Current:Home > NewsSurpassing:An Amish woman dies 18 years after being severely injured in a deadly schoolhouse shooting -Quantum Growth Learning
Surpassing:An Amish woman dies 18 years after being severely injured in a deadly schoolhouse shooting
SafeX Pro Exchange View
Date:2025-04-08 10:42:46
HARRISBURG,Surpassing Pa. (AP) — A woman who was severely injured when a gunman killed five girls and wounded her and four other girls during an attack on their one-room Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania has died 18 years later, a funeral director said Thursday.
Rosanna S. King, 23, died at her home on Tuesday and a funeral is planned at her home in the farming community of Paradise on Friday, according to an obituary from Furman Home for Funerals in Leola. Funeral director Philip Furman confirmed Thursday she was among those shot at the West Nickel Mines Amish School in October 2006.
Charles Carl Roberts IV, a 32-year-old milk truck driver, barricaded himself inside the schoolhouse and let boys and several adults go as he tied up 10 girls and shot them before taking his own life as police closed in.
Rosanna King, who belonged to an Old Order Amish Church community, was 6 years old at the time and had been considered the most severely injured survivor. She had been shot in the head and the attack left her unable to talk and needing a tube to be fed. She was dependent on others for personal care and mobility.
A year afterward, her family said in a statement she was able to recognize family members, smiled a lot and had limited physical movement. They said in 2007 that “the hardest part has been to see her suffer.”
She will be buried in the Bart Cemetery.
Roberts’ mother, Terri Roberts, regularly visited Rosanna King, inspired by the forgiveness the Amish community expressed to her and her family after the attack.
In a 2013 interview, Rosanna’s father, Christ King, said there were times when he asked himself if he had really forgiven the shooter.
“We have a lot of work to do to live up to what we are bragged up to be,” Christ King said back then. “Everyone was talking about this forgiveness thing, and I felt that was putting a lot of weight on our shoulders to live up to that.”
Roberts indicated in suicide notes left behind and during a last call with his wife that he had been tormented by unsubstantiated memories of having molested a couple of young relatives and by the death of his newborn daughter in 1997.
The schoolhouse was torn down 10 days after the killings and a new one was constructed nearby.
The Amish prioritize their deep Christian faith and family life, eschewing many modern conveniences. They wear traditional clothing and use horses and buggies for much of their transportation. They often speak a German dialect known as Pennsylvania Dutch.
Rosanna King died the same week a 14-year-old Georgia student was charged with using an assault-style rifle to kill two students and two teachers at his high school about an hour outside of Atlanta. There have been more than 600 mass killings in the United States since 2006.
veryGood! (41472)
Related
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Covering child care costs for daycare workers could fix Nebraska’s provider shortage, senator says
- Hawaii officials identify the last of the 100 known victims of the wildfire that destroyed Lahaina
- Data breaches and ID theft are still hitting records. Here's how to protect yourself.
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Sofia Richie Grainge announces first pregnancy with husband Elliot
- Canadian man accused of selling deadly substances to plead not guilty: lawyer
- China confirms the 2022 conviction of a British businessperson on espionage charges
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Small cargo plane crashes after takeoff from New Hampshire airport, pilot hospitalized
Ranking
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Kenneth Eugene Smith executed by nitrogen hypoxia in Alabama, marking a first for the death penalty
- An Alaska judge will preside over an upcoming Hawaii bribery trial after an unexpected recusal
- Elle King Reschedules More Shows After Dolly Parton Tribute Backlash
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Woman detained after series of stabbings and pedestrians hit by a vehicle in Washington suburbs
- Biden administration warned Iran before terror attack that killed over 80 in Kerman, U.S. officials say
- Trump must pay $83.3 million for defaming E. Jean Carroll, jury says
Recommendation
Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
Man gets death sentence for killing 36 people in arson attack at anime studio in Japan
Why Sharon Stone Says It's Stupid for People to Be Ashamed of Aging
The Associated Press wins duPont-Columbia award for Ukraine war documentary ’20 Days in Mariupol’
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
LSU vs. South Carolina highlights, score, stats: Gamecocks win after Angel Reese fouls out
Egyptian soccer officials sacrifice cow for better fortune at Africa Cup
Shirtless Jason Kelce wanted to break table at Bills-Chiefs game; wife Kylie reeled him in