Shooting suspect obsessed with Columbine

[Ban Hammer 14,271]

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. - A teenager accused of killing his father and opening fire outside his former high school was obsessed with school massacres and sent e-mail to the principal of Columbine High School in Colorado warning of his attack, authorities said Thursday.

The e-mail read: "Dear Principal, In a few hours you will probably hear about a school shooting in North Carolina. I am responsible for it. I remember Columbine. It is time the world remembered it. I am sorry. Goodbye."

Orange County Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said Alvaro Castillo sent the message Wednesday morning, shortly before two students were wounded by the gunfire in the school parking lot in Hillsborough. One student was grazed by a bullet and another was injured by flying glass.

When Castillo was arrested near the school, police found pipe bombs and weapons in his van, authorities said.

Columbine Principal Frank DeAngelis called his school district's security director after discovering the e-mail. The security director called the Orange County Sheriff's Department after hearing about the shootings; the e-mail had not specified a school or town for the attack.

Castillo also mentioned the Columbine massacre as he arrived Thursday morning for an initial court appearance.

When asked why he fixated on the 1999 attack, Castillo said he didn't know.

The 19-year-old was assigned a lawyer and ordered held without bond. He didn't speak during the brief hearing and only nodded when asked by Judge Charles Anderson if he understood the proceedings.

When he was taken into custody, he told deputies he had killed his father, Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said.

Castillo was charged with murder after deputies forced their way into the family's home and found the teenager's father, Rafael Huezo Castillo, had been shot to death. It was unclear when the killing took place.

School district spokeswoman Anne D'Annunzio said an armed man "flew" past the school parking lot's guard house in a gray minivan at 1 p.m. and fired about eight shots.

Courtney Long, a senior at the school, told The News & Observer the shooter, in a black hat, black trench coat and black sunglasses, jumped from the minivan, set off a line of firecrackers, shot at car tires and shot out a window in the school building.

Another senior, Scott Cook, was outside when he heard a blast and turned to see the man in the parking lot.

"He pulled out a gun. ... He fired in the air, then he aimed it toward the school. At that time, I high-tailed it out of there," Cook told the newspaper.

Tiffaney Utsman, a senior, was grazed on her right shoulder by a bullet. An unidentified male student was hurt by broken glass, D'Annunzio said. Utsman was treated at a hospital and released Wednesday evening.

"My feeling about Tiffaney is absolute relief that she really was not hurt at all," said her mother, Champe Revis.

Students were temporarily barred from leaving both the high school and nearby C.W. Stanford Middle School for their safety, D'Annunzio said.

Denning Best, a high school freshman, was in the cafeteria. "I saw people running away and all the teachers were telling us it was a lockdown," she said. "It was a little bit freaky."

The school planned to hold a normal day Thursday, with extra security and a crisis team available.

The owner of the property on which the Castillo home is located refused to allow reporters access to the private road on Wednesday evening. The home is located amid a mix of horse farms, trailer parks and modest homes.

Tanya Horne, standing across the street from the road to the Castillo home, said she didn't know either father or son but had lived in the area most of her life and described it as "very quiet."

"We have fallen asleep with our door open," she said. "Nobody bothers you."

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Down with the Kiddofascists!

[Traviesa 0]

What is it with guys named Alvaro? Lovely ex-boss served jail time for money laundering, harboring illegal aliens...now this guy kills his own father and tries to kill high school students...very, very sad-fortunately, none of the students were seriously injured, unfortunately, his dad died...