A West Virginia man accused of going on a shooting spree Friday afternoon in the administration building of an Indiana County school district allegedly told office workers: "Here's the message" moments before opening fire.
Samuel Erwin, 39, of Morgantown, is charged with attempted homicide and related offenses in connection with the shooting, which occurred in the Marion Center School District, north of Indiana.
A secretary, Marcia Joan Conner, was shot in the leg, while another, Kay Diane Pappal, injured her heels and an ankle when she jumped from a ledge outside the building as she tried to escape.
Erwin reportedly entered the building at 1:45 p.m. after he identified himself and was allowed through the electronic doors. He asked to speak to either Superintendent David Pastrick or fellow administrator Elaine Settlemair, neither of whom was there.
When Conner, who is Pastrick's secretary, asked Erwin if he wanted to leave a message, he replied, "Here's the message," then pulled out a small-caliber pistol, according to an affidavit released Monday.
Conner, 48, told state police she picked up a chair to shield herself and repeatedly pleaded with Erwin, "Please do not shoot me," the document revealed.
The Plumville woman said she was backing away from Erwin when he fired a shot at her. She then yelled for Pappal to get out of the building. Conner, who told police she was facing Erwin the entire time, said he then fired four or five more times.
Conner said that after the shooting she felt "a stinging" in her leg and collapsed on the floor when she realized a bullet had struck her. She then heard Erwin leave the building, she said. Police allege that once outside, Erwin fired another shot that hit a window of the building.
Meanwhile, a criminal complaint filed by police implicates Erwin's wife, Nancy Lynn Mogle Erwin, 48, also of Morgantown, in the incident.
The document alleges that the woman, a former longtime mathematics teacher in the district, sold her clarinet at a pawn shop in West Virginia and gave the money to her husband to buy the handgun used in the shooting.
Nancy Erwin was present when the gun was purchased and knew her husband was planning to use it "to kill" Pastrick, according to the report.
The complaint also contends Nancy Erwin planned to pick up her husband at King's Family Restaurant in Delmont after the incident.
Police allege Erwin, believed to be an Irish national, went to Marion Center to confront school district officials over his wife's job loss more than a year ago. Nancy Erwin has been teaching at a high school in West Virginia, according to police.
Another accomplice, Michael J. Fox, 19, of Indiana, also was arrested. Police believe he drove Erwin to and from the administration building knowing Erwin planned to shoot the officials.
Fox told police after his arrest that the Erwins had purchased the handgun used in the shooting at about 10 a.m. the day of the incident. He said the couple then called him at their home, where he had been staying, to ask him to drive Erwin to Marion Center for a "meeting" with administrators.
Fox said Erwin did not tell him of his plan to shoot the officials until "halfway en route" to their destination. After leaving the shooting scene, Fox said he drove Erwin to King's Family Restaurant in Delmont, where his wife was to have picked him up.
Police said Fox is believed to be the boyfriend of one of Nancy Erwin's daughters from a previous marriage.
All three suspects were apprehended later that day and arraigned the following morning before District Justice George M. Thachik of Clymer.
In addition to two counts of attempted homicide, Erwin faces two counts each of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person, four counts of terroristic threats and one count each of committing a crime with a firearm, institutional vandalism and criminal mischief.
Nancy Erwin and Fox each were charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit homicide.
Erwin was placed in the Indiana County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond, while his wife and Fox were both jailed in lieu of $250,000 bond each. A preliminary hearing for all three has been scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Thursday in Thachik's office.
Phone calls to the school district's administrative office yesterday were not answered, and attempts to reach Pastrick at his home in Plum, Allegheny County, were unsuccessful. Settlemair's phone number is not listed.
Conner, who was discharged Saturday from Indiana Regional Medical Center, said yesterday she has been "following doctor's orders" and "coping as best as possible" since the incident. She also repeated earlier statements that she has been advised by police not to discuss specifics of the case.
Pappal, 48, of Marion Center, also was taken to Indiana Regional Medical Center after the incident. From there, she was transferred to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Oakland, said Frank Pappal, a brother-in-law.
A hospital spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that Pappal had been admitted to the hospital but was discharged. She said no other information was available.
Frank Pappal said family members who visited her in the hospital said she was in "good spirits."
State police impounded the vehicles driven by Nancy Erwin and Fox and said they planned to obtain a warrant to search the vehicles and the Erwins' home, according to a spokesman.
