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In 1997, school shootings weren't such a threatening part of everyday American life but that was when Michael Carneal went on a shooting spree during a before-school prayer meeting. Carneal, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, killed three students and injured five others, including Missy Jenkins Smith, who was left paralyzed for the rest of her life.
Now, 25 years later, Carneal, who has spent the last two decades behind bars, is up for parole. The 39-year-old's parole hearing is scheduled to start on Monday.
In a scenario that is unimaginable today after, Michael Carneal's life sentence guaranteed him an opportunity to seek parole after serving 25 years in prison. AP News noted that his sentence was the maximum sentence permissible for a person his age at the time in Kentucky.
After the shooting, Carneal put down his firearm and allowed the school principal to walk him to the school office.
In the years that Carneal has been in prison, America has been haunted by the shootings at Columbine, Sandy Hook, Uvalde and Parkland. It would be interesting to see what Carneal's hearing would mean, especially with the ongoing trial of Nikolas Cruz. The trial is currently taking place in Fort Lauderdale and will decide whether to give Cruz, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter, the death penalty or not.
Michael Carneal's victim Missy Jenkins Smith says that he should not be allowed to live a normal life
On December 1, 1997, 14-year-old Michael Carneal opened fire at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky. The shooting killed 14-year-old Nicole Hadley, 15-year-old Kayce Steger, and 17-year-old Jessica James. It also left then 15-year-old Melissa "Missy" Jenkins Smith permanently paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
Since Michael Carneal's incarceration, Smith has kept track of the years passing by and even visited Carneal in prison in 2007. A while after the 20th anniversary of the shooting, she told the AP:
"Twenty-five years seemed like so long, so far away...I would think, ‘It’s been 10 years. How many more years?’ At the 20-year anniversary memorial, I thought, ‘It’s coming up.’"
With Michael Carneal's parole hearing just days away, Smith says that she doesn't want him to be a part of everyday society. She believes that he doesn't deserve the opportunity. Smith said:
"For him to have a chance at 39. People get married at 39. They have children. It’s not right for him to possibly have a normal life that those three girls he killed will never have."
Smith worked as a counselor for at-risk youth and said that she met several people with "terroristic threats" who often grew up learning from their bad decisions. Although she acknowledges this, she believes that the man who aimed his gun at her isn't ready to be part of society.
Michael Carneal had apologized to Smith during her prison visit in 2007 and although she forgave him, she believes that her forgiveness didn't exonerate him. Missy, who considered Carneal a friend before he went on the shooting spree, said:
"A lot of people think that exonerates him from consequences, but I don’t think so."
As mentioned earlier, Michael Carneal's parole hearing will begin on Monday.
