who retired in 2020), remember being in Cokeville during the bombing. Hey, I am not the survivor, but I spent my summers in Cokeville, my family is from there, and I have been helping on publicity for the film. The Cokeville Town Hall is located at 110 Pine St. For more information, visit the website of the Cokeville Chamber of Commerce at http://www.cokevillewy.com or call (307) 459-4195. The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. At least 74 people, most of them children, suffered second-degree burns when the bomb went off at about 4 P.M. at the Cokeville Elementary School. TC is one of my heroes. Have you had anything like this, anything close to this happen? The incident was detailed in the book The Cokeville Miracle: When Angels Intervene[12] by Hartt Wixom and his wife Judene, published by Cedar Fort, Inc., which formed the basis for a CBS made-for-TV movie titled To Save the Children. I never did get to see that untilI think it was two days lateractually what they had taken as far as the paperwork was concerned. Mark Junge: That's a mighty powerful gun! You can see what's happening in the world today. So if the state didn't pay him, he figured the Mormon church would pay him because the Mormon church has money also. Accessed May 28, 2013 at. It packed the brute force of twenty-five sticks of dynamite. And I didn't know about the angel thing comin' to the kids until many days later. Only the man and his wife, who accidentally detonated the bomb, died that day in 1986. Seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide. Because it was sittin' low enough and the kids were low enough that it would have done it. Doris developed a headache from the gasoline fumes, and raised her hand to her forehead. And he didn't even ask me if I wanted to do that. Rich Haskell: I am. He instructed Doris and Princess, by now a young adult, to handcuff them inside his van. David Young. In addition, national reporters began arriving within hours of the explosion. Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, Cheyenne. On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young entered Cokeville Elementary School with a gasoline bomb, a variety of rifles and handguns, David's philosophical writings and demands for $300 million in ransom. I actually have a pretty clear memory of the events that day, being 12 years old. Maybe writing that up 2 years ago when this came along was more healing for me than for him, but I gave it all to him! On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. Rich Haskell: If it would have went off like it was supposed to have gone off, it would have lifted the roof off of that school. The Wyoming History one may be the best. Wyoming Town Still Healing a Year After School Bombing., Schoolhouse Blast Still Felt a Year Later., Survivor is My Name: Cokeville Elementary School Bombing1986 News Report Audio. Audio Recording. She lifted her hand up to rub her forehead and when she did that pulled the pin out and detonated the bomb. He knew it was a predominantly Mormon [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] community. During the chaos, Doris' burnt body was expelled through a window, and left lying on the front lawn. Rich Haskell: Well, you know, that's a really good question. [5] The wooden piece was tied to Doris' wrist by a string. On May the 16th , 1986, 1 was in Rock Springs at a basketball game. Mark Junge: You had some bullets in the ceiling that you had to investigate, too. Once the wooden piece was removed, the two metal connectors completed the circuit, detonating the bomb. You start messing with the kids, now you're going to have yourself a war. Mark Junge: Well, you've been blessed in a lot of ways. Mark Junge: How many actual bombs have you had experience with? So timelines and characters may be switched up, but the overall spirit of it and the facts are laid out true to witness testimonies. Yeah, we didn't get a lot of sleep. Davids friends did not know that the Biggie was a plan to take over Cokeville Elementary School, hold each of the children hostage for $2 million dollars apiece and then detonate the bomb, transporting the money and children to his Brave New World, where he would be God. He came out of the bathroom, is what we figured. How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? May 16, 1986, will never be forgotten by the residents of Cokeville, Wyo. They increasingly spoke about their memories in public with professional psychologists, church officials and community counselors. Of what you would picture an angel, with the wings and, Mark Junge: Well, if I'm a skeptic, I could say, "Well, that's just the way the flames shot up.". Flipboard. 2 Recreation Board, Indigenous People in Wyoming and the West, http://news.google.com/newspapers/p/deseret_news?id=nz1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4165,3587249&dq=cokeville+bombing&hl=en, http://archive.org/details/SurvivorIsMyName-VoicesOfTheCokevilleElementarySchoolBombing, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udNB_xdPiYE, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mz1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6656,2193766&dq=cokeville+trying+to+rebuild&hl=en, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oD1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&dq=cokeville&pg=7027%2C3851642, http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/MultiMedia/Display.aspx?ID=86&icon=1, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19870529&id=-AogAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c2UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1067,6238243, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19870521&id=w4sfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zH4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4596,6209063, https://www.deseret.com/2006/5/15/19953524/cokeville-recollects-miracle-of-1986, http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18072820, http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article%E2%80%943077bf4a-a45e-5dad-ae3a-a99aa8fcf3aa.html, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19960515&id=Ke5LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fuwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5227,9406392, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19940404&id=GoQwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iuwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2778,1992787, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705372484/Cokeville-miracle-marking-25-years.html, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe_ZX4Qbsi4, Emergency Management Coordinator Kathy Davison on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, EMT Glenna Walker, Mother of Three Young Children, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Public Works Director and Fireman Kevin Walker, Father of Three Young Children, on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Certified Bomb Technician Rich Haskell on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Secretary Tina Cook on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Second grade teacher Carol Petersen on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Third grade student Rachel Walker Hollibaugh on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Third grade student Jamie Buckley King on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Fourth grade teacher Kliss Sparks on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Fourth grade student LeaKae Roberts on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Law and Order in Cokeville: A Woman Mayor and Prohibition, Green River Historic Preservation Commission, Natrona County Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Natrona County Recreation Joint Powers Board, Sublette County Historical Preservation Board, University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources, A Projectile Killed Doris Young, Not Bomb Blast, Police in Cokeville Say., Castaneda, Sue and Mark Junge. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Kind of a synopsis of what they were going to do and what their plans were and the whole thing. I don't know how many people under the age of 35 know about the Chicago Tylenol murders, but for a few weeks in 1982, it was a national news sensation. Did this shake the faith of some people, or would you say it strengthened it in most? I was a little bit nervous, of course. The two brought in a bomb attached to themselves with a lanyard. One teacher was shot when he tried to flee,. What did you find out about them? The explosion engulfed her in flames and burned many nearby children. The windows had been knocked outhad been blown out. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society.

Jason Harvey Wife Amanda, Frank Erwin Center Being Torn Down, When Was Roberto Nevilis Born, Nc Association Of Realtors Residential Lease Agreement, Articles D